Wireless phone charging...on a bike?

[mikeames]

I currently have a charger for my iPhone hardwired to my motorcycle. I put the phone in an X-mount and plug the charger cable in and it remains charged as I ride.

I've gone through four cords over the last few years as they tend to wear faster due to the wind and vibration.

So looking at the newer iPhones (and others) with wireless charging, I wonder if there are wireless charging mounts available for motorcycles? Does anyone on here use one? If so, what are your experiences with it?

Thanks!

 

[eflyguy]

There are none that I know of, but I've been using wireless charging on my iPhone 6S+ since I bought it using a Qi receiver and various charging pads from different vendors.

For the bike, it's actually pretty simple to hold a slim charging pad onto the X-mount with Velcro, and the little grippers are more than deep enough to hold the phone securely. Just make sure the pad is "centered" on the receiver and can attach to the mount while the phone is still held securely. I would suggest that you secure the USB cable to the charging pad with hot glue or similar, because the connector itself can get sloppy from repeated vibrations.

I had intentions to take one apart and permanently mount it to the X-mount, but it works so well with velcro, I haven't bothered..

 

[Uncle Hud]

Can you place the X-mount behind your windscreen? Must your phone be exposed to the wind?

I have an ancient iPhone 5 that's mounted directly above the dashboard gauges. Charging cord sneaks out of the glove box (slips under the lid) and gets plugged into the phone, all the while behind the windscreen and dashboard.

That setup has worked for -- maybe 5,000 miles? -- without any problems.

I'll see about snapping a photo this weekend, but my phone is my camera, so it can't be mounted and still snap the photo of itself. This may take a serious amount of thinking .....

 

[jblanken64]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3tyLTD1pTdiamV3YnBhRnN1Q0U/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3tyLTD1pTdiN3BaVDM5ZFdBRW8/view?usp=sharing

Hopefully you can view these pics. Since photobucket's demise, I haven't tried posting pics here.

 

[mikeames]

I see the typical American ingenuity of attaching the charging pad to the, x-grip which is definitey something I would also consider.

I was more curious if there was anything purpose built with the charging pad integrated into the mount. Sounds like maybe not yet.

Thanks all.

 

[jblanken64]

I use a mount in my car made by iOttie. But it is definitely not suitable for a bike. You might try ProClipUSA. They have mounts for a number of phones, but I don't remember if they have any Qi mounts.

 

[eflyguy]

Hopefully you can view these pics. Since photobucket's demise, I haven't tried posting pics here.

Which pad is that?

 

[Kaelaria]

I used to go through cables until I only used Apple cables - so far so good on this last one going on 3 years. Bear in mind no wireless pad is waterproof.

 

[ogopogo]

Bear in mind no wireless pad is waterproof.

I enclosed my wireless charger sufficiently that it's unlikely to ever get more than damp. Rode recently in plenty of rain over multiple days, only bagged the phone (Note 5, which isn't waterproof) during the worst of it, when I was wearing two rain suits and rubber gloves. No issues. The mount stays somewhat dry anyway as long as I'm moving. One thing I didn't expect - the bag I had over the phone was flapping a bit and making random touch screen entries.

 

[jblanken64]

Hopefully you can view these pics. Since photobucket's demise, I haven't tried posting pics here.

Which pad is that?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I7FI7CM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It's listed as unavailable now, but maybe there's another seller that carries something similar.

Joey.

 

[jblanken64]

I used to go through cables until I only used Apple cables - so far so good on this last one going on 3 years. Bear in mind no wireless pad is waterproof.

Mine was actually advertised as waterproof. It's seen some rain and still keeps working.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I7FI7CM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[eflyguy]

It's trivial to waterproof using silicone around the case joints, and hot-glue for the USB connector seals it up from that side..

It might fail if you rode into a lake, but I think that would be the last of your worries..

 

[Birdman2010]

I created one using tinkercad.com and then 3D printed it. Here is a link to the project on thingiverse.com: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2352380

I also included the tinkercad.com link so you can adjust it for your phone: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/k2ghCqhdEDw

I put a little bit of silicone gel on the wireless charger to keep it attached to the holder. In addition, you will notice a stylus holder hole at the top, left side since I do not have "stylus gloves". I love this unit and use it for long distance travel. When I use GPS, the battery drains faster than the wireless charger can charge so you will see holes in the side so I can plug the charger cable directly to the phone during very long trips.

By the way, I keep my phone in the holder even when I commute to work because I also run the FOBO app. I have FOBO monitors on my tires. Search this forum for the TPS discussion. We get a discount on the FOBO Bike TPS if we mention that we belong to the FJR Forum.

 

[DesignFlaw06]

Here's the solution me and a buddy of mine came up with. These are pictures on his Gen 3, but I have the same setup on my 06.

This is the charger. https://www.tylt.com/capio-car-mount

Separated the charger and the suction cup mount (just a 17 mm ball & socket) and put a stem mount 17mm ball on the FJR. Here's the one we used. https://www.amazon.com/Techmount-4-10998-Replacement-Motorcycle-customer/dp/B00HNFRI6Y/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505700416&sr=8-1-fkmr0

He and I both have thousands of miles with this setup and neither one of us have had a phone fall out. The wiring just requires a 12V socket, which I have wired underneath the seat or you can use the one in the glove box.

The other thing I bought for it was a J&M rain cover. Fits over it perfectly when washing the bike or a heavy rain. https://www.sierra-mc.com/proddetail.asp?prod=JM-JCB03-RRCV