How You Guys Charge Your Phones On Your Bikes?

[shanekingsley]

No I have an older VStrom.
These were not stock items from the factory. Like the links you posted originally, these are readily available aftermarket items sold through tons of resellers like Fortnine, Amazon etc.

 

[blackcamaro]

I'd caution the ram mounts, have 2 friends that had their phones go for a little trip.

Motorcycle - Handlebar Mount

The Motorcycle Handlebar Mount by Quad Lock® is an extremely secure and strong smartphone motorcycle mount compatible with all smartphones. Adjust to the perfect viewing angle to view maps whilst riding your motorbike.

www.quadlockcase.ca

Used one for 2 seasons, I don't think anything short of a crash is breaking this lose. You purchase the mount you want and the 'case' for your specific phone which snaps in. Could get pricey if you're prone to upgrade phones constantly.

Otherwise id consider a tank bag with a clear pocket.

I love my quad lock.

 

[Pegassus]

I'd caution the ram mounts, have 2 friends that had their phones go for a little trip.

Motorcycle - Handlebar Mount

The Motorcycle Handlebar Mount by Quad Lock® is an extremely secure and strong smartphone motorcycle mount compatible with all smartphones. Adjust to the perfect viewing angle to view maps whilst riding your motorbike.

www.quadlockcase.ca

Used one for 2 seasons, I don't think anything short of a crash is breaking this lose. You purchase the mount you want and the 'case' for your specific phone which snaps in. Could get pricey if you're prone to upgrade phones constantly.

Otherwise id consider a tank bag with a clear pocket.

Saw the video, that thing looks flimsy & fragile, and you have to buy a proprietary phone case from the same company to snap it on, that's a major turn off, I love my own case, its rugged.


What I ordered from Amazon looks way stronger, has multiple grips like an octopuss and will give me peace of mind......

 

[Evoex]

Saw the video, that thing looks flimsy & fragile, and it looks like your phone has to have a special thing protruding from the back to snap it on.


What I ordered from Amazon looks was stronger, has multiple grips like an octopuss and will give me peace of mind......

thats exactly what 2 of my friends used and their phones went flying on the highway.

don't judge it by looks, ask around and do research. you are correct, the 'special thing' is on the phone case you purchase from them.

didn't @anterabae have an experience with one (ram mount), or am i miss-remembering?

 

[sburns]

You don't have to use the X grip RAM mount. You can get a case fit / shell to wrap around your phone from RAM. But ya it's not universal and they don't have shells for all phones.

 

[anterabae]

thats exactly what 2 of my friends used and their phones went flying on the highway.

don't judge it by looks, ask around and do research. you are correct, the 'special thing' is on the phone case you purchase from them.

didn't @anterabae have an experience with one (ram mount), or am i miss-remembering?

You remember correctly, phone fell out of the Ram mount x-grip when I didn't see a pothole the size of Kansas on Eglinton in time - don't ask me how Iissed that. But I wasn't using the tether at the time. Learned my expensive lesson, never ride untethered now and the phone hasn't budged since. Despite that incident, I have no hesitation recommending the x-grip, I just add my cautionary tale along with it.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

 

[Evoex]

You remember correctly, phone fell out of the Ram mount x-grip when I didn't see a pothole the size of Kansas on Eglinton in time - don't ask me how Iissed that. But I wasn't using the tether at the time. Learned my expensive lesson, never ride untethered now and the phone hasn't budged since. Despite that incident, I have no hesitation recommending the x-grip, I just add my cautionary tale along with it.

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

exactly, all i said was be cautious

 

[Aens]

I use a quadlock mount and a 12v to USB quick charger hooked up to my bike's 12v accessory line for the factory heated grips. They just announced the wireless quad lock mount as well.

 

[Malks]

I only use my phone to play music while I'm riding solo, so I've never had an issue with it running out of power. I keep it in an inside zip pocket so it won't fall out. Old school paper maps are my go to if I find myself in uncharted territory; always have one in the side case. For a longer ride I would pack my portable power pack.

 

[crankcall]

just bear in mind those tiny little step down transformers 12v - USB suck a tiny bit of power, left long enough will eat your battery. Have it switched or remember to always unplug it. It will take a while, but it will get there with a small amount of parasitic power

 

[Trials]

Actually, the power levels in the batteries will just equalize, unless the device is turned on and consuming power :|

... oh, but the video is wrong, it is not called electrical tape because it conducts electricity. Electric tape does not conduct electricity worth a damn.

 

[Mad Mike]

Phone charger doesn't need a relay, it needs a step down transformer and a 5 volt capacitor, possibly a fuse, if you want it switched connect the adapter to a switched circuit.

If you want it live all the time connect it directly to your 12 volt battery, which to me makes the most sense for the application. You are only robbing off a tiny bit of juice, it's not like the motorcycles wiring can't handle it and the conversion is not going to produce huge amounts of heat, the circuit is only going to draw if it needs it anyway, components and connectors do need to be protected from the elements. Joe's Battery tender jr is a perfect example of how easy it is as long as that one 2.1 amps at 5 vdc is enough for your needs. I don't think that is enough for an iPad, it draws ~ 2.4

I'd still throw it on a switched circuit or relay. They don't take much power ... until they do. Forget to unplug a phone, sometimes they get wet, some have an LED that trickles off juice. If you have a cheap AliExpress type, they may draw quite a bit of power just sitting there.

 

[Kri$han]

I love my quad lock.

I'm really thinking about making the switch to this guy.

My only issues with it:
a) I love the iPhone leather case (and wouldn't want to change my phone's full-time case for the limited time I spend on the bike), and
b) I have a naked bike, and I worry about exposing my device to constant barrage of wind and debris on the highway.

