Videocamera Mounts

[Larrym]

I just put three video camera mount bases on my 79 special.

The entire mount looks like this:



It's available from "Ram Mounts":

http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResu...5/Default.aspx



Video camera attaches to top and the mount U-bolts on where ever you decide will work for the shot you want. I bought three of the bases and mounted one to my handlebar center, one to my left engine case guard, and one to the sissy bar behind my seat. This lets me use the same arm and camera mount at all three positions.

Here's the "screentest" of the hardware:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swZZkLE_ib0

The camera didn't wobble, flop, or vibrate like my former "versions". The camera audio does pick up the vibrations and noises from the engine but that's not the mount's fault.

[Larrym]

Ram Mount Times Four

Ok... So here's some real world Pics of my cameras/mounts set up on my bike:

From a distance:


(Not too obvious, eh???)

First the mounting "Balls" (Heh..heh..)

Forward Camera:





Right/Rear Camera:





Rear Camera:





Left Front Camera:





Point is that I"m not always out there as a rolling camera platform or a "chase bike" to make videos. I leave the "Balls" mounted all the time. Cosmetically they sorta blend in whenever I DON'T use them. They're just little black balls held on by U-bolts.

The "Arms" look like this:





They take up little space in my Saddlebags. (Thx C-Bug...)

The cameras I currently use are fairly small also:







Three of the cameras are the same color so I use masking tape to ID them. Not the best cameras in the world but then they only cost about $40 each.


Screw the round ball already attached to the Arm into the camera and then place the Camera/Ball/Arm onto the Ball already mounted on the XS and then:

Front Camera:











Rear Right Camera:





Rear Camera:







Front Left Camera:





A Car length away it's hard to tell anything's "happening" IMO:







I like the fact that the mounts allow for changing things. I mean that I can make the cameras point in any direction from any of the mounting positions. IE: the front left camera can look left and up if I'm capturing another XS bike/rider or it can look forward from a "down low" position towards that "sweeper" ahead. Depends on what I choose to do in the situation that presents itself.

More often than not I don't even ride unless I've got at least one camera up and running. A sort of "black box" mentality just in case there's a mishap on the roadway and if not? Then I can either download the flash card to my computer in case the ride was awesome or delete it right there on the camera if it wasn't. ( Rides that aren't awesome??!! Puh...Leeeze!!!)

One last offering: The cameras I use have the mounting position far forward on the camera body.



This led to some "vibration" in the camera itself during bumps or just engine Rpms. After all, the main body of the camera was held only by the front.

My Solution:



I made adapter plates that support the cameras in a more balanced way. Dramatically reduced the amount of video "waviness" caused by engine vibration.

Cost? Well....

Arms were each around $10, the balls were $8 each, and the U-bolts with balls were $13 each. That didn't make me whimper too much.

Why Four mounts/arms/cameras???

See this.

If it's worth doing then it's worth overdoing...

[cywelchjr]

Cost? Well....

Arms were each around $10, the balls were $8 each, and the U-bolts with balls were $13 each. That didn't make me whimper too much.

Why Four mounts/arms/cameras???

See this.

If it's worth doing then it's worth overdoing...

Ok, I can see the why, but HOW did you do the switching of the video while having the audio never seem to change with it? It was like 4 synced camera's with one single audio track, that seemed to be in sync with the video at all times.

[kevxs]

im guessing he sync'd up the cameras and edited it on his computer and just used the audio track from 1 camera, no live switching required.

[Larrym]

Ok, I can see the why, but HOW did you do the switching of the video while having the audio never seem to change with it? It was like 4 synced camera's with one single audio track, that seemed to be in sync with the video at all times.

Cy,

kevxs got it right....The video from all cameras were sync'd with the audio from the camera behind the sissy bar. (All the other cams had audio too but it was just wind noise from doing 60 Mph+)

The way I do it is to first aim all cameras then before the "ride" begins I walk around and push the button which starts each camera recording. Each camera starts a few seconds "off" from each other. To "sync" them together I just beep the XS horn three times.

On the computer I trim off everything before the third "beep" on each clip. Then every time I use a clip from whatever camera has the best video I just gleep the audio from the rear camera for the same time: same time start and duration as the video from any camera.

For the Columbo vid I really wanted to "mic" 3Phase's bike and use only the audio from his engine/pipes. (They've got a nice "WhoooFH sound...) Unfortunately due to the weather and time available all we could do was take a short jaunt on an interstate on the only afternoon it didn't RAIN. In the future I'll ALWAYS be placing a microphone on the other rider's XS so I'll capture their sound to put in the video.

The audio in the vid was from my bike with JC Whitney mufflers attached to the original headers....

"Columbo" has a far different sound and you can get a hint of it when 3Phase shoots ahead after "pacing" with me for a while. Sadly, I wasn't able to get the weather needed to do a "make-up" video with 3Phase/Columbo when I visited Simi Valley.

Am now in Casa Grande Az and it's NOT raining....

Now if only there was another XS/XJ here that I could ride with....

[3Phase]

Larry, I've forgotten where were you going to put the microphone. Was it next to the airbox, under the seat or what?

I could plug in a handsfree set to remote the mic from my mobile phone so it doesn't pick up breathing or wind noise when I use the phone cam to make video.

[Larrym]

The intake SUCKS.

Larry, I've forgotten where were you going to put the microphone. Was it next to the airbox, under the seat or what?

I could plug in a handsfree set to remote the mic from my mobile phone so it doesn't pick up breathing or wind noise when I use the phone cam to make video.

Scott,

My next vid was going to use audio from a mic wrapped in foam and placed inside the toolbox compartment. Likely that it would be able to pick up the sound of the airbox/intake snorkel on acceleration. (An audio homage to TC's video of the throttle slides in operation...)

I dunno about not picking up the breathing noise....I say that it might add that "realism" to the vid of what it's like to actually be on an XS/XJ. Me? If there were a mic inside my helmet there would be times where you couldn't hear me breath at all followed by periods of me hyperventilating so I wouldn't pass out.

[3Phase]

Nosey Video

Ah ha! The toolbox! <slaps forehead> Okay, the proprietary Sony-Ericsson cord is not long enough to reach all the way back to the toolbox. I'll have to experiment with the remote and voice pickup so I guess I'll try putting the mic inside my jacket.

A couple of video sound tracks were ruined because, well, holding the phone in place in the front of the helmet with my nose put the the mic way too close to my nose!