GoPro helmet mount recommendations

[Arfa]

So, I splashed on this funky new GoPro:

So, with regards to mounting it on the chin of my lid, what do people recommend? I've got a Shoe Neotec flip-up lid, so there's the catch and vent bang in the centre on the front. Been looking at the Motoradds chin mount, which looks like it has two arms to stick on the lid around both sides. Anyone tried it? Any good? Not cheap at £30 mind.

I'm currently thinking I won't bother with media kit or the huge GoPro USB mic adaptor thing (honestly who designed that?!). Gonna try just recording audio via my Purple Panda mic plugged directly to phone in coat pocket independently.

 

[HippoDrone]

The 9 is a cracking camera, had I not invested in the 8 so heavily, I'd have gotten a 9 as well.
As for mounting, can you put a mount slightly to the side of the chin and then centralise the camera with arms?
I use Sugru to attach to my helmets normally, it is semi-permanent though, so only do it if you are happy with that.

 

[Drakhen99]

I like the side mount, so that's where I have mine. Also, I wear a half helmet, so no chin bar to mount to.

I just ordered a GoPro Hero 9 myself, this afternoon - hoping it shows up next week so I can play with it and then get it and my Hero 8 on my bike for dual camera angles!

How do you like the 9? Did you have another camera before this one?
-John

 

[Arfa]

How do you like the 9? Did you have another camera before this one?
-John

TBH not been out with the Hero 9 yet, so no verdict yet. Still locked down and still got mounting stuff on order. Hopefully, next month I'll get out with it see how it stacks up.

Previously I used a Drift Ghost X. And before that a Drift Stealth 2 and Roadhawk Ride. The Stealth 2 died after about 3 years, the Roadhawk is still going strong but has been relegated to a car dashcam.

I plan to continue using the Ghost X for other camera angles and my wife uses it when she's out commuting to work on bike too. She's not keen on the idea of riding with a big lump of square GoPro on her lid.

 

[Drakhen99]

I plan to continue using the Ghost X for other camera angles and my wife uses it when she's out commuting to work on bike too. She's not keen on the idea of riding with a big lump of square GoPro on her lid.

OK, cool. I got a chuckle out of that - on any bike but my Street Glide, anything above 50mph and I really feel the GoPro tugging at my helmet!

-John

 

[R-Rated]

So, with regards to mounting it on the chin of my lid, what do people recommend?

I'm currently thinking I won't bother with media kit or the huge GoPro USB mic adaptor thing (honestly who designed that?!).

I have the Shoei Neotec 2 and here is my setup -
Outside the helmet:

Mic mount inside the chinbar (hi-tech, I know)

 

[Arfa]

OK, stuff arrived off Amazon, and now have this setup:

Motoradds chin mount. Bit pricey TBH, but looks decent. Then just needed a mini extender bit due to its low angle.
Gonna keep it lightweight, not bothering with media mod etc. Will try mic plugged separately into dictaphone app on my mobile.
Will give it all a test out at the weekend if the weather isn't too shit.

 

[Drakhen99]

I just got my Hero 9 in the mail today... and I'm kinda disappointed. No Smart Remote connectivity (which I thought I researched before buying), no "low light" mode (not that it was great to begin with), and according to further research - the 3.5 mic adapter doesn't work with it (yet) either, although I got a Media Mod for it, and that works for plugging in an external mic.

-John

 

[R-Rated]

I just got my Hero 9 in the mail today... and I'm kinda disappointed. No Smart Remote connectivity (which I thought I researched before buying), no "low light" mode (not that it was great to begin with), and according to further research - the 3.5 mic adapter doesn't work with it (yet) either, although I got a Media Mod for it, and that works for plugging in an external mic.

-John

Dammit sounds like the 9 is a step backwards with no remote and no low light. I have found low light great for night riding footage and the remote is awesome when getting footage with multiple GoPros.

 

[Drakhen99]

Dammit sounds like the 9 is a step backwards with no remote and no low light. I have found low light great for night riding footage and the remote is awesome when getting footage with multiple GoPros.

The remote thing is a gut shot. I planned to use the 9 and 8 simultaneously to record 2 angles, and I can get 1.5-2 hours of riding time on a single battery with my Hero 8 with using the remote.

My revised plan is to ride to a "starting point" and pull over, start recording on both cameras, clap in front of them, and then ride for an hour or less. That'll work for most vlogs and is really "set it and forget it". The trickier part is the 4-6 hour rides I go on. Those will require battery swaps and starting recording again.

This adds a fair amount to my workflow, so I'll be doing the "wave your hand in front of the camera for 3-5 seconds" thing so it shows up in Resolve and I can (hopefully) quickly scrub through the entire ride for interesting things. I figure on a 4hr ride I'll go from 20-30 mins of footage to scrub through and edit to, uh, 3 or 4 hours of footage to go through. Oh well.