I bought this Givi S957b to fit my iPhone XS, but its a bit baggy for my phone, so it flops around in there. I used to have the Givi S955b for my iPhone SE and it was wonderful! Small, compact and tight-fitting (I'm also selling it here in classifieds).

OT: I don't have a charger on my bike, but I'll bring a battery pack and USB cable with me on a long ride - it's good for 1-1.5 full phone charges, and the Givi mount has a small hole on the bottom for a charging cable. I'm not too comfortable running a wire from the battery and finding a reliable mount for it.

 

[Trials]

I'd still throw it on a switched circuit or relay. They don't take much power ... until they do. Forget to unplug a phone, sometimes they get wet, some have an LED that trickles off juice. If you have a cheap AliExpress type, they may draw quite a bit of power just sitting there.

:| look at the size of your cell phone, now look at the size of the motorcycle battery,
if your 5 volt cell phone had a 12 volt battery that big how long would it run before you killed the battery, a week, a month or more?

 

[Evoex]

I'm really thinking about making the switch to this guy.

My only issues with it:
a) I love the iPhone leather case (and wouldn't want to change my phone's full-time case for the limited time I spend on the bike), and
b) I have a naked bike, and I worry about exposing my device to constant barrage of wind and debris on the highway.

I bought this Givi S957b to fit my iPhone XS, but its a bit baggy for my phone, so it flops around in there. I used to have the Givi S955b for my iPhone SE and it was wonderful! Small, compact and tight-fitting (I'm also selling it here in classifieds).

OT: I don't have a charger on my bike, but I'll bring a battery pack and USB cable with me on a long ride - it's good for 1-1.5 full phone charges, and the Givi mount has a small hole on the bottom for a charging cable. I'm not too comfortable running a wire from the battery and finding a reliable mount for it.

Was fine on my fz09. There's different mounting options, figure out what may work best for you

 

[justride]

MICTUNING SAE to USB Adapter Cable 3.1A Dual Port Power Socket USB Charger Compatible with Smart Phone Tablet GPS Motorcycle : Amazon.ca: Electronics

MICTUNING SAE to USB Adapter Cable 3.1A Dual Port Power Socket USB Charger Compatible with Smart Phone Tablet GPS Motorcycle : Amazon.ca: Electronics

www.amazon.ca

Plus I have the O ring terminal connector that is connected to the battery from a battery tender. that I made stick out from under the seat so I can either plug my battery tender or usb port.

Mroinge MBC010 Automotive Trickle Battery Charger Maintainer 12V 1A Smart Automatic Battery Chargers for Car Motorcycle Boat Lawn Mower Sla Atv Wet Agm Gel Cell Lead Acid Batteries: Amazon.ca: Automotive

Mroinge MBC010 Automotive Trickle Battery Charger Maintainer 12V 1A Smart Automatic Battery Chargers for Car Motorcycle Boat Lawn Mower Sla Atv Wet Agm Gel Cell Lead Acid Batteries: Amazon.ca: Automotive

www.amazon.ca

Also have Ram Mount. The rubber "web" is an additional security for your phone or GPS. I have an old GPS that I used
About install. Don't cut too much of the rubber stem that goes in the fork tube or the ball cap where the X ram mount mounts to will spin.
Also the glue that comes with the kit is very strong. It will damage your paint. A drop of the glue made a tiny bubble on my rear seat;(

 

[Max527]

I run a USB C cable from a socket connected to my battery under my seat all the way to the handlebars.

 

[blackcamaro]

I'm really thinking about making the switch to this guy.

My only issues with it:
a) I love the iPhone leather case (and wouldn't want to change my phone's full-time case for the limited time I spend on the bike), and
b) I have a naked bike, and I worry about exposing my device to constant barrage of wind and debris on the highway.

I bought this Givi S957b to fit my iPhone XS, but its a bit baggy for my phone, so it flops around in there. I used to have the Givi S955b for my iPhone SE and it was wonderful! Small, compact and tight-fitting (I'm also selling it here in classifieds).

OT: I don't have a charger on my bike, but I'll bring a battery pack and USB cable with me on a long ride - it's good for 1-1.5 full phone charges, and the Givi mount has a small hole on the bottom for a charging cable. I'm not too comfortable running a wire from the battery and finding a reliable mount for it.

I wouldn’t worry much about the wind. I also use it on a naked bike and no issues at really any speed. I have only used the handlebar mount, not the steering stem or mirror mount.

The case isn’t fancy but does protect your phone very well off the bike. I’m one of those people that always has their phone with them so it’s been dropped countless times. Phone is good and the case has very little if any marks on it.

I would buy it again for sure.

 

[Evoex]

I wouldn’t worry much about the wind. I also use it on a naked bike and no issues at really any speed. I have only used the handlebar mount, not the steering stem or mirror mount.

The case isn’t fancy but does protect your phone very well off the bike. I’m one of those people that always has their phone with them so it’s been dropped countless times. Phone is good and the case has very little if any marks on it.

I would buy it again for sure.

yeah the case is decent to pull it off the bike and muck around with it for stops/trips. i'd swap it into something else off bike if you're OCD about it though.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Amazon 4-arm knockoff X-Mount here. 75,000km or so on it and phone has never fell out, and I don't use the secondary rubber thing either.

You need to make sure your phone is mounted properly in it however, set fully in against the backstop. A few times I put the phone in there too quickly and it slowly worked it's way into a situation where it may have eventually fell out - always notice it in time as the angle changes and the screen gets hard to see.

As for charging....Amazon 2 port 3 Amp wired USB plug mounted on the handlebars and wired to the switched cigarette lighter wiring in the front fairing. 3" long USB to lightening plug to keep the wiring neat and tidy.