What could be more exhilarating than climbing into the saddle of your motorcycle and setting off into the great unknown?
A little uncertainty is part of the thrill, of course, but it never hurts to have some high-tech back-up when travelling on motorcycles.
Here’s a brief round-up of some of the smartphone apps that might just come in handy for motorcyclists.
The apps we’d recommend to travellers can be divided into five main categories:
- NAVIGATION
- WEATHER
- COMMUNITY
- ROUTE MANAGEMENT AND USEFUL SERVICES
- ACCOMMODATION
Navigation Apps
GOOGLE MAPS
Easy to use and available to all (it’s free for Android, iOS and iPadOS users), Google’s navigation service offers detailed directions for getting around on roads all over the world, indicating travel times for different types of vehicle (calculated in real time, based on traffic) and suggesting routes with no toll payments or which save on fuel. You’ll need internet data, though some parts of the map can be downloaded and viewed offline.
WAZE Navigation & Live Traffic
Similar to Google Maps in some ways, including being free and available both for Android and for iOS and iPadOS, WAZE allows users to find the optimum route based on their chosen means of transport, providing information on travel times, road traffic, and the locations of speed cameras and fuel stations.
CALIMOTO GPS
With over 3 million users all over the world, this app — developed specially for those travelling on motorcycles — allows motorcyclists to plan and share itineraries even offline.
Calimoto’s main use is for planning routes directly on the map, taking into account weather forecasts and potential sites of interest for those travelling by bike, including restaurants, stopping points, biker shops and hotels, twisty roads, points for meeting up with other motorcyclists, etc.
The app also provides a navigation service with turn-by-turn directions provided both visually and audibly, via Bluetooth, as well as the option to analyse tour data (altitudes, acceleration, lean angle, etc.).
The app is available from the App Store and Google Play in both a free version and a Premium version, at a cost of €49.99 per year.
Weather Forecast Apps
ACCUWEATHER: WEATHER RADAR
Super-easy and intuitive to use, this app gives highly detailed hourly forecasts as well as indicating any weather alerts in real time.
It offers huge amounts of data: real and perceived temperature (RealFeel ©), humidity, gales, air quality, allergens and more.
All information can also be viewed directly on the map in the “Radar” section.
AccuWeather is available for iOS and Android in both a free version and an ad-free, Premium version at a cost of €9.99 per year. It requires GPS and an internet connection.
METEO&RADAR
Supported exclusively by iOS, this app offers reliable weather forecasts, both short- and long-term, as well as bad weather alerts and the only interactive radar on a worldwide scale with temperatures and precipitation, capable of showing lightning too. It also includes information on the presence of smog, allergens, humidity, pressure, and the UV index.
Meteo&Radar is available in a free version, or one without ads for a cost of €1.49 per month or €9.99 per year. It requires GPS and an internet connection.
WEATHER ON THE WAY
Designed specially for users on the move, this app for iOS and Android offers detailed weather forecasts along the entirety of your planned route. Once you’ve put in your starting point, final destination and any stops along the way, Weather On The Way shows your complete journey on a map and indicates temperature, precipitation, visibility and other factors every 30 km or so.
Naturally, GPS and an internet connection are essential.
A truly useful free tool that provides a simple and intuitive way to find out what you can expect along your journey!
Community Apps
RISER
This app is dedicated to motorcyclists who love to share their itineraries with a community.
Available on the App Store and Google Play in both a free version and a Pro version at a cost of $8.99 per month or $59.99 per year, RISER offers a range of functions: it suggests the best routes all over the world by combining algorithm data with tips from other users, makes it easy to organise group rides and Challenges, allows you to record your experiences in an “on-board diary” and provides inspiration in the form of routes from other users and RISER Ambassadors… And that’s not all.
Among its other functions, the Pro version allows you to relive a route you’ve taken on a 3D map with an animated, interactive display.
You’ll need an internet connection and GPS.
BIKERFACE
This is nothing short of a social network for motorcyclists, allowing you to share routes and positions in real time, create your own profile, share posts, follow other pages or groups, organise outings… What’s more, it suggests itineraries that can be viewed using your smartphone’s navigator.
BIKERFACE is free and available for iOS and Android.
You’ll need an internet connection and GPS.
REVER – Motorcycle Trip Planner, GPS Route Tracking App
Once again, this app is a gateway to a community of motorcyclists, allowing users to create personalised itineraries, search for the best routes on paved roads, in off-road areas and on mixed or snowy surfaces, compete online with other users and share their experiences on other social networks.
REVER is available for iOS and Android in a free or paid version ($39.99 per year or $3.33 per month); the paid version allows you to view the maps offline with different styles and levels and alternative routes.
You’ll need an internet connection, GPS and Bluetooth.
Route Management and Useful Service Apps
BEST BIKING ROADS
Originally the idea of a few passionate motorcyclists, this app offers a series of itineraries and suggested trips and allows you to share your experiences and advice with other users from all over the world. Available for Android and iOS/iPad OS in nine languages, Best Biking Roads can be downloaded at a cost of €4.99, or in its Lite version for free.
It requires an internet connection, GPS and Bluetooth.
MYRIDE – Motorcycle Routes
Developed by Yamaha for all lovers of two-wheeled travel, MyRide allows you to create, share and follow routes. Thanks to its ability to run in the background with low battery consumption, the app records your entire journey and calculates your speed, times, altitude, acceleration, lean…
You can take photos which will be set into the map and look back on your itinerary at a future date, as well as find inspiration in the routes shared by other users.
MyRide is free and available for Android and iOS/iPadOS.
You’ll need an internet connection, GPS and Bluetooth.
SPLID – Split group bills
This free app, available for iOS and Android, is incredibly useful when travelling as part of a group: it allows you to manage shared expenses quickly and easily, even offline.
Simply create a group together with all your travel companions, enter all your expenses and SPLID will automatically show how much each person owes and to whom, with no risk of error. Summaries can be downloaded in EXCEL and PDF format, and 150 currencies are recognised.
ECHOSOS
Particularly useful in the event of an emergency while travelling alone, this app — available for free on the App Store and Google Play — sends your location to the local emergency services (in any part of the world) through GPS (or by SMS, if you have no mobile data) and provides information on nearby emergency centres and useful numbers.
Apps for Finding Accommodation
BOOKING
The famous and well-established “online travel agency”, founded in 1996, now boasts over 28 million accommodation facilities all over the world. Available as a website or as a free app (for both iOS and Android), Booking not only helps travellers to pick out a place to stay, but also offers support in planning activities and even booking a means of transport, if necessary.
AIRBNB
The purpose of this app is once again to help travellers searching for activities or a place to stay for the night… but this time it comes with a twist.
A community of private hosts offer guests a place to stay, whether that’s in an apartment, a B&B, a villa, a cottage, a treehouse, or something entirely different.
What’s more, it’s possible to book all kinds of experiences, again organised and guided by local hosts who want to share their passions.
Airbnb is free, available for iOS and Android, and requires an internet connection.