Mounting Your GoPro Hero2

[SacramentoMike]

I have the new Hero2 camera, and I'm stuck for the best way to mount it. It came with an assortment of mounting gadgets, but I don't see how any of them will really suit my needs. I don't like the idea of mounting it on my helmet at all. For one thing, I use a Modular (Multitec), so the standard stick-on mount would interfere with the helmet's opening and closing. I also don't want that mounting pad permanently on the helmet. Finally, I'd be reluctant to trust it. Really seems to be a lot of stress on the glue pad, plus you'd have to be super careful carrying the helmet unless you removed the camera every time you took off the helmet.

The stretchy head band that came with the camera might work with a full-face helmet, although it's shown mounted on those little climbers' "beanie" helmets. I'd worry about motorcycle-speed wind taking that thing right off. All of the other included mounting parts rely on the sticky pads that the camera mount snaps into (kind of like the plastic buckles on a hiker's backpack.

So, questions: can I really rely on the sticky pads to hold this thing on? Permanently? Where on the bike is the best place to mount them, if so? Or what about the chest mount option? It looks like it might be 1) too low--too much of the dash/tank/handlebars, and 2) awkward and unweildy--as in, hard to use when wearing layers of gear. What do you think?

One important consideration is the main reason I wanted this in the first place: I'm doing the Alps tour this summer with Beemerdons' group, and naturally I want to preserve as much of that as I can. Won't be taking the FJR, of course, so any permanent mount there would be pretty useless. Plus if I stuck a mount pad on one of the rented bikes, the tour company might not like it much. Are they even removable? It does seem like some kind of versatile, removable mounting on the bike (handlebar maybe?) would be ideal, but I haven't seen anything like that yet.

Finally, I'm thinking of adding an extra battery. I assume the single standard battery is only good for a couple hours or so of filming. Agree? Thanks for any thoughts. I know Fred W is waiting impatiently to see the videos I'll be posting.

 

[Ignacio]

I don't think there is a "best" option. There are a variety of options with advantages and trade-offs. That said, here are a few I've tried and considered:

1. Center stand with the flat stick mount. When I first got the camera I tried

. Concur that this option doesn't work so well on a MultiTec.
As for the sticky mounts--I haven't had one fail yet. I've twisted hard on them and none *seems* like it's going to come off. So, they could be bullet proof....or they could have yet to fail. YRMV.

As for battery--I found it to last about 2-2.5 hours...which on mine is what a 16GB card tends to last in the 1280x720 widescreen mode. Having the camera in standy doesn't seem to improve that time much...so I either have it one shooting or powered off. On my XR650R where space was at a premium I rigged up a homemade 12V battery brick using AA batteries, a cigarette lighter, and power cord to the mini USB. I charged it and my iPhone 4 different times during a recent trip and never ran out of juice....I estimated it has enough juice to charge the HERO several dozen times.

 

[yamafitter]

There are a number of options available. One of the mounts that I find interesting is the Chest Mount available directly from GoPro...

The other option is a suction cup mount from GoPro that would attach somewhere on the bike...

The advantage of the suction cup mount is that you can place the camera on the bike that has a flat surface. When I use my suction cup mount with my ContourHD camera I always take the extra precaution of having a tether strap that attaches the camera directly to the bike just in case.

Having the camera on the bike works well on street bikes due to the stabilization abilities built into the camera but it works poorly on a dirt bike in which case you need to mount the camera somewhere on your body. Most folks in this situation use the helmet Velcro mounts.

I've seen some footage shot with the chest mount and it does give a nice perspective since the field of view will include the bars and instrumentation of the bike. You should be able to find these accessories at any decent shop selling the GoPro brand and it directly available from the GoPro website.

Make sure you have some good video editing software. Fred W takes poorly to lame ass videos. :angry:

 

[Tree Doc]

Did you get the "Motorsports" package? It should have come with a suction cup mount, too, if you did. The sticky pads do work, and quite well. All of the supplied mounts works very well. They are permanent but when pulled off, should clean up with Goo Gone.

I have one on my helmet and also have one mounted in the center of my front fairing between the lights and the windscreen. I've used the suction cup mount numerous times as well. It's hella strong and sticks well to the side fairing for an interesting view.

They make a Bicycle handlebar mount which I also have. It straddles a tube from small up to 1.25". It's $20. The bicycle "package" has an elastic chest mount harness that centers the camera on your chest. I just don't think it would be conducive to good video on a motorcycle.

An extra battery is certainly a good idea. You can buy the new piggy back style which comes with a whole new housing or just get a spare. The standard battery will last about 4 hrs of filming before needing a charge. I have a USB port and cable on my FJR so I can charge it while travelling but I also carry a second battery.

Also, since you going large on a long trip, you might want to spring for a few replacement parts like a new bubble lens for the housing and maybe a housing snap latch. These things are incredibly tough but a drop landing on the lens could make for ruined future video. I did snap a latch post once but GoPro replaced the housing for me. I don't know that it's a regular problem but I'd consider it.

