Motorcycling GPS Apps - A Comparison


Thread Starter #1
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
1
Likes
2
Location
Banglore
Hello Everyone, this is Sibi from Chennai and I ride a Yamaha R15 V2, long distance touring, mostly. I have been riding for the past five years and have witnessed a huge transformation in the Indian biking scenario. The rise in the number of bikers with the passage of time is considerable and can’t be denied by enthusiasts or experts. Simultaneously, numerous biking clubs have also been formed. It isn’t uncommon to come across cause-driven biking events and rides as well.

I would always miss out on clicking pictures during my travel as I didn't have a GoPro back then. All I would be left with, was memories about the ride in my head. It was during moments like these that I felt the need for some sort of GPS logger to keep a track of my rides. Hence, I began using a bunch of apps for the same purpose. The said apps and their reviews have been listed below:


1. GPS Speed HD -

iOS Only - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gpss...432156279?mt=8

I used this app on my iPad and it worked flawlessly. I could track my rides and get useful information and various statistics as listed below ( Stated on the App's Site )

* Speedometer with speed profile
* Altimeter with height profile history
* Logs in sleep-mode if the application is running
* Logs in background if supported by iOS
* In statistics, the recorded profiles are available for analysis
* Display the recorded tracks on the map
* Display the current track on the map
* These routes can be sent as an email in the formats KML, GPX and CSV with including histogram
* Show average speed and track distance
* Display of ascent and descent
* G-Meter

The only issue that I faced with this app was that all my logged rides were lost when I updated from iOS 7 to 8, and again, from 8 to 9. As a result, I currently don’t have any screenshots to upload. There was no backup feature back then, not even now, and hence, I started looking for alternatives.

2. EatSleepRide -

iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/eats...541036952?mt=8 /
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...randroid&hl=en
Website - EatSleepRIDE Motorcycle GPS for iOS and Android makes it easy to track your ride, get your data and ride better, farther, safer with CrashLight® motorcycle crash detection

This app almost does everything that one would expect from a Motorcycle GPS app. However, please note that some features come in only with a paid subscription and they have clearly mentioned those as well. The list of features are as follows.

Go pro with CRASHLIGHT® for $14.99/per year (adjusted by country) to automatically detect a motorcycle crash and alert pre-set contacts with your location. Choose your safety team and take the fear out of biking for those near you.

1) Go pro with CRASHLIGHT® for $14.99/per year (adjusted by country) to automatically detect a motorcycle crash and alert pre-set contacts with your location. Choose your safety team and take the fear out of biking for those near you.

2) DISCOVER RIDERS NEARBY (Free)
-Find like-minded people to ride with nearby

3) FIND THE BEST ROADS (Free)
- Over 3,000+ motorcycle roads available world-wide and growing
- Create routes on the website, save to My Garage and view offline in app
- Easily publish motorcycle roads: Trim start and end points to control privacy

4) TRACK YOUR RIDES (Free)
- Become a better rider: save and review your rides
- No data required to record speed, distance, elevation and lean
- Save unlimited rides
- Track your miles in the Dashboard

5) CREATE A PRIVATE GROUP FOR CLUB RIDES & EVENTS (Free)
- Share routes and track your group on the map
- Always control your privacy, turn visibility On or Off

6) ENABLE LIVE TRACKING (Free)
- Send family and friends a link using the EatSleepRIDE website to follow your ride on the map

7) CREATE A TRIP REPORT (Free)
- Add photos, places, events and routes
- Browse other great rides

8) JOIN A CHALLENGE (Free)
- See how you stack up, join a global challenge to win gear for doing what you love

9) LAUNCH APPLE WATCH (Free)
- Use the Apple Watch to track your ride, share your location and use CRASHLIGHT®

I have covered about 8200+ kms using this app and was largely happy with it as well. However, I found the forums and social interactions on the app a bit odd. Over 90% of the users were from different countries and naturally, most events and challenges were all international, too. I was thrilled to see members from India as well but they were inactive for quite a while. Check the screenshots below.


1. Neat looking UI:

IMG_9158.PNG

2. My History -

IMG_9162.PNG

3. Challenges and Events (With cool prizes) -

IMG_9159.PNG

4. Social Interaction and Discussion -

IMG_9172.PNG

IMG_9160.PNG

IMG_9182.jpeg

The app had no issues what so ever but there were fewer number of bikers from India and most of them were inactive.

3. Castrol Power Biking -

iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/cast...964362745?mt=8
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...droid.p1&hl=en
Website - Power1 Biking App - Sponsorships | Castrol India | Services | Castrol India | Castrol - Engine Oil & Lubricants | Motor Oil | Synthetic Oil | Diesel Oil | ATF - Automatic Transmission Fluid | Castrol India

Description as on the app page -


Create your biker profileConnect with biking buddiesCreate biking clubs and tripsFind nearest Castrol Bike PointsExplore the best biking routes in the countryGet biking tipsGet service offer on Castrol Bike PointsConnect with your biker buddies who are riding closeby, and hitch a ride!Chat with your fellow bikersEmergency? Need some help? Instantly alert your current location to 5 contacts.Find best biking routes across the country, and contribute to this list


The app was a social medium for bikers of our country to share and interact with each other but it lacked the main feature of tracking. The app also highlights various Castrol Bike Points (Mechanics) present nearby and on the map and this would be very useful when one needs assistance while travelling. Also, be informed that currently, the iOS version of the app has glitches and there seems to be no way to login other than facebook, and even that doesn't seem to work properly.


Screenshots -

1. Homepage -

IMG_9167.PNG

2. Login -

IMG_9165.PNG

IMG_9164.PNG

To conclude, I found this app very useful for locating mechanics in almost all cities across the country and I hope that the log in issue is fixed soon.


