[goandude]

I didn't see any other place to review this accessory so though not strictly a riding gear, this could be useful to other riders on this forum.

I was looking out for a place to securely hold my mobile while on the bike especially to read maps. It also needed to be dust proof, relatively rain proof, secure and not vibrate too much. I saw the RAM X mount on a friends bike and was impressed by the build quality, but the price (4K+) and lack of dust cover were negatives. Found the Rynox holder ticked the right boxes so ordered it online. Fitted it on the bike and took it for a 200 km ride. Here is the report:- (I'm in no way connected to Rynox)

Ordered it from Snapdeal for 900/- , it came in a few days and paid COD. In the box you get this:



A case with two foam paddings inside, one about 6 mm thick and the other about 3 mm. The case has a transparent side and the other side has a plastic fitting lock with 4 holes to take the protrusions from the mounting plate. The mounting plate is attached to the handlebar grip. The handlebar grip, 1" in dia, is hinged at one side and has a butterfly nut to secure it. 2 pieces of rubber allow you to use it on smaller dia handlebars. My bar is 0.75" and I needed one piece to secure it.





The mounting plate fits into the rear of the mobile holder and needs to be slid to one side till you hear it click into place. Now I must say the force required to get it to click was quite a bit and there is little or no grip to do this easily. But once it clicks into place it is very secure. I didn't feel the need to tether it to the bike through the small ring on the back of the case.



If you look closely there is a small notch on the base plate holes where the mounting plate clicks into place.

Adjusted the holder on the bike so that it doesn't foul with the tank while turning lock to lock, and came up with this position as the best compromise. I used only one 7mm foam padding, however it obstructs my vision of the fuel gauge so I have to move my head a bit to the left to view the gauge.

Riding Impressions:

Started off at 5:30 AM and the maps showed up beautifully at night in the mobile holder. No distraction, no vibration, perfect. However as daylight broke and it was a cloudy day, the reflections off the plastic transparent cover was a irritant, I couldn't see the map properly and my phone brightness was at max. But it was usable and I could navigate. The two sided zip enables you to fix a charger to the phone but this would allow dust in. With the zip fully closed, like I had yesterday, it pretty much kept dust out.

So overall, I'm satisfied. Here are 2 pics of it mounted on the bike:



Notice how the fuel gauge is obstructed.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Post moved out to an independent thread. Thanks for sharing .

[Dodge_Viper]

Be careful while removing the cover from that locking part. I had an issue where the holder broke, somehow managed to fix it with feviquick but now I am scared to mount it.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by Dodge_Viper

Be careful while removing the cover from that locking part. I had an issue where the holder broke, somehow managed to fix it with feviquick but now I am scared to mount it.

Yeah, I mentioned that. The force required is quite a bit and there is no grip for your hands on the cover nor on the mounting plate. Just need to use firm pressure till you hear and feel it click. Now getting it off could be tricky. So I've left it on the bike in my basement.

[aargee]

I've one lying idle in my home as this thing does not fit on CPR; fits on any motorcycle, just ensure that the handle bar is steel pipe appearance because this one hates clipons

[NST440]

Got my Rynox 5.5 model from snapdeal 10 days ago for my Bullet 500, initially i wanted a magnetic mobile holder my friend has which can sit on the motorcycle's tank itself, like the one sold by Harley Davidson, probably he got it with his HD street for the sheer simplicity and portability but was unable to find one selling in India.

My experience with Rynox is not that good, the part which connects the holder to the mount is a 4 pin insert column which can be locked and unlocked by simply moving the holder to the right ( or left depending on the orientation in which it is mounted). This lock itself is not at all confidence inspiring & in my initial test it unlocked itself while passing a mere pot hole, luckily my mobile was not in the cover at that time as i was already skeptical about it.

I tried ways & means through which the cover can be locked more securely to the mounting bracket but all in vein. Finally i had to apply some 3M double tape between the two & cello tape on the cover-mount joint to make it work. Now, that thing is permanently mounted on the bike & is secure but it has zero portability value. Though the mounting part holds well at its place but the cover-mount mechanism is too fragile and risky.

The mount came with two foam inserts with varied sizes which can be put inside the cover to elevate the mobile so that one can easily reach the touch screen but the sizes of the foam are not right( a least for my phone- Samsung Galaxy S5). One is too thick that the mobile fails to fit in the cover and the other is too thin that it hardly solves any purpose, though this issue can be resolved by putting a packing foam/material as per your own choice or dimensions.

The touch screen works 70% of times form outside the cover, i had to apply more pressure and use a mix of fingers and nails to get the desired result. The chances of theft of this holder if left mounted are high since its just locked by a twist and lock plastic knob & some (read majority) of people on this side of the world usually have a tendency to fiddle with any obviously different thing they come across put on a car or bike.

I bought the Rynox cover due to lack of options available and dire need to keep my cell phone away from my pocket while driving so that i do not miss any important/ urgent calls while riding. As of now, with it permanently sitting on the bike it is solving the purpose and i shall replace it with something more durable and convenient the moment i find one or when this rynox is stolen/ goes kaput which may happen earlier than i perceive.

Guys this is my honest opinion about this product & i feel joyous for the people who are using it happily. I would always prefer a better quality and confidence inspiring product while cruising at 80+ kms/h.

[VW2010]

I tried something for a couple of days.

http://www.amazon.com/Aduro-Universa...cle+gps+holder

But old habit returned and that means understanding the route before heading out and knowing the different exits. Stopping to ask for direction or taking my mobile out and checking the direction at the same time giving the ever so important rest.

