Cell Phone Mount

Looking to use my Samsung GSIII as a nav unit on an upcoming trip. I looked on the google for a vfr800 phone mount and found the Ram Mount, which seems to be the only company that makes some sort of mounting device. 

RAM Universal X-Grip™ Cell Phone Holder with 1" Ball

Then it appears that I can get either a fork stem mount or a brake/clutch fluid reservoir mount. Has anyone here used either of these?

Fork Stem Mount Kit

Brake/Clutch Reservoir Mount Kit

I assume i could also do a standard handlebar mount and fit it just next to the left or right controls. 

What have you all done to mount your phones/GPS?

Thanks,

- Anthony

I use these:

RAM-HOL-PD2

RAM-B-309-1U

RAM-B-231ZU  without the u-bolt, mounted to the tank bolts.

I have the same setup, I put a ball on my 1200 and my scooter, and both my bicycles its a very nice little cell phone holder. The X grip is nice, have had it for a year now. One thing though I added a tether to it, from my contour camera, drilled a nice like hole in my otter box to string the tether through it so a big bump in the road it will not end up on the road. Its saved my ass a few times now.

[image: airsoft_Contour_angled_HD_cam_D.jpg]

I had a few extra lanyard tether cables from my contour camera I repurposed for my cell phone holder, tied one to the X grip and the other to my otter box and it snaps on and off in an instant. The X grip is really secure but the tether has been the saveing grace at least 3 times now. My phone would have been bouncing down the road or on the trail if I hadnt have added that.  See the two cables on the lower right, those!

Tankcover + Tankbag

http://www.topseller...ke-scooter.html

On the tankbag there is a plastic window, where you can see your phone/gps. Works for me and also very handy when you leave the bike, the tankbag becomes a backpack.

[image: med_gallery_25846_6914_782928.jpg]

My son-in-law uses one of those X-Grip things for his phone and it works great for him. It's on a Harley so you know it will stand up to vibration. :wink:

Mounting is one thing, but you say you are going to use the phone as your GPS on an upcoming trip.  If you leave the screen on constantly the way a purpose-built GPS functions, you will obviously have no battery in short order.  So what to do?  Try to poke at the ON button everytime you need to check your position or at a turn?  Not a great option.  So then you think about providing plug in power.  My experience is that you will need a USB to cig adapter that provides 2A of current.  Most are 1A and will not provide enough current to power the screen and charge the battery.  Also you can have problems with the micro or mini USB connector not being up to task to survive the vibration on a motorcycle...they work fine in a car, but can be problematic on a bike.  I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but unless you address these issues and have some extended test runs, you may be without a GPS on your trip.

I use the XGrip but with an Adaptiv technoligies mount.

I use the XGrip but with an Adaptiv technoligies mount.

Any info on the mount?

Mounting is one thing, but you say you are going to use the phone as your GPS on an upcoming trip.  If you leave the screen on constantly the way a purpose-built GPS functions, you will obviously have no battery in short order.  So what to do?  Try to poke at the ON button everytime you need to check your position or at a turn?  Not a great option.  So then you think about providing plug in power.  My experience is that you will need a USB to cig adapter that provides 2A of current.  Most are 1A and will not provide enough current to power the screen and charge the battery.  Also you can have problems with the micro or mini USB connector not being up to task to survive the vibration on a motorcycle...they work fine in a car, but can be problematic on a bike.  I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but unless you address these issues and have some extended test runs, you may be without a GPS on your trip.

I have a battery cable and will get a usb outlet adapter, then run the micro usb to the phone. It provides 1amp which will be enough to maintain battery level while using gps and powering the screen.

I have a battery cable and will get a usb outlet adapter, then run the micro usb to the phone. It provides 1amp which will be enough to maintain battery level while using gps and powering the screen.

Unless you have some old school phone, you will not have enough power with a 1A charging adapter to power the screen and charge the battery if you have the screen set to constant on.  There are 2A charging adapters available.  There are threads on this subject and I have personal experience with this, but take what you want and leave the rest!  My phone was a Motorola Droid X and now have a Droid Razr HD.

Wear some headphones, set your phone to navigation, toss it in your pocket.  You can run another cable from your phone to a charger while it's in your pocket.  If you like, put a map in the tank bag pouch; otherwise, study beforehand.

It's not the perfect solution by any means, but it's fine when chewing up highway miles.  Also allows you to keep your eyes on the road.

I don't have the X-Grip (I mounted one in my wife's car and it works great), but I do have a Ram Mount, I could not see paying what they wanted for the stem mount so I made mine with a long screw, some washers, a nut and a rubber stopper (Ace Hardware) for less than $1.

[image: 05 VFR iPhone mount]
05 VFR iPhone mount
RAM Iphone mount with homemade steering stem adapter

I bought the Iphone mount, then I bought these 2 parts:

            RAM-B-103-A-238U           

RAM-B-360U

Granted the mounts were $38, but with the Twist and tilt mount, it gives me several mounting options, including my steering stem.

+eb0

The X-GRIP is AWESOME!  I used it to hold my HTC EVO4G on my 3200 mile road trip.  The phone was providing GPS directions and Bluetooth music the whole way and the RAM Mount worked great. 

