On-board video is a powerful tool that's also a lot of fun. Riding schools use it to coach students on their technique, and you can use it to document your latest canyon-carving expedition or to show your buddy he wasn't in fact dragging his knee through that corner.
It doesn't have to be expensive, either. SportBikeCam offers high-quality camera mounts that are CNC-machined from billet aluminum and cost less than $100. Two versions are available: a front-mounting system that attaches to your bike's fuel tank and a rear-mounting system that bolts to the passenger peg mounts.
We tried the front-mount system and found it worked well for everything from commuting to track days. The camera is protected by the windscreen, you can adjust the settings on the fly, and the image approximates your tucked-in riding position. The assembly gets in the way of you actually tucking in, however, which means it's not the best setup for racing.
Our initial fear was excessive vibration, but this turned out not to be a problem as long as we used a camera with a hard disc drive. We tried a MiniDVD recorder, and it started skipping within half a lap.
SportBikeCam's camera mount...
SportBikeCam's camera mount is easy to use: Simply attach the mount to your bike's fuel filler cap, attach your camera to the flat platform and attach the platform to the mount. You're ready to start shooting.
The one problem we had, we caused ourselves. At first, the camera platform came loose whenever we braked hard, but that was because we had it mounted on the left side of the extension arm. We cured this by moving it to the right side, where the braking forces tightened the platform instead of loosening it. It would take a Top Fuel drag racer to loosen the mount under acceleration.
SportBikeCams are available for nearly all makes and models of sportbikes from 1984 to 2006 and are offered in Satin Silver or a Stealth Black finish. While most riders will likely use the mounts for video cameras, it's worth noting that the system also accommodates still cameras.
Get one and get shooting. -MC
SPORTBIKECAM CAMERA-MOUNTING SYSTEM
PRICE
MSRP: $89.95
RATING
Three out of five stars
VERDICT
An inexpensive yet effective camera-mounting system
CONTACT
SportBikeCam
(650) 592-5506
www.sportbikecam.com