Table of Contents
Motorcycle Dash Cam | Everything You Need To Know
Intro
“The world went and got itself into a big damn hurry.” The famous last few words of Brooks from the Shawshank Redemption were not without base. Everyone seems to be in a hurry and getting somewhere as fast as they can. And sometimes, while doing that, they disregard their personal as well as every other person’s safety.
Why does it matter, though? Well, it matters because their actions may lead to something terrible like an accident happening because of them not being able to be in control of their vehicle completely.
Even on foot, the pedestrians just push their way through the crowd shouldering anything and everything in their way. The common courtesy here would be to ask the person in front of them to give them space to pass ahead, but when do they ever have time for that.
What can happen in such a scenario, and how to help your case if it does happen?
The above-mentioned thing is precisely what happens with motor vehicles too. Instead of waiting to get the space to overtake another vehicle, they will just keep honking until you let them pass and go ahead of you.
When things like these happen, there is an even higher risk of an accident happening. And when accidents happen, people tend to play the blame game, and you can almost never tell who is telling the truth.
In such cases, a need for evidence arises. And that can be obtained from camera footage. If there are CCTV cameras in the vicinity, it can be a good way to determine the truth. But CCTV cameras are not always clear. So the better option is a Dash Camera.
Motorcycle Dash Cams
It has been found that motorcycle riders tend to get involved in a lot of accidents. And if they do not have a dashcam on their bikes, they can get easily blamed for the accident.
Dashcams help you in a lot of ways. You can use it as a piece of evidence if an accident ever happens. You can also use it to record your journey and its beautiful sceneries whenever you travel and keep it safe.
The Dashcams will come very useful to you, and they can endure harsh weather too. There are a lot of uses of a dashcam. Let us discuss some benefits and features of a dashcam and things that will help you determine what product you should purchase according to your budget.
What is a dashcam?
Safe driving is of utmost importance for any person. Lakhs and lakhs of people die in a day due to accidents. The reasons for those accidents are rash driving, inappropriate driving, bad driving skills, etc. Many victims are there who didn’t get proper punishment because people fail to identify the real culprit due to lack of evidence.
With the development of modern technology, It is possible to capture every moment of our driving so that we can determine what exactly had occurred.
A device that is used while driving is DASHCAMS. Almost every person uses this device while driving to ensure safety.
Selecting a Dash Cam is not an easy task. Before buying it, you must have the proper knowledge regarding dashcams.
A dashcam is a camera that is set up in the dashboard of any vehicle to record the surrounding view while driving. The dashcam is also known as Car Digital Video Recorder (Car DVR) or Event data recorder (EDR). Some of the dashcams are manual, having on/off switches, and some are activated automatically when the driver starts the vehicle to drive.
There are three types of dashcams –
Basic Dashcams
The basic Dashcams are mounted at the dashboard of the vehicle to capture the front view of the road. This has manual applications with the feature of ‘set it’ or ‘ forget it’. It only records the exterior view. It doesn’t have any advanced features like GPS, speed sensors, etc. It is the cheapest among all.
Advanced dashcams
The advanced dashcams are quite expensive as it is featured by various advanced technology like GPS, Speed sensor, accelerometers, etc. The GPS is helpful to set the location of the vehicle after an incident has occurred. The speed sensor helps to determine the speed of the vehicle at the time of any incident. It has an uninterruptible power supply that allows the camera to capture even when the power is cut.
Interior/ Exterior dash cams
This type of camera helps to capture both inside and outside views of the vehicle. It helps the driver to watch the situation inside the car and also to watch the exterior scene. It is a boon in the case of the parents of a new driver, as they can view the driver and also his/her driving skills or behavior. For any concerned parents, it is proof of their children’s safety.
The dash cams can be used in different types of vehicles like cars, motorcycles, trucks, etc.
Here we will discuss the motorcycle dash cams-
The dashcam used in motorcycles is called a motorcycle dashcam. This records the view of the road trip. While riding a motorcycle, you may face an accident. This motorcycle dash cam will become the visual evidence of the accident. This records your every road trip and captures every data.
