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Been using the Beeline for a couple years. I really like it, and not needing to hang my phone or a Garmin off the bars for nav purposes. Mine a few years old now and the battery keeps up for about 8 hours so I need to charge it a bit more often that I'd like. But all in all a useful non distracting nav device
Interesting. I wondered if they had something like that.
At first blush... Me being the cheap skate that I am...
I'm might - let me reiterate "might" - give the $10 battery a go before forking over the $66 (assuming current exchange rate) plus shipping (I presume required to at least get your device to them).
The case on the Moto looks slightly different than the one on the Velo. It might be harder getting the Moto open without buggering the thing up.
Took the Beeline Moto itself (not just the app) out for a spin for the first time. The main thing I wanted to see is how much of a power drain hit it put on the phone if the phone was running (screen off of course) unpowered. Results on a 45-minute drive - 3% phone battery usage. So... extrapolating... maybe 4 to 5% per hour. Not too bad.
Now... There is probably significant variability between phones etc. How much battery capacity they have, the current health of the battery, etc., etc. My phone's battery capacity is pretty good and the battery is fairly fresh/healthy.
I also navigated a more complex interchange on the way to work. Beeline navigated it well enough. If I were totally dependent on the Beeline in this case, I would have navigated through it fine.
Tested my Beeline some more today (in my car). It was driven by my unpowered Pixel 5a. Phone battery drain was 4% in an hour. I was pretty pleased with that. I've got an app on this phone that monitors battery temps. Temp was 76 degree after 1 hour. So very little phone battery stress. I might feel free to ride without powering the phone with the Beeline. However, I'd probably still power the phone on really long days.
In comparison, I also got a wireless CarPlay/Android Auto display unit...
It got some testing today too. I did the testing today using an iPhone 12. Phone was unpowered for all testing. Navigation app used in CP - Scenic. Power drain on the phone was 9% in an hour. About what I expected. The phone never warmed up - remained cool the entire time. Overall I would say this is satisfactory. However, I would provide power to the phone for any ride of significant duration.
I'm actually kind of torn between the CP/AA device and the Beeline. Both work well and have their advantages and disadvantage. So far, I would say the Beeline is a viable navigation device. It will certainly be the sole navigation device used on my Nightster. On the Heritage - IDK. I did have one instance with the Beeline today where uncertainty may have led me to not take a correct turn. However, the Beeline rerouted no problem and I was back on track in no time. Eventually, even if something like this occurs, the thing won't leave you lost. I really do like the diminutive size, super easy install options and simple operation of the Beeline.
Another email with observations/suggestions sent to Beeline support...
Some more observations/suggestions...
I've noted that the maximum number of via/waypoints allowed by the app appears to be 23. I do believe this might be a problem for more complex routes needing a sufficient number of shaping points (via/route points) to force the routing engine to produce the desired route. Plus, if the route has multiple planned waypoints/stops, less vias/route points will be available for shaping. Why would one want to design in such a limitation in the software?
Typically I'm not too interested in seeing vias/shaping/route points during navigation. Once they've served their purpose - forcing the routing engine to generate the desired route - I'm pretty much done with them. I see no need for a navigation app/device to show them as the next navigation event with respective distance to go. Most often I would rather the app/device just display/navigate the upcoming waypoints (stops) and turns with respective distance to go. I understand others may want to use the vias/shaping/route points differently. Perhaps a user configurable option would be nice to allow users to select between the two options.
One of the chief concerns/complaints I see about Beeline is about scenarios where navigation gets complex. One such scenario is when a subsequent (or second) turn will be required almost immediately after the current one being navigated. Often there will be multiple turn lanes for the current turn being navigated. Which turn lane one should plant themselves in depends on what turn they will have to make immediately after. It would be nice if Beeline could display that information well enough in advance so that the rider can get themselves into the correct turn lane for the current turn being navigated. Maybe a second empty circle could be displayed to show the second turn. Once the current turn has been completed the empty circle could be filled in to indicate the now active next turn. Maybe something like...
In regards to the maximum amount of waypoints - this sadly is out of our control, since it is a limitation in place with the map provider that we use - if you wish to have more waypoints on your routes, there are a couple of workarounds here, firstly, you could do the ride in compass mode. Alternatively, you could create the route online and then import the GPX file onto the Beeline app - there is no limit when importing them on routes!
