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Forbes
Forbes
Lifestyle
Bill Roberson, Contributor

Ride Gear Review: Tiny Beeline Device Is Just The Right Amount Of GPS For Your Ride

I’m seeing more and more motorcycle and bicycle riders locking their cell phones to handlebar mounts so they can see GPS instructions (and more) while riding, and it’s a worrisome trend. I get it but, hey, we’re driving – and riding – distracted enough already. The main problem: If you haven’t carefully curated your notifications’ options, that same smartphone screen showing you the way to that new restaurant is also going to display every email, text message, social media and Amazon delivery update you’ve allowed on that same screen, pulling your attention away from the road ahead not only for GPS, but for all of that other irrelevant information, and possibly at the most inopportune or dangerous moments.

After a brief and highly negative experiment with mounting up my own phone, I quickly went back to keeping it my pocket and routed audio-only driving directions and phone ops through a Cardo Packtalk Bold in-helmet comms system. Smartphones are a fact of life for the vast majority of riders, and as we all know, they are a bottomless well of distraction. But I do sometimes miss having those helpful GPS directions available in visual form, so lately I’ve been testing a new product from the UK, the Beeline GPS display, while riding my motorcycle.

The Beeline is a small, round battery-powered LCD screen that can mount to a flat surface on your bike or on your handle bar, and it’s about the diameter of an old silver dollar. Two useful mounting systems and a charger are included in the box. The device, which has four buttons arranged at the quarter hour marks, connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and is driven by the robust Beeline GPS app.

The Beeline displays direction information in a glanceable, highly simplified form. It shows four key info bits while riding: what direction to ride, what direction the next turn will be, how far to the next turn, and how far you are into the journey. If you have helmet comms, you can also get audio prompts from that app. If you absolutely must have access to the full route in view as well, it shows on the app on your phone’s screen. Prices for the Beeline range from about $210 and up depending on finish, mount and materials options. There is also a bicycle-specific version for $139.

The Beeline I received arrived in a bright matte metal finish that jibed nicely with the shiny bits on a Royal Enfield INT650 I have in for long-term review, but I had to ask Beeline to send a handlebar mount kit for it (which costs extra) as the rubber-band bar mount that was included just wasn’t getting it done for my particular installation needs. Like all of the Beeline mounting options, the more “permanent” optional bar mount that arrived allows the Beeline device itself to quickly disconnect from the mount with a simple twist for theft prevention and charging – or to move it to another bike. Beeline says the device is waterproof and will run for 30 hours on a charge, and it juices up from a common USB port in a short time.

Setup of the device and app was quick and easy and the system works as advertised, successfully guiding me to several test locations I use that involve unusual street layouts, one-way streets and other GPS challenges. It didn’t steer me into oncoming traffic or into any bodies of water. When not showing directions, the Beeline display, which automatically backlights in darkness, shows the current time.

It took a short bit for me to get accustomed to the symbols on the display, especially the riding direction, which for me, initially looked like I always needed to turn right since as an “arrow,” it’s rather curved and not a “pointy arrow.” It’s a small thing I got over quickly, but again, for me at least, a well-defined arrow is easier to read at a glance. Additionally, the display (including the distance digits) rotates as the next turn gets closer, which at first required a quick “did I read that correctly” second look while riding. The “next turn” indicator is a dot, and it would be nice if this was also more arrowish, as it were.

I can understand Beeline wanting to make their interface unique and stand out, but giving directions via a display is all about making it easy to read as quickly as possible, especially when you’re covering about 90 feet per second on the freeway, so more arrows, please. It would also be nice if the display showed the current speed limit for road you’re on, something I’ve found very helpful with other dedicated GPS devices. It’s just two digits, Beeline…

After a couple of rides, I got used to the Beeline symbology and it proved consistently accurate in heading me in the right direction without a stream of notifications from my phone. Using the audio prompts through my Cardo system was also helpful – certainly nice if you have that kind of in-helmet kit but ultimately not really needed when using the Beeline. If you’re heading out on a long trip, the app can import GPX routes from your computer, so saddle up and head out on the road, and leave that cell phone in your pocket or pack with the Beeline. Plus, it looks sharp and like it came on the bike as a stock piece.

I’m recommending the Beeline since almost anything is better than strapping your rectangular distraction screen to your bike, but I’m hoping a future app update gives users more control over the interface displayed on the small screen. It certainly works as it sits, but a few small tweaks (given as options) could let riders tailor it to their liking and help keep their vision focused on the road ahead.

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