Advantages You Will Get With The Use Of Motorcycle Dash Cams
There are a number of advantages of installing a dashcam on your motorcycle. It can prove helpful to you in a lot of ways, maybe even with things you could not have imagined. Take a look at some of these advantages.
- Videotape An Accident
If you get involved in an accident or even if you are around when an accident happens, and if you have a motorcycle dashcam, there is a good chance that the dashcam might have recorded the accident happening.
When that happens, the video footage will be critical in determining the culprit of the accident or if the accident was truly an accident.
- Gather Evidence Of The Accident
Being involved in an accident might often lead to you having to go to court and testify or justify your actions. When that happens, and you are in the possession of a recording from your motorcycle dashcam, you can present it as a piece of evidence and let the judge or jury decide for themselves.
These video footages will help you in claiming the vehicle insurance in case your vehicle was damaged too. The insurance company will need you to provide evidence as well.
- Use It To Identify And Recognize Other Vehicles
If you are involved in an accident, and the person who hit your vehicle rushed off without acknowledging the fact that an accident happened, your dashcam would help you in determining the victimizer.
If your dashcam is of superior quality, then you might even be able to identify the vehicle’s license plate information, which again will help you in court and with insurance companies.
- Videotape And Store Your Journey/Road Trip
When you get a dashcam, it does the very basic thing of capturing everything on your road travel. You can use this as a way to remember your journey and capture the beautiful sceneries forever in your camera and relive them later or show them to your peers.
This has also become a way to earn money on Youtube, where people capture their journeys through the mountains and valleys or beaches and lakes or just anywhere and share the recordings with the world and gather views.
So to sum it up, using motorcycle dash cameras have a great number of benefits, from helping you with the loss of automobile property to helping you with the nostalgia of your road trips.
Let us take a look at the other things that you need to know about a motorcycle dash cam to make a sensible purchase and get the best value for your money.
Various Types Of Motorcycle Dash Cams
Like any other product, the motorcycle dash cams come in a few types, two different types to be precise, Single and Dual. Let us discuss what these words mean and what these different types of dash cams entail.
The motorcycle dash cams can be classified into two types based on “channel”. Here, a channel refers to the number of cameras used in the dash cams.
1. Single Channel Dash Cams
When we say channel, what we mean is the number of cameras your motorcycle dash cam set is going to have. The conventional and older types of motorcycle dash cameras used to be single-channel ones.
They used to have one camera at the front, facing outwards, and it captured everything directly ahead in front of the motorbike. These cameras could only capture footage from one direction. Now, these have been replaced by the modern Dual channel motorcycle dash cams.
2. Dual Channel Dash Cams
These modern types of motorcycle dash cam sets come with two cameras installed in them. These cameras are the primary camera that functions as the single-channel dashcam as well as the secondary camera, which is installed at the rear of the motorcycle.
The number of cameras featured here is two. One camera is used as a front-facing, and another camera is used to record clips from the rear of the motorcycle. The second rearview camera becomes visual evidence if an accident occurs from behind.
Dual-channel dash cams help you in capturing footage on both ends of your motor vehicle. This is a huge advantage over the conventional type single-channel dash cams because every accident does not happen in front of you does it? You can get hit from the rear end too.
In such a case, the dual-channel dash cams will prove to be a great asset by capturing everything happening behind your back, literally.
Now that you know about the dashcam types, it is time to get you informed about the features a motorcycle dash camera has.
Motorcycle Dash Cams On Amazon | Review
Now that we have established all the things you should be looking for when buying a motorcycle dash cam, it is time to dive into the best motorcycle dash cams available in the market and review them to see which one would suit your needs best.
