Yes, you read that title correct. Once again, thanks to my day job and some video problems I had [oh, and the several hours I spent at the Greek Festival and the Utah State Fair], Scooter Sunday is getting bumped to Monday this week. I am hoping to be back to my regular Sunday posts next week. You’ve Got Video! Scooter Sunday has gone video! I wanted to make a video of my scooter rides. But after looking online for a motorcycle camera mount, they were almost $100 and didn’t fit my scooter. Off to Google for a search and finding this MetaCafe video that showed how to use PVC and hose clamps to make your own camera mount. I spent about $10, which is still $90 cheaper than a pre-made mount. Below are pictures of the finished product, attached to my scooter. ——————————————————————————– This is what the mount looks like completed. Start to finish [not including time drinking beer and bullshitting with my friend Kris] was about 2 hours, which included a trip to Lowe’s and all of the cutting, drilling and screwing. ——————————————————————————– I made a significant modification from the camera mount in the MetaCafe video. I decided to encase the screw in a rubber grommet to help absorb any vibrations, which actually does help. ——————————————————————————– And that’s what the camera looks like from the front of the scooter. Not too bad and blends in well. ——————————————————————————– From my position when I’m riding, I can see the LCD screen. If the sun is out, it’s a bit washed out, especially at an angle that is not viewer-friendly. ——————————————————————————– And without further delay, here is the video, which is a collection from multiple rides I did on Saturday night and Sunday morning. This may not be a regular feature, due to winter time around the corner. But as I’ve said in previous Scooter Sunday posts, I’ll ride until the weather gets messy. And with video capability, you can bet that there will be more video footage of me on the scooter.
The camera mount installed on the scooter
Rubber grommet helps to absorb vibration
The camera mounted on the scooter
My view. And yes, the camera was adjusted before I went riding
Scooter Sunday Captured
Scooter Sunday Captured from Marty Mankins on Vimeo.
Click here for the direct link to the Viemo page
Scooter Monday #21 by Banal Leakage, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Yay Scooter! I love the red light running. LOL Great video Marty. It looks like so much fun to ride!
hey, that was a cool video.
winter – Thanks, Winter. It was fun. The camera now adds even more coolness to the scooter rides. I just need a bigger SD card now.
crys – Hey Crys. Welcome to the blog. And thanks for the kind words on the video. We’ll have to see how future scooter videos go.
Sweet, I like the video, I am going to have to give that a shot on my bike…. What did you end up using in between the PVC and handle bar? I know we were taking about using an old inner tube, which I have a spare now to cut up if you need one (Thanks people in Sandy that don’t weed and let Goat Heads grow rampant). Also does it seem like it would be strong enough to hold a real video camera?
DIY – awesome. Not illegal running of the red light – fantastic. Video of your weekend rides – addicted! I’m thinking you may have to come up with a winterized version. Because you’re forming a habit over here – one I may not be willing to break just cuz it’s cold.
How awesome was that! I am impressed that you made the camera mount yourself! I don’t know if I would have had the patience. I hope you do more videos in the future because I loved this one!
Wow, what a bloody great idea. Yes, please continue these video posts. Excellent DIY job as well.
Your voice sounds exactly like I thought it would…wheeeeee! That was an awesome video and uh, what was that music? I liked it!
kris – I ended up not using any rubber between the mount and the handlebars. I may get a piece of that inner tube from you to try it, but the rubber grommet where the screw mount is seems to take care of most the vibration. I will be trying my MiniDV cam this week to see how it handles it (short non-bumpy ride, of course)
nilsa – A winterized version…. Hmmm.. *wheels spinning* I will have to see what I can come up with when the snow hits. Until then, I’ll feed your scooter video addiction.
tori – Actually, not much patience was required. Just a friend with the right tools so it would be functional and look nice. And as someone who loves to make videos, I think it’s a guarantee that I’ll be making more.
kevin – Thank you, sir. I will continue to make more videos…. with cool background songs, too.
hilly – Wheeeee!! I get laughs on that one. I had other vocal banter, but decided not to use some it. As for the music, the name of the song was shown during the night ride on the street (in the lower left hand corner) – it’s Radiohead “Paranoid Android”
Hey, you have my very same camera! Isn’t it a little gem? I clearly have not made the most of mine yet.
catherine – I love this camera. I originally bought it to take to concerts as my PowerShot and my wife’s PowerShot were too large for a pocket. This has been a great model and works for so many things.
VERY cool video. I love that you made the mount yourself! I need to make one for the cars to help my DITL filming.
btw, I think the video upload took so long because of their new feature where they try to attempt in-place spell-check. Since it was at the end of the video, the servers crashed every time.
I loved the video! It made me laugh and smile. “Watch out Kitty!” The editorial comments were awesome. I hope it DOES become a regular feature.
whall – The car mount is next, since winter is coming soon and I have some ideas for videos that I want to do. I’l let you know what I do and send over any details, as well as blogging it, too.
I uploaded the same video to YouTube and it was well under 15 minutes from start to finish. Vimeo must do a lot of backend checking (as you said) before it makes it available. Quality wise, both are about the same.
kilax – Thanks, Kimberly. I had to find a way to get that kitty in the video, since she’s always in the way (mostly under my feet when I’m trying to walk). And even during the snowy months, I’ll make this a regular feature. Plus, it’s helping me stay active making videos.
[...] I’d read Marty’s description of the process he’d used to make a camera mount but, in true man fashion, opted not to print it out and take it to the hardware store when I went to buy the bits and pieces I thought I’d need. I’m not even sure I measured the diameter of the handlebars. As a matter of fact I think I found myself at Home Depot one afternoon and thought I’d just pick some things up. [...]