Riding in hot weather, especially wearing a helmet, is tough work. You need to stay hydrated. Today, we discuss options available for motorcycle drink holders.
A few key points to address before selecting your drink holder mount is how large of a drink you will want to place into the holder. I have seen riders with a coffee mug taking sips at red lights. This happened in Naples Florida where it’s a much more relaxed environment than my home state of New Jersey. Here in New Jersey, I typically see bottles of water. You also need to think about where you would like to put the holder. There are a variety of places to install it available in a variety of finishes from chrome to jet black. Lastly, if you ride with a passenger, you might want to install a drink holder for the person behind you.
The most common location to mount anything, including a drink holder, is the handlebar. There are a lot of handlebar varieties available. The Kruzer Kaddy has been around for a long time. It’s a chrome mount that fits your handlebars and accommodates most drink sizes. As far as I know, this company only makes one line of products and it’s a motorcycle drink holder. Well made and weighs a little less than a pound. These fit handlebars up to 1.25 inches which covers the vast majority of motorcycles. These are available in a variety of finishes including chrome, black and a leather finish. Kruzer Kaddy provides a foam insert for the cup holder and most bottles and cups will fit in it as long as there is no handle such as those found on a coffee mug.
Another nice drink holder option for the handlebar is the RAM Mount Drink Cup Holder with U-Bolt Base. This is a different design versus the previous mount. The mount features a self leveling cup holder. RAM Mounts work on a ball and socket concept and the drink holder component hangs on a pendulum which is designed to stay level when riding. It also includes a foam insert for smaller bottles. Unlike most drink holders, there is a cutout that will permit the handle from a coffee mug to be used. These mounts also fit handlebars to 1.25 inch diameter and is available in a black finish. RAM provides a lifetime warranty on their products.
Other model motorcycles especially from Honda and Harley-Davidson can use a mounting base that fits over the clutch or brake reservoir. Similar to the mount just described, the RAM Mount Combination Brake/Clutch Reservoir U-Bolt Mount with Self-Leveling Cup Holder includes the same drink holder along with a mounting base that includes a set of bolts that will replace the ones from the manufacturer. Installation of these mounts is more difficult that simply bolting one to your handlebar. If you aren’t comfortable doing some minor work on your bike, any motorcycle mechanic can install this for you in a short period of time. Like the mount just described in the prior paragraph, this also carries a lifetime warranty.
For those that want to be a good motorcycle host, you can even get a drink holder mount for your passenger. A wide variety of passenger drink holder mounts is made by a company called Kuryakyn. We have written about this company’s mounts in prior articles. Good quality and typically made of chrome. These mounts are a bit more custom-made than others, so be sure to check for compatibility prior to purchase. These typically attach around the area of or directly to the seat handle of your motorcycle.
If you exercise safety and precaution with use of these motorcycle drink mounts, they might be an accessory that you may consider to be a worthwhile addition. Read all directions and precautions from the manufacturer before use.