Electric motorcycles from Energica, LiveWire and Zero are among the most sophisticated bikes on the road but despite having LCD guage clusters none of them include Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Most gas bikes don’t either.
Buy the Ottocast CarPlay Lite C5 Motorcycle GPS Wireless
Luckily there’s an easy solution out there to complete your motorcycle’s infotainment system.
Ottocast sent me a review unit of its CarPlay Lite C5 Motorcycle GPS with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Right out of the box I got a good impression, seeing it has 5G WiFi for a fast, stable connection and an IPX7 waterproof rating for those unavoidable downpours all motorcyclists occasionally face.
How To Install The Ottocast CarPlay Lite C5
Installing it was easy. It comes with a RAM mount-style system that attaches to just about anywhere on a motorcycle’s handlebars along with an adapter to accomodate different handlebar widths. A separate mounting ball is included that can be added to motorcycle mirrors for anyone that prefers a different mounting location. See the video at the top of this post for a quick demo of the installation and setup.
The Ottocast includes a USB power cable, making it easy to power up on many modern motorcycles. For older bikes, a 12-volt connector with positive and negative wires is in the box that can be run straight to the battery.
How to Set Up Apple Car Play Or Android Auto On A Motorcycle
Once the unit is mounted and powered up the magic begins. The first time it’s used you’ll go into settings and select either Apple Car Play or Android Auto. Depending on what side of the globe you live on you might select the third choice, which is Huawei HiCar. That mirroring system is popular in China.
After that you’ll go back to the main dash and select Android Auto or Apple Car Play. From there you’ll follow the directions on the screen and your phone to pair them up.
It’s just as simple as connecting to an automobile’s Android Auto or Apple Car Play. It supports both wired and wireless connections but on a motorcycle wireless is certainly more convenient.
The Ottocast has Dual Bluetooth 5.0 support so you can easily pair it to your Cardo, Sena, wireless ear buds or other helmet Bluetooth speaker and mic device. The CarPlay Lite C5 does include an onboard mic and speaker but its internal speaker would be hard to hear on the highway.
Pairing the Bluetooth is also intuitive since it inclues a pairing icon right on the main display.
Once the CarPlay Lite C5 is set up for the first time connecting is automatic from then on. First you key on your motorcycle. The Ottocast will quickly boot up and enter either the Android Auto or Apple Car Play mode that you previously selected. Next, power up your bluetooth device and the Ottocast will automatically connect with it. The whole process takes less than 45 seconds.
If you’ll be connecting the unit directly to your 12-volt battery or another always-on connection you’ll want to manually turn off the unit down after your ride to make sure it doesn’t run down the battery. If you’re using an accessory power source, which is what most riders will end up doing, the the Ottocast will automatically power down when the ignition is turned off.
Using the Ottocast CarPlay Lite C5
I found the display to be nice and bright, even here in sunny Florida. It also worked fine with my Tourmaster motorcycle gloves, allowing me to navigate Android Auto at red lights or when otherwise safe to do so.
When starting my Zero SR/F it even remembered what song I was previously playing on Pandora and automatically resumed it. For those that would like to keep a copy of their entire music collection on the unit, it includes a TF slot for a micro SD card.
Ottocast says it should be fine in all riding conditions since its rated to operate from -4° to 176° Fahrenheit.
The mount seems very sturdy. It includes a design that allows you to hand tighten a screw to back of the unit, pretty much guarenteeing it will never go flying off the bike if you hit a big pothole. That same screw can easily be losened by hand so you can pop the unit out of its protective mount and lock it in your topbox or take it with you when you’re off the bike.
If you prefer to leave the unit on the bike the screw can also be tightened with a screwdriver to the point it can’t be removed by hand.
During my testing, “Hey Google” voice command features worked as expected. I was able to call my wife via voice command and start an app by voice via the bluetooth connection to my Sena.
Having Android Auto at my fingertips makes my motorcycling experience complete. It also just might extend the life of my Samsung S23 Ultra since I no longer need to keep it on the handlebar, worrying about whether the constant vibrations will eventually damage one or more of its multiple camera lenses or its other electronics.
Now I keep my phone gently wrapped and charging in my Zero’s storage compartment during rides.
Ottocast provided EV Rider with the CarPlay Lite C5 featured in this review but did not have any editorial input into this video’s production, nor did it see an advance copy of the video. EV Rider’s editorial policy regarding review units is available here for anyone that would like to review it.