Maja Kenney of Maja’s Motorcycle Adventures tests out the Quadlock Motorcycle Phone Mount.
I didn’t need it when I had one already and I am lost without it when I don’t have it!
Rather than buying a dedicated gadget for navigation, I use my mobile phone for that. I like it. It’s one less thing to charge and potentially forget to pack, plus it works great. Until recently I have used a universal phone mount which was absolutely fine if a little bit of a faff. I got used to it and it didn’t bother me. The mount consisted of two prongs that were joined but flexible in the middle and you had to push them apart to fit the phone inside. Then there was the rubber tether that went around each corner of the phone. Sometimes this was easy to do and then on the days of butter fingers it was a bit of a pain.
I have heard good things about Quad Lock, mainly from my son who uses it on his mountain bike and from fellow motorcyclists. Having practically zero handlebar space on my bike, I was pleased to see the stem mount fitted perfectly in the hollow where I had the previous mount. This ensured a fuss-free swap and a better fit straight away.
The mount came with the vibration dampener which is a must on a motorcycle with a V-twin engine as feedback from other users would suggests. iPhone cameras have been ruined with the vibration of the motorcycle before.
Once the phone mount is in place, attaching the phone to it is a doddle. You do need the specific case from Quad Lock for your phone as the back of the case is moulded to fit the mount on the bike. The case itself is very strong, I have dropped my phone several times already and the case protected it every time whilst the case itself still looks brand new.
The trick is to angle the phone at 45 degrees to the mount, push in and turn until it clicks in. Very quick and simple and it doesn’t take long to get used to it.
The first ride made me a bit nervous as the phone did shake more than I was used to. Or perhaps it was the same but I just noticed it now because it was a new thing. Not enough to really worry about it falling off, just something I clearly paid attention to more.
First photo stop. Oh, I should mention, I take hundreds of photos on every ride out. The reason for wanting to have my phone easily accessible is not just for the navigation but also for taking photos. Not to mention for making payments at petrol stations. A quick press of the release bar freed my phone, quick photo or several and back it went on the mount. Again and again and with each time I was doing it with less thought and quicker.
Wow, that was impressive. Within just a few hours of using the Quad Lock mount I started to love it! It was so easy to remove the phone and click it back in again I have already forgotten all about my previous setup.
After a few days of using it I decided to get the wireless charging head, too. Nothing worse than running out of charge on your phone just when you need it, right? The charging head was super easy to instal and it uses the bike’s USB port for power. I had to run the cable from under the seat and behind the fairings. Nothing a couple of small cable ties can’t do. So very quick and simple to do.
We get used to good things quickly and don’t think about them anymore. Until you sit on a different bike for a few days and it doesn’t have the same setup as yours. Doh! Out came the battery pack again and charging the phone when stopping resumed.
All in all, a fantastic bit of kit I would happily recommend!
