BMW Navigator 6, "Navigator 7" or CarPlay: which fits your GS?
In this article
Weighing a BMW Navigator 6, or what some shops list as a "Navigator 7", against a CarPlay screen for the BMW Navigator cradle? This is the comparison. We're GS Goods and we sell the screen, so we have a side. The BMW facts below come from BMW's own pages, linked in the text.
BMW Navigator 6 or 7: which devices exist?
Names first, because they cause the confusion.
BMW introduced the Navigator VI, the "Navigator 6", in 2017: a 5 inch device with a circular polarisation filter and 16 GB of internal storage in the EU and US versions (BMW press release). BMW's current accessories page no longer lists it.
That page lists one navigation device today: the ConnectedRide Navigator, with a 5.5 inch touchscreen (BMW Motorrad accessories page, German). We found no BMW page for a "Navigator 7".
So we compare the two devices BMW describes, the Navigator VI and the ConnectedRide Navigator, with our screen. If a shop lists a "Navigator 7", ask your BMW Motorrad dealer to confirm the part number. We read BMW's pages on 29 October 2026, and pages can change after that date.
Where each one sits and how you control it
BMW calls its mount the navigation preparation: optional equipment on new bikes or a retrofit, and it connects many BMW motorcycles built from 2014 onwards. The ConnectedRide Navigator clicks into it, and BMW says you operate it with the multi-controller, using your left thumb.
Our BMW screen clicks into the original BMW Navigator cradle without tools. It works with the Wonder Wheel when the bike runs original, fully up-to-date BMW software. Support depends on model and year.
The comparison in one table
| BMW Navigator VI ("Navigator 6") | BMW ConnectedRide Navigator | GS Goods BMW Motor CarPlay Screen | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sits in | Four-button mount cradle, more functions with the navigation preparation | BMW navigation preparation | Original BMW Navigator cradle |
| Screen | 5 inch, circular polarisation filter | 5.5 inch touchscreen, 800 nits | 6 or 7 inch IPS, anti-glare, 1000 nits |
| Maps | On the device, 16 GB in EU and US versions (BMW, 2017) | Routes sync with the BMW Connected app through the BMW cloud; micro SIM slot, up to 4G/LTE | Your phone's apps, such as Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze |
| Phone link | Bluetooth, for music from your phone | Connects ConnectedRide products and your smartphone | Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (Wi-Fi + Bluetooth) |
| Controls | Four-button mount cradle or multi-controller, depending on the model | Multi-controller | Wonder Wheel with up-to-date BMW software, depending on model and year |
| Sound | Music from your phone over Bluetooth | Connects Bluetooth devices, with volume control from the multi-controller | No built-in speaker: sound goes from your phone to your helmet headset or intercom |
| Updates | Free map updates, per BMW's 2017 release | BMW lists software updates, for example Update 4 with altitude display and GPS route import | Remote, through GS Goods support |
| Water and dust | Not stated in BMW's release | IP69, BMW says it can be cleaned with a high-pressure cleaner | IP68, waterproof to 1 m for 30 minutes |
| Bikes | Not stated in BMW's release | Many models from model year 2014 with multi-controller and navigation preparation; BMW lists exclusions | Bikes with the original BMW Navigator cradle; model list on the product page |
| Price | Not listed on the BMW pages we read | Not listed on the BMW page we read | €289.95 (6 inch), €299.95 (7 inch) |
| Warranty and returns | Ask your BMW dealer | Ask your BMW dealer | 5-year warranty, 100 days to return it |
No price is shown on the BMW pages we read, so we don't quote one. Get your dealer's price and put it next to €289.95.
Where the BMW Navigator is the better choice
Give the Navigator its due. On these three points it wins.
It's a device in its own right. The Navigator VI keeps its maps on board. The ConnectedRide Navigator has its own micro SIM slot (up to 4G/LTE) and syncs routes through the BMW cloud. A CarPlay screen shows what your phone's apps show: no phone, no map.
It's built for the pressure washer. BMW gives the ConnectedRide Navigator IP69 and says it can be cleaned with a high-pressure cleaner. Our screen is rated IP68 for immersion, 1 m for 30 minutes, and our page makes no pressure-washer claim.
It's one BMW system. BMW says that once the ConnectedRide Navigator is connected, phone, navigation and media are greyed out on the bike's TFT and shown on the Navigator instead. Routes you plan in the BMW Connected app sync over your BMW ID. BMW offers it through BMW Motorrad dealers.
Where a CarPlay screen does more
Your own apps. The screen runs Apple Maps, Google Maps and Waze for navigation, and Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music for sound, on wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It works for iPhone and Android riders alike.
