First Look | Warneke And Faust GPS System
Installation of the W&F; GPS system is quick and painless, with no major modifications or complicated wiring. It plugs right into your stock wiring and comes with a speedo cable. Once in place, the GPS system looks as though it came stock on the bike. Control lamps on the unit indicate motor management, fuel level, immobilizer, and regulator displays.
The unit features a 380MHZ CPU with 32MB of RAM. The 3-1/2-inch, 320×240-pixel color screen displays clear 2D and 3D graphics and is touch-screen activated. Display details include speed (in either km/h or mph), odometer, three trip meters, external temperature, various time displays, and stopwatches. The speedometer display is a three-digit, seven-segment red LED that automatically dims at night and can be calibrated to different wheel sizes. The unit can be supplied with maps of the U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, and Sweden, as well as other countries. The user interface screen is available in 20 languages. Aside from route mapping, with the touch of a button the GPS device will direct you to gas stations, restaurants, hotels, and more.
Some of the most important features of the GPS unit include an SD memory card that can be loaded with digital maps and a digital compass for easy orientation. It can be preprogrammed with places of interest, has memory options to store your own addresses/destinations, and has the ability to download interesting routes from the Internet via Bluetooth with the W&F; data adapter. Speaking of Bluetooth, this device is Bluetooth-enabled and comes with a wireless headset, which allows the unit to communicate with you, providing you with turn-by-turn instructions to your destination with language support for navigation instructions in 34 languages. Most importantly, the Bluetooth connectivity also allows you to use the GPS system to locate and call restaurants and hotels via your Bluetooth-enabled cell phone well before you arrive.
This is the underside of the unit. As you can see, there’s not much to it. It’s no thicker than the stock speedo/odometer and has just two spots to connect the wiring harness and necessary cable. At press time, the W&F; Board Computer with Integrated GPS and Speedometer System is to be available in the spring of 2007 for Softail and Road King models, while units for other models are currently being developed.
Here at HOT BIKE, we strive to stay on top of the most innovative parts to hit the American V-Twin industry. So we’re bringing you a new tech piece entitled “First Look.” With this series we’ll search out the newest parts and get you the inside scoop on what they are and how they work. Then we will follow up in a future issue by actually installing the part(s), explaining the install process, and giving an evaluation. This month we have the W&F; Board Computer with integrated GPS and speedometer.
The more technologically advanced we become as a society, the more gadgets we seem to bring into our lives. Some people are so infected with gadgetitis that they have gadgets for their gadgets (you know who you are). Love ’em or hate ’em, sometimes you do have to admit all these widgets can make our lives much easier. This past February while attending the V-Twin Expo, we came across the must-have item for those who like to get out and ride long distances and not have to worry about how far the next gas stop is, or if they are even on the right road.
Global positioning satellite (GPS) devices have been around for years, and recently Harley-Davidson jumped on the GPS rocket with its own GPS devices: One is a bolt-on, and the other is integrated into bikes with the Advanced Audio System. Well, now there’s a new company that has penetrated the GPS for H-D’s market with a simple drop-in, plug-and-play unit. Based out of Germany, Warneke & Faust GmbH has developed a GPS device that simply bolts in place of the stock speedo/odometer on ’96-and-later Softails and ’99-and-later Road Kings.
Soon to be supplied in the U.S. by Hot Toppers Inc. with a price tag around $1,600, the W&F; Board Computer is more than just a GPS system. It also functions as your speedometer, trip meter, odometer, and more.
