36 replies to this topic

[SWing'R]

So I made one the $5 pvc camera mounts based off this video on youtube... YouTube - DIY $5 camera mount for motorcycle assembly instructions

Recon has one like it too. Just finished it up and put it on this morning,
mounted the camera and took a quick spin around the neighborhood...
YouTube - First video

I think if I aim it down just slightly I'll be able to pick up the speedo readout,
the way its aimed right now I can see the top of the numbers. I'll try reaiming it
later today and take it out on a couple nearby twisties!

I plan on pickin up a Hero camera sometime, for now my current digital camera is
all I got, it doesn't do sound and will only go 6minutes with the size card I have in it.
But for now its ok.

Edited by SWing'R, 05 September 2009 - 10:15 AM.

[Hoblick]

nice job

[Big Speazy]

nice. try picking up a bigger card? Microcenter is pretty good for a cheap sd card. I got a 2 gig for like 6 bucks. Rigged my camera up on my backpack strap with some velcro and a 5$ camera case with a hole in it. since I almost always have my backp with me.

[Dubguy85]

Sweet! Too bad it won't work on clip ons...

[Strictly Street]

Very cool idea.

A caution for anybody else out there trying this

You can only screw so many threads deep into the camera body before you crack the circuit boards or other needed parts on the inside of the camera case.

Direct from the "You might wonder how I know this" category.

I might opt for a shorter bolt or a washer or two.

[SWing'R]

Very cool idea.

A caution for anybody else out there trying this

You can only screw so many threads deep into the camera body before you crack the circuit boards or other needed parts on the inside of the camera case.

Direct from the "You might wonder how I know this" category.

I might opt for a shorter bolt or a washer or two.

With just that in mind I used a fender washer with a self-adhesive felt pad attached to it,
drilled a hole thru the felt then used a wing nut under it so I snug up the camera on the bolt
then tighten up the wingnut and washer from under it and it snugs up and holds her tight.

I'll post a few closeups of the mount and camera mounted to it shortly.


BTW, thanks to whichever mod moved this thread to the "How-To" forum for me!

Edited by SWing'R, 05 September 2009 - 10:46 AM.
Thanked mod!

[ReconRat]

I gently turn the camera onto the bolt until it bottoms, and then back it out to point wherever. I have an upside down wingnut with rubber washer to snug up from below. The way a camera mount should. My cheapo snap and shoot digitals that I buy, all have anti-shake. Perfect for the bike. I find that a 2gig SD card recording 640x480 runs out a little bit before the two AA batteries. It will record about 50 minutes. I change both at the same time and do it again. Get a bag(s) or something for cards and batteries, so that you can put fresh ones in one place, and used ones in the other.

Edited by ReconRat, 05 September 2009 - 11:36 AM.
moar

[buildit]

Carefull you don't video yourself having your first accident!

I'm assuming you never made it over ~25 mph? Most mounts, like the one you made, have a serious problem in that they pick up all the road vibration from the handle bars. A way to soften this is to buy a piece of spring steel at lows or Home Depot and another piece of all thread. Bolt the steel to the base, and attach the all thread to the other end. This will not only dampen the vibration but allow you a wider variety of angles to shoot from. Here's an early video I made riding on gravel with a mount using this method.
http://s147.photobucket.com/albums/r288/luke1324/rides/?action=view¤t=farmroadride.flv
The camera was a Nikon Coolpix L2. It finally stoped working and since then I've tried to find another Nikon Coolpix that has a center mount as it adds stability to the camera. Here's a photo of how it looked on my V-max.



Recently I started using a palm camera on the back of the KLR to record people riding behind me. I made a case with foam bottom and sides to cushion it and then mounted it using the same method.


The rear view shots in this video were made using it.
YouTube - Tar Hollow 8 9 09 video

Edited by buildit, 05 September 2009 - 01:37 PM.

[fox_racing_guy]

buildit, where did you take that first video with the camera mounted on your V-max, is that in Ohio? I have another use for that much open land if it's close by.

[ReconRat]

Carefull you don't video yourself having your first accident!

