For years I have used a Garmin GPS for navigation on my dirt bike. My latest GPS was the Garmin Montana 700. It is a really nice unit with a fairly large screen, and much easier to read than prior units I have used. I used a RAM ball and arm mounting system connected to my handguard to keep the GPS out in front where I could see it.
Last spring I moved the Garmin to the center of my handlebars and used an old iPhone 6 as a second navigation tool. My main goal was to have one GPS zoomed in and one zoomed out to make trail navigation easier. But I learned some interesting lessons from this experience that led me to redesigning my entire navigation system.
Power
Both GPS units were powered from the bike, and at one time or another, both suffered power failures. Over the years, keeping a solid power connection has been my biggest challenge. Whether using GPS batteries or power from the bike, the power connections often fail due to vibration and dust.
Display
One thing that surprised me was how much easier the old iPhone was to read than the Garmin. Even though the iPhone 6 has a relatively small screen, and is quite old technology, it was easier to read in all lighting conditions.
Other than the display technology, the underlying map and the color of the tracks makes a huge impact on readability.
Gaia GPS
On the Garmin I was using the Garmin maps which have good detail, but the contrast isn’t great, so it can be difficult to read – especially in full sunlight.
I started using the Gaia GPS app on both the desktop and on my phone. There are plenty of other good navigation apps out there, but I found Gaia to be very easy to use and it has dozens of map layers to choose from. The basic Gaia Topo map is very easy to read and has good detail. So far I am very impressed with this app.
Phone Navigation
As the summer progressed I found myself looking more and more at the phone and less and less at the GPS. I decided that it was now time to move from a dedicated GPS to a smartphone based navigation system.
Wireless Charging
I also wanted to get away from power connectors that were prone to failure. Many smartphones support wireless charging (Qi), so that seemed like a good solution. I ordered three wireless charger phone mounts and compared them.
RAM Mount makes a quality wireless charger, but it was quite bulky and didn’t fit on my bars the way I wanted. I also found that the side posts would hit the buttons on the side of the phone, making it awkward to mount the phone.
I have had really good luck with QuadLock mounts so I ordered their wireless charger. I use QuadLock on my mountain bike and used it for the iPhone 6 on the dirt bike. My only complaint with the QuadLock system is that you need a phone that is compatible with their phone cases. This really limits your options.
By far my favorite phone mount is the Juiced Squeeze by Hondo Garage. You can use their bar clamp mount or any RAM ball/arm setup that you like. In my case, I just mounted it to my MotoMinded Stout Mount that previously held my Garmin.
I also like their wireless charger. All of the other units use a USB connection (another potential failure point). This one hooks directly to 12 VDC. I wired mine to the bike’s power relay so it is only powered when the bike is running. That prevents it from draining my bike battery when not in use.
It should be noted that aligning the phone’s pickup coil closely with the mount’s coil is crucial to get wireless charging to work. This is particularly true with a ruggedized phone since they have pretty thick cases. It is also advisable to not use an external phone case, as this would further reduce charging efficiency.
Ruggedized Phone
My next task was to find a suitable ruggedized phone to use.
Warning: Do not mount your ‘real’ phone on your dirt bike. The vibration will likely kill your phone’s camera which has moving lenses. Apparently this is especially true for iPhones. The heat, dust, and water can also take their toll.
My old iPhone 6 kind of worked, but the operating system was so old I couldn’t run the latest version of Gaia GPS. This caused me some problems. Furthermore, the phone was difficult to operate with gloves on.
You do not need an activated phone with a sim card. In my opinion, this would make a phone an unaffordable solution.
I considered buying a refurbished iPhone X, but decided that the heat, dust, water, and vibration would eventually kill the phone. I therefore decided to try a ruggedized phone.
I needed to figure out what size phone to get. I wanted a large screen, but not so large that it blocked the view of my speedometer. And it had to fit well in the mount and align with the wireless charging coil.
I first tried a Doogee S96 Pro but found it would not charge. The metal protective case was too thick.
I finally settled on a Ulefone Armor 7. So far it seems perfect for my needs.
I haven’t had a good field test yet, but just riding around the neighborhood, the phone seems to work really well. The screen is easy to see and it is out of the way – much less likely to snag on branches or get broken in a crash.
I can also play music with my Bluetooth headset. Rather than using my ‘real’ phone that is safely tucked away in my backpack, this phone is readily accessible. This also allows me to hear step by step directions when following a route.
The phone has a programmable side button. For now I have it programmed to bring up a clock, launch Gaia, or launch my music player app.
I am hopefully that this new setup will work really well and be very reliable. It is easier to zoom in and out than my old Garmin, and the screen is so much easier to read. It makes it much easier to decide which direction to go a trail intersections, and route planning in Gaia GPS is much easier than in Garmin’s Basecamp.
Now I just need to give it some good trail test rides!
Update Apr 2023
It turns out my phone does not like being in landscape mode. Some apps do not support landscape, and others pop back and forth between landscape and portrait. I can lock the phone in portrait mode, so I decided to change the phone’s orientation.
Update Nov 2023
A recent update to Gaia GPS allows you to select landscape mode, so I moved my phone back to the handlebars. This time I am using a computer mount from Fastt Company for their Flexx handlebars.
Mountain Bike
I was so happy with the Juiced Squeeze phone mount that I ordered the Perfect Squeeze mount, which does not include the wireless charger. I mounted this on my mountain bike so I can use my ruggedized phone with TrailForks for navigation. I think it will work great!
Gardiner Family Adventures 