Building custom navigation for a ridiculously fast bike
By: Elijah Zarlin
The 2020 Phantom motorcycle from Caravjal Motors has a carbon fiber monocoque chassis surrounding a 6-speed transmission, and a 90 degree V8 flat plane crankshaft, with a 13:1 compression ratio putting out 460 hp naturally aspirated at 10,000 rpm, and 280 lb-ft of torque.
To make the most of this machine, you’ll want to stay out of traffic. So it’s also got a custom, embedded touchscreen dashboard, featuring turn-by-turn navigation with live traffic and multiple map styles.
When developer Eric Rosas shared the project on Twitter, we needed all the details. We asked him to fill us in on how he built it and when we could get a test ride:
Are you a developer who builds motorcycles? A motorcycle builder who codes? What’s your background?
I’m a self-taught iOS Mobile Application Developer, not a motorcycle builder. I had developed various digital dashboard applications for the iOS platform available in iTunes. Antonio Carvajal [of Caravajal Motors] downloaded one of my digital dashboard apps and reached out to me. He asked me if I could develop a digital dashboard app with navigation for his custom Phantom motorcycle.
How did you decide to build the project with Mapbox?
Antonio wanted to create something different, out of the box, from the normal custom bike builds. We spent about a week sketching the user interface. He asked me about creating multiple views of the map from day to dark to give the riders the option of changing views anytime they wanted. I knew that Apple Maps API was out of the question as it does not provide that feature. I read about Mapbox and once I checked out the site and documentation, I told Antonio we could provide multiple map views and navigation. What attracted me to the platform the most was the 3D navigation option and real-time traffic data.
How did you build it?
I downloaded the Maps SDK for iOS to get started. Then I looked into the Navigation SDK for turn-by-turn directions and ways to improve upon that. I read the documentation on the website to find ways to incorporate map view changes, 3D view, and live traffic. Once I got a feel for using the SDK, I was able to move forward quickly because of the great documentation provided for developers. We decided on using an iPad & Android Tablet to give options to new owners. I developed the iOS version in Objective C and Android Version in Java.
What challenges did you face in building this?
I faced many challenges at first trying to figure things out from incorporating the Navigation SDK with the 3D map & search bar (Geocoding API), using Objective C programming Language versus Swift. However, I enjoyed the learning curve as I was able to incorporate other features like map UI changes (Satellite/Streets/Dark) within the same view controller.
What are you most excited about with the project?
The “Live Traffic API” was by far the best feature to incorporate into this project as The Phantom will spend most of its time on the roads throughout California. Antonio wanted to navigate around heavy traffic areas and having that option helps him steer clear of those. When he begins selling the motorcycles the owners will enjoy the very clean interface and simple use of the navigation. No other motorcycle company out there has this capability on their motorcycles.
What’s next for you?
This project was my very first time utilizing Mapbox. However, I’m adding Mapbox to my digital dashboard apps because it’s so much more versatile than using Apple’s Map API. Giving my app users more options and features is a must for me. I’m also working on the infotainment system using Mapbox for Antonio’s automotive projects. There’s no other maps platform even close to what Mapbox has available right now for developers.
Elijah Zarlin - Brand marketing - Mapbox | LinkedIn
2020 Phantom motorcycle: 460 hp, 280 lb-ft torque & in-dash navigation was originally published in Points of interest on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.