I'm assuming you never made it over ~25 mph? Most mounts, like the one you made, have a serious problem in that they pick up all the road vibration from the handle bars...

My homemade mount works fine up to 140+.
It works better than any store bought mount I have tried.
Any mount on the centerline of a vehicle, will have less vibration.
Mine is located between the handlebar mounts, not really on "the handlebars" where it would vibrate.
The enginerd in me wants to say it's not vibration anyway, it's harmonic oscillation.

[ReconRat]

A way to soften this is to buy a piece of spring steel at lows or Home Depot and another piece of all thread. Bolt the steel to the base, and attach the all thread to the other end. This will not only dampen the vibration but allow you a wider variety of angles to shoot from...

Granted, what works is good.
But spring steel does not dampen vibration nor harmonic oscillation. If anything, it would be the opposite, it's rather good at it. What you have is a length of metal for a mount that is not sympathetic to the vibrations and harmonic oscillations that are found at the point it is mounted on the bike. So it's all good. If it had vibrated, you could have shortened or lengthened it to try to stop it, or added a weight or brace between the two to try to dampen oscillation.

Rubber and/or cork washers or barriers all over the place will do a good job also, stopping transient transmission of frequencies.

Everything has a natural frequency of oscillation. Metal happens to be particularly good at it. Because of the density. Get the right frequency, and it will hum and sing like a tuning fork.

This is why mounting on the centerline of a vehicle is so much easier. It eliminates multitudes of various lengths of parts that all want to oscillate per the harmonics of the engine and chassis.

[SWing'R]

I'm assuming you never made it over ~25 mph? Most mounts, like the one you made, have a serious problem in that they pick up all the road vibration from the handle bars.

In that first spin around the neighborhood yeah I only got up to about 20.
I just shot a quick one outside the development and was doing 58 when the batteries
died in the camera. That video looked great, no vibration, and I had the camera angled
down and you can see my speedo and the tach. I'm charging the batteries up now and
hope to get a better sample video either tonight or sometime tomorrow.

[fireman_343]

Going to have to check this out when I get home...

[Likwid]

Nice work man!

[SWing'R]

Ok. So yeah I guess I need a better camera , took a run up Rt 257 between Home Rd and the Zoo and shot video,
granted the camera I currently have is not designed for this kind videoing, the vibrations were bad since this camera does not have any antivibration feature.

I'm uploading the video to youtube at this moment, once its done I'll post it here.

Gotta save up for a Hero!

Here is the video, this is Rt 257 going South, starting at the boat dock just South of Home Rd...
YouTube - 2009 09 05 rt257

Edited by SWing'R, 05 September 2009 - 10:34 PM.
Added video

[ReconRat]

I'll have to run mine a short way and show what it will do. It will blur a bit when revving to redline, but my eyeballs do too, so I don't expect anything different from a camera.

And I've never tried my GoPro on this mount. I should try and see what it does. After finding good video with the other camera, I didn't bother. But the GoPro is all weather, and I should find out what it does there. And I've got four different digital cameras with anti-shake, and I've only tried one so far. This might keep me busy for a while.

[buildit]

Well, I'm no engineer but the science behind the spring steel works pretty well for me as cheap fix. I have a rubber stopper included in the video camera holder on the KLR which helps too. The ultimate vibration isolator is your body, which is why after dicking around with mounts for two years I finally got a good quality helmet cam.

[ReconRat]

Well, I'm no engineer but the science behind the spring steel works pretty well for me as cheap fix. I have a rubber stopper included in the video camera holder on the KLR which helps too. The ultimate vibration isolator is your body, which is why after dicking around with mounts for two years I finally got a good quality helmet cam.

Exactly, which is why I haven't given up on the older GoPro yet. It should work fine anywhere on me or the helmet. Or packed in foam or something, and used as a rear cam...

[kawi kid]

i think if you aim it up a little more so its not focusing on your speedo and tach it might be alittle better.

[SWing'R]

i think if you aim it up a little more so its not focusing on your speedo and tach it might be alittle better.

I'll play around with it abit more over the weekend. Thats how I had it in the first two short vids I took,
but I kinda like seeing the speedo in the vid.

Being able to take any video is better then none at all though!