I agree with the comments about needing a 2A power source.  1A will be fine in short bursts but charging your phone will cause it to heat up and eventually start draining the battery.  I've got a widget on my status bar that will tell me the battery temperature and if it's hot out and I'm not moving I've seen my phone hit 130F... Not something I would expose my Galaxy S3 to... hence using an older EVO4G.

I have a battery cable and will get a usb outlet adapter, then run the micro usb to the phone. It provides 1amp which will be enough to maintain battery level while using gps and powering the screen.

Unless you have some old school phone, you will not have enough power with a 1A charging adapter to power the screen and charge the battery if you have the screen set to constant on.  There are 2A charging adapters available.  There are threads on this subject and I have personal experience with this, but take what you want and leave the rest!  My phone was a Motorola Droid X and now have a Droid Razr HD.

The standard car cigarette adapter I use is a 1amp usb socket (kensington) and I use the micro-usb cable to charge the phone while using the phone as a navigation device. I've been doing this for over a year and it is fine. The phone still manages to charge even while the screen is at full brightness and GPS is on.

I use these:

RAM-B-231ZU  without the u-bolt, mounted to the tank bolts.

Do the holes for the tank and the mount line up perfectly? Or does it need some adjustment? I like the idea of mounting it to the tank bolts, as then it's a bit more hidden and out of the way.

I've done something pretty similiar using my Samsung Galaxy SIII, problem I've had is with maintaining the GPS signal.  Always seems to work fine in the car, however on the bike whenever I check it, it's "searching for satellite"...?

I use a RAM fork stem mount with an arm, a ram to garmin ball kit, and a cradle I made from a garmin nuvi car mount and a hard snap case for a Nexus 4.  Works great, no issues at all.

I guess your phone's power requirement is different although I find it hard to believe since it goes against almost everyone's experience on this site and some others like Amazon.  But no matter...

RAM mount using tank bolts needs slight adjustment (enlargement laterally) to mount holes with drill on some bikes (mine did), and you will need to go to hardware store and purchase some stainless hex key cap screws that are longer than the stock by the thickness of the RAM mount.  IMO it is superior to the stem mount ( which folks always seem to have problems keeping tight), but the home made mount by pluseb0 seems to be much better than the already made types.

I guess your phone's power requirement is different although I find it hard to believe since it goes against almost everyone's experience on this site and some others like Amazon.  But no matter...

RAM mount using tank bolts needs slight adjustment (enlargement laterally) to mount holes with drill on some bikes (mine did), and you will need to go to hardware store and purchase some stainless hex key cap screws that are longer than the stock by the thickness of the RAM mount.  IMO it is superior to the stem mount ( which folks always seem to have problems keeping tight), but the home made mount by pluseb0 seems to be much better than the already made types.

I'm thinking that this is going to be the next thing I try.  I like the stem mount, but I can tell that it may work its way loose.

It was a bullet proof mount on my VFR. You can get different length RAM arms to accommodate different sized tank bags...

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

Wolf, if you make your own it will hold really well, as 2thdr said, I used a stainless bolt, nut and washers and I have never had to re-tighten it.

The only time I have to touch it is to remove it to take off the top triple. Go to hardware store like Ace or True Value and you can get those rubber stoppers like this:

[image: AC071178l.jpg]

Drill a hole if they don't have one and experiment. You could also buy this from RAM and not the mount I posted above if you want to save a few more $$:

[image: 843064960_260.jpg]

+eb0

So I got the handlebar mount, and when removing the U bolts, it fits perfectly with the gas tank bolts. However, this puts the ball a bit too close for comfort to the tank. Once I mount the adapter, it can touch the tank. How are you guys with the tank mounted position avoiding this?

So I got the handlebar mount, and when removing the U bolts, it fits perfectly with the gas tank bolts. However, this puts the ball a bit too close for comfort to the tank. Once I mount the adapter, it can touch the tank. How are you guys with the tank mounted position avoiding this?

Need a photo to see what you are talking about.  Are you using an ultra short arm or what?  You have this minus the U-bolt right?

http://www.gpscity.c...am-b-231zu.html

You need an arm like this to attach to the ball:

http://www.gpscity.c...socket-arm.html

So I got the handlebar mount, and when removing the U bolts, it fits perfectly with the gas tank bolts. However, this puts the ball a bit too close for comfort to the tank. Once I mount the adapter, it can touch the tank. How are you guys with the tank mounted position avoiding this?

Need a photo to see what you are talking about.  Are you using an ultra short arm or what?  You have this minus the U-bolt right?

http://www.gpscity.c...am-b-231zu.html

You need an arm like this to attach to the ball:

http://www.gpscity.c...socket-arm.html

Yup, that is the one that came in the kit. Once the ball is mounted on top of the gas tank mounting point, it doesn't leave much room between the tank and the ball mount.

Ram X-Grip plus Ram U-bolt (minus the U) mount and the longest accessory arm available. I have alternately used it for radar and phone without issue. The mount doesn't hit the tank. Photos are with and without a device mounted in the X-grip.

[image: 8686923804_e063dfc2c4_b.jpg]

[image: 8702715207_ce0334218b_b.jpg]