Typically, the main units will be housed in the storage compartment of your gas tank to protect their screens. Additional controls can be attached to your handlebars to help you control the dashcam without having to access the main unit. Most dashcams can connect easily to your motorcycle’s power system and will automatically come on when you activate the ignition. We here at webBikeWorld believe that you can’t just try something out once and give an honest opinion of it. Any product we test is actually used by our testers, and as such this camera was installed into my 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650. ThinkWare M1 Motorcycle Dash Camera In The Box & Features The M1 also has a built-in g-sensor for sensing big impacts, and a remote control with built-in microphone, manual recording (event 'trigger') button and WiFi on/off button. The beauty of the M1 dashcam is the separate components that make up the kit. Not everything is one big and bulky unit that you have to figure out how to work around. With the M1, you have compact camera modules (one for front and one for rear, although technically they can be pointed in any direction you desire), a processor box which contains the memory card and power connections, and a remote control module for full manual control.

Before mounting, turn on the ignition and ensure the device is working correctly. When looking at the Remote Module, the LED should be on. Yes, you can use a GoPro as a dash-cam, but you have to keep in mind that it might not be quite as reliable. Of course, the whole point of installing a dashcam is to, well, record video from your dash! After I had finished the installation, there was still enough time to get out and ride. After putting on all my gear, I headed out on the bike, and started to cruise around. I did a couple of test manual recording moments, one at a red light, and the other while cruising to test out the ease of finding the control box with my gloved hand. CMOS Image Sensors allow constant Full 1080p HD resolution recording during both daytime and nighttime along with a 140-degree wide angle lens view. This will minimise blind spots to assure recording of all events without fail.Yes, you can use a GoPro or many other action cameras as a dash-cam, but you have to keep in mind that it might not be quite as reliable. And you’ll need to run two to cover the front and rear. The Viofo MT1 reviewed here has what I feel are better mounting plates, and includes spare adhesive pads. The app is a generic one, though it works, but there is a glitch in the remote that means it can stop recording if you press it wrong. There’s an external GPS antenna though, and it’s a compact, relatively affordable option. For many people, this could be spot-on. The M1 is WiFi-capable which allows you to use your Android or iOS device to view live video and captured video footage, copy important videos to your phone, change settings, and more, all without needing to remove the memory card from the main M1 processing module. Just connect to the M1's WiFi network, fire up the free Thinkware mobile app, and enjoy! Few dash cams have additional features provided, which is a major plus point, such as EIS (Electronic Image Stabilization), which is quite helpful to stabilize the footage and make it smooth. I truly hope you never have cause to need the footage from a device like this, but if you did, it can make it a lot easier to prove that a third party was at fault. Dash-cams aren’t about saving insurance companies money (and Bennetts insurance isn’t trying to encourage you to have one), but now I’ve used one I do see the value in the fact that, if something were to happen, that footage could avoid my own insurance being impacted if someone else was at fault.

Below, you will find a one minute video capture of a ride from September 28, 2021, in broad daylight. One thing to keep in mind with any camera is that the lens must be kept clean. The position I used on the Tracer seems to be really susceptible to catching grime, meaning when I went to pull some footage from the card recently, it was unusable; make sure you keep it wiped. Using the GPS data, the M1 can plot your bike’s location and routes with its driving speed on the map. The GPS helps you accurately assess the status of the accident by providing you with the vehicle speed, the direction of the collision and the severity of an impact. Once you’ve connected up the Thinkware M1 dash-cam, there’s nothing really that you have to do– it’ll start recording when you turn the ignition on, and stop when you turn it off –but there are a handful of settings to fiddle with, which are all accessed via an iOS or Android smartphone app. As long as you screw the mount pivot allen bolts to hand tight, the cameras don’t move at all. Vibrations, bumps, wind, nothing deflected the front or rear cameras from their mounted positions. In Calgary, we have speed limits from 40 kph (25 mph) to 110 kph (68 mph), and even riding North along the Queen Elizabeth II highway, where that 110 kph limit is, neither camera deflected at all.I recorded while riding a 4.2km (2.6-mile) long, potholed dirt and gravel road on the side of a Vermont mountain. It’s mainly firm hard dirt with loose gravel strewn about and is quite bumpy. It’s the road to/from my house. The main options you might want to tweak are changing whether the device gives priority to manual recordings or continuous –there’s no explanation of this in the app or the Thinkware M1 instruction manual, but it varies the size of the memory partition given to the modes. I’ve got it in Continuous priority as I want to be sure it’ll have plenty of space if there is an incident, and on the 32GB card that’s supplied, 27.85GB is used for continuous recording, with 3.02GB taken up by manual recordings. It appears that this mode gives 10% to manual recordings. If you don’t notice and keep pressing the record button, the Viofo can stop recording altogether, and will only restart when you turn the ignition off and on again, or use the app to restart recording, neither of which are practical when you’re riding. When the WiFi starts running, the record button gets unresponsive, so you end up pressing it more and spending longer looking away from the road to see if it’s flashing.

While most other motorcycle dashcams that offer GPS require that you use an external GPS module that needs to be mounted on your bike and then plugged into the main camera unit, the M1 has the GPS antenna built right into the main unit, freeing up more space on your bike. The fall colors were beautiful and the M1 did a good job maintaining the color of the scenery. The image could have been better, and there’s some fish-eye effect. Unfortunately, the M1’s picture quality isn’t as good as some of the other brands out there. Sometimes the video became very grainy and then cleared substantially revealing excellent color and much better definition. I had put the MicroSD card that came with the camera into the control box before installation, and after a bit of the rainbow of LED’s cycling at me, the light went solid blue, meaning everything was working and the camera was recording. Success! Manual recordings are simple to make thanks to the remote control, which has two buttons – one for enabling the WiFi connection and one for recording. These aren’t hugely tactile, but I did find that I was soon able to locate it even in the dark. Once pressed, a manual recording will store the 10 seconds previous to you pressing it, and the 50 seconds following. This could be a secure way of keeping an incident as it won’t be overwritten until you make 17 more manual recordings (in continuous priority with a 32GB card, the partition will hold 17 front and rear files). But, if something does happen, you must press that button within 10 seconds. Attach the main unit to the inner part of the motorcycle, such as the inside of the seat. Firmly attach the product to the motorcycle. The product may become detached while driving if it is not firmly attached.

Best Motorcycle Dash Cam in 2022

Unlike a stand-alone camera, the Thinkware Sports system draws power from the vehicle’s battery. For that reason, the cameras need to be affixed to the motorcycle. The 4.5” x 3” x 1.5” main unit fits snugly under the seat of most bikes and consists of fore and aft camera ports, a power cable, a remote control, and a slot for the 32-gigabyte mini-SD card included with the system. The camera features a Sony IMX323 sensor that shoots videos at 1080P resolution with a super night vision feature to capture crisp video in low-light conditions. The dash cam is IP67 rated, and resistant to water, whereas the DVR has a 3” LCD screen to watch the live footage when needed. Remove the protective film from the mount and attach it to a place where the cameras can record both front and rearview. The mounts are also adjustable on one axis, and when tightened down around the camera bodies, hold them extremely tight. The fact that they provide two allen keys is also a really nice touch, making installation a breeze because you always have the right sized key for the two sizes of allen bolts used to hand.