Hi all New to the forum as I just purchased a Multistrada V4S last week. Very impressed with the bike so far but the phone connectivity is just baffling! I have some questions which I hope some of you more experienced people may be able to help with; I've connected the phone to the bike via bluetooth and also the Ducati Connect app but I cannot get my contacts to sync with the bike so when someone calls it just comes up with their number and not a name. I've allowed it in the iPhone settings but to no avail. Their names do show up in the ducati connect menu on the bike but if I make or receive a call it's just the numbers on screen. Am i right in saying that everytime you get off and back on the bike you have to go through the hassle of re-connecting the phone using the connect app? Am I also right in saying you can't close (sleep) the phone because that also disconnects it from the bike? When the phone is connected via bluetooth and / or the connect app, the phone and music is greyed out in the settings regardless of rider mode, how do I enable this? Also, is the only sat nav app the sygic one as it's dreadful! I saw a chap from MCN say he was using google maps (which sygic is clearly using under it's dodgy UI) Aaaaaaand finally, is there anyway to activate Siri when using a headset? i'm currently using the Harmon Kardon shockwave in my Ruroc Atlas 4 and I can't see how. it feels like Ducati went with some native functionality with their TFT system, abandoned it and then confused everything with the Ducati connect app... Other than that, I really really love this bike Thanks in advance
There are lots of posts on this subject. So save you time, most members have ditched the syjic and bought a garmin Xt.
Mine is working OK without any Ducati app whatsoever. I just bluetooth linked phone to bike, helmet to bike, and able to manipulate call menu, music with the bike joystick. For satnav, I have a quadlock mount above the main display, and use google maps. For me, this is plenty good, and reliably functional.
Didn't bother with connecting my phone to my 1260 or the MV before that, no sat nav function like the V4. Tried with both and it was flawed. Garmin XT is great, used with phone connected for a few years now. Though I've now moved over to MyRouteApp and will shortly be investing in an Android Auto enabled panel so the phone can stay safely in my tank bag.
How are you finding the MyRouteApp? I've been doing my research last year, ended up trying (TomTom) GO Ride - and not too happy, but at the time, it was fully free. Other apps had expensive annual subcription - not a fan. But I'd be happy to do one off payment, and have it for good, which they have. Let me know
I managed to get the phone and headset connected to the bike. You are correct in saying that the phone needs to be set to Never Lock. The Ducati connect app is flaky, sometimes works well but sometimes cuts out for no reason. You have to have the Ducati app running but there is an option to keep it running when you turn the bike off (stopping for petrol etc). I did get the Sygic working but it was pretty crap and would only use it in an emergency. I also use a Zumo XT and MRA to plan routes on tour. I hadn’t found a way to use Siri. I did take a call the other day but can’t remember if it showed the caller on the display. My concern is using this when on a tour is it cutting out whilst I’m riding along in a group and not being able to restart it on the move.
Worth having a look at this thread: https://www.ducatiforum.co.uk/threads/myrouteapp-is-it-the-future-of-sat-nav.97669/
Read up on this and checked reviews before i got the bike and concluded it was "near Tech" (does great things sometimes and then does not) I had gone through a fair bit of Garmin pain so stuck with that. One idle day i tried to connect it and it did not do what i thought it would so retreated into smug self congratulations and left it well alone ;-)
Thanks guys. So it seems I need to connect my headset to the bike and not my phone which I’ll try after work tonight. It would be a shame to resort to separate hardware just for sat nav but it seems to be the common solution. All the effort by Ducati to implement phone connectivity only for software to let it all down is a shame. Why can’t they follow Honda and implement Apple car play?! I think if I was to go for an external solution I’d install a windscreen mounted quad lock and use my phone. I did also just buy the Ducati / Givi tank bag but I’m using an iPhone 14 Pro Max and it doesn’t quite fit in the pocket thing.
I think near tech is the right term but it feels like it’s done deliberately, it’s VAG after all and those Germans don’t usually sloppily implement things.
Android Auto works well in my VW Tuguan for all sorts of things including Google Maps and MyRouteApp. As said above by @JonF80, if they could follow Honda's lead on this and impliment an Apple CarPlay/Android Auto solution it would be far more dependable to the point of actually being useful. Not quite ready to press the button. Looking like the Carpuride W702 is my current choice. No doubt immediately after purchase a better one will come onto the market. The more expensive Chigee AIO-5 Lite is tempting but seems overkill maybe. Both of these look like they're hard mounted which makes them something of a liability trinket that scrotes may try to remove causing costly damage to the bike.
Agree on the Chigee, as I already have dashcams on the bike, and the screen is only 5". The only thing that puts me off the Carpuride is that the mount is not AMPS compatible, otherwise I think I could mount it fairly securely. Another option is the Maxca X6, but one or two reviews suggest connection issues with the phone. I like the fact that the headset remains connected to the phone, so all functionality is retained, whereas the two above require you to connect the headset to the unit, and various headset controls stop working.
All these units look the same - (Same Chinese factory?) They seem to be about 850 grams in weight and the Garmin XT is 262 grams (according to the web). If they are 850 grams that is a heavy lump to mount on a bike on UK roads. I would like to mount it above the Multi screen on an Iconic or Evotech mount. Has anyone got this type of screen / device and if so how have they mounted it on a Multi? Looks like the ball RAM type mount on the back could be removed and a bolt on plate made to fit to a bracket?
That's a good point in regard to weight. My Zumo 590 used to clatter around quite a bit on the OEM Ducati above the screen mount. When I changed to the lighter Zumo XT I did notice a reduction in this.
I’ve been using a 5” CarPlay/aa unit for a while now without issue - yes, it’s one of the many (many) Chinese units out there. One thing to watch out for: some units do not use the standard AMPS bolt pattern in the back so if you don’t use their mounting option - usually a handlebar mount - you have to figure out a workaround. I’m upgrading to a 7” unit for the extra screen space.
I'm looking for some form of GPS for my bike. I've got phone mounted for Waze but I'd like a dedicated unit I can plot my trips into but ideally versatile with Android Auto. I've seen 3 main ones mentioned and I'm not sure which route to go: Chigee AIO-5 (6 is due to launch Q2 '25) Maxca X6 (or the other Maxca variants) Carpuride units I actually quite like the idea of a fixed unit and I believe the Chigee 6 will allow either fixed or removable. Did anyone buy one recently and have any recommendations?
I am using a Carpuride W702 for about 9 months now and really like it. I have a fixed mount above the dash screen using a modified Iconic GPS bracket. Works really well and as it is screwed to the bracket it is left on the bike all the time. I run a Pixel 8 with TomTom GO nav app for routes etc. (I never liked Garmin kit). Just be aware that the Carpuride "RAM" mount is NOT the standard 1" ball - its smaller, hence the modified bracket.
