How To Upgrade Goldwing GL1800 Navi System

By GA Rainman

First

There are two different things that need updating. One is referred to as the FIRMWARE which is really just the GPS unit itself. It has internal computer code which contains instructions for the GPS itself.

As of September 23rd 2009, the latest firmware version is 4.31

Second

The Map set. This is something that can be obtained several different ways. The first is the way Garmin and Honda want you to do it and that is buy a new CF (Compact Flash) card from them that has the map sets on it. They want $199 to do this.

The cheaper way is buy the full version of City Navigator, install it on your PC and upload it to the card yourself. You can buy it from PCMall for about $105, but you may find it cheaper. Make SURE you don't get the "NT" version as it won't work on the first generation NAVI. The bikes that are NOW in the dealerships (09's or 10's...not sure on that) use the new version and that's a whole other topic I'm not even going to address here.

As of September 23rd, 2009, the latest version of City Navigator is 2009 (otherwise known as Version 10 under Garmin's old version numbering system). This is the FINAL version of the NON-NT version as Garmin has stopped supporting it.

Ok...now that you know what you need - here's how you do it. First, you don't NEED to buy any other CF cards. You can do it with what you already have from Garmin. All you need is a way to read it into your PC. Back up the old files and just use the existing card. It's cheaper that way.

INSTALLING THE FIRMWARE UPDATE:

Step 1. This file is not locked and can be freely shared among as many people as you like. The file is called gupdate.gcd The file is a little over 3 megs so it's easily e-mailed around. Someone else said they borrowed one out of a 2008 GL at the dealership to get the file with the dealers permission. Don't bother asking Garmin...they just tell you to go buy the $199 CF card.

Step 2. BACK UP YOUR CARD or use a new one. Simply copy the files you have on your CF card to your hard drive and remember to put them in a GARMIN folder so if something goes wrong, you can easily restore them.

Step 3. Copy the gupdate.gcd to your CF card BY ITSELF in a folder called GARMIN That's the only file that should be on the card...just a folder and a file. It doesn't matter what the card itself is named.

Step 4. BEFORE you put the card back in the GPS, power up the bike (acessory is fine) and don't press the ENTER button when prompted by the GPS. NOW go around to the trunk and stick the CF card in. Now then...be patient. When you put the card in, the GPS will set there for a little while with just the default Navigation logo screen. It looks like it's not doing anything, but be patient...don't turn the key off. It will eventually read the card and pull the update file into the GPS unit. A small black box at the bottom of the screen will eventually load and show you what's going on. When it's done, the GPS will reboot itself. You can check and make sure that the version number under System info is 4.31

Step 5. Now go take your card back to your PC and restore the files you backed up. Put it back in the GPS and you should be good to go with your maps.

INSTALLING THE NEW MAP SETS

Step 1. This is fairly easy if you've bought the full version of City Navigator. Just simply install the Program to your computer and redeem the unlock code with Garmin. You'll need the serial number off the GPS unit itself to this. To find the serial number, remove the CF card to prevent damage, unscrew the GPS out of the trunk and then remove the metal case from the plastic cover. There will be a sticker on the metal case with the unit serial number. Jot this down as you'll need to enter this serial number when prompted by Garmin to unlock maps.

Step 2. Assuming you've now unlocked the map set and can see all the little detail roads, you need to select the "Map Tool" icon (the one that looks like a square PACMAN and then start in one corner and select all the different sections of North America. Next, make sure your BACKED UP cf card is in your computer and click Transfer - Send to device. This will bring up the send to device box in which you want to make sure "Maps" is checked. It won't allow you upload routes or anything else so don't bother trying. Click send and go get yourself some dinner as this is going to take a while. First it builds the map sets and then it uploads them to the car. It's not uncommon for this to take an hour or more. Be patient.

Step 3. Once it's finished uploading all the data to the card, simply put the card back in the GPS and you should have the latest version.