Motorcycle ride tracker: what to record, how to mount your phone and how to ride smoother

By the TripRank team · 30 October 2026 · 7 min read

A motorcycle ride is different from a car trip. You feel every bend, the road, the weather and the engine. A ride tracker cannot capture the feeling, but it can keep the facts: where you went, how far, how fast and how smoothly. Those facts make a ride easy to remember, compare and share.

What is worth recording on a ride

• Distance and time, so you know what your favourite loop really takes.
• Top and average speed. Average speed on a twisty road says more about your ride than top speed.
• Hard braking and hard acceleration. Smooth riders brake early and roll on the throttle. Our smooth driving guide explains the same habits for any vehicle.
• Elevation. Hill and ghat rides are defined by their climbs. See how altitude and climb are measured.
• Fuel. Bikes are thrifty, and a fuel log shows your real cost per kilometre.

How to carry the phone

• Use a proper mount that grips the phone firmly and keeps it where you can ignore it. Never hold it or fiddle with it while riding.
• Mind the vibration. Some phone makers warn that strong engine vibration can damage camera stabilisation. A vibration damper on the mount, or a secure pocket or tank bag instead, avoids the risk.
• Protect it from rain and heat. A waterproof pouch or case helps, and direct sun on a screen in summer can make a phone overheat and stop recording.
• Start the trip before you move off and keep the screen off. TripRank keeps recording in the background.

Save battery on a long ride

GPS tracking is easy on the battery compared with a bright screen and navigation, but a full day is long. Start with a full charge, use a USB charger from the bike if you have one, and read our GPS battery and accuracy guide.

How TripRank treats bikes

Add your motorcycle or scooter to the garage as a Bike. Its trips are labelled as bike trips, scored with an allowance that suits how bikes accelerate and brake, and shown on a separate Bikes filter on the leaderboard, so you compete with other riders, not with cars. Group rides work well with a private crew leaderboard.

Ride within your limits

Tracking is a record, never a reason to take a risk. Save any serious speed for a closed circuit, as in our track day guide, and enjoy the public road at a legal pace. Install TripRank free before your next ride.