My reply:
Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry to hear about the waypoint limitation, but I understand the issue. I have tried the workaround you mentioned, but from what I can see, it doesn't work. Indeed I can import a GPX route file that contains more than 23 route-points/waypoints. When doing so you have to import via "Compass mode". As noted previously, importing via "Route mode" simply imports a track (loses all route-point/waypoint information). Once imported via Compass mode, you have the option to either navigate (Go) in Compass mode or - if you choose - save/name the route. It seems you have to do the latter if you want to navigate an imported GPX route file in Route mode. To navigate the saved route (from the GPX route import) you have to open it from the list of Saved routes. This is where things fail. When it opens you get an Error with "Too many waypoints" message.
Also noted previously... route-points/waypoints are lost during import. In the current test case that I attempted - the GPX file had 40 route-points/waypoints. Beeline only imported 33. I believe I saw in a previous test that some missing points could actually be a missing waypoint (planned stop). If so, that would be a significant problem. This behavior seems odd.
Well... Beeline alone certainly cleans/clears up the cockpit. Got to hand it to the Beeline for the simple install. I'll have to install the accessory harness, solder the power adapter in, run the wiring etc. to permanently mount the CP/AA display. Not a big deal in the big scheme of things but - by comparison to the Beeline - much more of a hassle.
I would probably move the ball mount to the other side of the bar clamp if I decide to mount it permanently. That would move it to the right side and away from the clutch cable. It might make getting access to the windshield bag (that I'm about to mount) easier. Even so, there is likely to still be a tad bit of a clearance issue with the bag lid and the mount - making getting into the bag a tad bit less than ideal. This obviously would be a non-issue with the Beeline only. Moving the Beeline universal mount...
...to the Nightster's bars ought to take a whopping 5 seconds.
Still... I am a big fan of Scenic and CP/AA and this setup on the bike looks like it will work nicely I believe. MyRoute-app Mobile is in beta right now and looks very promising too (it will support both CP and AA). Granted half the benefit of the CP/AA device would be lost on me since I don't listen to music, use intercoms/radios, or talk on phones while I ride.
Couple more observations and perhaps shortcomings of the Beeline Moto.
I'm not certain, but I believe Beeline uses Google for it's map data and routing engine. Therefore it is somewhat dependent on having a mobile data connection. There is no offline map data you can save to your device. If you start a route but lose a data connection along the way, it will continue to navigate in Route mode no problem. However, it will not reroute without a mobile data connection. In such a scenario, it will point you back - in Compass mode - to the missed via/waypoint and presumably resume navigating in Route mode once you are back on the route. The app does appear to cache a limited amount of map data, but you can't really do much with it, beyond Compass mode.
The app will load saved routes without having a data connection, but you won't be able to navigate the route in Route mode. However, it will navigate you to the vias/waypoints in the route using Compass mode. I suppose once you get back somewhere where you can get a data connection, you can restart the route in Route mode. A bit of a hassle, but a least the Beeline Moto won't leave you completely lost/stranded. Beeline will still point you to your vias/waypoints.
If you stop somewhere along the route, the app says it auto-pauses until you start moving again. If there is no mobile data where you've stopped, you'll likely won't want to stop/end navigation of the loaded route. As long as you don't stop/end the route navigation, Beeline will resume navigating the loaded route when you start moving again. If you stop/end navigation of the route at a stop with no mobile data, you'll have to reload the route and navigate it in Compass mode until you can get somewhere with data reception. The Beeline app may auto-pause, but there is no way that I can see to power off the Beeline Moto during a stop. Once the Beeline is connected and navigating, the power button won't shut it off. Instead the power button is used to end the navigation (End ride?). If you accept this option (check mark/bottom button), you'll have to reload the route and start again. If you don't have data reception, you'll have to navigate in Compass mode. Etc. Etc.
This certainly is a trade-off/limitation with Beeline. Scenic and MRA have offline maps and will work fine without a data connection.
Interesting info. I've used phone nav for many years with never an issue or concern. Google maps with 'avoid highways' turned on frequently. Easy, peasy, japanesy. Shows exit #s, slow traffic and alternate routes. Can stop and find the next Dunkin or Starbucks with ease. If bad weather is near, I use a weather app radar to know exactly when to don the rain gear. Can also see texts from my wife.
My R1200RT came with a Garmin Nav 5. iPhone/Google Maps beats it all day long. I don't lose cell service often enough to be an issue.
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