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Wiring a GPS on a 2009 RT

8K views 21 replies 12 participants last post by  The_real_hati 
#1 ·
Hi all,

I am kind of new to the BMW Motorad world. I only just bought my 2009 R1200RT last March and have put just about 7500 miles on it, all good times. I missed having my Zumo 600 that I sold with my Harley Road Glide so I just purchased a Garmin Zumo 595lm and a mount from Migsel and was wondering if I needed something else to wire it up so it only is on when the key is in the on position?
Anyone have experience in wiring these up. It comes with a wiring harness that (to me) looks confusing. Any and all information is appreciated as I am not very happy doing electrical work. I am much more Zen with the mechanical wrenching aspect of motorcycle maintenance.

Thanks,

John
 
#3 ·
Yes the connector will have a cap in it and it is tied to one of the front support bars generally a little to the right and forward of the steering head area. This is a three wire connector. #1 is ground, #2 is signal from bike computer with information for the NAV computers (digital) #3 is 12 volts +. You can buy for 15 or 20$ a BMW plug that goes into this connector and gives you three wires about a foot long each to work with and now you have a clean way to hook up your power supply. This goes on with the key and goes off 60 seconds after you turn the key off. The PN is 8330 041 3585. You may need to hook up a converter that may come with your gps for 12 volt power supply. Most GPS units work on 5 volts.
 
#5 ·
On my 08 RT I have a mini fuse box that was installed by the previous owner. Since I have a "car" type Garmin DriveSmart 51 gps on my RT, I installed a cigarette lighter female adapter to the fuse box and ran the gps's power cord up to the gps. The gps's power cord cuts the power down from 12 volts to 5 volts. I do not use voice prompts from the gps and this setup works good for me.
 
#6 ·
That is great information. The garmin is the Motorcycle one so hopefully it's a 12 volt. I think I can figure where the connection is, maybe a shop manual would be a good idea? I need to take of the top of the dash anyway to install the mount so I might just take off as much of the tupperware as needed to see around the steering head and find that connector. I'll go on the MaxBMW site and try and find that part beech, thanks everyone. Once it's on and working I'll post pictures.

John
 
#9 ·
I got the BMW connector from the dealer this past summer, was about 25 or so, and it makes the job pretty painless in that you dont have to splice any of the bikes wiring. You also dont have to remove any tupperware just to connect the new wire.

I use one of the Garmin automotive models, so I ran that new cable to a combo lighter/usb outlet which fit nicely in the dash. As others mentioned, it has a time delay of about a minute before it shuts off power. This will require you to remove that one side piece to install the outlet, but that is pretty simple with about 4 small screws.



 
#10 ·
Here is a picture of the dash mount that I am waiting on for delivery. After this is in hand I will get the plug to attach the Garmin wiring to my system.

This will put it above the instrument cluster right where I want it.
 

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#11 ·
Ah, careful with that. I have one of those brackets on my '05. The bracket is solid, but the location to mount it was not. The previous owner used an old Tomtom on the bike that was half the size of my Zumo595, so he had no issues, but when I affixed the Zumo, I got a lot of vibration while riding. I ended up making a couple of aluminium brackets under the plastic cover this brackets fits onto to stabilise the entire system. I have not checked if they changed anything from '05 to '09 in that area. Suspect they did not.
 
#12 ·
I have a Migsel Mount on my 07.
Best GPS mount for the RT IMHO
Easy to install


I have no vibration issue and I added my TPMS on it also


YMMV
 

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#13 ·
Thanks, that's good to hear. I have the TPM on my '09 so no need to add, but the mount looks great.
It is in the perfect location for keeping eyes on the road. Funny how all the good stuff for these bikes come from Europe! I can't seem to find the wiring plug adapter from a vendor here in the US.

John
 
#14 ·
On my 2009 R12RT I installed an accessory fuse box under the seat. I connected the relay of that fuse box to one of the running lights, that way the fuse box is live when the key is on. I powered my Garmin GPS, the phone and a supplemental plug in power socket from that fuse box.

JayJay
 
#15 ·
There is a factory power lead supplied under the dash, which is typically wrapped in tape and zip-tied to the frame just in front of the handlebars. It's the only thing not connected under there. You can just cut the factory plug off and use the wires. I connected a third-party "cigarette lighter" style female connector to the factory harness so I could plug in the standard automotive style Garmin cable to it. The power is cut with the key off after about 20 seconds. I leave the garmin cable and take the GPS with me if need be. Here's how I made a custom mount:

 
#16 ·
So, I need a little more help. I have BMW "repair" plug and think I've found the receptacle for it near the steering head. Here is the picture I took of it. I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the cap from it. I've circled the item I'm talking about. Is this where I plug in? and what is the trick to removing the cap? I don't want to yank until I break something


Thanks,

frustrated fumble fingers in CT
John
 

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#17 ·
If you thing you may wire up more accessories in the future, you may want to consider adding a fuse block (power center). I added one it allows me to fuse it for power only when the key is on or continuous power. I added on to my 2012 Rt and have the GPS, extra lights, a usb power outlet and heated gear wired to it.
 
#18 ·
GPS installed!
When I was able to release that plug with the cap from the harness, I was able to find the magic tab to release the cap, then it was all about tucking and zip ties to get the excess wires out of the way. Here is the finished project. Now I can use all that knowledge I've gained figuring out Base Camp to plan some scenic rides around New England. See you on the road.

John in CT
 

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#19 · (Edited)
Looks good John! Glad you got that sorted out...

BTW...don’t know if your RT has TPMS from the factory; if it doesn’t the Garmin 595lm can interface to the Garmin tire pressure sensors.



I use those on my 09 RT and 395lm GPS and they work well...and MUCH easier to deal with than the factory setup when sensor batteries go dead.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
#20 ·
One aside John in regards to your coupling from GPS bracket ball to GPS cradle ball. I was using the same coupling but found that it was getting really difficult to tighten it enough to stop the GPS pivot down under its own weight induced by rattles from the road. It turned out that the ball that came with the bracket started to crack (probably due to the heat we get) and the length of the joint made the GPS vibrate too. Went to the local RAM specialist where I got a stick end coupling and a matching stick to ball joint for AU$30. Cut the stick end off and bolted it to the bracket that reduced the bracket end to half its original length. The stick to ball connector then reduced it further by half an inch and now the entire assembly is rock solid. Can take a photo if needed.
 
#21 ·
Pictures please, I may need for future reference. RAM makes so many mounts, I'm sure I can find a pairing if this doesn't work in the long run. for now, I need to find the optimal placement for the GPS to be seen and not interfere with anything else on the dash.

John
 
#22 ·
There you go John. I believe this is the shortest possible option available. It sits above the idiot lights, nothing is covered, at least not for me standing at 5'11".

The base I used as well as the arm from the RAM dealer. I think you can see where I cut the base off (the bit that would hold the stick it was designed for) on the second photo. I found a bolt that fitted the thread on the RT bracket, drilled through the middle of the now cut off base, cut the bolt to the correct length (the hole in the bracket is a blind one) and dremmeled the base out to allow for the "clamp" fitting (first photo). There is now virtually no vibration at the GPS.
 

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