I have been using phone in the bike for more than 10 years and i can say that placing it in a plastic cover over the tank is not a practical option. Sun reflection will make it almost impossible to use it most times, and being out of sight line makes it real hard to use safely. You need screen to be as vertical as possible in front of you, at the handlebar or over. If you use a good quality support air speed should not be a problem.

 

I used the tank bag method for a week this summer when I was renting a Ducati in Italy. It worked OK, but it wasn't ideal. I had to remove the phone from the bag each time I needed to press a button.
At home on my Speedmaster I use a Beeline for navigation, and I swear by it. I get clear, turn-by-turn directions and the phone remains in my pocket. I also have a bluetooth connection in my helmet for messages, phone, etc.

 

I had my iPhone in a tank bag for a while. It worked OK, and I could manipulate the phone through the clear plastic without any problem. But, I decided to go with a Garmin mounted to the handlebars because of its much larger screen, and better viewing position. Be cautious. High frequency engine vibrations kill iPhone camera auto focus mechanisms. That’s why I never went to a handlebar iPhone mount.

 

Thanks all for your contribution, I appreciate that.
Considering that adding a tank bag might not be the best choice, do you have any recommendations for a cost-effective yet high-quality phone mount that won't pose issues at high speeds? Please provide links to suggested mounts.

 

The phone mount “problem” isn’t speed, or bumps. As far as I know, all of the popular mounts hold the phone securely to the bike. The problem is high frequency vibration. There are some mounts out there that advertise “vibration dampening,” but I wouldn’t trust them with my iPhone 15. Maybe if I was using some eight year old phone that I really didn’t care all that much about I’d go for it. But not my new, expensive equipment.

 

I use an Ultimateaddons case on both my bikes and it seems very robust and secure. It works well. I tried the phone in a clear pocket on the tank bag once but it was hopeless. The angle was all wrong and it was virtually impossible to see because of the angle and reflections.

I only use the phone as a sat nav on the bike and deliberately have a cheap Nokia so I don’t care if it kills the camera as I rarely use the phone as a camera. Having said that, after several years use, the camera still works fine and I don’t use an anti-vibration mount. Maybe that’s more of an iPhone problem?

www.ultimateaddons.com

 

I only know about the iPhone. And, it’s my understanding that it’s only the more recent iPhones that are subject to the problem. Where the cut off is, I’m not sure. But, I suspect that all recent smart phones with sophisticated cameras in them would be at risk. If you care about your smart phone’s camera, I don’t think it’s worth the risk.

 

Like Steveboilard, I have the Beeline and it works great. It's small, retro looking, and there are several mounting options, and it requires no wire (lithium battery runs for 30 hours of usage time), and it recharges in one hour. Great device, and it runs navigation that comes from your phone in the Beeline app.

 

I also use my much cheaper and less sensible phone. In fact I have a dedicated phone to be used as GPS for long trips, while I use my regular phone (with no camera stabilization at all) for everyday.

Both are much cheaper than any GPS, work better with larger screen and are more flexible in usage. The only advantage I have found when trying Garmin and Tomtom GPSs is the resistive screens (usable with gloves), but being honest it is not very safe (and usually not legal) to manipulate screen while moving, and thus better to program it before running or use voice commands.

The beeline sounds like a worse option too. I have used it once and found the simplified visualization hard to follow when driving in cities with complex roundabouts, multiple angle street crossings, etc. And needing too much attention as you have to look at the indications all the time, while with traditional GPSs or Google Maps you can see in a short sight much more information that can cover two or three turns.

For long trips I use a dedicated phone because that saves the main phone battery for communication, and I use a waterproof mounting. The phone costed me 120€, and the waterproof cover 25€. Less than 150€ and much cheaper than the cheapest GPS but with larger screen, more battery, and able to share main phone connection to have true live information about traffic, accidents, new routes, etc.

