Phone Mount and USB Power with the Adventure Spec Mini Faring for Honda CRF450L

July 24, 2022 Austin

The Honda CRF450L (or CRF450RL) is a fantastic dual sport motorcycle. However, in order to unlock its potential as an amazing lightweight adventure bike it needs some simple upgrades. Foremost on my list of ADV motorcycle upgrades is the Adventure Spec Mini Faring, USB Power and Phone Mount for Navigation.

I customized my CRF450L using the Adventure Spec Mini Faring, specific for the Honda CRF450L (mine is a 2019, but it would be the same for the CRF450RL), as a base for my navigation system, with the addition of tripod phone mount, and 12V to USB power socket. I love being able to use an old smart phone loaded with mapping apps, (like google maps, maps.me, Avenza and my current favorite GaiaGPS) for my core navigation system – rather than being locked into a specific GPS software.

For the phone mount, I am using the GPS mounting bracket, that came with the adventure spec mini fairing, but then I drilled out the center so I could attach an all metal tripod mount for my phone. I used a simple 1/4-20 bolt to attach the phone mount to the adventure spec mini faring. To power my navigation phone over the course of the day, I installed a standard waterproof 12V to USB socket into the provided mounting hole in the adventure spec mini faring. I utilized the factory switched (power with key on) accessory power plug on the left side of the CRF450L. I used an aftermarket waterproof connector rather than the OEM sumitomo HM 090 2 pin connector, but if you want to connect to the factory accessory plug directly, use a Sumitomo HM 090 2 pin connector. I use a short 6″ to 12″ right angle usb cable to provide power to my navigation phone.

**IMPORTANT NOTE** DO NOT use your fancy new camera phone as a navigation device. The electronics in the cameras on these phones are sensitive to the vibrations from the bike and will be destroyed riding offroad. Ask me how I know this. Use an old phone that you don’t care about.

For navigation, I use my wife’s old Pixel 2 phone. This is probably a more powerful phone than necessary for navigation, but the camera broke due to too much vibration, from being mounted to her WR250R (see note above). Her loss was my gain.

On my navigation phone I have the following navigation software:

And thats how I get robust navigation and USB power on my 2019 Honda CRF450L.

Materials Quick Reference (shopping list)

Adventure Spec Mini Faring
All metal tripod mount
Standard waterproof 12V to USB socket
Aftermarket waterproof connector (or if you want to connect to the factory accessory plug directly, use a Sumitomo HM 090 2 pin connector.)
Primary Wire
12″ right angle usb cable

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