 

[LDRydr]

Here's an option if you want to go with a RAM mount setup (like I did). LINK

 

[08FJR4ME]

I don't have a go pro (YET!) but I do mount my camera on my adjustable mount. It seems like the Ram Ball would work but you do have to keep a clean windscreen.





Dave

 

[SacramentoMike]

Thanks everybody. Great information. I think the chest harness sounds like the best for me. The perspective is good, less view of the dash area, and you can move to get more views than a stable mount on the bike would offer.

I don't have a go pro (YET!) but I do mount my camera on my adjustable mount. It seems like the Ram Ball would work but you do have to keep a clean windscreen.

That's the trouble with the Ram Ball for me. I've got one of those "Ram Bones" right at the front of the tank, but I've got stickers plastered on all my windshields (low and in the way) that I wouldn't want to remove. (I like stickers--but not as much as Patriot does.) And the Ram Mount thing wouldn't answer for the rented bike in the summer.

 

[FJRRider08]

I've used the chest mount and it shoots a lot of the dash area and hands, I also have the V shaped mount for rollbars, hose clamp it to the frame slider, that works really well. Add a Ram ball extender arm and the angles are countless. As far as the sticky pad goes, lets just say it's been high speed tested numerous times and works great, just a lot of wind noise when helmet mounted but thats to be expected. Now, if I could just find the time to sit and edit it all....

 

[CraigRegs]

I use the roll bar mount to secure it to my frame slider for low shots, and to my left mirror (I've got the FZ1 mirrors) for unobstructed forward and side shots. I've also mounted a RAM ball in the unused mirror hole on the clutch reservoir. That one tends to shake more because the cam sits on the arm and that amplifies vibrations.

 

[carlson_mn]

Here's a few examples with the included mounts. The first shot of my ass using the suction mount on the tail of the bike would be a lot better if I had my saddle bags on instead and it put it on there, although I'd be very afraid of scraping it on the twisties. One of the permanent mounts is best by the turn signal because the suction mount MAY fall off there.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyoFKoVbxKg

 

[carlson_mn]

And here's one with the included suction cup on the gas tank... it's a bit short for the FJR but not too bad.

Also notice this is shot in 960P mode... not widescreen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMKjv2pRIRA

 

[Fairlaner]

Mike we all know that NO WHERE is SAFE on your bike..........give to someone else who is following ........

R

 

[spike747]

I don't think there is a "best" option. There are a variety of options with advantages and trade-offs. That said, here are a few I've tried and considered:

1. Center stand with the flat stick mount. When I first got the camera I tried

Did you post process the video? It looks more saturated then most Gopro videos i've seen.

 

[Ignacio]

Did you post process the video? It looks more saturated then most Gopro videos i've seen.

No.Straight to YouTube with those.

 

[ahchiu]

Here another mounting option.

https://www.filmtools.com/cadellini484.html

 

[PhilJet09]

Here another mounting option.

https://www.filmtools.com/cadellini484.html

Lots of good tips on mounting locations and camera angles on that video too.

 

[azitlies]

This Vid had my GoPro mounted on the very front fairing, just below the windshield. It's kind of boring after about 2/3rds.

You can see the shadow of the bike off and on, so it works okay in that way. That position also let's you see the lean angle, which after trying it "on the helmet", showing almost no lean angle, I thought was a necessity.

My complaint is that pretty much no matters where I tried there was too much vibration. My software could get some of the vibes out, but not all. Best I've found so far (for vibration) was on a Ram Ball mount. But I don't really like the view through the windshield.

still working on it, but it's a fun project

 

[GeorgiaRoller]

Just use the suction cup mount anywhere on the bike that has a flat surface. Your only limited by your own creativity. What mostly makes for good interesting video's is different camera angles. We live in a society that has a short attention span. Making a 5 minute video with the same angle, on the same road...most people get bored watching it.

I don't like using the same video clip for more than 20secs. So taking the video is 1/2 of the equation, the other 1/2 is editing it in a way that makes for an interesting video for others to watch. A typical 4-5min video usually takes me 2hr - 3hrs to edit & process. Most people don't realize how much time is required to produce even a marginally decent video.

The most important thing to remember IMO is to have fun! Have fun playing around with different angles & in your editing. If you enjoy it, it won't seem like work, it will just seem like another hobby you like to do.

My FJR ride channel on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/channels/fjr

 

[UberKul]

GeaogiaRoller makes badass videos Mike! Just watched "Du Hast", lots of angles and transitions to keep the viewer interested. Not sure what editor(s) he is using but I'm guessing Adobe. I'm trying to learn some of this stuff but have come to realize it's all about the editing and sound. I think you need to be wary of copyright infringement on your music as well, just in case your vid goes viral! :lol: