BMW Motorrad R1250GS Bluetooth pairing - Garmin Navigator, Schuberth, Sena, iPhone, BMW TFT 

You're very welcome!

You're welcome!

Glad it helped!

Thank you very much for your comment! Much appreciated

Thank you very much!

You're very welcome.

You are very welcome. Let me know how you like your C5. It‘s on the top of my list

@@hypeandspin just done 1500 miles with it and it's Great. Quieter than the C4, though I have a different bike as well. Seems a good improvement. Comfort is great, audio and connectivity easy, vision good and operation of vents and visors a big improvement. No need for the separate remote control as it connects to my GSA TFT screen and I control everything fromm there. Turn it on and it automatically Bluetooth to the bike.

Sounds great, I‘ll try to test it soon

Glad it was helpful!

Thank you very much for the comment. In short, the reason for the order has to do with the way the audio distribution protocols work ("i.e. digital pecking order"). Through trial and error I have experienced the best results in the order I am recommending. However, the constant development keeps changing things. I just got myself a new Schuberth C5 including the latest Sena technology (SC2). Now I actually prefer a different setup: 1) iPhone to C5 Helmet: for music and phone and apple-map audio directions (The voice control is working quite well). 2) iPhone to TFT: For Navigation on TFT only, nothing else. 3) iPhone to Nav: For live traffic and weather updates, nothing else. The only issue is, before I start to drive, I need to turn on the bike on and let everything connect and then I need to manually set the audio output on my iPhone to the SC2. However, everything else seems to work perfectly in this setup.

You're welcome!

Hi there, thank you very much for your comment. My experience with the K1600 TFT (I tested the bike during the BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin) the bluetooth connection was similar to my 2019 R1250GSA. I have not used a Garmin Zumo XT, but I use the latest 2021 version of my Navigator. I would be surprised if the Zumo is any different in regards to bluetooth.

Thank you very much! R18 is a Great choice. Do you have the Bagger or Transcontinental? Both are fantastic bikes. Also the Schuberth C5 is excellent, I could test it and its very silent. With your setup there should not be the need to connect to the Garmin (as I assume you don‘t use one), just with the TFT. > iPhone connnected with TFT over bluetooth and WiFi (for maps) > Rider Helmet connected directly with Pillion for intercom pairing. > Rider Helmet to TFT Phone 1. That should do the trick. I think the fading settings you can set through the Schuberth SC2 App www.schuberth.com/en/SC2 Does this work? Please let me know.

@@hypeandspin Hi thanks so much for the response. This is a new UK Spec TC just registered and Schuberths got a SW upgrade before use. So pretty much as you say using the BMW app as Sat Nav Connect Rider to TFT, Connect Iphone 13 with app to TFT, Connect Pillion to Rider with BT. Issues you can’t access the SC2 App unless you connect the iphone to helmet as phone 2 (phone 1 connected to TFT). When you do sound will only come out of Bike Speakers not helmet. The vox feature on Helmets very noisy and switching for sound like a record playing slowly to very quickly. Fixed it by either using intercom or Music (button tap) and disabling Vox - Hope that helps and any answers appreciated.

My pleasure

Thank you for your comment. When you play the music and you hear it through the phone's speaker, open the music app on your phone and select the TFT as the audio source, that should fix it. Let me know if this worked.

I would try to perform the intercom pairing with passenger through Sena (not TFT) as the last step. This will ensure you will not screw up the order of priority for the Bluetooth connections.

Thank you for your question. You are right, there is a Schuberth app. However, in the setup I am showing, this is not possible. You need to set your helmet beforehand. When I use the RNineT (with no Garmin or TFT), I usually pair my helmet directly with my phone. I keep my phone in my pocket and navigate with Apple-Maps, listend to Podcasts or Music. This works very well too.

Thank you for comment. Unfortunately, I do not have a Zumo XT.

Hi, Thank you for your question. I tried it both ways and both seem to work without any significant difference. Let me know what your experience is. Ride safe!

Turn off notifications on your GPS.

Indeed this is a good option. You can also just not pair it with the GPS but just with the TFT.

Also turn off the Bluetooth connection on your GPS and problem solved.

Hi, Thank you for your comment. For sure this is an option. However, I have experienced the TFT and Connected App still unreliable and sometimes I loose connection with the TFT, especially after stopping for gasoline. That‘s why I prefer the setup. Maybe in the future, the TFT and the app is more reliable. It could also help us to replace the Garmin, but so far, this is not yet the case in my view.

