Many bikers in India today are touring and one of the biggest challenges faced by many is keeping in touch. With riding all day and sometimes at night and especially using GPS Mapping which sucks a lot of juice from the phones, it is important to have a charging source on the go. The one solution to it is using power banks, but even that has its limits to until even that goes kaput. Then the search begins for a proper wall charger and then the whole drama unfolds.
Unlike cars, bikes are not really equipped with something like a charging unit to charge your devices on the go. Though you get that feature on the top of the line cruisers, but not everyone has them and many don’t really can afford it. So the other solution is to get makeshift chargers by connecting the 12V cigarette lighter unit to the battery and connecting chargers to it. But then even that has its limitations because it is not foolproof and secondly because it is not exactly sturdy and can go kaput quite soon.
Also India is not exactly the place with a huge accessory market and not many companies are present who locally make such charging accessories for bikes, and the imported stuff is just too costly for an average Indian biker to afford. So what is the solution? The great Indian “JUGAAD!” But that is only temporary to get the work done. But for something permanent, there was a gaping hole and that is what the "BOLT Smart Charger" is planning to do and I hope that it succeeds.
When an indigenous product comes across, we never let the opportunity go and we decided to check it out to bring to you guys the first ever “Made In India” motorcycle mobile charger, BOLT. Now the reason it is called a smart charger is because they have an app for Android and iOS which you can download on your phone and you can actually manage your travels and the warranty for the device via the app. Sadly they do not have an app for Windows Phone yet and I am the unlucky one who uses a Windows Phone. I hope they do work on it and provide an app for Windows as well. Anyways, we will let you know about our experience with the Android App of Bolt.
Finally coming to the unboxing of the device, the packing of the device is plush and premium, no doubt about it. Being a company with not much competition when it comes to Indian products, they sure do have taken a lot of care to impress the customers and I surely too was way impressed with it. The size of the packing is quite big for the device it holds, but still it looks good and somewhat gives the feel of opening a premium wrist watch’s box. The size is also pretty much of the same nature.
Inside the box you get the charger device which is actually pretty small and compact and you also get the instruction manual, the battery connecting cable along with the handle bar connector for the main cable and 4 zip ties to fasten it to the frame so that it does not stay loose. Along with it you also get a nice tank pouch to connect to your bike’s tank and keep your phone in it while you charge and there is also a USB cable for charging your phone. All this for an MRP of INR 1699/- seems like a pretty good deal is you ask me. But then after all it depends on how it works.
The first impressions of the device are, it looks pretty good for now, it is lightweight and the build quality is also decent, though there are minor scuff along on the plastic, but that is acceptable. Also the charging unit is removable from the bike so that you can make sure the device will not be stolen while the bike is parked. Only one thing though that the connecting metal rods are a bit odd in sizes with one smaller than the other. Is that how it is supposed to be or is it a defect will have to be checked.
The pouch that has come along with it is also of decent quality. It has Velcro to hold the phone in place, but I did not understand the logic behind giving a cut on it on the lower side of the pouch as well. But it will be left to be seen how practical it is when connected to the bike.
Speaking of the connection, the handle mount provided with the charger is good if your bike has a proper handle bar. But your's truly is blessed with a Bajaj Pulsar 200NS which has clip ons and hence there is no space to connect the charger when checked. So a small visit to the mechanic and a phone call with the BOLT personnel (FYI they are really helpful and suggest you good solutions to fit it in case it doesn’t fit) has given me some ideas which I am going to get them done in a couple of days so that I can do a full and proper review of the device.
Until then this is the unboxing of the and first impressions of the BOLT Smart Charger. For now the device is good enough but it is to be seen how it handles in real time. I am feeling quite good and positive about it, but it is to be seen how it fares. The company also gives a 1 year replacement warranty which is activated via their Smartphone App. So even that is cool.
READ ALSO: Fixing BOLT Smart Charger on Clip On Handlebars
Stay tuned to BikesIndia for the detailed review of the BOLT Smart Charger. I have realized that many of us have bikes with clip-on handlebars, so I am going to do an article for the fitting as well along with detailed pictures so that the others like me will know how to get the charger fitted on their bikes. Share this with all your friends and we will see you soon with the review of the unit.
