Beeline Moto GPS / Sat Nav

Baxter

Well-Known Member
#1
I've recently been playing with the Beeline Moto display device that my wife bought me for Christmas. The device is a small circular screen that connects to a phone app. The app works kinda like Google Maps, and the screen has a big arrow pointing in your direction of travel, the direction of your next turn and the distance to that turn, and how much you've traveled toward your destination.

The big positive is that the relevant info is easy to take in with a slight glance. I was finding my conventional GPS required taking my eyes off the road too long to be comfortable.

I'll not repeat all the sales info, here's a link if you're interested: https://beeline.co/pages/beeline-moto

My take so far is that it's clever, but you have to understand it to get the best use. The big arrow doesn't actually turn until you are physically at the intersection, which has meant that I've been past the turn lane or exit ramp if I was looking at the arrow and not also noting the distance counting down. (Part of the problem may be that my 4G phone doesn't update location fast enough? I didn't think that depended on cell coverage.) However, the Beeline will redirect you to the route if you're not using data, and will recalculate the route if you are using data.

The nature of the device is that it cannot display the street or exit name/number. If there are two or more nearby choices, it can leave me confused. But that said, it will indicate which number is yours at an approaching roundabout, which is very handy, and also whether an approaching turn is a vee or fork, such as an exit ramp. Noting this later info will help prevent more exit ramp misses. It can also be used in bicycle mode. And it has a non-route mode that simply points toward your destination, which is good for urban exploring or off-roading.

However, I'm wondering about whether using Google Maps on my phone with some sort of earpiece to listen to the voice prompts would work just as well for my purposes. (I almost never look at the phone while driving my cage--I just let the voice prompts become my backseat driver and all is usually good.)

Also, I had to remove and reinstall the software as the Bluetooth connection was a bit wonky when I first tried it--the issue was completely resolved by that, so no biggie.

Installation was not bad. Standard in the box are two mounting systems, one for mounting to bars and the other being similar to a Ram Mount stalk with a sticky pad for mounting to a dash. I tried several placements, but found that the display is degraded when it is not pointed directly toward my eyes.

It can also be used in bicycle mode. And it has a non-road mode that simply points toward your destination, which is good for urban exploring or off-roading.

I generally study my route and don't usually depend on a GPS. But I can easily see this being useful if there are a bunch of turns and road or highway changes in a short distance that would be difficult to remember or if I'm in an unfamiliar area where it would be difficult to get my bearings.
 

kerrizor

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#2
Nice report! Someone gifted me one of these, and I thought it a much better fit for a scooter or in-city/cafe racer/naked bike, both stylistically as well as functionally.. I regifted it to a friend with a new Triumph Scrambler, and he's pretty chuffed (thanks, Aunt Betty!)