I have experimented with alot of GPS navigation options on the bike ever since I bought it. All had their issues. The Garmin Nuvi units have alot of short comings I dont like at all. My Garmin 60csX is a fantastic unit, but more suited for hiking, not car or bike navigation, and the screen is way too small. The TomTom app on my iPhone is excellent, but the iPhone screen was just a bit too small for my tastes also.
So, for the hell of it, I mounted the iPad on my handlebars one day and ran the TomTom app on it.
it was fantastic, and by far the best solution I had used. But, lets face it, the iPad is pretty large to be mounting on a bike…. or IS it? 😉
On the handlebars it was blocking my view of the gauges, and I had to look down just a bit too much.
I tried it slide into the map sleeve on my tank bag, but the sleeve created too much reflection from the sun making it hard to see. Plus I had to look down WAY too much, making it unsafe.
So I decided that mounting the iPad up above the gauges was the best option. I noticed I never looked through the bottom portion of my windscreen much at all, so I didnt mind covering that up.
I wanted a firm and steady way to mount the iPad, and knew that I would use a RAM mount like I have for everything else. But there was no good surface to mount it on, so I fabbed up a bracket that bolted on using the windscreen bracket bolts. I drew up a template, designed it in AutoCAD, and had the shop I work for cut one out on the CNC Plasma Table.
All in all I really like how it turned out. The photos make it look like I am covering up the gauges alot, but when you are sitting on the bike, only the top inch or the gauges are covered. I can still see the fuel, temp and clock easily.I cant wait to make some long trips with this setup, its super easy to see, its the best nav program I have used, and with the big screen it is also easy to operate. I plan on getting a nice water proof case for the iPad as well, so that I dont have to worry about road grime or rain.