You are right, I did not talk about the two apps. For the Garmin app, I just connect it to the Garmin and keep the app open on my iPhone. For the BMW app, I connect it to the BMW TFT and keep it open on the iPhone as well. That's basically it. Ride safe!

Thank you for your comment. Yes it is.

Hi there, I did ask this question to the BMW Motorrad team. They did answer that this is only possible for the original BMW-Motorrad-Helmets and related systems. It is not possible for other brands.

@@hypeandspin thanks for asking this, my friend has a gsm cradle with also a Sena intercom and here the wheel does work to turn louder and quieter.

Thank you for sharing this information! I did not buy a cradle (yet), as I prefer using the Garmin over the phone for now. I am sure the maps on the iPhone will soon be better than the Garmin if this trend continues. Keep the shiny side up!

Strangely enough the answer for me is sometimes. It has happened when everything is paired up, and I’ve been riding and stop for gas. Occasionally, when I resume riding then I can control the volume with the wonder wheel. It must have to do with something unpairing while I gas up, and then pairing again in a different order. It only happens every now and then and I don’t know why.

​@@stevehall6834 hi Steve. From what i know, it is dependent when is the bluetooth helmet is switch on. Make sure the bluetooth helmet is the last piece to be turn on (after the tft, the nav and the phone are connected). If you turn off the bike (for gas stop as an example) you need to turn off the helmet bluetooth, and turn on again after your bike tft/nav/phone are connected again. The sequence of the bluetooth channel availability (when it's alive) is important to the bmw tft computer. The tft need to see that the bluetooth helmet is always the last device to be connected to the party

I hear you - turning off the system is a pain in the behind. Unfortunately, I don‘t have a fix for this yet. I hope this gets better with future updates and maybe the TFT becomes a worthy replacement of the Garmin one day

Hi, thank you for your question. If you pair your phone with the helmet, you will not be able to control the phone through the TFT or Garmin.

@@hypeandspin but if I not pair the phone with the helmet I loose the possibility to control or configure the helmet via the SC2 app right?

Yes, correct. I did set my settings on the Schuberth once and did not have the need to do it again. You can also do this through the SC2 as well if you need to.

Hi, I had this problem last year. The dealer updated the TFT software. This can only be done in the dealership. So if your phone, Garmin and Sena are up to date, I would try updating the TFT.

My S/W Version 022_007_020

@@hypeandspin Thanks. They caim that they did update the software (just took it in for the recall) so I think it's running the latest version. Now all of a sudden, I'm getting the "key fob" message, despite changing the batteries several times. Something's not right, but they can't pinpoint the issue. Frustrating. Going to try a different dealer.

@@SuperSnallygaster I was told the key fob battery is very sensitive to voltage. I was using brand new Duracell batteries from Costco so I figured they were all great but I was wrong. Some were 2.88 v, not the rated 3.1v, so i tested the battery first and only used one that had high voltage which seemed to solve my battery warning issue.

@@stevehall6834 Thanks, I bought a package of them, I'll give them a quick test and see if that's the issue. I've also noticed that if I leave the key in the cubby/dash, I get the error more frequently than if I keep the key in my pocket.

Thank you for sharing your feedback. I can not look into that, as I currently do not have a second helmet with intercom. I will try to ask around and find a solution. If you know how to solve this, I would be very interested in how you did it. Thank you!

Hi John, thank you for letting us know. For Apple, the app I am using is called ‚Garmin Smartphone Link‘ apps.apple.com/us/app/garmin-smartphone-link/id567725209 Hope this helps anyone using Apple.

@@hypeandspin I was wrong, the Garmin smartlink app is stilla available for Android. But it crashes every time on my phone. But i have another problem / question. Making my phone the central "command centre" of the setup, it will use battery power. While i have the Garmin mounted (so with power) and the BMW TFT, i would also have to mount or other way to get power for my mobile phone. Why notlet the Garmin be the central point of the setup and only use your phone for its basic function. The other disadvantage, if i see it whright, is that you have to use your phone and so stop driving your motor, to adjust simple things. E.g. when i use the Schuberth app for listening radio, i have to stop to adjust the noise level, other radiochannel, etc. I assume it can be done on the helmet itself (i have not yet tried that).