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Comment by askonomm | Hacker News Reader

I mount my phone on my motorcycle and use it for navigation / maps. Yes, it's a distraction, but I need to know where I'm going and stopping at every intersection to check my phone also makes no sense.

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Heavy upvote. Reading street signs is a distraction. For me, even just stressing about finding a road -here in boston, a missed turn can mean a 30 minute delay- is a major distraction.

Nobody is reading texts on a motorcycle. Well, except maybe those guys on mopeds without helmets. If you're listening to music or directions, having the volume easy to reach is a strict improvement over having it in a pocket.

Nobody here seems to be advocating for not using GPS at all (or stopping periodically to check GPS on your phone, as mentioned above) — they’re advocating for proper GPS devices that can withstand the daily wear and tear to some reasonable degree.

Making a roll chart for my motorcycle trip the night before is an enjoyable prelude to a nice ride the next day, and the act of doing it almost makes the chart unnecessary because you commit the route to memory. I always feel that a few hours on the bike is refreshing for my mind because I can't use my phone, check Twitter, or get called. Having an X-mount or earpiece would spoil the whole thing.

Before the days of digital maps I'd only ever quickly glance at a paper map to get a feel for where my destination is and then... just drive. You get there. Maybe you go an intersection too far sometimes, but who cares? If you've chosen a motorcycle over a car, it is no doubt because you enjoy riding. Enjoy it.

I have a feeling you live in a place where things are laid out in a grid. In most places, you won't get there.

I don't own a car, I use my bike for non-entertainment purposes as well. Waze app is very useful for me - in addition to helping me get to places, it reports traffic jams and speed limits (not all roads have clear signs). If I were riding around aimlessly then yeah, I don't need a phone, but I do that very rarely.

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