[Johnno]

Use a helmet cam

I've been looking for a cheap but good 1080p bullet type camera but the reviews in my price range have had bad reviews, so i plumbed for one of these instead. Should be here next week and I'll report back and do a recording for you to see.

Genuine SJCam SJ4000 M10 Sport Action Camera Cam Waterproof Full HD FPV Support | eBay

 

If JOOVUU sell them they must be decent quality though I think the SKYPIX may have suited your needs better http://www.joovuu.com/gb/48-motorbike-cameras

[Johnno]

Cheers Craig it's more than I wanted to spend on one, I actually got a discount on the cube it came in at £51.69p and the skypix comes with one accessory and I can't fit it to the bars on my twist & go but the spec on the skypix is way better

First time I've seen this site , just looked at their website and they're about 20 odd minutes away from here

You got a good price on the SJ4000, have to be happy with that

[Johnno]

My M10 cam arrived the other day so I went out to give a test. Video quality in Bucket is poor they must down grade it to 720 or less.

SJCAM M10 Black Action Sport Cam Camera Waterproof Full HD 1080p Video Helmetcam | eBay

[Dazzler]

My M10 cam arrived the other day so I went out to give a test. Video quality in Bucket is poor they must down grade it to 720 or less.

 Thanks Johnno .. I see what you mean about the resolution... Still enjoyed the video though (up to a point)*

One of my Brothers got taken out permanently on 21st May 2013 by a negligent driver while he was riding a very similar scooter 

The sensation of speed is a lot higher on a bike (it has been over 30 years since I last rode a motorcycle)

[rustynutz]

Thanks Johnno, I enjoyed that...... 

Couldn't help but notice some of the car drivers were jumping the gun at the traffic lights....perfect way to be T boned.... 

Johnno, how is your cam mounted to your helmet?

Here in OZ we're having issues with some overzealous cops trying to say that mounting a camera on the helmet voids the Australian Standards so there have been riders booked for not wearing a compliant helmet... 

[Aussie Keith]

I found that compiling and rendering the video can trash resolution. Looking at you youtube. There a few things you need to know about getting it to play back at the resolution you intend.

That looks pretty good though.

[Johnno]

My know how on editing and playing with video files is a BIG fat zero, I used windows movie maker to make it into one big file.
The video was 1hr 17mins long and Bucket only lets you have files 500mb or 10mins long.
So I chopped it down and used a free program called handbrake to optimize the video for the web.
But when i playback the video on the laptop it looks like the original

sorry to hear about your brother Dazzler

[Johnno]

@ rusty

its attached by one of the parts that came with it, there's 2 different types supplied, one you can bolt on and one with a sticky back.
I used the sticky back and its very strong, once its on it cant be removed

Its a tough call on the standards, I know that if you get you lid resprayed it can cause a reaction to the lid and weaken the structure if you don't use the correct paint.
I watched a program on the TV some years back where they drilled a small hole in the lid and did a impact test and it was surprising how weak the helmet became.
 I might be  wrong here, but isn't this the cause of Michael Schumacher's injury's, he was using a action cam  attached to the top of his ski helmet and when he head butted the rock the helmet shattered.

On my type of helmet I can't fit the cam on top due to the sun-visor slider is fitted there, the black strip shown in the pic.

Bikecam Photos by tfc475 | Photobucket

[rustynutz]

Thanks for that, Johnno... 

Yeah, I can understand that drilling any holes in a helmet would most likely weaken it but, like you most riders seem to use double sided tape or such to attach a cam.

The trouble here in OZ is that the standards are very much open to interpretation, with some police trying to say that adding a cam makes the helmet non compliant. Others say the standards are only relevant at the point of sale....

This is being tested in the Frankston Magistrates Court at the moment....or would be except it's been adjourned a number of times so police can look into things further....
You've gotta laugh, if Police are having trouble getting info on the standards, how on earth can the average rider be expected to know them?   

[Wingerdave]

I would have thought it was pretty simple. A helmet must conform to certain standards to be sold as head protection if the law states as such. This doesn't (or shouldn't) end once money has been exchanged. Insurance companies will definately only cover you if you were wearing a helmet that conforms to the standards.

Now, drilling holes in a helmet to fix a camera would make any conformity with standards void (other than the holes put there by the manufacturer) and some adhesives can weaken the helmet shell. I'm sure nobody knows the make up of all adhesives on the market.

it is all the rage, but there are very few mounting systems for helmets, and even fewer that are safely mountable so that they don't fly off or catch the wind to the extent that your head is constantly vibrating.

The only way round the compliancy thing would be for helmet and cam manufactures to come up with some kind of universal attachment system (Yeah, right !!!)

[Johnno]

I think the old bill can sometimes be OTT, they state safety what they [the  individual copper]  think is to be correct.