INNOVV K2
| Brand | INNOVV |
| Screen Size | 2.12 inches |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Mounting Type | CNC Aluminium Mounts |
| Item Dimension | 3.5 x 2.37 x 0.56 inches |
| Display Type | OLED |
| Are batteries included | No |
| Customer Ratings | 4.3/5 |
The INNOVV K2 dual channel motorcycle moto cam is amongst the best-rated motorcycle dashcam units. It is one of the premium dash cams available at a price of $338. It comes with many attractive features like having an OLED display screen.
It has a waterproof feature to help the dashcam set last long in harsh weathers. It has a parking mode in it, which is started by the K2’s smart power supply module. You can get the live footage from the dash cameras on your smartphones via the INNOVV app on your apple or android devices.
It has a standard GPS-tagging feature that shows the location and the speed of your travels in the video itself. The cameras come with a Sony Exmor R-CMOS sensor which works in a wide range and helps record the videos in 1080p resolution and that too at a frame speed of 30fps.
It also supports up to 256Gb of SD card storage. This product has a warranty period of one year and has complete after-sales support.
Amazon Reviews
The INNOVV K2 is amongst the best-rated motorcycle dash camera products. A total of 142 people have rated it, and it has an overall rating of 4.3 stars out of 5. 66% of the people who rated the product, have given it 5 out of 5 stars, and 14% others gave it 4 stars. That is a total of 80% of the people who really liked the product.
Talking about ratings according to the features, the product got 4.5 out of 5 stars for the ease of installation. When you take the camera quality and the on-s and the on-screen picture quality into account, they got 4.3 and 4.2 stars out of 5 respectively.
The other features, like the ease of use, got 3.9 ratings and the value for money has a total of 3.8 stars out of 5.
Talking about flaws, the GPS antenna gets some rattling sometimes and the device might get heated more than normal.
Other than that, most reviews in the comment section say that this is a very good quality product.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does it support a 256Gb card or only a 128Gb SD card?
Ans. It supports SD cards up to 256Gb storage.
- Will it send a message to your phone in the parking mode?
Ans. If your battery level is up to 12v, it will record for a short period but it doesn’t send you any notifications unless you connect to it directly through its own WiFi.
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INNOVV K2 Dual Channel Motorcycle Dashcam: Buy now
Blueskysea DV688 Sportbike Dashcam
| Brand | Blueskysea |
| Screen Size | 2.35 inches |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Item Dimension | 9.17 x 5.59 x 4.25 inches |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Battery cell composition | Lithium-ion |
| Are batteries included | No |
| Customer Ratings | 4.2/5 |
The Blueskysea DV688 is available for purchase on Amazon at the price of $169.99. It comes with an LCD display of 2.35 inches. The camera captures videos clearly at night-time too. It has a GPS function in it as well.
The video resolution you get from it is 1080p and that is achieved by using a V30 solution and 2G DDR at 30fps. The cameras are equipped with two Sony 323+6 light sensors and are overall waterproof. This product has been designed especially for motorcycles.
The customer service the manufacturer provides is quick and very efficient in case you encounter any issues with the product. The cameras have a wide-angle of 130 degrees. It also gives you the feature of loop recording as well which covers the previous files when the memory is full and continues to record.
This product comes with a G-sensor lock and automatic trigger for file protection.
Amazon Reviews
The Blueskysea DV688 has got an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars. 155 customers have rated it globally and it still stands high on the rating grounds. A total of 53% of people rated it with 5 stars and 26% others rated it 4 out of 5 stars.
The ease of installation function has got 4.3 overall ratings out of 5 stars. And other features like camera quality and on-screen picture quality have been rated 4.2 and 3.9 stars out of 5, respectively.
The customers in the review comment section praised this product a lot. And the people who had some minor issues like the back camera not recording or the unit not being waterproof were resolved when the customer service was contacted.
One customer stated that the unit sometimes powered off on its own which had to do with some manufacturing issues, but after the replacement of the product, the customer was delighted indeed.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does it fit on any motorcycle?
Ans. Yes, it fits on any real motorcycle.
- What is the dimension of the control unit (display and recorder unit)?
Ans. It is 2.35 inches.