Been this way even in cars where maps are not navigating all the time.

The above attachment is very strong, sturdy and holds up at even 80-90MPH. importantly has those rubber extension to hold the phone to the mount tight.

The other option that worked better was getting an android base phone that can also be a navigator. Much smaller and simpler and have even tied the phone to the handle bar instead of arms.

I usually download the gpxs files and use a gpxs file reader to trace the map which is far simpler and less data consuming.

[pawan_pullarwar]

Two major issue with this mount, not visible when in direct sunlight, it is really difficult to see the map. Second issue is, because your mobile is fully packed, almost airtight inside cover, phone heats a lot, not good for the life of mobile.

[roy_libran]

Am I the only one over here who is concerned, about the significantly increased potential for an accident when using such devices while Riding?
Using a Cellphone while driving, is bad enough, while driving a Car, but doing the same thing on a 2 Wheeler is potentially deadly.
I do hope, that you guys diligently avoid the temptation of reading messages etc, while on the move. Be safe.

[goandude]

Originally Posted by roy_libran

Am I the only one over here who is concerned, about the significantly increased potential for an accident when using such devices while Riding?
Using a Cellphone while driving, is bad enough, while driving a Car, but doing the same thing on a 2 Wheeler is potentially deadly.
I do hope, that you guys diligently avoid the temptation of reading messages etc, while on the move. Be safe.

I wrote at the beginning of this thread that the phone is used only to read maps. In this Map Mode, my phone only shows incoming calls and then when I don't take it, it switches back to Map Mode. No messages can override the Maps I think.

The Phone is so close to the instrument panel that it requires the same amount of distraction from the road as looking at, say your odometer.

As pointed out above, at night the visibility is very good so just a glance is adequate. In the day the reflection from the plastic makes it just that bit more difficult to read. But I think that the reflection even without the plastic, the phone glass itself, would cause reflections.

I used it at triple digit speeds and there were no issues regarding vibrations or otherwise, but mine is a faired bike and the holder is in the still air bubble.

[navin_v8]

I have been using the Rynox 5" mobile mount on my Tbird500 on long rides to unknown places. In my experience of using it for more than a year my experience has been a mixed bag. The assembly and porting the mount on the motorcycle handlebar is pretty simple and straightforward. Maybe I find it easy as I am a DIY guy.

Coming to the parts used, I feel they are good quality and will last for a while. The push fit locking mechanism is simple and robust, I never experienced the mobile falling off. Also thanks to those rubber pieces which grips the handlebar like a leech. The tricky part is to retain the small nut that sits inside the other end where the bolt screws into. That small nut is not secured by anything while it is off the mount and can fall. That nut is very important to lock the butterfly bolt in its place. Another problem is with the zipper that tends to get caught in those overlapping liners provided for keeping the phone splash resistant. While riding on a sunny day the reflections are unavoidable may it be the holder or the instrument panel itself that reflects sun light. I keep the screen brightness to the max and slightly tilt the screen downwards to have a good viewing angle. I use what I call a SMPDGPS (smartphone dedicated GPS), meaning I use a separate android smartphone dedicated for GPS apart from my regular phone. The SMPDGPS does not need a sim card (so no issues of calls and messages) as most of the maps I have installed works offline and are very accurate. Coming back to the mount, I keep the zipper open about 20-25% to let the air in to avoid overheating the SMPDGPS. I tend to cruise at 80-90 KMPH on the highways and have also rode on some dirt trails, the mobile mount stays put on all the speed/road conditions.

So far so good, the Rynox mobile mount/holder hasn't disappointed me on any of my rides.

[Divya Sharan]

Good one, but as RG has already mentioned; this thing hates clip ons. I did all kinds of circus to fit one on my Karizma (ZMR), but it simply won't fit!

[djpeesh]

I've used the Rynox mount for over 7,000 km now and never had any issues with it. It kept my phone dry in torrential rain and does not move or vibrate, at least on my Bonnie. My only issue with the mount is that your phone gets very hot inside it, especially in a hot place like Bombay.

The solution so far has been to keep my phone in it and just keep riding, as if it kills my phone, I'll have an excuse to buy a new one.

[Maverick14]

I used to use a magnetic tank bag with a top transparent cover, where I used to place my cellphone/GPS and used to slide in a cord to charge it while riding it as well. I found a magnetic tank bag more functional that just a cellphone holder.
I think cramster sells one for 2k.

[shaikhmimran]

Thank you for reviewing an increasingly important & neglected category of accessory for motorcycles. Till the time, Map/Navi companies realize the potential of such devices specific to motorbikes, we will have to do with accessories like these.
Having said that, I am using this product for over 4k kilometers now. This includes a 950 km continuous riding trip and the holder stayed put.
My usage tips are as below :
1. I keep both the internal paddings attached in the pouch to give a firm fit for my phone.
2. I never remove the device from the ratchet. I always unscrew the butterfly screw and put it back when required.
3. In dry weather, it is better to zip the cover from the top and leave a little gap for air to rush in. However in wet weather, it is better to zip all the way down.
4. For bikes with less vibes, you can mount it near the switch gear and for bikes with high vibes, it is better to mount close to the instrument cluster.
5. Try to keep the angle vertical (like a laptop screen) instead of flat where you need not rise and look at the maps. It is safer IMO.