Lifeproof handlebar mount - cutting to allow charging while mounted

FASTnSPEEDY · 03-06-2013, 10:57 PM

I have the lifeproof handlebar mount for my iPhone and love it. I never use the garmin anymore now that I have the iPhone.

The main problem I have with the iPhone is that the battery only lasts ~4 hours using the GPS non-stop. The mount doesn't allow the charging door to be opened while in the mount, but I was considering taking the dremel to it to change that.

Has anyone done this? If so has it caused breakage issues down the road?

http://www.amazon.com/LifeProof-Bike...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

jprovence · 03-07-2013, 11:50 AM

Get an iphone 5... It does allow the door to be open.

joking aside. You should be fine to whittle a bit of material off for clearance to open the door.

theDoktor · 03-07-2013, 07:02 PM

I just picked up an I-phone 5 with the Lifeproof case and am planning on getting their mount. You will DEFINITELY need to run power to the phone- it sucks down battery power big time when in GPS mode. I found a nice USB power tap for this on another thread. http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...=851403&page=4
If you have an I-phone 5, you can either use the Apple power cord & deal with the extra 2 1/2 feet or so of extra length to connect to the USB receptacle or get a shorter aftermarket cord. So far the shortest one I've found is 2' long. (Need about a 6" length) The 5 also uses a new connector- USB to Lightning. It is not the same size or configuration as the more common B size, although they look somewhat similar.

Those with the 4 or 4s have a larger selection of power cords.

What are you using for your GPS apps? So far, I've found "Greatest Roads", a motorcycle-specific GPS app along with Google maps. They need to work together. Haven't had a chance to play with either yet.

BobPS · 03-07-2013, 10:17 PM

I have lifeproof case for my iphone 4 and I'm thinking about getting a mount for it. I use the iphone for gps too. I thought about getting lifeproof mount, but after reading this thread I think I'm gonna skip it and instead get a RAM mount with RAM spring loaded phone craddle holder or their x mount.

BTW, for gps app, I use Tomtom for iphone. I want to be able to use the gps without cell phone signal, the phone bill gets expensive with continuous map use, so I picked tomtom cause I can have the map stored in my phone.

funinthesun · 03-08-2013, 12:37 AM

I mounted the belt clip for my lifeproof case for my 4 to a ram mount and cut out the charging area and used it for a two years no problems. I now have the 5 and modified my 4 mount to fit the 5 case ( cut in half and put aluminum plate to make longer) as they didnt have a belt clip for the 5 and it's still works great. prior to the mod for the 5, I could even rotate the phone to landscape and the belt clip held it there even through heavy off road. I found this to be much better for the nav apps. here is a pic of it. 10hr+ rain storms plugged in no water in case!
Sorry the phone isnt there it was taking the pic

Docktor I use the navigon app with the maps saved on phone plus motion x for real offroad. I also carry a handheld but have yet to require it. also I have a delorme inreach which gave me topo maps along with the service.

i have another iphone 4 clip that I dont think i will ever use. here is a pic of it cut and with the mount.

all i did was take a hacksaw blade and cut it out sides first (front to back of clip) then across the back to make enough room(just a little on each side.
hope this helps.

16VGTIDave · 03-11-2013, 04:41 PM

Thanks for the pics! I bought the bar mount a couple weeks ago but haven't used it yet. I completely forgot to check to see if a charging cable would fit. It's now dremel time!

Dave

funinthesun · 03-11-2013, 04:53 PM

I just used a hacksaw blade. Took about 5 min to make the cuts.
Don't have too much fun

16VGTIDave · 03-11-2013, 05:19 PM

All done! Nice and clean with rounded corners. Power tools rock!

And I modded the case a little to allow the door to open just a bit more than it used to. Now inserting the cable is easier with less fumbling. I like making things work better!

FASTnSPEEDY · 03-11-2013, 08:33 PM

A quick update: Last week I cut the mount similar to what funinthesun did above and it looks like it'll be good. I did 200+ miles of off-road this past week and a lot more paved fun and it held up through it all (including a little crash).

funinthesun · 03-11-2013, 08:44 PM

Yep I've gone down at 10mph or so at least 20 times in the dirt with mine. No problems. I've had this setup on 2 bikes and over 50,000 miles. The only problem I have is the phone overheats in the summer when in sunlight. I've found that unplugging it and getting the case wet every so often stops this from hapining. Ya waterproof case.
Also I have never had to unplug my phone in a rain storm when mounted behind the windscreen. But that will be a risk for anyone who try's it. I have the bestbuy warranty on my phone so I have taken the risk. So FYI many miles and downpours and never a problem.

