Carpuride vs Zumo XT

[Jaap van Maanen]

Is it smart to switch from the Zumo XT to mra to a Carpuride via Android Auto? I understand that Android Auto does not offer all the functionality of mra. But the advantage is that you no longer have to transfer routes. I now have both the XT and mra on my mobile.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Jaap-van-Maanen I wrote about that subject that was published last thursday

[John S Parry]

@Jaap-van-Maanen Is it smart to switch? Like most things, it depends on your requirements.

The major benefit is the convenience of not transferring routes. There is much to be said for that. I use MRA Next on my iPhone much of the year for that convenience alone.

However, when the hot summer weather kicks in, I transfer my MRA routes to my XT and perform navigation from there. The XT is designed for abuse by outside elements. Extreme heat -- the XT doesn't care. I live in the interior Southwest US where 100+ degree temperatures are the norm, and you do not want your phone plugged in all day. It can (and usually will) overheat causing problems you don't want to have. The other aspect is functionality. The XT exposes 20+ Trip Data Metrics, many of which don't exist on the Phone or in CarPlay.

Like most things in life, everything is a tradeoff. Evaluate your requirements and decide from there.

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@Marinus-van-Deudekom You'll find my blog here: https://info.myrouteapp.com/blog-marinus-van-deudekom-24-april/

[John S Parry]

@Marinus-van-Deudekom I enjoyed reading your Blog. In concept, I like the idea of a tablet for running MRA Next.

I'm looking forward to following your future experiences. For instance, does the Tablet have the same outside tolerances to extreme weather as a Garmin GPS device like the XT/XT2? That would be helpful to know.

The other aspect is portability. Many of us have multiple motorcycles, and I always prefer a plug-and-play mounting solution for easy use across bikes. You apparently went through some serious custom work to bolt the tablet onto you Gold Wing.

Again, thanks for sharing and I'd like to hear more of your experience.

[Guzzist]

@Jaap-van-Maanen I fully agree with blog from @Marinus-van-Deudekom - because I made the same experience and I changed also from Garmin XT to T865-X device from DMD.
The device is reliable running in all weather conditions, also offroad. And the screen is big enough to use bigger font scale for easy reading city names on map etc.

And it's Android based, so you can run several apps at the device - also MyRoute-App.
If you are on a several weeks trip, you can take it from bike to hotel and plan the route for next day. Because it's Android, you can use MRA-Routeplanner by built-in browser and WiFi in hotel. So, you don't need an additional laptop

Additionally, I'm using a remote controller from DMD, to operated the navigation (zoom, etc.) from handle bar. I don't have the risk to tap on the screen during ride.

If you like to use the device at more than one vehicle? By more mounting items and cable harness. Then you can simply click it onto the vehicle you want to drive (similar as with Garmin).

I don't like AndroidAuto nor CarPlay, because such devices are no fully equipped devices. They are only thumb mirrors of your phone. And currently you will have much issues in interoperability with both devices. The forum is full with reports of bad situations. I don't like this pain during riding!

[Marinus van Deudekom]

@John-S-Parry @Guzzist answered most of yoiur questions I think. In addition to that I want to say that the tablet was designed by/for a company that concentrates mostly on off road riding. It's used all over the world and a lot of users live in warm countries so therefore it's save to say that it will perfom as good as the XT/XT2 devices plus the advantage of beeing able to use MRA witch is ofcourse impossible on Garmin devices.
Switching back to the original topic: in my search for an solution to replace my XT I did look carefully at the Carpuride like devices. In MY opinion the lack of using all the MRA features caused by restrictions from Aplle and Google I didn't think was going te be an option for ME. I wanted to use all of the features of MRA. On top of that using a screen copy device like Carpuride you still need to have your phone on and attached to a power sourche to be able to ride a compleet day.
Since the T865X has a possibility tu use a simmcard in the device the phone doesn't have to be active.
Have fun