Should the tracker go on the bike or on me?

On the bike gives power and a clear sky view, but it stays behind if you leave the bike. On the jacket, a small unit goes where you go. Many riders use the bike mount for the road and carry the tracker when they walk away. Whichever you choose, it needs a view of the sky.

Can I power an inReach from the bike?

Garmin sells inReach units and mounts, and the Mini 2 lists up to 14 days of battery in 10-minute tracking mode, so many riders charge it at night from a USB port. Check your own model's manual.

Do I plan one leg per day?

It works well. A leg is one stretch with its own dates, and you can add a GPX per leg or leave a leg with no route. A 6-month tour can be one leg per country instead.

Who comes if I crash?

Press SOS. Garmin Response (inReach) or SPOT's GEOS centre coordinates the rescue. Set up emergency contacts with Garmin or SPOT, because they are told on an SOS. AdventureLive emails your home contacts the time, the place on a map and your trip page when you send a HELP message, but it does not run rescues.

Guide · Live tracking

Motorbike tour live tracking: let family follow every day

By AdventureLive · Updated 13 November 2026

3D satellite view of Sani Pass, Lesotho — 3D map: AdventureLive. Imagery: Esri, Maxar, Earthstar Geographics

An adventure motorbike tour has long days, remote passes and people at home who check their phones more than you would guess. A tracker on the bike lets them see you without you doing anything. This guide covers where to put it, how to plan the days, and what family sees.

Why use a satellite tracker on a bike tour?

Because the good roads are often the ones with no signal. A pass in Lesotho, a gravel track on the Trans-Euro Trail or a long stretch of the Pan-American can run for hours without data. A phone app that shares your location stops when the data stops. A satellite tracker sends a position through satellites, so it keeps going as long as it can see the sky.

The tracker also gives you an SOS button that works where the phone does not. That matters most when you ride alone.

What about phone apps like REVER?

REVER is a motorcycle route planner and ride tracker. Its site lists offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and says ride tracking "requires no cell service", plus live friend tracking. It is a good fit for planning rides and for days with signal. A phone with no data cannot send its position to anyone, though, so for off-grid stretches your family needs a satellite tracker. Many riders use both: REVER for the route, an inReach or SPOT for being seen. Check REVER's own pages for how its live sharing works.

Where do I mount the tracker: bike or jacket?

Either works, and each has a cost.

	On the bike	On the jacket or pack
Sky view	Often good on a handlebar or tank bag top	Good on a shoulder strap or pack lid
Power	Can be charged from the bike's USB port	Battery only
If you walk away from the bike	Stays behind	Comes with you
Vibration and weather	More	Less

The inReach Mini 2 weighs 3.5 oz, and Garmin lists up to 14 days of run time in 10-minute tracking mode, and up to 30 days in 30-minute mode, with a full sky view. Garmin also makes a motorbike-specific navigator, the zumo XT2, that works with an inReach Messenger. A SPOT works too, with tracking intervals from 5 minutes on Gen4 plans (and 2.5 minutes with the Extreme add-on).

For a closer comparison, read inReach vs SPOT vs ZOLEO for expeditions.

Test your mount on a short ride first. A tracker under a metal tank bag, or under a pannier lid, may not get a clear view.

How do I plan a tour as legs?

One leg per riding day is easy to read. One leg per country is easier to plan. A leg can last an afternoon or months, so you can mix them.

Sign in on the web app with Google or an email link.
Plan a trip with a name, a start, and an optional end.
Add legs. Give a leg a GPX file if you have one, or leave a leg with no route. With no route, followers see the dot and the line you actually rode.

Followers then see the day, the leg and the distance, on legs with a route. They can also use Fly the route to preview a leg on the 3D map before you ride it.

How do I link the tracker?

For an inReach, turn on MapShare in your Garmin Explore account, then in My trackers choose Garmin inReach, paste your MapShare address (and the password, if you set one), and choose Link and test it. For a SPOT, create a shared page in your SPOT account and paste its link.

You can link both a bike unit and a jacket unit. The freshest position wins, so there is always one dot. If you also wear a Garmin watch, you can add its LiveTrack address, but LiveTrack needs your phone to have signal. See Garmin LiveTrack with no phone signal.

Help: Link a tracker.

AdventureLive reads your tracker only while a trip is live, no more often than every 4 minutes for an inReach or every 2.5 minutes for a SPOT. The dot is only as fresh as your tracker's interval. A 10-minute interval gives about one new dot every 10 minutes, which is fine for a long straight road and thin on a twisty pass. Shorten the interval on days you care about.