03-06-2013, 10:57 PM	#1
FASTnSPEEDY ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Oddometer: 44	Lifeproof handlebar mount - cutting to allow charging while mounted I have the lifeproof handlebar mount for my iPhone and love it. I never use the garmin anymore now that I have the iPhone. The main problem I have with the iPhone is that the battery only lasts ~4 hours using the GPS non-stop. The mount doesn't allow the charging door to be opened while in the mount, but I was considering taking the dremel to it to change that. Has anyone done this? If so has it caused breakage issues down the road? http://www.amazon.com/LifeProof-Bike...ef=pd_sxp_f_pt

03-08-2013, 12:37 AM	#5
funinthesun Adventurer Joined: Oct 2009 Location: so cal Oddometer: 69	I mounted the belt clip for my lifeproof case for my 4 to a ram mount and cut out the charging area and used it for a two years no problems. I now have the 5 and modified my 4 mount to fit the 5 case ( cut in half and put aluminum plate to make longer) as they didnt have a belt clip for the 5 and it's still works great. prior to the mod for the 5, I could even rotate the phone to landscape and the belt clip held it there even through heavy off road. I found this to be much better for the nav apps. here is a pic of it. 10hr+ rain storms plugged in no water in case! Sorry the phone isnt there it was taking the pic Docktor I use the navigon app with the maps saved on phone plus motion x for real offroad. I also carry a handheld but have yet to require it. also I have a delorme inreach which gave me topo maps along with the service. i have another iphone 4 clip that I dont think i will ever use. here is a pic of it cut and with the mount. all i did was take a hacksaw blade and cut it out sides first (front to back of clip) then across the back to make enough room(just a little on each side. hope this helps. __________________ If you didn't crash at lease once, you were not having enough fun! funinthesun screwed with this post 03-08-2013 at 12:50 AM

03-11-2013, 04:53 PM	#7
funinthesun Adventurer Joined: Oct 2009 Location: so cal Oddometer: 69	I just used a hacksaw blade. Took about 5 min to make the cuts. Don't have too much fun __________________ If you didn't crash at lease once, you were not having enough fun!

03-11-2013, 08:44 PM	#10
funinthesun Adventurer Joined: Oct 2009 Location: so cal Oddometer: 69	Yep I've gone down at 10mph or so at least 20 times in the dirt with mine. No problems. I've had this setup on 2 bikes and over 50,000 miles. The only problem I have is the phone overheats in the summer when in sunlight. I've found that unplugging it and getting the case wet every so often stops this from hapining. Ya waterproof case. Also I have never had to unplug my phone in a rain storm when mounted behind the windscreen. But that will be a risk for anyone who try's it. I have the bestbuy warranty on my phone so I have taken the risk. So FYI many miles and downpours and never a problem. __________________ If you didn't crash at lease once, you were not having enough fun!

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03-07-2013, 11:50 AM	#2
jprovence Adventurer Joined: Sep 2012 Oddometer: 68	Get an iphone 5... It does allow the door to be open. joking aside. You should be fine to whittle a bit of material off for clearance to open the door.

03-07-2013, 07:02 PM	#3
theDoktor Husky Racer Joined: Feb 2011 Location: Syracuse, NY Oddometer: 100	I just picked up an I-phone 5 with the Lifeproof case and am planning on getting their mount. You will DEFINITELY need to run power to the phone- it sucks down battery power big time when in GPS mode. I found a nice USB power tap for this on another thread. http://advrider.com/forums/showthrea...=851403&page=4 If you have an I-phone 5, you can either use the Apple power cord & deal with the extra 2 1/2 feet or so of extra length to connect to the USB receptacle or get a shorter aftermarket cord. So far the shortest one I've found is 2' long. (Need about a 6" length) The 5 also uses a new connector- USB to Lightning. It is not the same size or configuration as the more common B size, although they look somewhat similar. Those with the 4 or 4s have a larger selection of power cords. What are you using for your GPS apps? So far, I've found "Greatest Roads", a motorcycle-specific GPS app along with Google maps. They need to work together. Haven't had a chance to play with either yet.

03-07-2013, 10:17 PM	#4
BobPS Adventurer Joined: Sep 2012 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia Oddometer: 90	I have lifeproof case for my iphone 4 and I'm thinking about getting a mount for it. I use the iphone for gps too. I thought about getting lifeproof mount, but after reading this thread I think I'm gonna skip it and instead get a RAM mount with RAM spring loaded phone craddle holder or their x mount. BTW, for gps app, I use Tomtom for iphone. I want to be able to use the gps without cell phone signal, the phone bill gets expensive with continuous map use, so I picked tomtom cause I can have the map stored in my phone.

03-11-2013, 04:41 PM	#6
16VGTIDave Adventurer Joined: Nov 2012 Location: South Western Ontario, Canada Oddometer: 55	Thanks for the pics! I bought the bar mount a couple weeks ago but haven't used it yet. I completely forgot to check to see if a charging cable would fit. It's now dremel time! Dave

03-11-2013, 05:19 PM	#8
16VGTIDave Adventurer Joined: Nov 2012 Location: South Western Ontario, Canada Oddometer: 55	All done! Nice and clean with rounded corners. Power tools rock! And I modded the case a little to allow the door to open just a bit more than it used to. Now inserting the cable is easier with less fumbling. I like making things work better!

03-11-2013, 08:33 PM	#9
FASTnSPEEDY ^OP Adventurer Joined: Jul 2008 Oddometer: 44	A quick update: Last week I cut the mount similar to what funinthesun did above and it looks like it'll be good. I did 200+ miles of off-road this past week and a lot more paved fun and it held up through it all (including a little crash).