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I am thinking about buying an xt2 for my motorcycle.

I have downloaded the tread app to my Samsung tablet.

Is it possible to create a route then download/ export it to the xt2 ( when I have bought it).

If so is this easy as my tech skills are fairly basic at best and I don't want to buy a satnav that I can't fathom out how to use?

Many thanks

Hi and welcome.

The short answer is yes from me, but with a big but.

The but is i find it massively easier to at least import way points from Basecamp into Tread.

Both Tread and the XT2 do not behave in a helpful manner if you use both Tread and the XT2. There's ways around this, some work better for others than others do, I'd suggest taking a while to read the threads in this section. Garmin do put out updates, some of which are good, others less so which complicates things.

Enjoy!

Welcome Pope,

There is a bit of a learning curve to any satellite navigation device or route planning software. If you only want to set a destination and be guided there, the XT2 is no more complex than the GPS in a car or on your phone. If you want to plan routes in advance, with multiple stops and taking particular interesting roads you choose, then there is a bid more involved. It is not hard to figure out. You just have to give it a chance.

Personally, I am not a fan of the Tread app. It is only one of many options for route planning. As Oop North John said, there is lots of info on this forum. @jfheath shared an excellent guide that covers "Everything That You Need To Know" viewtopic.php?p=9356#p9356. Things have changed a bit since then with the XT2, but it is still a good place to start.

I'm not a friend of the Tread app either.
But if I'm honest, I also expect the Tread app to be suitable for experienced users and more complex tasks.

But, if your prioritized requirement is to "just" plan a route on the tablet or smartphone and transfer it to the sat nav as easily as possible, then the combination of XT2 and Tread app is a very good choice.

You've already tried the Tread app, and maybe that's what you were looking for.
Somewhere in the forum here is also a YouTube video by jfheath showing how easy it basically is.

If that's enough for you, then you've almost won with XT2.
Because if the XT2 is connected to the Tread app, you don't need to do anything else. Routes are automatically transferred from the Tread app to the XT2 via Explore, almost as if by magic.
Routes and markers are also automatically transferred from the XT2 to the Tread app.

So, what you see on the Tread app is automatically in the XT2



PS
No, I'm still not a fan of the XT2, so far, I expect more and above all less pain for users with more wishes

proofresistant wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:04 pm Because if the XT2 is connected to the Tread app, you don't need to do anything else. Routes are automatically transferred from the Tread app to the XT2 via Explore, almost as if by magic.
Routes and markers are also automatically transferred from the XT2 to the Tread app.

So, what you see on the Tread app is automatically in the XT2

I don't have Tread / XT2 connected to Explore and it still synchronises ok

Oop North John wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:14 pm I don't have Tread / XT2 connected to Explore and it still synchronises ok

The Tread app does this automatically for you if you allow the Tread app to exchange data.
The data is always automatically “hosted” in the Garmin Explore Cloud.

proofresistant wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:39 pm

Oop North John wrote: Wed Jul 16, 2025 8:14 pm I don't have Tread / XT2 connected to Explore and it still synchronises ok

The Tread app does this automatically for you if you allow the Tread app to exchange data.
The data is always automatically “hosted” in the Garmin Explore Cloud.

So Garmin using dual names for different things, even if you don't select them?

Oop North John wrote: Thu Jul 17, 2025 7:15 am So Garmin using dual names for different things, even if you don't select them?

Yes and no, Garmin uses names based on its own ideas some times. Explore seems to be the "new" common Garmin main feature (tool).
But take a look at https://explore.garmin.com/Map. Log in there with your Garmin account.
Then click on the Map menu at the top and then on the Collection menu on the left. Maybe you'll see something there that you didn't know about before
But @pope, don't worry, it all happens automatically on its own