I would like to know if any members have found a compass that can be mounted on a bike,not interested in a GPS,just a compass.I had a cheap plastic ball compass that I mounted to the dash on my Ultra but it couldnt handle the weather and it was never always accurate.I felt that the radio or some other electronics behind the fairing may have interfered with it.It is nice knowing you are heading in the right direction on some of the poorly marked roads in this big ole country.

 

I have thought about doing that but don't really like the idea of something else strapped to the handle bars - so I have a compass app on my phone

 

I also have a compass on my phone. To get something that works on a bike it would almost have to be one that was desined for use on a boat. That way it could handle not ever really being level while still being accurate. I would check a website for sailboats. I bet that they would have all manner of options.

 

I would urge you to reconsider a GPS. You can get even a cheap one, mount it to your fairing or bars. Always gives you your compass heading as well as a tracking map. You can pop it off whenever you're not using it. I have a fully loaded 5" Garmin with mounts and power on both my bike and car. I pop it out of the cradle and take it on whatever vehicle I'm using. You also then get quick directions to gas stations, food, hotels etc.

Or if you have an iPhone or Android, consider buying a mount for that and get the same functionality that way.

 

I saw several waterproof ones but they were mostly handheld. I didn't see one that you could mount on anything.

 

Go to any marine or boat store. There's tons of options for waterproof/weatherproof compasses.

After you mount your compass you should start looking into retrofitting an acetylene headlight, technology sucks.

Haha I jest, sort of.

 

Wow, that's pretty old school. Nothing wrong with that, but I don't know how you could ever have an accurate compass in the proximity of all of that steel on a motorcycle's handlebars, mirrors, neck, frame, and brackets and wiring inside the faring.

The suggestion that boat compasses are better may not hold much water on a bike. Remember most recreational boats are made of fiberglass and aluminum. Aluminum is not magnetic so a compass has relatively little magnetic interference on a boat.

Go buy a cheap gps unit, mount it on your bars, and be done with it.

 

Yeah I agree, it could be tough. But if you do find a compass that ends up working reliably please give us a link and pics cuz I wouldn't necessarily mind having one on my bike too.

 

You can search for these things just as well as we can! There are plenty of marine compass options on Amazon, including dash-mounted ones. You could replace one of the dash-mounted clocks in your fairing, for a neat installation.

 

Harley used to sell electronic compass a few yrs back, they don't list it now I was looking for it for my bike. I had it on my 06 ultra and it seemed to do a good job. I replaced the air temp gauge with it and the sending unit for it mounted behind the right saddle bag I think it was the right one. The instructions said don't carry any metal objects in that saddle bag. Lookin an older parts catalog and find the part # and you could probably locate one. I'm sure there's dealers that still have one laying on the shelve somewhere.