Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes • Hacker News Board

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#71

Post by hfdgiutdryg » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:06 PM UTC

gearhart wrote: post #30

keyle wrote: post #2

That's very cool. One time, I decided to just put the phone in my pocket and take my bike to a location. I had the ear buds in my ears, I thought, voice is enough... Oh my, was I wrong. I ended up missing most turn off in streets due to latency, some crossings made no sense over audio, a total disaster. So I got a stand to attach the phone to the handle bars... And that works great, for about 20 mins. I live in Austr…

This. I've frequently been surprised by how useless the audio navigation is without being able to check the screen for clarity. There just needs to be a "no visuals" setting where you get given much more audio information. The worst experience I've had was riding in Slavic countries with just headphones in and realising after a few miles that GMaps couldn't pronounce the road names and so was just leaving a silence.…

I find Google's audio cues to be bizarrely mistimed. I wrote navigation software for the PocketPC way back in '02, and my cues were more adaptive to approach speed.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#72

Post by hfdgiutdryg » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:11 PM UTC

chris_overseas wrote: post #39

keyle wrote: post #2

That's very cool. One time, I decided to just put the phone in my pocket and take my bike to a location. I had the ear buds in my ears, I thought, voice is enough... Oh my, was I wrong. I ended up missing most turn off in streets due to latency, some crossings made no sense over audio, a total disaster. So I got a stand to attach the phone to the handle bars... And that works great, for about 20 mins. I live in Austr…

I recently saw a pitch from a startup that have a gadget [1] designed to address exactly the problems you talk about and might be worth a look (disclaimer: I have no relationship with the company but I do cycle a lot and thought their product looked promising). The debate amongst the investors afterwards was interesting, once the startup had left the room. The investors who didn't cycle/motorbike were sceptical and c…

That's very interesting. One of my current peeves is watching for the next turnoff with various GPS apps. I have to rotate my whole head down to see, since my phone is currently mounted to my motorcycle handlebars[1], and the turn icons are usually small and vague.

The reality is that I want detailed maps for route planning and local exploration, but very simple maps for the actual navigation part.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#73

Post by ska » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:19 PM UTC

Itsdijital wrote: post #19

keyle wrote: post #2

That's very cool. One time, I decided to just put the phone in my pocket and take my bike to a location. I had the ear buds in my ears, I thought, voice is enough... Oh my, was I wrong. I ended up missing most turn off in streets due to latency, some crossings made no sense over audio, a total disaster. So I got a stand to attach the phone to the handle bars... And that works great, for about 20 mins. I live in Austr…

Years ago before a long motorcycle trip I made a nice setup to use google maps while riding for the trip. A custom mount, ran all the charging cables, NFC tag and tasker profile so it knows when it's mounted. I used it for 3 days before a guy told me to give old fashioned maps a try, and gave me a few state maps. My tank bag has a nice window slot for them, so why not use it in tandem? Within 2 hours I had totally st…

Interstate and major highway signage in the US is really pretty good. And state/region level maps a great for getting around on them.

The main problem is, if I'm on a motorcycle trip I want to spend as little time on those roads as possible. It's difficult to manage enough maps to get at "the good stuff" on a long ride - but a decent GPS will get you details quickly, and deals well with the highly variable signage once you are on secondary highways and tertiary roads.

I think the best bet is a mix of both plus, for me, significant time spent in pure explore mode (no map at all). That's not for everyone I suppose but I've had some of my best travel days navigating by little more than the sun and major features.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#74

Post by UncleEntity » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:25 PM UTC

uitgewis wrote: post #44

Reason077 wrote: post #36

Could Google Maps for Motorbikes be configured to route noisy motorbikes away from residential streets? Especially late at night when I’m trying to sleep!

There's a common belief among motorcyclists that having loud exhausts help alert other car drivers of their presence, making them more visible on the roads. There are various arguments in favor and against that notion, but if it's getting you to notice them I guess it is better than nothing.

I used to have a ZX-10 with super loud exhaust (apparently a previously owner amateur raced it) and other drivers would definitely know when I was around them. People don't always see motorcycles but if they hear you they tend not to pull right out in front of you in my experience. It also worked a lot better than the horn to get people's attention, little beep vs. loud roar.

Not that I'm advocating for loud motorcycles, mufflers exist for a reason...that bike would set off car alarms while just idling past in parking lots which was kind of annoying.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#75

Post by macintux » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:36 PM UTC

mi100hael wrote: post #55

systemtest wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I ride motorcycles in cross-Europe trips for fun but prefer the GPS. My GPS will look for small twisty mountain roads with lots of elevation changes and lots of corners. Roads that are only on highly detailed local maps, and I don't want to carry 30 maps on a month long road trip. Road signage is simply not a thing on these roads as they are only used by locals. I can disable highways, B-roads, toll, ferries and on m…

Can you share what app/device you use that has all of those features like specifically picking out fun roads? I'm not aware of that feature on any major nav app.

