Can a motorcycle phone mount be sexy? We think we’ve found one

If you’ve got a premium motorcycle, why shouldn’t your accessories be first class too, and look a little sexy to boot? After all, if you’ve spent the best part of £20,000 on a new adventure or touring bike, you don’t want a cheap-looking plastic phone mount on your handlebars staring back at you.

This is one of the reasons you’ll see Peak Design phone mounts and cases on so many of ABR‘s long-term review bikes: they manage to combine those sleek good looks with great functionality, and reliability.

Road tested

If fact, Editor James has one sitting pretty on his BMW R 1300 GS right now. And because he uses his phone for everything, from plotting routes for multi-day UK rides for ABR magazine to picking his way through ruts, dirt, and mud on local green lanes, it’s safe to say Peak Design’s kit has been rigorously tested, and it has never come up short.

Handsome, yes, but handy as well

The new GNAR Phone Case was created with a sleek minimalist design in mind

That offer includes the California-based company’s new phone accessory, the GNAR Case for iPhone 16. Thankfully, it retains Peak Design’s signature handsome looks as well as the brand’s SlimLink locking system on the back of the new phone case, which is by far the quickest and easiest way we’ve found to attach and release a phone to a mount on a motorcycle without any faff.

The waterproof, polycarbonate case and padding within it are both incrementally thicker than previous designs. And, combined with the raised camera and screen bezel, the updates mean that if you accidentally knock your phone off the side of a table or out of your pocket, your phone has a much better chance of withstanding the punishment without damage to its vital internals.

Shaken but not stirred

A detailed look inside a Peak Design motorcycle mount

Without some robust damping, vibration is your phone’s worst enemy when mounted on your motorcycle because it can damage the camera, particularly the auto focus function. Peak Design mounts mitigate this issue by rubber spacers (6 sylicon cylinders) between a combination of magnets and a physical latch. After thousands of miles of usage, our phones remain in perfect working order.

Another problem with many phone mounts is that they require the use of both hands: one to hold the phone, and the other to manipulate the detachment mechanism. A mount of this type may provide the security you need, but can be annoying when you need to make a quick payment at a toll booth or stop to capture a spectacular photo opportunity.

Peak Design was aware of this so it created a mount that can be operated with one gloved-up hand. This enables you to access your phone, activate payment apps and be on your way without wasting precious riding time while you remove your gloves and rummage around in pockets for your payment card or identification.

And of course, they’re also built with minimal clutter and a sleek, minimalist design so the mount itself doesn’t distract from the looks of your motorcycle.

Simplicity can be sexy

The Peak Design motorcycle mount uses a latch and magnet system that can be operated with one hand

So, in light of all of these practical virtues, can a motorcycle mount truly be sexy? To be sexy doesn’t always mean being an attention grabber. Sometimes, the sexiest accessory for your motorcycle is the one that’s built to last but also blends in so seamlessly that you forget it’s even there.

You can find out more about Peak Design products at their website here.