4. Rever -

Website - https://rever.co/
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/reve...975571447?mt=8
Android -https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...lc.rever&hl=en

Description as on the app page -

DISCOVER
- Browse route recommendations.
- Find new riding areas.
- See ride recommendations from other riders.

RECORD AND SHARE
- Track and record your motorcycle rides using the GPS in your phone.
- Get key stats like; time, distance, average speed, elevation profiles, cap headings & lat/long.
- Follow routes you’ve created or that have been shared with you from other Rever users.
- Find and share routes with other riders.
- Save photos with rides to tell better stories.
- Use the garage to keep track of your bikes.
- Relive all the rides you’ve tracked through the in-phone app or online.

CHALLENGES
- Get motivated by joining an industry supported challenge and see how you stack up against your friends and the motorcycle community.

GROUPS, CLUBS, & EVENTS
- Find a new crew to ride with based on where you live or the type of bike you ride.
- Share ride plans and routes to make sure everybody knows where the group is going.
- Get recommendations from local clubs, shops and event organizers.

REVER PREMIUM: Premium features are available through for $5.99/month or $59.00/year.

FIND THE BEST ROADS
- Get access to Butler Motorcycle Maps’ curated road recommendations. Get instant updates as the ‘Butler Scouts’ ride and rate every great road in America.

RIDE WITH FRIENDS
- Keep your group ride together. Create a temporary riding group on your phone and view the location of everybody you are riding with, in real time.

NOTIFICATIONS
- Customize automated text alerts to tell friends or family when you’ve started or finished a ride.

OFFLINE MAPS
- No cell signal? No problem. Build routes and save to your phone before you go and follow via GPS.

GPX FILES
- Compatible with the GPX file format for use with traditional GPS devices.

I found this app by the suggestion of a friend in my biking group and I installed it and tested it out.

Screenshots -


1. Neat UI [ Map data from HERE maps ] -

IMG_9179a.PNG KB

IMG_9164a.PNG

2. Friends/Groups - The Downside -

IMG_9163a.PNG

3. Adding friends with no special link to your profile -

IMG_9175a.PNG

IMG_9176a.PNG

IMG_9177a.PNG

IMG_9178a.PNG


4. And finally, THIS!

IMG_9181a.PNG

Though this app reflected good feedback from people, I was not able to find any fellow riders around. Besides, in my opinion, the subscriptions are useless since there is not much of a development in the App's POV to get highlighted routes and especially dirt roads.

5. Routejoot -

Website - RouteJoot - Your wingman on the road
iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/in/app/rout...071397481?mt=8
Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...phoneapp&hl=en

Description as on the app page -

1) PLAN OR SCHEDULE A RIDE
Comprehensive ride planning for individual's or Clubs.

2) GROUP RIDING
Your Riding Club online, Invite members, Share ride plans & Live tracking of your riders on a ride.

3) LIVE & REAL TIME TRACKING
Real Time tracking on a Map of other riders in the group.

4) YOUR RIDE DOCUMENTER
Total Ride time, Break up of on Ride and Idle time on the Road, Detailed Ride map , Total distance covered, Average Speed , Maximum Speed & Ride Photos

5) RIDE STATISTICS
Discover yourself better, Documents detailed statistics like elevation, Maximum & Average speeds during different parts of the day, Split of Speeds across the total distance travelled

6) FAMILY SHARING
Alert other riders and assigned contacts on your Ride status, LIVE tracking website for family to track in Real Time

7) OFFLINE TRACKING
No data required as it uses the GPS of the phone to track and map your ride. Works in areas where there is no Phone signal and you can save your rides later when your connected to the network.

8) LIVE & RIDE
Memories are etched in every road to be cherished later, document every route and share your experiences, Riders can share photos on the same ride. You will be able to re-live your every ride through our detailed ride tracking documentor.

9) DYNAMIC RIDE INVITES
Invite your Friends & Track them on their ride or Just Ride Along

10) ONLINE GARAGE
Document all your bikes, add photos of them and assign specific bikes to different rides

11) EXPAND YOUR BROTHERHOOD
Pin interesting stops & Connect with riders all around the world

I was following this app since it was posted on Facebook by some beta tester and installed it a few days after it went live. RouteJoot addressed all my concerns but it did have some bugs that were eventually sorted out. Finally, I’d found an app that offered rich Social Interaction locally through biking groups. It was heart-warming to come across so many riders on the app. The leaderboards reflect whether the users are active or not. I have been using the app for about 10k kms now and it hasn’t disappointed me so far. I have shared the screenshots below.

Screenshots -

1. Home Screen -

IMG_9182.PNG

2. Profile and Yearly Goal -

IMG_9156.PNG

IMG_9157.PNG

3. Simple and Neat UI -

IMG_9154.PNG

IMG_9155.PNG

4. Ride details and statistics -

IMG_9151.PNG

IMG_9139.PNG

IMG_9140.PNG

IMG_9141.PNG

IMG_9142.PNG

5. Total Statistics of the user -

IMG_9143.PNG

IMG_9144.PNG

IMG_9146.PNG

6. Biking Groups -

IMG_9152.PNG

7. Leaderboard -

IMG_9183.PNG

IMG_9184.PNG

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _______________________________

Currently, I'm using Routejoot to log my trips since it scores positive on all my requirements. While there are several other apps that I’ve used, and haven’t reviewed here, this app is easily my favorite. There is a lot more to explore on the app and the increasing number of users is heartening.

Please note that these reviews are solely based on my opinions and I'm in no way endorsing any app. Do add to the list if you know an app that I’m missing out on. It would be lovely to hear your take on these apps, too. Thank you!
 

Attachments


Top Bottom