By: Pratik Patole
Unlike cars, bikes are not really equipped with something like a charging unit to charge your devices on the go. Though you get that feature on the top of the line cruisers, but not everyone has them and many don’t really can afford it. So the other solution is to get makeshift chargers by connecting the 12V cigarette lighter unit to the battery and connecting chargers to it. But then even that has its limitations because it is not foolproof and secondly because it is not exactly sturdy and can go kaput quite soon.Also India is not exactly the place with a huge accessory market and not many companies are present who locally make such charging accessories for bikes, and the imported stuff is just too costly for an average Indian biker to afford. So what is the solution? The great Indian “JUGAAD!” But that is only temporary to get the work done. But for something permanent, there was a gaping hole and that is what the "BOLT Smart Charger" is planning to do and I hope that it succeeds.
When an indigenous product comes across, we never let the opportunity go and we decided to check it out to bring to you guys the first ever “Made In India” motorcycle mobile charger, BOLT. Now the reason it is called a smart charger is because they have an app for Android and iOS which you can download on your phone and you can actually manage your travels and the warranty for the device via the app. Sadly they do not have an app for Windows Phone yet and I am the unlucky one who uses a Windows Phone. I hope they do work on it and provide an app for Windows as well. Anyways, we will let you know about our experience with the Android App of Bolt.
Finally coming to the unboxing of the device, the packing of the device is plush and premium, no doubt about it. Being a company with not much competition when it comes to Indian products, they sure do have taken a lot of care to impress the customers and I surely too was way impressed with it. The size of the packing is quite big for the device it holds, but still it looks good and somewhat gives the feel of opening a premium wrist watch’s box. The size is also pretty much of the same nature.
Inside the box you get the charger device which is actually pretty small and compact and you also get the instruction manual, the battery connecting cable along with the handle bar connector for the main cable and 4 zip ties to fasten it to the frame so that it does not stay loose. Along with it you also get a nice tank pouch to connect to your bike’s tank and keep your phone in it while you charge and there is also a USB cable for charging your phone. All this for an MRP of INR 1699/- seems like a pretty good deal is you ask me. But then after all it depends on how it works.
The first impressions of the device are, it looks pretty good for now, it is lightweight and the build quality is also decent, though there are minor scuff along on the plastic, but that is acceptable. Also the charging unit is removable from the bike so that you can make sure the device will not be stolen while the bike is parked. Only one thing though that the connecting metal rods are a bit odd in sizes with one smaller than the other. Is that how it is supposed to be or is it a defect will have to be checked.
The pouch that has come along with it is also of decent quality. It has Velcro to hold the phone in place, but I did not understand the logic behind giving a cut on it on the lower side of the pouch as well. But it will be left to be seen how practical it is when connected to the bike.
Speaking of the connection, the handle mount provided with the charger is good if your bike has a proper handle bar. But your's truly is blessed with a Bajaj Pulsar 200NS which has clip ons and hence there is no space to connect the charger when checked. So a small visit to the mechanic and a phone call with the BOLT personnel (FYI they are really helpful and suggest you good solutions to fit it in case it doesn’t fit) has given me some ideas which I am going to get them done in a couple of days so that I can do a full and proper review of the device.Until then this is the unboxing of the and first impressions of the BOLT Smart Charger. For now the device is good enough but it is to be seen how it handles in real time. I am feeling quite good and positive about it, but it is to be seen how it fares. The company also gives a 1 year replacement warranty which is activated via their Smartphone App. So even that is cool.
READ ALSO: Fixing BOLT Smart Charger on Clip On Handlebars
Stay tuned to BikesIndia for the detailed review of the BOLT Smart Charger. I have realized that many of us have bikes with clip-on handlebars, so I am going to do an article for the fitting as well along with detailed pictures so that the others like me will know how to get the charger fitted on their bikes. Share this with all your friends and we will see you soon with the review of the unit.
By: Pratik Patole