GoPro has said they are working on a remote compatible with the 9, so hopefully (but I doubt it) it'll be backwards compatible with the 8.

The low light thing is less of an issue. I don't typically ride at night, but when I do I can either use the 8 only, or I have found some YT vids on how to set up the 9 for low light use. I tested it out, and it works.

Basically play with the resolution/fps (1080/30 seems to work well, but requires the use of Handbrake to convert the footage from HVEC 265 to H.264) and the ISO (800-1600 looks good).

Actually, this custom "low light" mode on the 9 works better than the 8's built-in LL mode, so don't despair!

-John

 

[HRMV]

I was going to heavily recommend a Dango mount but having seen you have a flip lid that would become a pain. Shame as brilliant option.

 

[SighBored]

Looks not bad, it is universal or helmet model dependent? How does the adhesive adhere to the chin curves, any gapping?

 

[Arfa]

Looks not bad, it is universal or helmet model dependent? How does the adhesive adhere to the chin curves, any gapping?

It is universal. It has three strips of 3m VHB tape, one in middle, then two strips on the side pieces. The side pieces pivot where they mount to the centre, so they can follow the contours of your specific helmet pretty well. No gapping. Thought the awkward low angle I have is purely to follow the angle of the helmet as it surrounds the flip-up switch.

 

[LandyVlad]

Arfa i havea Neotec 2 and have been looking for a decent solution (I have an older non-GoPro but same mounting system I think) That chinmount thing looks very much like what I am looking for. Do you have a link please?

Most importantly are you still able to easily access and use the flip up switch one handed, whilst riding?

My revised plan is to ride to a "starting point" and pull over, start recording on both cameras, clap in front of them, and then ride for an hour or less. That'll work for most vlogs and is really "set it and forget it". The trickier part is the 4-6 hour rides I go on. Those will require battery swaps and starting recording again.

This adds a fair amount to my workflow, so I'll be doing the "wave your hand in front of the camera for 3-5 seconds" thing so it shows up in Resolve and I can (hopefully) quickly scrub through the entire ride for interesting things. I figure on a 4hr ride I'll go from 20-30 mins of footage to scrub through and edit to, uh, 3 or 4 hours of footage to go through. Oh well.

John where possible use of audio is the best way to sync especially with Resolve 17`'s improved sync by waveform feature.
So even on the longer rides, when changing batteries use the audio clap sync method.

I presume the waving hand thing you mention is for after something has happened while you are riding? Yeah I haven't come up with much better than that but have found that covering the lens for a few seconds is more effective than simply waving your hand in front. Give that a try.

 

[Drakhen99]

John where possible use of audio is the best way to sync especially with Resolve 17`'s improved sync by waveform feature.
So even on the longer rides, when changing batteries use the audio clap sync method.

I presume the waving hand thing you mention is for after something has happened while you are riding? Yeah I haven't come up with much better than that but have found that covering the lens for a few seconds is more effective than simply waving your hand in front. Give that a try.

Yeah, I'm using the clap method, it works quite well. I set the In point for each angle and they're within a frame of each other - exactly what I needed!

The hand-waving thing (3-5 seconds) is a good marker while riding to indicate something I should pay attention to during editing.

-John

 

[HRMV]

Arfa i havea Neotec 2 and have been looking for a decent solution (I have an older non-GoPro but same mounting system I think) That chinmount thing looks very much like what I am looking for. Do you have a link please?

Most importantly are you still able to easily access and use the flip up switch one handed, whilst riding?




John where possible use of audio is the best way to sync especially with Resolve 17`'s improved sync by waveform feature.
So even on the longer rides, when changing batteries use the audio clap sync method.

I presume the waving hand thing you mention is for after something has happened while you are riding? Yeah I haven't come up with much better than that but have found that covering the lens for a few seconds is more effective than simply waving your hand in front. Give that a try.

Is the sync by waveform function an automatic sync by the program? That must save a bit of time and effort.

 

[HippoDrone]

MotoRadds Best Helmet Chin Mount for GoPro

The MotoRadds Helmet Chin Mount is the best way to mount your GoPro to your motorcycle helmet whether it's for motovlogging, safety records, or just for fun. Our mounts are better than the cheaply made helmet mount kits and 3D printed mounts littering the internet. We use the best materials for...

motoradds.com

 

[Drakhen99]

Is the sync by waveform function an automatic sync by the program? That must save a bit of time and effort.

Yep, and it's in Resolve 16 as well, at least some form of it is.

I tried the waveform sync in 16 with my motovlog footage but it didn't work because the 2 cameras get much different audio.

For off-bike footage, it works great.

-John

 

[LandyVlad]

Is the sync by waveform function an automatic sync by the program? That must save a bit of time and effort.

Well you press a couple of buttons but effectively yes.

@HippoDrone ta for the link

 

[LandyVlad]

@Arfa are you still able to easily access and use the flip up switch one handed, whilst riding?