Zumo User Forums

I just recieved a BMW Navigator IV with the motorcycle mount. The mount has two white connectors.

Connector 1 has 3 leads, black, red and purple.

Connector 2 has 2 leads, brown and white.

I'm pretty sure none of my bikes have the mating connections for these. Explanation for the leads? Other than + and - do I need to be concerned about the others?

I connected the device to my PC and Windows file explorer opened. I thought it would charge while connected, but it doesn't seem like it did. Is this right? I'd like to wire up the moto mount to a 12 v battery and get the device charged up.

The NAV IV powers up, found the satelites and displays the map. Is there anything else that I immediately need to do?

NAV IV is a branded Zumo 660, right? Does the 660 use Map Source or Basecamp for routing?
Thanks!

You don't say what bike you have got?

The connectors carry canbus data from the bike to the nav and are used for displaying bike data and also enables the control of the nav in some cases

Stu wrote: Mon Jul 21, 2025 8:35 pm You don't say what bike you have got?

The connectors carry canbus data from the bike to the nav and are used for displaying bike data and also enables the control of the nav in some cases

Bikes are in my sig line. My newest bike is a 2001 R1100RT, so there is no canbus in my fleet. My initial guess was the black and the red are the power positive (red) and negative (black), but I didn't want to screw things up.

If you have BMW motorcycle made in last few decades, you will have a matching three-pin connector in the wiring harness, usually near the headstock. For any other bike, you can cut off that connector and splice wires to a 12V supply, or keep the plug and purchase its mate, BMW part #83300413586.

Pin 1 is ground, or black.
Pin 3 is +12V, or red.

Pin 2 is used to provide data from a BMW, like speed, fuel level, etc. It is unused for other bikes. With only one data wire, it is technically not CANBUS, but that's a close enough description, and you will not find it without a CANBUS also being present.

As best I have been able to deduce, the two-pin connector only sends navigation instructions to a BMW equipped with an audio system. That connection is not shown on any wiring diagram that I have found.

I'm sure Basecamp will work with the Nav IV, and I suspect MapSource will also.

lkraus wrote: Mon Jul 21, 2025 9:17 pm
Pin 1 is ground, or black.
Pin 3 is +12V, or red.

Pin 2 is used to provide data from a BMW, like speed, fuel level, etc. It is unused for other bikes.

I'm sure Basecamp will work with the Nav IV, and I suspect MapSource will also.

Great info. Thanks. I'll remove the connectors and just hook up the red and black.

Just to put a finish to this post:

I wired a 2-lead SAE connector to the red and black wires on the motorcycle mount harness. The original white connectors were cut away, and the unused wires are covered.

The NAV IV was charging, I just didn't wait long enough to see any change in the progress/charge bars. When I connect the SAE lead to an SAE powered harness the NAV IV turns on immediately like it should.

According to a post on the Garmin web site, the BMW Nav IV, and the Zumo 600 series (and others) are in a group of GPS devices that MAY BE incompatible with Basecamp. Garmin says that a route may transfer and seem okay but an error may appear during use. Garmin suggests that Mapsource be used to transfer routes. I may experiment with a BaseCamp transfer, but I have Mapsource and can use that also.