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Blueskysea Motorcycle Dash Cam: Buy Now
MASO Motorcycle Dash Cam
| Brand | Maso |
| Screen Size | 3 inches |
| Video Capture Resolution | 720p |
| Item Dimension | 5.75 x 4.65 x 3.54 inches |
| Display Type | HD display |
| Battery cell composition | Lithium |
| Are batteries included | Yes |
| Customer Rating | 3.8/5 |
The Maso motorcycle Dash Cam is the best-selling product on Amazon. It is a popular choice amongst the people because of all its attention-grabbing features at a low price. Getting to all its features, the screen gives you a 1080p resolution which is what people need. It is 100% free of interference and you would not need any extra wire for making connections.
The 3-inch display screen can be split in two to watch both forward and rearward footage. This product comes with a special feature of the G-sensor function which helps to keep the camera stable during an accident.
It comes with multi-language support, and the languages include English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, etc, so there are no issues of a language barrier while using it. The camera lens is waterproof and provides you with a video capturing angle of 140 degrees.
The dashcam set comes with a suction mount which makes it easy to install. It gives you lithium batteries in the set so you do not need to buy any extra batteries and spend money on them.
And it comes with a warranty period of one year, so you can contact the manufacturer if you face any difficulties.
Amazon Reviews
The product has got hundreds of review ratings on Amazon and the majority seem pleased with the product they got. Many people have reviewed it in the comments section too, we will get to that in a bit.
Out of all the people who rated the product, 61% out of them seemed to have loved the product as they gave 5 and 4-star ratings to the product. Further, talking about various other things like the ease of installation, camera, and picture quality, people seemed to like those too.
The ease of installation has got 3.8 stars out of 5 stars, whereas the camera quality got 3.3 stars out of 5. Furthermore, talking about the picture display quality, the average rating is 3.3 stars out of 5 as well. Considering the low price at which the product is set, the value for money seems good.
There are some flaws that the users mentioned in the comment box. One user found that after a few months of rough use, the rear camera started malfunctioning. You will also need to be careful with how you set up the connections. Apart from that, all the users say that it is a good value for money and that it is functioning wonderfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How could I connect it to an e-bike?
Ans. If your bike will support accessories just hook it to the battery and it’s good to go.
- Are the cameras waterproof?
Ans. Yes, both the cameras are waterproof.
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MASO Motorcycle Dash Cam: Buy Now
Halocam M1
| Brand | Halocam |
| Screen Size | 2.7 inches |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Item Dimension | 3.6 x 2 x 0.86 inches |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Battery cell composition | Lithium-Ion |
| Are batteries included | Yes |
| Customer Ratings | 3.8/5 |
The Halocam M1 motorcycle dashcam is amongst the most popular dashcams for its value for money. This product comes with an LCD display and has a video resolution of 1080p. Both the cameras have the same 1080p resolution for image capturing. It also has a wide camera angle of 155 degrees.
To enhance the image performance, it is loaded with the Sony IMX323 CMOS which helps in capturing clear images during nights as well. The cameras are equipped with an F1.8 large aperture that helps capture 30% more light in it and gives you night vision.
You can use the HaloCam Moto application in your smartphone to connect to this dashcam unit using the dashcam’s WiFi and can share videos directly through it. The unit has a GPS antenna and the product also provides you with the benefit of capturing photos while video recording so you can capture significant moments of your travels.
You can connect the dashcam unit via USB cable to the ignition switch or power banks to get a power supply. It also supports loop recording and the memory is expandable up to 256Gb with an SD card.
Amazon Reviews
This product has got an overall rating of 3.8 stars out of 5. 275 people have rated it globally, out of which 48% rated it with 5 stars and 21% others rated it 4 stars.
Talking about the feature ratings of the product, it got 4.3 ratings for its value for money. In terms of the camera quality and the picture quality, it received 3.7 stars and 4.0 stars from the customers respectively. It also got 3.7 stars for the ease of installation.
