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Which is better for motorcycle navigation…a phone or GPS? Keep reading to get my answer, along with some other tips for both methods.

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The phone vs GPS for motorcycle navigation debate comes up on lots of motorcycle websites and forums. Many riders have pretty strong opinions one way or the other. While I still use my cell phone for navigation from time to time, in my opinion a dedicated GPS is the only way to go for many riders like me.

Main Benefits of GPS vs Phone

• Waterproof
  • Motorcycle GPS units are designed to be exposed to the elements. Is your cell phone waterproof? Are you sure? GPS units have a dedicated charging mount made to withstand riding in the rain. The thought of having my cell phone plugged in while riding in the rain makes me cringe.
• Works with Gloves
  • I almost always ride with gloves on. With my GPS, I don’t have to take those gloves off to use the touch screen. With my phone, I have to be stopped and take my glove off to use the screen.
• Doesn’t Overheat
  • If you have ever used your phone to navigate on a hot sunny day, you have probably had it overheat. My phone gets hot in direct sunlight, and then the display vanishes, making navigation impossible.
• More Visible
  • GPS screens are typically made to reduce glare, making it much easier to see the screen in sunlight.
• Easy to Use GPX Files
  • GPX file sharing makes it easy to download a track that someone else has created or share yours with someone else. While you can do this with certain apps on your phone, I have found it much easier to do on my GPS unit.
• Dedicated Charging Mount
  • A GPS unit typically comes with a rugged mount that can be wired directly to your motorcycle so you don’t need to use an external charging cable and usb or other power outlet on your bike. The battery is always charging, so it shouldn’t go dead. I have had my phone run out of juice several times when traveling due to no power source or an incompatible power source on a rented bike.
• Peace of Mind
  • My cell phone is an important tool that I use every day. I paid a lot of money for it and hate to think of it getting damaged or lost from using it on my motorcycle. Using a GPS unit keeps my phone safe in my pocket and doesn’t use up the battery for navigation. Sure I could buy a second hand phone solely for navigation, but why not just buy a tool specifically made for the job I am looking for it to do?

When You Might Want to Use Your Phone for Navigation

While I prefer using my GPS on any extended trip, especially with an off road component, there are times when I still use my phone. Mostly these are shorter rides that are all on pavement and within cell phone range. Riding on the pavement, I don’t worry about my phone bouncing out of the mount like it could riding through rocks. (See below for some mounting recommendations.) On shorter rides, I don’t have to worry as much about battery life, overheating or bad weather. If you only do shorter day rides or rides around town, maybe a phone is all you need.

Which Motorcycle GPS Unit do I Use?

Garmin Zumo XT

This is one of the most popular motorcycle GPS units in use today, and it is the one that I currently use. I have found it easy to use and would recommend it as my top choice.

Tips for Using GPS

• Pre-plan routes on a computer and upload them to your GPS. Garmin’s Explore app is useful, but it does not allow you to export routes you have created without a premium subscription. There are free route planning apps that allow you to export and share routes/tracks. Lately, I have been using GaiaGPS
• Unless your GPS unit locks to your bike, don’t forget to power it down and take it off the bike when you are not on it.
• When I’m looking for turn by turn directions, sometimes it is easier to click on the location on the map instead of trying to search by address.
• Sometimes it’s easier to search by destination name instead of address (Main Street Hotel vs. 123 Main St.)
• Read through the owners manual to get familiar with the features. I like to download user manuals for my riding tech to a folder on my cell phone in case I want to refer to it while I’m out of cell range.

Tips for Using a Phone for Navigation

• Make sure you use a good mount to keep your phone secure. Here are some recommendations

• Bring your phone mount with you when traveling as a backup for your GPS
• Plug in your phone while riding if you can so the battery doesn’t run down. In the past when I didn’t have a usb port on my bike, I used an adapter like one of these