The Best Apps For Motorcycle Riders: Refueling, Emergency Calls, Navigation

Description of The Best Apps For Motorcycle Riders: Refueling, Emergency Calls, Navigation

Various motorcycle apps help plan tours and while driving. Such apps are useful - but they are also not entirely harmless. A small pannier with a map window sits enthroned on the tank. There is a yellowed, cracked paper card under the foil or almost museum-like sight. In fact, only a few motorcyclists navigate their tours this way. The smart phone has long been in the holder on the handlebars of most machines. The perfect tour support - when drivers pay attention to a few important things.
Michael Lenzen, Chairman of the Federal Association of Motorcyclists, finds biker apps to be fundamentally helpful. "The classic is certainly a motorcycle-specific navigation app that suggests winding routes or particularly beautiful country roads," says Lenzen. He also considers apps for the weather, for searching for gas stations or for translating when driving abroad to be useful. He advises comparing a few well-known apps first before making a permanent decision.
• Many don't know: Why motorcyclists have to take off their helmets at the gas station However, "It’s important that the mobile phone is attached to a secure holder so that it is shock-absorbing and watertight and that it is in the driver's field of vision," says Lenzen. He advises activating apps before starting. New entries or controls are only allowed to be made during breaks. "Any additional distraction while driving is an additional risk of accident, regardless of whether it is talking on the phone or using the navigation system or smart phone," warns Lenzen. "Always keep your eyes on the road, because the next bend is bound to come."
FOR OPTIMIZED ROUTES AND WINDING STRETCHES
Acoustic app announcements are more secure
Especially with navigation apps, Jorgen Benet from the German Road Safety Council (DVR) advised, to have changes of direction announcement via a Bluetooth headset. "Acoustic cues via a small loudspeaker in the helmet make navigation easier. The driver does not have to look at a display, but can concentrate fully on the road when the announcement is made. That is much more convenient and safer," says Jorgen Benet. Many helmets can be retrofitted accordingly.
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New motorcycles with displays can even be networked with smart phones or offer integrated navigation systems, such as various new models from BMW, Honda, KTM or Triumph. "The advantage is that the navigation is in the usual field of vision and the menu can be operated using the handlebar buttons. That way, both hands stay where they belong on the handlebars," explains Lenzen.
Popular apps for motorcycle navigation include Calimoto and Riser. There are apps like those from Clever-tanken.de or Mehr-tanken.de to help you find a gas station. When it comes to weather , motorcyclists can of course also use well-known app offers such as Warn wetter , Wetter Online or Wetter.com.
DOWNLOAD: MOTORCYCLE APPS
Calimoto - Motorcycle Offline Navi - Android App 5.8
For Android the free Calimoto app is a navigation app specially designed for motorcycle riders.
Calimoto motorcycle offline navigation system - iPhone app 5.5.4
Calimoto is a motorcycle navigation app for the iPhone that target to score points with artificial intelligence.
Clever refueling - Android app 6.6.1
Android users can use the "Clever Tanken" application to call up fuel prices for the surrounding petrol stations free of charge. The app can also find electric charging stations.
Clever refueling iPhone / iPad app 6.6.1
Saving while refueling: The iPhone app "Clever Tanken" promises to help you save by showing you the cheapest petrol stations in the area.
Warn Wetter - Android App 3.2.3
The free Android app Warn Wetter is the official weather app of the German Weather Service.
Warn Wetter iPhone / iPad app 3.2.2
Warn Wetter from the German Weather Service brings the current weather to all iOS devices.
From emergency calls to roadside assistance
With Biker SOS you can monitor your motorcycle rides and automatically get help in an emergency.
Apps like Biker-SOS can save lives . For example, they recognize falls and, under certain circumstances, automatically request help. Apps from car clubs or inspection companies such as ADAC , ACE or Dekra offer breakdown assistance or route guidance, among other things.
For Matthias Hasped from the Institute for Bicycle Safety (ifz), it is also crucial for motorcycle apps that they do not distract the driver. "The driver's attention must be focused solely on driving," explains Hasped. But of course, apps could run in the background while driving, record the route, give driving instructions or pointers to regular drinking breaks, for example. However, necessary reactions such as confirmation or wiping away are dangerous.
• 180 PS & super light: Triumph attacks Harley & Zero with a hyper electric motorcycle Hasped also finds the various first aid apps of the rescue organizations helpful, which guide through the first aid measures. And ifz also offers an app for motorcyclists: Moto gives tips for training, vacation or group trips, offers checklists to tick off as well as the function "Registration Sheet Street". This allows motorcyclists to report dangerous spots or road damage.
DOWNLOAD: APPS FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND EMERGENCIES
Biker SOS - Android App 3.1.31
With Biker SOS for Android, you can monitor your motorcycle rides and automatically notify your contacts and emergency services in an emergency.
Biker SOS - iPhone app 3.0.25
The free iPhone app Biker SOS monitors your motorcycle rides and automatically alerts the emergency services in the event of an accident.
ADAC Roadside Assistance - Android App 2.6.1
With the "ADAC Pannenhilfe" app for Android devices, you can easily transmit your current position to the emergency service in the event of a breakdown.
ADAC roadside assistance iPhone / iPad app 2.6
With the "ADAC breakdown assistance" app for your iPhone, you can easily transmit your current position to the emergency service in the event of a breakdown.
Instant Aid - First Aid App - Android App 1.0.0
The free Android app "Instant Aid" is your helper in an emergency: This gives you quick and easy-to-understand instructions for first aiders as well as a direct link to the most important emergency numbers.
Planning is done on the sofa
Hans-Joachim Ulrich, who works as a safety trainer for the German Road Safety Council (DVE) and as a tour guide for the ACE car club, usually plans his motorcycle tours the evening before - digitally and on the sofa. "In addition to the streets, this also includes lookout points, rest areas and petrol stations," he explains. He then transmits the completed route to the motorcycle navigation system.
Ulrich advises against installing a smart phone as well as an extra navigation system: "Too many displays only distract the driver." Ulrich leaves his smart phone in his pocket while driving and only looks at it during breaks. Ulrich mentions Kurviger.de and biker beds as other helpful apps. But to be on the safe side, he still has a paper road map with him.