Motorcycle Smart Screen & Smartphone Apps

I just wanted to follow up on this post to share my findings. The Wonsidary W722 did work ATVing this past weekend, but the device itself came loose and I had to tighten up the screw on the 1 inch ball. When I did use it with OnX Offroad while ATVing, I found the number of functions that can be performed on the motorcycles smart screen to be too limited. To its credit, it did show when I was in terrestrial cellular coverage and when I was on T-Satellite.

However, T-SAT only updates a few things.

Here is the Google search/AI Overview:

Yes, that is correct. Because satellite data connections are much slower than standard cellular or Wi-Fi networks, the onX Offroad T-Satellite integration is currently optimized only to update wind, weather conditions, and active wildfire smoke layers.

Here is exactly how the feature works in the backcountry:

What updates: Real-time wind, weather conditions, hourly forecasts, and wildfire smoke proximity.

What does not update: Large-scale map data (like downloading new offline maps or updating your exact basemap visuals) cannot be pulled via satellite.

How to navigate offline: You must use the app to download your offline maps before you lose cell service. Your device's internal GPS will still pinpoint your exact location on these downloaded maps even when completely offline.

For more information, visit the onX Satellite Maps guide.

My wife and I also biked a few days after the ATV/UTV portion of this trip. It was a challenge finding apps that work with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in the bicycle mode.

However, after trying a few different ones, I focused on https://mapy.com It does work, but has some limitations. Here is the Google search/AI Overview for that:

To use bike mode on Apple CarPlay with navigation apps like Mapy.cz, you must plan and set your transport mode to "Bike" on your iPhone before connecting. CarPlay mirrors this active route onto your dash.

How to use Bicycle Navigation on CarPlay
Plan on your phone: Open the Mapy.cz or Apple Maps app on your iPhone.

Select Bike Mode: In Mapy.cz, select the route planner and change your transport mode to Bike (you can also specify road bike, MTB, or gravel). In Apple Maps, tap your profile, select Preferences, and set your travel mode to cycling.

Start Navigation: Select your preferred route and tap "Navigate" on your iPhone.

Connect to CarPlay: Plug your phone into your vehicle or connect via Bluetooth. The active bike route will automatically project onto the CarPlay screen.

Important Details

App Limitations: Most auto-oriented apps like Google Maps natively revert to driving mode when plugged into Apple CarPlay, even if bike mode is selected on the phone.

Alternatives: For dedicated cycling apps with native turn-by-turn CarPlay integration, users on Reddit suggest Organic Maps or OsmAnd as they offer advanced offline bicycle trails.

Based on what I have learned the past week regarding a smart motorcycle screen and ATV/UTVing and/or biking, I would not recommend this combination. At least not yet. I suspect that traditional Apple Maps and/or Google Maps work fine on a motorcycle and remaining on known streets or highways.

However, once you leave known streets or highways, it is a different situation altogether. To make an analogy, it would be similar to using Garmin City Navigator maps for off-road ATV/UTVing and/or biking on trail/paths away from roads. The Garmin will show you where you are, but you need different maps for routing, which is exactly why I typically use VV Mapping on my Garmin Zumo XT for ATV/UTVing. And, I have used BBBike (OpenStreetMaps) for biking and ATV/UTVing with quite a bit of success, too.

I should also mention that on the second day of ATVing, I gave my wife my Apple iPhone at that was running OnX Offroad, since she was a passenger in our UTV. There was a tablet in that UTV running Polaris Ride Command, so that put her in a great position to compare OnX Offroad to Polaris Ride Command. Her findings were that sometimes OnX Offroad showed a trail that Polaris Ride Command didn't and vice-versa.

Essentially, I have now come full circle. I wanted to see what else is out there that will work beside a smartphone or tablet on ATV trails or a bike computer for biking. I will go back to using my Garmin Zumo XT and possibly getting a suitable mount for one of my smartphones!

And, since I brought up the idea of a smartphone mount, it could be that much like when my wife and I are driving our RV and we take the position "Two Is One And One Is None", that might be what I end up doing while off-roading. Both OnX Offroad and Polaris Ride Command will show forest roads. Many, perhaps most, are probably established long ago and are on the basemaps. It is the somewhat more recent trails, away from forest roads, that don't always show up. These are trails that MN DNR or US Forest Service approve of, but they just aren't on all app maps.

Over 50 years ago Saturday Night Live used the term "Not Ready For Prime Time" (Players). That is how I feel about motorcycle smart screens and off-road ATV/UTV/biking right now. It seems like they people that produce apps that have Android Auto/Apple CarPlay or T-Satellite capability as almost an afterthought. A year from now my results might be different.

I have used (built in) wireless carplay in my VW with several apps, mainly just to see how it works. Google Maps and Apple Maps handle my routing needs (which are pretty rare these days, exept when I visit my daughte in NYC). But I tried HERE, TomTom and a couple others that seemed to work OK, but that was awhile ago. I also use Guru Maps Pro sometimes, because it works with maps I make myself, and that's where it gets interesting.

Aerial imagery looks good, but with a topo map - it's a blurry mess. Same map looks fine on my phone and computer, there's no problem with the map itself. But Carplay must heavily compress the imagery, which you don't notice with aerials but becomes very obvious with a topo map. Not knowing (or, frankly, caring much) exactly how carplay works, this is a bit of a mystery. But thinking it might be a little like Apple AirPlay where you can view your computer screen on your AppleTV, for example. I believe that is actually sent as a compressed "movie".

Regarding OnX, I know it's very popular and can understand why. But it's just the complete opposite of what I'm doing at boydsmaps, where I want to offer something useful to everyone for free, with no ads, no subscriptions, no spam. I get it- they're running a business and have every right to do that as they please. But just not for me.

I did a trial subscription, just to see what it was all about. That was interesting, but if you're thinking of doing a free trial, just realize you will get spam from them for the rest of your life! It all goes in my spam folder now, so "whatever" but they are very aggressive. Looking in my spam folder, they send me an e-mail every 5 or 6 days. Sheesh... That's enough to keep me away forever. I understand how they migh want to follow up since I did a trial, but two or three years later, still getting this spam that often is way over the top.

Your mileage may vary...

Great points and thank you for the reply.