While this is "cool", I am positive that the Motorcycle Safety Foundation does not approve of its use. While riding (I do), one should use all the senses to avoid being hit by inattentive drivers.

(My guess is that this comment would get seriously voted down).

@gooddeals18: Perfectly legal, sure. Perfectly safe? Research has shown that talking on the phone while driving (even with headset) increases the reaction time by over 70%. How is that "perfectly safe"?

Worse, texting. People who text and drive should be banned from the roads; they have shown to have no regards for other people's safely (texting adds 70+ feet to braking distance due to delay in reaction time, and cognitive involvement with the messages).

What is so difficult to understand? Research, by multiple highly respected institutes, have shown that distracted driving/riding through any sensory involvement (including talking on the phone with headset) severely impairs the ability to operate a motor vehicle. Many other 1st world countries have BANNED such behavior. If it wasn't for the cellphone lobbyists, many lives could have been saved, including three of my friends; all of them hit by cellphone yapping or texting selfish idiots.

@lll0228: what if i just use it as a holder and don't talk while riding?

have you ever used GPS in your car? that's a lot more distracting, especially when people stare at it and don't see a motorcycle that's stopped at red light in front.

Could be that the rider would use the holder for navigation, not communication. I am a rider, and I could benefit from seeing trip information when I'm at a light, or to double check my ETA or distance to a fuel station before making a side trip for a winding road or to visit a friend.

LOTS of logistical reasons to hold a device such as this could do.

Should we NOT allow accessories because they may be used incorrectly or against better judgement? I thought the outlet in the bathroom worked great for my toaster...

@lll0228: I'm on board with your concerns about not paying attention while driving. AND I'm a strong advocate for riders taking accountability for their own safety.

As far as listening for traffic though... that's a tough metric to measure. Fact is there are times when I ride that I can't hear anything except the hum from my own engine and the air rushing over my helmet. There's simply so much white noise that I cannot hear anything around me. Emergency vehicle behind me? Good thing I have mirrors and use them. Audio queues while stopped however are always available, which is exactly when NOT to be listening to mp3s. So yeah, woot didn't prepare for this discussion... Great point =)

If one rides responsibly (and you won't ride too long if you don't - been riding for 50 yrs) then this can be a good tool. Last I needed a GPS I stopped. But I was really annoyed with having to fish my phone out of it's holster. It would have been much better to have stopped and fiddle with in a holder like this. Also, using my wife as an example - she's a habitual "can't let the phone ring (or vibrate)" person), you could SEE the call and decide if you needed to stop and return the call or whatever. I think otherwise trying to use a use a phone on a bike is nuts.

I have been riding for 39 years and many of those without hearing protection, so now I have to wear hearing aids :-(

The last thing any rider needs is a set of "motorcycle speakers" on their bike. Turn that up to be heard over the wind noise and you are really assaulting your ears.

So be smarter that I was, always wear some type of hearing protection when you ride (and keep your rock and / or roll music at a decent level).

Agree with jeparz and others. If you're a good rider with experience, mounting a phone for navigation is no different on a bike than in a car. This seems like a smoking deal, but I already have a RAM Mount solution for holding my navigation device, so I won't be partaking.

@shuckthatjive: yes for sure - atvs, golf carts - any handlebar

@ascurlock: Definitely depends on the bike. If you have a decent fairing or windshield and a stock exhaust, you can often hear tire noise from vehicles around you. Plus, riding around in an urban environment without much wind noise, you can hear as much or more than you could in a car.

Back on topic - this seems like a neat idea for phone based nav. I've been looking at trying to make something like this for a bit, and my main concern is the phone might fall out of the cradle (a lot worse if it happens on a bike than in your car...). Not sure their little clamp is all that secure.

While some of you guys may memorize maps ahead of time, that doesn't fix the problem of poorly marked streets. If you can not only memorize the different turns, but elapsed distances between turns as well as tracking distance travelled since the last turn using your odometer, I'll be VERY impressed. As for me, I'd rather see a little alert when my turn is coming up.