I'm new to motorcycles and riding on public roadways. Last year two of my buddies got into fairly major accidents (hospital trip but full recovery) so the idea of having a dash cam seems like it could come in handy should something unexpected happen.
Any thoughts on Pro's/Cons of adding something like this to the ride? I've been doing some internet research and this system seems really solid for the price point:
Adding a cam is a great idea. Looking to do it myself. But research the video samples for the K1. Not the best quality and the audio is useless because of wind and engine noise. License plates are only legible within 10 feet or so. The kit is an interesting idea that was executed badly. I.e. typical product of china.
I've been riding with a cam since about 2010. Whenever I ride by myself, or maybe one other, I'll have it on. My wife knows if I ever go down, get the video! I tell others "it's my attorney". Fortunately, I've never needed it for that purpose. The one I have is a Contour Roam. I chose it over the GoPro for it's size and ease of use. It doesn't have a screen on it and must be attached to a computer to download and/or view the videos. 720p, 1080p and photo capable and it has one simple, large button to turn on and off that can be used with heavy gloves. Also waterproof. Since my use was strictly for "evidence", I didn't need all the features of a GoPro.
My experience is that whatever you get make sure it has a wide view range (the Contour is 170°) and high enough resolution (HD) to read license plates! The wide view range makes scenic captures unappealing, but if you want it for "evidence" you want it to be able to see what you see.
Shipyard; It's powered off it's internal battery, so it has to be charged. The charging port is located behind a water-tight cover, so plugging it in while moving may not be option. I'm not sure if you can power it with the cover open and plugged into a power port while moving. That said, the battery lasts about 3-4 hours of recording. With the lengthy battery time I never felt it was necessary. I have a 32 gig sd card which holds everything it can record while the battery is powering. One thing I wish it had is the ability to overwrite the older files. With this one I have to delete the recordings I no longer want to make space. Mine is a pretty old Contour and I don't know what the newer Contour's offer. Here's a not-very-good photo of my mount.
Do you have any issues with vibration when playing back video? Mounted to the handlebars, I would imagine the picture wouldn't be great, but I don't know.
I too have an old model Contour. Brought because of its profile and weather proof straight out of the box.
The big question is if you bike or helmet mount it.
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