Yeah, I’m an app junkie! I can and have ridden without apps, but being a fan of more knowledge and information I’ve found some that really have enhanced my riding ability and enjoyment. You can find thousands of apps in the iTunes App Store that can work for motorcycling and a hundred or so that are motorcycle specific. But as of today these are what I classify as the Birdman Top Picks.
Now, you'll notice that I'm not going to try and hard sell you on anything here, these are simply apps I use or have found interesting. Any of the ones I have, I purchased and did not receive for free, so I'm not paid to push any app at all. The links provided should open a web page and not force open your iTunes program.
Enjoy and please feel free to share your personal favorites as well.
Harley Davidson Maps - .99¢ *
Make no mistake, this is a Harley Davidson branded app, so the complete listing of nearby HD shops will be displayed. If you can get past that what you get is the best maps that the folks from Mad Maps can provide.
Right now the app costs .99 cents and includes your choice of 5 rides anywhere in the country. Additional rides are .99 each. The average trip is about 200 miles, so well worth the money. Keep in mind these are routes designed by riders, so they are scenic and include the best amount of twists possible. Check out the link to see what else is included.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/harley-davidson-motorcycle/id351423914?mt=8
Mad Maps - .99¢
This app is essentially the same as the HD app above, thus I count it as the same. It may have stories that differ from the HD, but since I have the HD one I am not sure. This one only includes one free map at this time, whereas the HD one comes with five. If you don’t mind also know where the HD dealerships are it is worth the purchase.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mad-maps/id326707710?mt=8
Motorcycle Test .99¢
Prepare for your state motorcycle skills or brush up on your knowledge of laws and procedures. You custom design tests from 5 to 100 questions/
Most states Driver’s Manual and Motorcycle Manuals can be downloaded as a PDF and saved on your phone for use later.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motorcycle-test/id299251528?mt=8
Cycle Trader - Free
Probably know as the best way to look for a used motorcycle the Cycle Trader app allows search by GPS location and Zip Code.
Looking for that perfect used bike has never been this easy. Heck, it even saves your searches.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cycle-trader/id334867956?mt=8
Cycle World – Free *
This is the mobile edition of the popular Cycle World magazine, complete with editorial and photos. Also included are staff blogs.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cycle-world/id332675076?mt=8
Motorcycle Theory Test - $6.99 *
Euro and the UK have the most stringent rules and testing procedures in the world when it comes to riding a motorcycle and this is the official theory test, all on the iPhone.
Take a look through the guide and you’ll see why this is on my “must haves.”
Over 900 multiple-choice questions, formatted just like the real test.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motorcycle-theory-test/id304488056?mt=8
Riding Test - $2.99
Yes, it is another Riding test, this one complete with signs and a simulated test. While I don’t think a rider needs all these test I do believe the more you keep fresh the better rider you’ll be.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/riding-test/id299467705?mt=8
MOTO GP (Lap by Lap) - Free
This app is the best way to keep up on the MotoGP series as it happens, lap by lap.
Live Coverage the way it should be including everything you’d see at race central. If you are a MotoGP fan, this should be downloading already.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/id312688739?mt=8
MyRide - $2.99 *
If you look through the app store you’ll see a few other maintenance apps, but none of them cover the areas that motorcyclists need. This app was obviously written by a rider and even included a safety check list. Supports more than one bike, so check out the link. Well worth the money.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/myride/id322560621?mt=8
Motorcycles! - .99¢
Bone up on your ability to identify bikes and learn more about that as you do. This is a fun app and can be a bit of a trivia game to use with other riders.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/motorcycles/id342834510?mt=8
Bike Loan Calculator - Free
Pretty simple, if you’re ready to buy and you need a loan, this quick calc helps you figure out your payment and decide.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bike-loan-calculator/id325373118?mt=8
Wooly Wind Chill – Free
Don’t guess what the conditions will be when the weather turns cold. Use this app first to calculate the wind chill factor and hen use the additional features to add in what the speed on your bike will do to that chill factor. If you ride when it gets cold, this app in invaluable (and currently free.)
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wooly-wind-chill/id347096129?mt=8
Finally, here are some non –moto specific apps I use frequently
FlickTunes - Free
I’m not sure if I would buy this app, but I since it is free why not! While it does not make the iPhone work with gloves it makes the operation of the screens for music a lot faster. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flicktunes/id319486057?mt=8
Spot Shared Mobile - $2.99 *
If you’re a Spot user and you take advantage of the shared pages this is an excellent way to manage them.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/spot-shared-page-mobile/id346524744?mt=8
Sol - .99¢ *
This is a simple app that uses know geographical locations to give actual sunrise and sunset times including dawn and twilight. Very important to miss riding into glare or having glare be an issue for other roadway users to see you.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sol-daylight-clock/id285279179?mt=8
Moon Phase - .99¢ *
A very good app to avoid werewolves or alternatively a good way to know when moonlight will make nighttime riding easier.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/moonphase-moon-info/id287526650?mt=8
EZ Radar - .99¢ *
If you travel cross-country like I do know when and where you’ll be running into weather is important. While this is the AZ and NM app there are plenty of others including a national map.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ez-radar-az-nm/id310755546?mt=8
Byline - $3.99 *
If you use Google reader to track RSS feeds you know that you don’t always have signal. This app loads all your feeds and the corresponding pages onto your iPhone so they can be read later without any 3G or Wifi connection.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/byline/id284946773?mt=8
Adaptunes - .99¢ *
This app raises and lowers volume based upon speed. Be warned that it uses the GPS to do so and only should be used on trips if you can plug your iPhone into power. Otherwise, pretty cool app.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adaptunes-speed-based-volume/id319479071?mt=8
* - Currently on my iPhone.
3 comments:
Hi Birdman,
You might also consider one more: Greatest Road for iPhone. It’s like a restaurant review site, but for sweet motorcycle roads. It helps you to find new places to ride based on recommendations from other bikers. It also makes it incredibly easy to share directions for your own rides with buddies.
In some ways it's similar to the HD/MadMaps, but all of the content is created by other bikers with iPhones/iPod touches, the list of roads is growing rapidly, and it works in something like 37 countries.
There's more about the app and a link to the App Store at http://greatestroad.com
Best regards, and thanks for spreading the word about iPhone apps we'll really use.
Best regards,
Daniel
Daniel Pifko
Founder
Greatest Road Software
Daniel, that indeed looks like a great app and may eclipse the other motorcycle mapping services in the future.
Even though the HD and Mad Maps apps will end up costing more I wasn't sure what I'd be getting with your app.
If you could keep at least a list of updates in the areas you have maps or even seed areas with known riders by giving them a free app to build your database it would help a lot!
I can't speak for others, I just know that is why I didn't jump to download just yet.
Hi Birdman,
That's really, really good feedback. Thanks. It's easy to forget the first-sight experience if you don't keep tapping your potential customers. We'll build into our product plan an easier way for people to see what's there without having to dive in first.
That said, I've taken the opportunity to put together a page using Mesa as an example. Check out http://greatestroad.com/mesa.php .
We did seed the system with the first 30 or 40 stretches, but once we went live and were featured in the iTunes What's Hot section, that number was quickly blown away by real users with real roads. It's growing nicely as new people are coming on board. I also expect we'll have some kind of promotion for existing users to add new stretches but we haven't finalized what that's going to look like yet.
I know the Mad Maps people and respect them, but what we have is a different spin, obviously.
I'll send you an email right now so you can contact me again easily, though anyone can get to us through http://greatestroad.com/support/open.php .
I hope that helps,
Daniel
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