Inevitably most dashcams will record onto a memory card and some will specify a maximum size of card. Also remember to turn it on and start recording – this may well be automatic with hard-wired systems, but you will probably need to do it yourself on smaller units or action cameras. This effectively fills up the memory card and once full, deletes the oldest footage and overwrites it with the newest, so the card is always full of the last period of riding, depending on your card’s capacity. Whether you use a dedicated motorcycle dashcam or improvise with an action camera, you need to be recording in loop mode, so this is what you need to look for on an action camera. Once you have chosen your dashcam, there are several other areas that you need to consider to get the most from it. Some systems have accelerometers, or g-sensors, built in which will sense an impact and automatically store the video footage from a pre-set period before this impact as well as following it. Some systems – particularly those with hard-wired recoding units – will have a corresponding smartphone app that will allow you to monitor the video recordings or live-view the camera lenses so that you can position them correctly and download video from a main unit. They can potentially confirm your speed and travel and can also serve as a journey log for later use or to share with other riders. ![]() Some units come with built-in GPS tracking, that can help identify the location of any incidents where video evidence is necessary. 30 Frames per Second (fps) is generally the minimum you should be looking for. Alongside the resolution is the frame rate, which can affect how accurate the footage is in terms of its ability to identify key data. ![]() Ideally you’d want 4k resolution but as an absolute minimum you should be looking for 1080P. Details such as vehicle numberplates or identification of people is much easier the higher the resolution. Like the angle of the camera, the greater the video resolution, the more information will be available in your recordings. In addition, the lenses would be smaller and less obtrusive than mounting a complete camera on the bike. ![]() Ultimately the choice is up to you but the former is more transferable, ie you can potentially use it on several bikes while the latter would be hard-wired to the bike and would stay with it. Others use a central recording unit and separate lenses that can be positioned around the bike. Some motorcycle dashcams are single, integrated units and work standalone, ie with a power supply but no other connection. And while some systems use a single camera lens, others use two, one at the front and one at the rear to provide information about rear-end impacts, for example. Many regard a lens angle of around 170° as ideal for use with a dashcam since this will capture as much information from around the bike as possible. The lenses are the eyes of the system and there is a compromise here a wide-angle lens will catch the action from all around the bike while a narrower one will highlight detail farther away. So the lenses needs to be fully waterproof and the main unit vibration-proof and ideally, waterproof as well. ![]() On a bike, the lenses certainly will be exposed to the elements and the main recording unit will also suffer from vibrations, for example, during use. It goes without saying that a dashcam for a motorcycle needs to be a fairly different beast to one intended for a car. Things to consider when choosing a dashcam: Weatherproofing
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