Beeline Moto 2 real world
Discussion
Evening all, I am wanting to do some touring next year, UK and ideally Italy in September. I particularly like the concept of the Beeline Moto 2 sat nav as it is compact, minimal and can be transferred between bikes. Would the Moto 2 be effective at travelling into Europe? I realise that a Garmin etc has more info on the screen but the brief reviews I have read on the Beeline are really impressive. Hopefully it will do as I wish!
Have the beeline 1 £45 from ebay plus a £15 stick on mount. Works as intended so I can leave my phone in my pocket and get directed to a fuel stop or a new location with minimal information (rough direction arrow and which turning or roundabout exit to take). The large GPS speedo is also quite handy and more visible than my dials. The ride recorder is quite nice but not sure I really need to see the max speeds.
Works a bit differently to my car satnav which I would prefer for complex junctions as you can't see a map or which lane you should be in, beeline 2 adds some junction mapping which will help with that though. If you are confident with rough directions and reading the road without road names and numbers it should work fine.
Works a bit differently to my car satnav which I would prefer for complex junctions as you can't see a map or which lane you should be in, beeline 2 adds some junction mapping which will help with that though. If you are confident with rough directions and reading the road without road names and numbers it should work fine.
I liked the idea of the Beeline but on my long trips I've preferred to use the cheapest Garmin car satnav (Drive 52) mounted in a handlebar bag with a window so I can see and press the screen as its a cheapo capacitive screen different to phone screens.
Having the map stored on the device not needing internet to function is a plus for me, it tells you how far away the nearest petrol station is at all times, and I can press the screen with gloves on (with hit and miss accuracy). I have an Oxford CLIQR phone mount on a mirror stalk for the odd time it's easier to go to a particular place which Google Maps and leave the main route running on the satnav.
I also like to do my routes very specifically on the Basecamp software which is a pain but means I don't miss out on decent roads I've scouted out. With a Beeline is it more point A to point B like Google maps?
Having the map stored on the device not needing internet to function is a plus for me, it tells you how far away the nearest petrol station is at all times, and I can press the screen with gloves on (with hit and miss accuracy). I have an Oxford CLIQR phone mount on a mirror stalk for the odd time it's easier to go to a particular place which Google Maps and leave the main route running on the satnav.
I also like to do my routes very specifically on the Basecamp software which is a pain but means I don't miss out on decent roads I've scouted out. With a Beeline is it more point A to point B like Google maps?
Beeline is point to point setup on your phone with manual way points if you want to visit specific places or motorbike fun road routing which takes you on the highest rated user routes. You could mount your phone to have the map and app running with that as well as the device for the directions if you wanted a wider map view.
If it’s to save your phone from the elements then the likes of Ali express do motorcycle car play units for as little as £30.
I have one of these on my 400 scrambler (£30 from Ali express) and it has performed without issue for 1000+ miles.
They are not as compact as the be line units so may nor be suitable for a sports bike though
I have one of these on my 400 scrambler (£30 from Ali express) and it has performed without issue for 1000+ miles.
They are not as compact as the be line units so may nor be suitable for a sports bike though
I bought a moto 2 last year. I am a very light user and I've never used it in europe apart from a bit of ireland. It's probably perfect for what I want, I really like it.
I wouldn't have bought the first beeline, I don't like how little info it provides. The mini-map you get on the moto 2 with the road layout/ nearest junctions is great for timing turns especially at roundabouts and complex junctions.
Used it on a five day tour of northern ireland / donegal. Battery lasted almost all of our riding with an overnight charge each day. Longest day we started at 9am and finished at 7pm. Letting it go into standby mode itself rather than turning it off inbetween riding. It lost power just as we came into derry, so 10 mins before the end of the riding day, and had to follow our noses a bit. I did have a charging block in my pocket with a cable that could have avoided this issue if I had given it some juice at one of the stops.
Outwith that I have used it for a couple of smaller rides from home but I definitely can't give a good rounded impression of using it.
I will be going to the isle of man and also norway at some point and I will doing these trips with the beeline.
I love how small it is. I like not having a phone screen in front of me. The app is quite good for planning rides and saving them before the trip so there's no faff once you're on the road.
Downsides for me: it runs on google maps but misses out on massive features like live traffic and speed limits. But then I suppose they are trying to make it as minimal as possible and I love how small and discrete it is.
It is yet another thing to charge. On a trip I need to keep topped up my phone, airbag, cardo, powerbank AND the beeline.
I wouldn't have bought the first beeline, I don't like how little info it provides. The mini-map you get on the moto 2 with the road layout/ nearest junctions is great for timing turns especially at roundabouts and complex junctions.
Used it on a five day tour of northern ireland / donegal. Battery lasted almost all of our riding with an overnight charge each day. Longest day we started at 9am and finished at 7pm. Letting it go into standby mode itself rather than turning it off inbetween riding. It lost power just as we came into derry, so 10 mins before the end of the riding day, and had to follow our noses a bit. I did have a charging block in my pocket with a cable that could have avoided this issue if I had given it some juice at one of the stops.
Outwith that I have used it for a couple of smaller rides from home but I definitely can't give a good rounded impression of using it.
I will be going to the isle of man and also norway at some point and I will doing these trips with the beeline.
I love how small it is. I like not having a phone screen in front of me. The app is quite good for planning rides and saving them before the trip so there's no faff once you're on the road.
Downsides for me: it runs on google maps but misses out on massive features like live traffic and speed limits. But then I suppose they are trying to make it as minimal as possible and I love how small and discrete it is.
It is yet another thing to charge. On a trip I need to keep topped up my phone, airbag, cardo, powerbank AND the beeline.
I've used my original Beeline on multiple trips in France, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Portugal. Perfect for what I wanted, if you have a specific route you want to follow then you can create it on the app & follow it. If you don't have a specific route in mind I've had some really good rides just following the fun route option. Battery lasted days, 95% daytime riding so no backlight used (I know the 2 is not as good, but surprised it wouldn't last a full day).
For the money I think it's pretty decent, paid £120 for mine about three years ago, when it dies I'll likely go for a "2"
For the money I think it's pretty decent, paid £120 for mine about three years ago, when it dies I'll likely go for a "2"
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