Build a Motorcycle Navigation Rig for Under $300
- Thread starter DaveM
- Start date
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Cough, splutter, just spilt tea in my lap... $300?
Here's how to make one for well under $100.
Buy...
# Sturdy phone mount. I used a ball joint one, takes the vibrations on my old trumpet no probs.
#Very cheap used android phone, but made in last few years. Won't need to fit a SIM card, so get a cheap locked one even. Or, find an old phone in the back of the sock draw.
# buy and fit a USB socket if without one.
Download the free Here maps app. Download free maps for your country.
That's it. No data usage, no mobile signal required.
Done thousands of miles with above.
I do not want navigation or any other screen display on my bike. My phone is in my pocket turned off when I ride. What's next VR helmets?
My setup has no SIM. There's no internet. It's just to get to a place without getting lost. And, I get lost very easily. In the days before the electronic gadgetry, I set out on my Moto guzzi California. Of course, map reading is a bother on a bike. I rode to where I thought his town was. It got dark. My helmet hurt, I'd been riding so long. Then, in my headlight beam, I saw a sign getting nearer. It said Welcome to Scotland. I didn't cry, just carried on to next junction and turned around, stoically went south back into England, in rough direction of his town. So, thank goodness for satnav I say
They’re steadily working on that.
I’m with you. I prefer no distractions on my rides. I see all these latest gizmos as just that- distractions. I don’t need music, aftermarket gauges, or commo. We stick to old school hand signal. On longer backroad trips I’ll slap the phone onto the Quad Lock for some visual GPS input but that’s about it.
The Zen aspect of riding is of course a prime factor but honestly I’d be too easily distracted by all the latest bells and whistles tech these days. When they perfect HUD technology in “Smart Helmets” I’m not touching them with a 10 foot pole.