Size and brightness. 6 or 7 inch against BMW's 5.5 inch, with 1000 nits on our spec sheet and 800 on BMW's. It's an anti-glare IPS panel with automatic brightness.
Bike data next to the map. Speed comes from the bike, not from GPS, next to RPM, gear, temperatures and voltage. Tyre pressure shows with the GS Goods sensor set.
Terms. 5-year warranty, 100 days to return it in its original packaging (you pay the return shipping), free DHL Express shipping, 1 to 3 business days from dispatch to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.
Where it falls short: it needs your phone. Offline use depends on the map app you run, so download your area before you ride. The spec block lists no SIM of its own, and it doesn't use BMW's cloud.
Which BMW models?
Send a photo of the cradle to info@gsgoods.nl and GS Goods confirms the fit before you order. According to the compatibility image on the product page, these models are listed for the BMW screen: the F 750 GS, F 800 GS (2024), F 850 GS (including Adventure), F 900 XR, F 900 GS (2024, including Adventure), S 1000 XR, R 1200 GS (including Adventure), R 1200 RS, R 1250 GS (including Adventure), R 1250 RS and R 1300 GS (including Adventure). The same image says there is no Wonder Wheel control on the 2021 to 2023 R 1250 RT and the 2022 to 2023 K 1600. The same image notes that the 2010 to 2017 R 1200 RT, the 2011 to 2021 K 1600 and the 2016 to 2017 R 1200 R need an extra CAN module (named CGRC CAN on the image) for Wonder Wheel control, and that the 2010 to 2017 R 1200 RT cannot show the bike's own data. The model-by-model view is in BMW motorcycle navigation and CarPlay options, model by model.
If you ride an RT or a K 1600, check BMW's exclusions. BMW's German page lists the R 1300 RT, the K 1600 tourers (GT, GTL, B and Grand America) and a few other models as excluded from the ConnectedRide Navigator. Its US page names the older R 1200 RT and R 1250 RT among its exclusions. The lists differ by market, so read the page for your country (BMW Motorrad, Germany).
GS Goods also sells a separate 5 inch screen for RT models, the BMW RT Motor CarPlay Pro 5, €289.95. The product page lists it for "BMW RT/KMT" with the official BMW mount. Wonder Wheel support depends on model and year, so send yours to info@gsgoods.nl before you order.
Five questions that settle it
- Should the phone stay out of navigation? Then look at the Navigator.
- Which apps do you already use? If it's Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps, the screen runs them.
- Which mount does your bike have? The Navigator needs BMW's navigation preparation, our screen the original BMW Navigator cradle. Send a photo to info@gsgoods.nl if you're unsure.
- How big do you want the map? 6 or 7 inch on our screen, 5 or 5.5 inch on BMW's.
- What does your dealer charge? Ask, and set it next to €289.95.
Which one should you buy?
Choose the Navigator if you want BMW's own system, and the maps and sync that come with it.
Choose the CarPlay screen if your routes already live in Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps on your phone and you want them on a 6 or 7 inch screen in the cradle you already have.
Not sure? Price both. You have 100 days to send our screen back. If a dedicated GPS or your phone is the real alternative, Motorcycle GPS, phone or CarPlay screen? compares those, and 7 things to check before you buy a motorcycle CarPlay screen is the checklist. New to CarPlay? Start with what CarPlay is and how it works on a motorcycle.
Price, warranty and returns
The GS Goods BMW Motor CarPlay Screen costs €289.95 in 6 inch and €299.95 in 7 inch. It comes with a 5-year warranty, 100 days to return it in its original packaging (you pay the return shipping) and free DHL Express shipping, 1 to 3 business days from dispatch to the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. See price and models.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CarPlay screen a good alternative to the BMW Navigator?
It is if you already navigate with apps on your phone. The screen runs Google Maps, Waze or Apple Maps on a 6 or 7 inch display in the original BMW Navigator cradle. If you want a navigation device of its own, a BMW Navigator is the better fit.
Should I switch to the ConnectedRide Navigator?
That depends on what you want from it. BMW describes it as route planner and communication system in one, with a 5.5 inch touchscreen, IP69 and its own micro SIM slot. If you'd rather use your phone's apps, a CarPlay screen in the cradle is the other route. We found no BMW page for a "Navigator 7".
Does the CarPlay screen work without my phone?
No. It shows your phone's CarPlay or Android Auto apps, and its spec block lists no SIM of its own. BMW's ConnectedRide Navigator has its own micro SIM slot and syncs routes through the BMW cloud.
Is the screen locked against theft in the cradle?
GS Goods says the screen locks when your bike locks. When you park, you can take it off the mount in seconds and carry it with you.