Scenic (http://motomappers.com) is pretty good at finding out-of-the-way routes.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#76

Post by macintux » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:38 PM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #54

Itsdijital wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Years ago before a long motorcycle trip I made a nice setup to use google maps while riding for the trip. A custom mount, ran all the charging cables, NFC tag and tasker profile so it knows when it's mounted. I used it for 3 days before a guy told me to give old fashioned maps a try, and gave me a few state maps. My tank bag has a nice window slot for them, so why not use it in tandem? Within 2 hours I had totally st…

Physical maps are infinitely better in the rain. Gloves+moisture is no fan of touchscreens. Get an old-fashioned handheld marine GPS if you have to. One with clicky buttons.

I used an inexpensive (2 gallon?) ziploc bag around my iPad on a day when I had the roof off my Jeep and we got several inches of rain.

Worked fine, even Touch ID was mostly usable, but I can't imagine what an unlaminated map would have looked like at the end of that storm.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#77

Post by singingboyo » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:40 PM UTC

steveadoo wrote: post #57

77ko wrote: post #5

What would be cool if there was a very simple low power display bluetooth which just displayed an left/right/upp arrow with a number counting down when to turn or stop. Phones don't really work mounted on a bike, but a simple display could do the job. Sort of how android watch displays an arrow, but using a low power screen.

My car does this on the dash in front of my steering wheel. It will switch to an overhead of the lanes and highlight the one you have to take when you get close to your turn as well. Much easier to process this than the full map on something like my phone or the map on the center console.

To add to this, my recollection from looking at cars ~6 months ago is that this feature is pretty common now. With my car now, I just get distance + upcoming turn info, but usually that's okay - I prefer looking at signage for lane stuff anyway. If I really do need lane info, it's on the center console.

It's a shame the dash screen doesn't work with android auto though. (I understand, logically, that the dash and the android auto stuff are separate systems, but it'd be nice...) Nissan actually has pretty good maps, but they're rather ugly (and not quite as good as Google's).

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#78

Post by johnbrodie » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 5:55 PM UTC

icebraining wrote: post #48

michaelt wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, many of my problems could have been at least partly solved by spending more money on a helmet with bluetooth, more money on a bike with a better battery and a phone power supply, more money on better gloves with special finger coating, more money on a phone with a better battery and better handlebar mounts available, and so on. Sadly, as a student on a £300 motorbike, I didn't have the money for such luxuries :)

Wireless Bluetooth earbuds cost about €10 and should fit even with a regular helmet.

If you have cheap earbuds that don't really seal out the other noise, this is a recipe for serious hearing damage.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#79

Post by johnbrodie » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 6:01 PM UTC

wickberg wrote: post #68

I use it on my motorcycle in the US, but there are some major pain points. I have a Bluetooth headset in my helmet, so I can hear the directions... which are usually close enough. But you still do get some occasionally confusing voice prompts that - without the screen to glance at - may lead you to a wrong turn. I do have a handlebar mount I've resorted to on a few occasions, but as others have noted (a) the phone ca…

I have a lot of the same issues. Bluetooth headset turned up to almost max + foam earplugs works reasonably well, as long as I already have a good idea of where I'm going. Handlebar mounts work fairly well, but putting the phone in the sun in Arizona during the summer often leads to it turning off. There's also quite a few reports of phones either flying off mounts or camera lens/focus dying due to the vibration.

In the end, I normally leave the phone in my pocket, make due with voice alerts, and leave a few minutes early so I can safely miss an exit without panic. The last thing you need on a highway filled with texting drivers (completely legal in AZ) is to be distracted and making multi-lane changes at the last second.

Re: Designing Google Maps for Motorbikes

#80

Post by ferongr » Thu, Jul 05, 2018, 7:52 PM UTC

timmipetit wrote: post #27

AnnoyingSwede wrote: post #16

Riding in the Netherlands with google maps and a scalaG9x and a android phone in the pocket works pretty okey. The few issues i have is bluetooth not being on continuesly, so as the phone starts giving a new direction, i might miss the first few words, but as i get closer to the exit and the second or third remind goes off, i tend to hear the full message. I am using english phone settings and language settings, and…

Yeah, having those Dutch street names pronounced in English is so confusing and funny! It would be perfect if you could use your phone in English, but use your local language for navigation. Still haven't found a way to achieve this on my Android phone though :(

The App Settings xposed module allows you to change locale (among other settings) per app. I use it to keep Google Maps and Here Maps in Greek while my device locale is English.