Going through the review comment section, we found that the majority of the users and reviewers found this a very good product to buy for their motorcycle. Although some customers had some issues with the unit overheating, the manufacturer states that it is not an issue and you should ignore that. Other than that, the display unit is not waterproof and the unit stays on if you connect it to your motorcycle battery, draining it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the memory expansion limit?
Ans. It can be expanded to 256Gb via an SD card.
- How long is the wired control cable? Does it include a microphone for audio?
Ans. 4 feet. Yes, it has a microphone.
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HaloCam M1 Motorcycle Recording Camera System: Buy Now
VSYSTO Fish Eye Camera
| Brand | VSYSTO |
| Screen Size | 3 inches |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Item Dimension | 7.3 x 5.2 x 5.2 inches |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Battery cell composition | CR5 batteries |
| Are batteries included | Yes |
| Customer Ratings | 4.2/5 |
The VSYSTO fish eye motorcycle dash cam comes with an IMX323 sensor. The screen video resolution is set at 1080p to provide a great experience. It can be connected to the smartphone app to get all the visuals on it.
It gives you clear night vision footage as well with the help of an F1.8 large aperture to help capture 30% more light. You can connect it to the bike battery for charging. It comes with an in-built WiFi which will help you to connect it to your phone. It also has a G-sensor lock function. The customer service for the product is optimal.
Amazon Reviews
The product has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars amongst all the reviews it got globally. It got 4.4 stars for both the camera and picture quality as well as 4.2 stars for the ease of installation.
Most users loved using the product as it proved very efficient and was good value for the money. But some users found an issue with electronic interference while the sound was being recorded and also with the claim of it being waterproof completely. So this is as good an option as any while shopping for a motorcycle dashcam.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does this come with the Wired handlebar control?
Ans. Yes. A wired controller is included as a standard accessory.
- Can I take a snapshot of something while driving with the remote
Ans. Yes. Short press the controller button to save snapshot and the video files taken by the front and rear camera (supported by a controller).
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VSYSTO Fish Eye Camera Motorcycle Dashcam: Buy Now
WonVon MT1
| Brand | WonVon |
| Screen Size | 2.7 inches |
| Video Resolution | 1080p |
| Item Dimension | 7.87 x 5.91 x 3.94 inches |
| Display Type | LCD |
| Are batteries included | No |
| Customer Ratings | 4/5 |
The WonVon MT1 motorcycle dashcam comes with a Sony IMX 323 sensor which helps in adaptable recording during both day and night time. It comes with an adhesive mount which is very good and easy for installing.
The cameras have motion-detection and night vision. The unit comes with a g-sensor and loop recording function and the memory is expandable up to 256Gb. If you link the dashcam set to the ignition of the motorcycle, it will turn ON and OFF whenever you start the ignition and turn it off.
The product comes with a GPS module and an in-built WiFi to help it stay connected to your smartphone device for live updates and video viewing.
Amazon Reviews
The product has an overall rating of 4 stars out of 5. The suction adhesive power was rated 4.8 out of 5 stars which tells you that it is very good. The picture and video quality are rated 4 stars out of 5 as well. So it is a good product overall and almost all the people who reviewed it in the comment section liked it.
Although, some customers found a few issues with the long cables and the fact that the package did not contain any batteries and they had to be bought separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it waterproof?
Ans. The cameras are waterproof but the main unit display is not completely waterproof.
- Will it drain my battery?
Ans. If you wire it correctly, it should not drain your battery.
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WonVon MT1 Motorcycle Dash Cam: Buy Now
Motorcycle Dash Cam | Important Features
There are a lot of features a dash cam provides. These features are what you need to look for when purchasing a dashcam. You can choose a dashcam according to your needs and budget.
Manufacturing
The manufacturing of a dashcam is one of the most essential things in a dashcam. If it is not built well, it is not worth the money. You should never compromise on this feature. The dashcams should be made from the best quality materials that are available as that will increase the longevity of the product.
