Motorbike satnav

[RubyToogood]

Probably too specific for urban really, but any advice on buying one? Bearing in mind it's mostly for getting around town.

There have been so many changes to the road network in Central London recently that I have no idea where I'm going any more.

I've never had one before, I just planned ahead.

 

[DownwardDog]

I use my phone (Pixel 6XL) on mount with a hard wired USB charger which works fine. However, I don't have to deal with the UK weather so I'm not sure how long a phone would last on the handlebars in the UK. Garmin Montana are supposed to be good...

 

[RubyToogood]

Reading up on it, most people seem to use their phones. Or an old phone. Maybe I do just need to get a mount and a USB charger.

 

[Athos]

I use my phone in a Rockform case, and a mount. If I'm on a longish trip I'll run a lead to a powerbank in a tank bag (cos I've not bothered to run a cable under the tank to the USB port under the seat). I quite like the Calimoto app - can pick routes by average twistyness, and keeps top speed, acceleration and deceleration, and lean angle data - though not so relevant for central London.

 

[Athos]

The Garmin ones are supposed to be good, but expensive when you could just use a phone. But, if you're keen on a separate sat nav, my mate rates his Beeline. Very minimalist, but he reckons that makes it really simple to follow. Easy to mount, and cheaper than, say, a Garmin.

 

[RubyToogood]

The Garmin ones are supposed to be good, but expensive when you could just use a phone. But, if you're keen on a separate sat nav, my mate rates his Beeline. Very minimalist, but he reckons that makes it really simple to follow. Easy to mount, and cheaper than, say, a Garmin.

I was looking at reviews of the Beeline yesterday and I can see the merits but think not being able to see the road layout would freak me out in town where all the turns are so close together.

I've never used my phone as an actual satnav before and am now wondering what planet I've been living on

 

[RubyToogood]

Incidentally the Beeline doesn't have its own GPS, it uses the phone's one. So it's not really a separate satnav.

 

[Athos]

Yes, not totally separate, but does avoid the battery consumption of leaving the phone screen on. But, like you, I prefer to see the layout.