The helmet itself as not changed from the manufacturer's standards all your doing is adding a piece of plastic which can break off  with the slightest of knocks.

many years ago I bought a ex Ford Anglia rally car, it was a right shed, every panel had a ding in it and it looked rough as a bears arse, got pulled over by a normal cop and he had a look and said the car was unsafe, it was totally stripped out to the bare minimum,  and the steering wheel column didn't have a cover so all the wires were exposed and he was trying to do me for that saying it could cause a fire if it was rubbing against anything.
I said to him ' No your talking through your backside get a traffic officer over to inspect it' which 2 traffic cops cars came ,they they had a good laugh at the state of the car but everything was legal and told me to go on my way
My argue was even if it had the normal cover on it would not change anything , just cosmetically 

[rustynutz]

You should know nothing is simple when it comes to bureaucracy, Dave... 

The only "fix" would be to give the standards a complete overhaul....and then make them freely available because, as things stand it would cost you hundreds of dollars to obtain a copy of the current ones and you'd still probably be none the wiser... 

Currently we have the situation where some helmets are legal in one State but if you happen to cross into another State then you are now wearing a non compliant helmet....
Oh, and just getting back to helmet cams, our motorcycle mounted coppers use them....

[rustynutz]

The helmet itself as not changed from the manufacturer's standards all your doing is adding a piece of plastic which can break off  with the slightest of knocks.

Quite right, and this is one of the arguments against these overzealous coppers...

[Johnno]

Technical FAQ: Are helmet cams safe? - VeloNews.com

Motorcycle helmet cams legal, but are they safe? - Motorbike Writer

[Johnno]

here you are this will sort it out


Wiggle | Pivothead Kudu Action Camera Sunglasses | Helmet Cameras

Close Racing with the Pivothead HD Camera - YouTube

[rustynutz]

That was good to watch but...they have too many wheels!   

[rustynutz]

This is more like it... 



CRAZY SPEEDS 200mph On-Bike Lap! Isle of Man TT races! Michael Dunlop - YouTube

[Johnno]

just found this, and I think they are taking the piss

Cyclists, mums threatened by helmet law - Motorbike Writer

[Johnno]

I've seen that footage before, when i look at it he's going that fast I can't read the road if it's goes to  the left or right, knowing my luck i wouldn't make it around the first bend

[rustynutz]

just found this, and I think they are taking the piss

Cyclists, mums threatened by helmet law - Motorbike Writer

Unfortunately they aren't.....now you can see why there needs to be an overhaul of the standards... 

[Johnno]

Surely they are reading Clause 9 wrong in stating you carry a booklet around with you all the time.

Next you'll have to fit a trailer to the bike with a filing cabinet to keep all your paperwork in.

I would of read it as, when purchasing a new helmet it must be accompanied with compliance paperwork for said item, not with you all the time?   

[rustynutz]

The fact that the regs can be interpreted that way would suggest that the standards need major change.

Check out this website, it can explain things much better than I can and you'll see what a mess the Australian Standards are: OzHelmets Index

[Johnno]

just read the above and it's given me a headache, I don't understand it

So not all the states have the same standards, NSW seems to penalty's as long as your arm. So what happens if you travel to another state if the standards are different?

why can't they Simplify it like we have. I found one state that mentions that EU helmet's are legal and the visor info is out of date where it say's Note. Integral visor's have been allowed for at least 10 years now because mine has it fitted, but we can't have a tinted fixed visor and we can wear sunglasses. But I don't understand your rules if you can wear sunglasses or not and tinted visors 

[rustynutz]

Now you can see the absolute mess motorcyclists in Australia face....and the need to update the Australian Standards... 

Queensland has shown the way with allowing helmets that pass European Standards to be sold but of course that now makes these helmets non compliant with the current Australian Standards in the other States.

As for tinted visors, that's opening another can of worms....

Tinted visor, helmet camera fines ?wrong? - Motorbike Writer

[neptune]

A small video on bike helmets

[Johnno]

I see what you mean about visors, seems double standards car and rider's where he said rider's should be prosecuted for wearing helmets with visor's built in like mine ,in reality it's just like wearing a pair of shades, when it starts getting dark you just flip the tint visor up similar to removing your sunglasses. That's why tinted fixed visors are ilegal in the uk.

That link from Neptune is a bit frightening, how easy the helmet smashed with the none compliance helmet. My helmet in the sharks report got 5 stars and of the test the front flip up stayed shut 90% of the time in a impact, not bad for a £90 helmet.

[rustynutz]

[rustynutz]

The trouble here in OZ is that the standards are very much open to interpretation, with some police trying to say that adding a cam makes the helmet non compliant. Others say the standards are only relevant at the point of sale....

This is being tested in the Frankston Magistrates Court at the moment....or would be except it's been adjourned a number of times so police can look into things further....
You've gotta laugh, if Police are having trouble getting info on the standards, how on earth can the average rider be expected to know them?   

Surprise, surprise, this "test case" has again been adjourned (until July 10) while the police prosecutors try to prove their case....
Fair dinkum, how much time do they need? If the police prosecutors can’t fathom the complex laws to justify their fines, how can riders be expected to comply?