 

Just a follow-up for anyone wanting to know more about the Beeline. I've used phones on handlebars and it's a hassle and ugly mounting, to say the least. I've had no issues with the Beeline, and the roundabouts are clearly marked. There are multiple mounting methods for it, and the beauty of the device is its simplicity. Sure, it's not going to be like a dedicated Garmin sat nav, but if you use it more than once, you begin to understand exactly how far you have to a turning point. If you want to run wires and mount a cord and phone to the handlebars, good for you. But I love the convenience of Beeline. Also, I ride mostly in the country, not in congested urban settings where a missed turn could cause some frustration. In the country the Beeline does a superb job.

 

I understand if you use Beeline on open roads the function is probably perfect.

The problems I found when I tried were related to lack of information and difficulty in synchronizing movements while driving downtown, with the need to change directions at close distances, very short times, and multiple angles.

In my case I usually need the assistance of GPS while driving urban in my trips, many times doing tourism in big cities, that's why I consider the Beeline a bad option.

It all depends on each driver needs.

 

I like my Beeline! I use it for the actual sat nav. I have my Garmin up and running just to show me the surrounding layout of roads, and my progress.

 

Both GPS navigators at once??

Yo not in risk to get lost, don't you? 😂😂

 

I know, it’s kind of odd. But the Beeline gives me quick reference to which direction to go, how far to my next turn, and which way I’ll be turning. I only look at the Garmin if I’m curious about my surroundings, need an alternate route, or want to see where I am in relation to some other map feature. Glancing at the Beeline is a lot quicker and easier than seeing my location on a map, and looking ahead to see what’s there. It minimizes the eyes off the road problem.

 

In my case when I tried the Beeline got the opposite result.

Lack of surrounding information forced me to put more attention and time in screen, as with google maps I am able to preview not only next turn but also future movements and then need only sound messages.

But the beeline in urban areas with very short distances got to need almost constant vision not to miss any turn.

 

Yeah, I can see that in an urban environment with lots of turns. On open roads, with miles between turns, the Beeline works for me. For one thing, I don’t have to fuss with zooming in or out, or moving the map around on the screen. I can keep the Garmin zoomed in to where local road names show up, and the Beeline tells me (for example) that it’s 2.2 miles to my next left turn.

 

For extra knowledge. these are my two phone mounting systems:

On the left there is the bracket mounting I daily use with my regular phone. It is safe and simple to lock and unlock the phone using the side nuts. It is perfectly safe and I have been using it for years at high speeds and rough roads. You see a windshield in front, but I have done many highway hours without it and no problems.

I guess as it have been said it would not be safe for high end phone cameras, but my phone is a cheap $150 model, and if I had a $1000 iphone what I would do is keep it in the bag and use a cheap phone for the bike.

On the right side you can see the base for the second mount, that finish this way:

This is a second phone and mount I use for long trips. It is an older xiaomi phone, and a closed case water and dirt proof, very fast to mount and unmount. Even if you have to buy a dedicated phone it is cheaper than a GPS, and it offers all the features of an android phone, including realtime updated traffic information in a large 6" screen. For much less money than a GPS even if you buy a phone for it.

 

I use a quadlock with the charger and vibration dampener. iphone 11, no issues. It’s also my “gps”

 

I've used this on my last 3 bikes. It works great. glare is mostly taken care of. keeps rain off the phone. But i did have to drill a few holes in the back for air flow because in summer the phone would overheat. with a few holes and air flow, no problems whatsoever.

https://imp.i104546.net/c/404739/78...BhB9EiwAdkXWO3shMMOhiNeik1rcyB7c6RnLlJef5-kuRoin4KPB8zzWcVSUBkARTxoCN2gQAvD_BwE

 

I've used this on my last 3 bikes. It works great. glare is mostly taken care of. keeps rain off the phone. But i did have to drill a few holes in the back for air flow because in summer the phone would overheat. with a few holes and air flow, no problems whatsoever.

https://imp.i104546.net/c/404739/78...BhB9EiwAdkXWO3shMMOhiNeik1rcyB7c6RnLlJef5-kuRoin4KPB8zzWcVSUBkARTxoCN2gQAvD_BwE

the issue with this one is max size is 5". Very few phones are so small now...

the model I posted has a metal pressure bottom that flows heat much better than plastic. I have used it with high temperatures and no overheating