If you buy a cheap product with low-grade construction, you will have just wasted your money. And it will not last long at all, so make your choice.
Water Resistance
Dashcams for cars are different from dash cams for motorcycles. You do not have to worry about the weather a car dashcam has to go through as it is inside the safety of a car. But with motorcycles, the dashcam is exposed to the environment and has to go through rains and hot and cold weather and so much else.
So it becomes essential that your motorcycle dashcam is water-resistant and/or waterproof.
Video Resolution
When it comes to the good dashcams, they have a video resolution of at least 1080p. If the dashcam you are going to buy has a lesser video resolution than that, then perhaps you should reconsider.
If the video resolution goes any lower than that, the videos are not very clear. That is a disadvantage because you need it to be as clear as possible in case of an accident.
Automatic ON/OFF
Most of the dashcams come with the feature of automatic ON or OFF. In this feature, when you get on the motorcycle and turn on the bike, your dashcam will turn on automatically and it will turn off when you turn off the bike.
It is a pretty cool feature to have and your dashcam should definitely have it as it will save unnecessary fiddling with the dashcam every time you get on or off it.
Easy Manoeuvrability
It is essential that you get a dash camera that you can handle easily rather than wasting your time trying to search for the option that you want to click on. If you find a dashcam that is hard to figure out, you should not buy that.
Additional Features To Look For
Aside from all those features, there are some extra features in some motorcycle dash cameras that you should be looking out for. Some of them are:
- Night Vision
- G-sensor vibration detectors
- GPS
- Loop recording
- Wide-angle cameras
- Additional software apps to connect to your devices
- Memory card availability
- WiFi connectivity
Now that you know what to look for in motorcycle dash cams, we will get you informed on some pointers to keep in mind when handling dash cams.
Other Essential Things To Consider
- Manufacturer/ Brand: It is essential that you buy a product from reputed manufacturers only. If you are going to buy a dashcam from some unknown brand, you better change your mind because there would be no telling how long that product will last. One of the best motorcycle dashcam brands is Garmin and Sykik.
- Cost: If your budget is not very high, you should consider buying a dashcam below the range of $250. You would not get some of the features but they will still be good.
If you can afford to spend a bit of money then go for the dashcams ranging from $250-$500. These dashcams will have some of the best features and you would not have to worry about anything as their quality would be optimum.
Some Pointers To Keep In Mind
- Practice Installation: When you buy a new dashcam, before directly installing it on the motorcycle, you need to make sure how to carry out the installation process correctly. In order to do that, what you can do is practice the installation process on something like a table.
When you practice at home, you can work out how to use the features in the dashcam and get used to it before using it on a motorcycle. This will be beneficial to you because you would not have to worry about using up all its power as you can charge it again at home.
- Memory Cards: If you want to get your videos from the dashcam to your other devices, you will have to do some fussy work with the WiFis. But some dash cams come with the benefit of a memory card, if you can have that, then go for it.
- Specifications: Sometimes if you do not pay attention to the specifications of the dashcam, it could prove troublesome because the specifications of the dashcam might not match those of your motorcycle and it can get difficult to install it in such a scenario.
- GPS: Certain dashcam manufacturers install a GPS in the device which can help you determine your speed and the location of your motorcycle. Although, not all dashcam companies provide that feature.
Conclusion | Motorcycle Dashcam
With all that information above, you will certainly have gotten a pretty good idea by now as to what you should look for in a motorcycle dash camera while purchasing a new one.
If you needed a reason to buy a motorcycle dash camera, then think about how it is going to help you in court and with the insurance companies if you are ever a part of an accident and have to prove your innocence.
With all the features you have available at your disposal, like water resistance, GPS, loop recording and so many others, you can choose the perfect dash cam for your motorcycle.
You will just need to be careful of your budget and make a purchase accordingly and not go overboard with anything because it will just become an attraction for thieves, and also about the specifications of the dash camera so that it would fit on your motorcycle and not be too big or too small.
So buy a dash camera and never let anyone fool you to just extract some money from you.
