3 ms·

It's ~$800 per year for map updates for one of my cars, a Nissan Altima SV (and that's just an SD card that, of course, must be installed by a dealership). As y

It's ~$800 per year for map updates for one of my cars, a Nissan Altima SV (and that's just an SD card that, of course, must be installed by a dealership). As you might guess, I've never paid for them. In the worst case, the girlfriend (who actually drives the car), just uses the Maps app on her iPhone when she needs it. Contrast that with Harley-Davidson who is notorious for "nickel and diming" and charging outrageous amounts for otherwise regular products. I can just go to their website, download a file to a USB flash drive, plug the flash drive into my motorcycle, and it'll update everything -- including the GPS navigation system and maps. It just seems backwards to me. I probably wouldn't pay anything for map updates for the car (and I don't for my truck, either), although I might if they were cheap enough. OTOH, I absolutely would pay for updates for the motorcycle but even H-D doesn't charge for 'em. As long as navigation is available for free on everyone's mobile phones, I'm not sure how automobile companies expect to make much money from map updates.

nikanj 9y ago
It boggles my mind that Harley-Davidsons come equipped with USB ports, and require software updates. How do the grumpy old-timey bikers deal with the modern complexity in their bikes?
- jlgaddis 9y ago
  Heh, well, it's (mostly) optional. You can buy a new bike off the showroom floor and ride it for years without ever updating anything or, really, even using any of that new-fangled techno-electro-logical crap. :-) Modern Harleys, however, have a lot of electronics available, if you want to take advantage of them. I've got a touch-screen unit that includes GPS (including turn-by-turn navigation), SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth (for phone calls or playing the music on my iPhone through the bike's very well-equipped "Infotainment" system), a USB port (for updates and playing MP3s), a security system, a garage door opener, and so on. Other models might have CD players, CB radios, etc. The lower end/cheaper models typically don't have much more than a speedometer. Some of these are, easily, $50,000 bikes, though. The software updates are dead simple, too. Download a file to a USB stick, plug it in, turn the ignition to accessory, and... wait. It shows the progress/status on the screen and takes maybe 10 minutes from start to finish. Someone like me (more "tech-y") usually gets the USB flash drive set up when an update comes out and then we all just pass it around when we get together for a ride or something. Others don't care and don't bother ever updating. Even the "grumpy old-timey bikers" like their tunes. :-)
fyfy18 9y ago
Same with my 2010 Prius. The navigation is fairly good (as far as car navigation goes) and it has a HUD with turn-by-turn directions, but the maps are stuck in 2010. I’m not paying a few hundred euro per year to update them. Even if I did they probably wouldn’t be as good as Google or OSM, as currently the maps only have major roads and cities. It would be cheaper and more effective to buy a replacement Android head unit.

nikanj 9y ago

It boggles my mind that Harley-Davidsons come equipped with USB ports, and require software updates. How do the grumpy old-timey bikers deal with the modern complexity in their bikes?

jlgaddis 9y ago
Heh, well, it's (mostly) optional. You can buy a new bike off the showroom floor and ride it for years without ever updating anything or, really, even using any of that new-fangled techno-electro-logical crap. :-) Modern Harleys, however, have a lot of electronics available, if you want to take advantage of them. I've got a touch-screen unit that includes GPS (including turn-by-turn navigation), SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth (for phone calls or playing the music on my iPhone through the bike's very well-equipped "Infotainment" system), a USB port (for updates and playing MP3s), a security system, a garage door opener, and so on. Other models might have CD players, CB radios, etc. The lower end/cheaper models typically don't have much more than a speedometer. Some of these are, easily, $50,000 bikes, though. The software updates are dead simple, too. Download a file to a USB stick, plug it in, turn the ignition to accessory, and... wait. It shows the progress/status on the screen and takes maybe 10 minutes from start to finish. Someone like me (more "tech-y") usually gets the USB flash drive set up when an update comes out and then we all just pass it around when we get together for a ride or something. Others don't care and don't bother ever updating. Even the "grumpy old-timey bikers" like their tunes. :-)

fyfy18 9y ago

Same with my 2010 Prius. The navigation is fairly good (as far as car navigation goes) and it has a HUD with turn-by-turn directions, but the maps are stuck in 2010. I’m not paying a few hundred euro per year to update them. Even if I did they probably wouldn’t be as good as Google or OSM, as currently the maps only have major roads and cities. It would be cheaper and more effective to buy a replacement Android head unit.