What do the people at home see?

They open the link in any browser. They do not need an app or an account.

A 3D satellite map with the line ridden and your dot.
"Seen 22 min ago, via inReach", so they know how old the position is.
Check-ins: messages you send from the device.
The weather where you are, now and for the next 48 hours.
Safety alerts for strong wind and gales, freezing or severe cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms, where you are and on the route ahead.

On a mountain pass, that last line is useful. A family member who sees "thunderstorm risk on the route ahead" can send you a message. The page refreshes by itself every minute.

For weather months before the tour, the trip page shows typical weather for your dates, from ten years of records. When a leg is within about 10 days, it switches to the forecast. The forecast is a guide, so check local forecasts and warnings, and road reports for passes.

Do I have to remember to start it?

No. Going live needs nothing. From an hour before a leg starts, the tracker's first position puts the trip live. On a leg with a route, it must be within 25 km of the line. You can also use Start now, Pause, Resume and End trip by hand from any phone's browser.

After 12 quiet hours the line breaks, and the next position starts the next stretch. So a night in a guesthouse does not draw a false line.

Who can follow, and can I keep it private?

You choose per trip: Findable, Link only, or People I approve. With People I approve, followers sign in and ask, and you approve or decline. Turning off the trip link stops it for everyone. See Who can see you.

What if I come off?

Press SOS on your inReach or SPOT. The rescue is run by Garmin Response for an inReach and by SPOT's GEOS centre for a SPOT. They coordinate with local rescue services.

They also tell the emergency contacts you set with Garmin or SPOT, so set those up. AdventureLive emails up to five home contacts, with the time, the place on a map and the trip page, when you send a HELP message. If you cancel it, a cancel email follows. Followers never see these emails. See Home contacts.

Before you ride

Charge the tracker, set the interval, check the plan is active.
Turn on MapShare or the SPOT shared page, link it, test it from home.
Plan the legs and send the trip link to family.
Name your home contacts.
Ride a short loop and check the dot on your own trip page.

For four-wheeled long trips, see overlanding live tracking. Part of How to let family track you live on an adventure. Plan your trip.

Questions people ask

Should the tracker go on the bike or on me?: On the bike gives power and a clear sky view, but it stays behind if you leave the bike. On the jacket, a small unit goes where you go. Many riders use the bike mount for the road and carry the tracker when they walk away. Whichever you choose, it needs a view of the sky.
Can I power an inReach from the bike?: Garmin sells inReach units and mounts, and the Mini 2 lists up to 14 days of battery in 10-minute tracking mode, so many riders charge it at night from a USB port. Check your own model's manual.
Do I plan one leg per day?: It works well. A leg is one stretch with its own dates, and you can add a GPX per leg or leave a leg with no route. A 6-month tour can be one leg per country instead.
What do the people at home see?: A 3D map with your line, the dot and a note like 'Seen 22 min ago, via inReach', check-ins you send from the device, and the weather where you are for the next 48 hours, with safety alerts for wind, cold, heat, heavy rain and thunderstorms.
Who comes if I crash?: Press SOS. Garmin Response (inReach) or SPOT's GEOS centre coordinates the rescue. Set up emergency contacts with Garmin or SPOT, because they are told on an SOS. AdventureLive emails your home contacts the time, the place on a map and your trip page when you send a HELP message, but it does not run rescues.

Sources

Guide · Satellite trackersinReach vs SPOT vs ZOLEO for expeditionsinReach, SPOT and ZOLEO compared for expeditions: networks, coverage, tracking intervals, SOS, plan prices and weights, and which work with AdventureLive.

Guide · Live trackingOverlanding live tracking: let family follow every legLet family follow a Namibia or Outback overland trip live: a satellite tracker on the vehicle, one leg per stretch, and the weather where you are.

How-to · Satellite trackersShare your inReach MapShare with family (and make it better)Turn on MapShare in Garmin Explore, set a password, send the link, then add the weather, alerts and home contacts by linking it to AdventureLive.

Guide · Satellite trackersA SPOT shared page alternative your family will actually useSPOT's shared page shows where you are. Here is what SpotWalla and AdventureLive add: a 3D map, the weather where you are, alerts and HELP emails to home.

Guide · Live trackingBikepacking live tracking: Tour Divide and self-supported racesThe Tour Divide uses a race tracking page. Your family also wants the weather where you are and a HELP email. Here is how one tracker can feed both.