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Motorcycle Navigation

My nuvi is waterproofed by carefully masking and applying silicone around the screen. Tape over the sd card port,audio output and ACF50 in the power port and the switch. Never a problem.
 
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My nuvi is waterproofed by carefully masking and applying silicone around the screen. Tape over the sd card port,audio output and ACF50 in the power port and the switch. Never a problem.
Interesting, curious if you have photos?
 
Alas, this one has no Happy Ending:


Wanna hear something heartbreaking? The phone didn't fall off the bike. The video clearly shows that it was caught underneath the mount the entire time, just that he didn't notice it. That is until he stopped and turned around to look for his phone.

Then it falls off at 2:33. ?
 


He kept his ID, credit cards and money with his cell phone when it flew off! (@2:35) ?:


Disaster at 0:32. Thankfully phone was okay! Another (kinda) Happy Ending:


Phone falls off mount at 7:23. Buddy finds it and tells him, "That's why I don't use mine (phone mount) no more". Sure enough, his RAM X-Grip is empty, his phone is safe in his pocket! (8:45)

 
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Love the sound of crickets.
 
2.2 Billion iphones in circulation and thousands used for motorcycle navigation without incident. Of course there will be accidents with the phone and the X-mounts are not perfect...especially the earlier versions.
People use them because they work and are cost effect and not subject to the kind of easy failure you imply.

You must have airflow ..the phones can overheat without it when running full bright with navigation on.
Spend your money how you want .....the industry has been moving away from limited run GPS boxes with little flexibility and over priced.
$100 sure ... but then you run into the same waterproofing issue.

My nuvi is waterproofed by carefully masking and applying silicone around the screen. Tape over the sd card port,audio output and ACF50 in the power port and the switch. Never a problem.

Naked bike with a big phone in an xmount without straps - yeah asking for trouble and yes a baggy is slippery ....just countering your nonsense claim about expensive cases to waterproof.

Use whatever works for you as long as you get where you are going safely.
Best comment yet.
 
Spend your money how you want .....the industry has been moving away from limited run GPS boxes with little flexibility and over priced.

Please, don't spread misinformation...

The smartest guy on the forum just shared this link:


If you have a problem with this, you should take it up with him.

You should really take a look at the attached video, if you haven't watched it.

Because I'm pretty sure you haven't watched it...
 
2.2 Billion iphones in circulation and thousands used for motorcycle navigation without incident. Of course there will be accidents with the phone and the X-mounts are not perfect...especially the earlier versions.
People use them because they work and are cost effect and not subject to the kind of easy failure you imply.

Pretty much what I was going to say.

Some of those videos the phone falls out because people were too stupid to even secure the mount properly. Anything, including a fancy motorcycle specific GPS will also fall off a motorcycle if you're too stupid to even mount or secure things properly.

As for phones popping out of RAM mounts, it's possible, yes, IF you don't use the secondary securement webbing they all include. If you have a thick case that doesn't allow the phone to set deep enough in the little feet and you don't use the webbing then it's potentially problematic, but we're talking obscenely thick, IE one of the battery cases. And if you DO use the included secondary webbing it's pretty much freakin impossible to ever have the phone fall out. The entire mount could fly off the bike and skip down the highway and the phone would probably still be attached.

Take note that in none of those videos where the phone just pops out were people using the webbing that ram INCLUDES with the mounts. Even the cheap knockoffs include it too - mine did.

I have a thin case on my iPhone 11 (and previously my iPhone 7) which I've used for many years and probably 75,000KM with ZERO issues with my ram knockoff, and I've ridden some pretty bumpy roads.

User error or user stupidity doesn't mean a product is inherently ineffective or dangerous. They have to put warning labels on knives for stupid people, too.

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On the topic of water/rain with a phone, reality is phones are increasingly waterproof anyways. My iPhone 11 is - rode several times in the rain with it last summer just after getting it and had no issues whatever even when it got directly rained on.

I enjoy far too many features of using a phone based navigation such as the traffic avoidance and LEO notifications in Waze, live road closure notifications, satellite view at times (IE is that a dirt road of a paved road?), free map updates almostly instantly vs manual updating a physical GPS at potentially significant cost, etc. Since most of us use our phones for music/audiobooks/podcasts while riding in addition to navigation, having it front and centre is just another layer of inconvenience.
 
Some of those videos the phone falls out because people were too stupid to even secure the mount properly. Anything, including a fancy motorcycle specific GPS will also fall off a motorcycle if you're too stupid to even mount or secure things properly.

Very good point, because chit happens, and if it does, it's always better to have one of these:


I've used for many years and probably 75,000KM with ZERO issues with my ram knockoff, and I've ridden some pretty bumpy roads.

Surprisingly, the plural of anecdote is *not* data... it is entirely conceivable that there others who ride different bikes and roads and have more aggressive riding styles that you do.

Here's a thread on ADVRider that talks about the vibrations killing the cameras on these smartphones:


It's great that you've had no failures in 75,000 kms... But others have reported failures in much less time and mileage. How are their data points any less valid than your anecdotal "evidence"?
 
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