New Owner- Experience and Questions about GPS Integration

[pcaddict66]

Hi All.

New owner of a 2016 leftover Vaquero. I am coming from another Mama-Kaw bike, a Concours 14. Always rode sport or sport-touring bikes from the Ninja, Concours 14, Aprilla Futura, BMW realm. Turned 50 this year and decided I would try a bagger.

After much research and thought, I knew this was one cool bike.

My ride on a demo was a mixed bag. I loved the rumble of the V-twin; the seating position (I call it "chill"); the position of the bars (so comfy) and the vibe/looks. What made me almost not buy it was the immediate rush of wind into my upper torso and all around my head. My Concours has an electric windshield that literally gives me the best of both worlds. A breeze in the city and a nice cocoon / air pocket when on the interstate. This Vaquero protection was terrible.

The deal was too good to pass up and I new there had to be aftermarket shields. I just hated the look of the flat, touring style ones. Too full-dresser looking for me. Well I took a chance and bought the Klock Werks, 12" tinted flare and boy what a difference. Makes the experience a completely different level of joy. I can see over it, but it also provides just the right amount of "cacoon-ing" that I need. I can hear the radio on the interstate, listen to the rumble of the V-twin and just cruise.

Enough of what you all already know...............

I have searched but can't seem to find the answer. I love having the built in radio. On my Connie, I used a SENA BT unit synced with my phone for tunes, phone emergency calls, GPS prompts using Google maps, etc. But now I want to use the built-in system.

If I buy a line-level blutooth adapter and wire kit, I know that I can stream music to the stereo and my phone's NAV will do cut-in audio with directional prompts and the phone audio will come through the speakers. But what will power the microphone in my helmet? This will not work!

So I am thinking of making the investment in one of the Garmin Units. I have read here that the Garmins can connect to my phone for full phone functions, can play audio and of course do full NAV all through the Kawasaki stereo. The connection is underneath the head unit to make the Garmin work.

But how does the helmet MIC work? What device or connectivity is allowing the helmet to communicate with the other caller? I can't use the Sena mic because its proprietary.

Thanks in advance for the help. It's awesome to see a forum dedicated to these awesome bikes.