Finally! The first of my "New" Motorcycle Videos...

... and a lil' bit of an inauguration of my Motorcycle Vlogging effort...

It's nothin' fancy, for sure and for certain... and actually... it's not just one... I've got three uploaded!

I made about an hour and a half ride several days back... then it took me those several days... to fight my way through a software education... and when your brain is as soft as mine... that can be a painful experience!

Thing is... when most folks only want to watch a maybe a 5 minute video... or Motorcycle Vlog... I went and left the camera running... on the way over... and all the way back... so... considering that I can pretty much talk until the battery goes dead... It gave me plenty of material to practice up on editing with! :)

Now... I cut 'em off at 9 minutes or so... and I'm gonna work hard at tightening things up some more... but what can I say? I've got a lot to learn! :)

So... give a look see at some of what I've done... and feel free to send me some feedback... either right here... or... in comments on you tube... I still have to calculate how and where to fit the videos into the blog/site... but... for the time being, if you search for drifter50038 on you tube, you'll find everything I've kicked out to that point.

Now, again, All your comments are Highly regarded. Only way I can learn, is by folks tellin' me what they like... and what they don't... so give a fella a hand at learnin'... OK?

Just... be gentle... You know I'm a sensitive Ol' Buster. :)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Still Climbing the Motorcycle Video Learning Curve...

Made my second "Test Ride" yesterday... 'bout a 40 mile round trip... rolling to the Post office over in Dutch John Utah... to pick up our forwarded mail.

It's ugly... but I taped the visor on my Nolan Helmet, in a test to prove whether the excessive wind noise on the last test video I made was indeed, due to a helmet malfunction, or not... and... yup... it was...

*Nolan Helmet Taped to seal leaky Visor*

With the visor sealed up well... if ugly... and the microphone sensitivity on my Drift HD170 camera turned to it's lowest point...

... The audio quality turned out to be very good... 'leastways to my tin ears...

I mounted the microphone to the cheek piece on the right side... with it's lil' clamp...

That's a weak mount... I keep knocking it loose when I put the helmet on... so... I'll stitch in a small tab of fabric... to the cheek piece... to give that microphone clamp something it can more easily grip... and move the mic up and over a lil' more out of the way...

*Drift Innovation camera and Microphone mounting*

*Helmet camera and Microphone mounting*

The camera itself... is mounted on its Drift Innovation Helmet mount, using strong velcro... to the lower right side of the helmet... You can see the external microphone, just above it to the right.

Though the camera looks "bulky"... there is no weight to it at all... you don't feel a thing, either from it's weight or wind drag... You really don't know it's there...

With it's good field of view, mounted in this position, the picture shows everything from the the fuel tank forward... including a bit of the side of the helmet... a pretty nice; "Birds Eye view"... and, with the visor taped, the wind noise is pretty much gone...

I'd have an initial "test video" uploaded... but for the fact that where I'm parked now, the signal is so weak, I can juuuuuuust get a blog post made... uploading video is a no go... :)

It's been suggested that I try Roxio Creator to solve my "editing" issues with the XP laptop... I'm likely to pass on that. I checked it out... and it's "Format" looks a lot like Windows Movie maker... which is free... not the hundred bucks of buying the Roxio Program... 

Since I do have that functioning... on my lil' Acer (10" notebook) which has the windows 7 version that WILL FUNCTION, with the Drift Camera, I think I'll try to get along with that... until I can afford to upgrade my main laptop...

That... and the fact that it looks like I'm gonna need to replace a helmet a little sooner then expected... unless I get to liking the idea of riding around with duct tape all over my head! :) ... has me likely taking the "Cheap" way out... and making do...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Tires and Motorcycle Videos

Made some progress on a couple of fronts the past few days...

Good as it is... living full time, on the road in a Fifth Wheel... can create problems of it's own... like... the lack of good air card signal when you're fighting your way through a computer glitch... or hunting motorcycle tires...

After struggling with that dang computer and video camera for a couple days... and an email conversation with the outfit I bought my Drift Innovation Video camera from, I'm on the trail of getting videos into production... I've run into a couple of obstacles...which have turned out to be issues "outside" of the camera itself...

One being the Microsoft Movie Maker program I prefer... and the fact that the version on my "Old" laptop won't read the files from the new camera... and the second being, that Nolan Motorcycle Helmet of mine has developed its own issue. The face shield won't completely seal down any longer... so... it makes a lot of wind noise in the microphone... I've got it taped to test my belief that is the source of the excessive wind noise...

But... after fretting about the camera for a couple days... it's a good thing that the problems I've found are OTHER pieces of software and hardware, and NOT the new Video Camera... the camera itself seems to function pretty fine... gonna make another test in today's sunshine... to prove out my thinking...

Then, sitting in the Laundromat yesterday I finally found a rear skin for that big bad Raider of mine. :) My Droid phone is pretty handy for such searches in unfamiliar country...

Several Motorcycle shops could "order" one... I guess there are areas of the country where use of that 210 Metzler tire still isn't common enough for them to stock it... but ordering in a "Special" makes it a lot more costly...

I Did finally find a shop up in Missoula that had the next size bigger, a 240 that still fits on... Yup... and only $500! :) ... uh... Do YOU see something wrong with that song? :) Guess what tire I'm NOT putting on Red? Bad enough a Raider eats that back rubber in 8,000 miles... but... I'm not gonna pay $500 plus mounting... every 8,000 miles!!!

But... thanks to that good Ol' Droid phone... Sitting in that Laundromat in Vernal Utah... surfing and calling to find a tire somewhere along our projected route of yondering... I found the tire I need up in Hamilton Montana.

Their price is the goin' rate in a normal location (not out in the sticks) so I'll take it... but... a Motorcycle tire that is something around a 1/3 more then the tires on the truck... sure makes a fella wheeze a bit! ... good thing I'm in love with that bike!

So... when we pull out of this camp, Sunday or Monday... I'll be working my way toward Hamilton, Montana...

... and studying Motorcycle Video Making along the way!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Working Out the Kinks for Mounting My New Video Camera

I've spent a couple days of iffy/rainy weather fiddling with and looking at different mountings for my new Drift Camera on the Raider... and also trying to figure out... just what it is I really want to do with it.

I don't think I want to get going with full scale, frequent Vlogging, but you never know. :) More likely I'll work at trying to produce some focused, thought out, stand alone videos. Good roads... maybe a lil' philosophy now and again... a whole lot of ideas floating around... and... I'm listening to suggestions... :)

As for motorcycle camera mounting options, I've come up with four locations, so far, on my Raider... that look like they should work.

First of course... for a Helmet Camera is the Helmet mount. Which turns out to be kind of problematical with my Nolan Helmet. You can't put it on top because of both vent controls and clearance needed for the modular face to swing up... the left side has the commo door location... which only leaves low on the right side... which... should work just fine.

The second location is the Handlebar mount. Again, on the Raider a little bit of an issue. The space between the Riser and the first bend in the bar is juuuuuust enough to squeeze it in. The camera will actually point a couple of degrees to the right, but... with 170 degree field of view... I'm not expecting that to be an issue.

Location #3 is a camera mount up on the forks... just below the triple tree. Now here I've got the option of ordering a commercial made mount... for maybe $35 bucks or so... plus shipping... or ... fabricating my own.

I've chose to try out a home built camera mount to start with. Taking an idea I've seen on a couple of you tube videos... I got some pvc parts, and a couple of hose clamps... and I think... with a lil' tweaking here and there... it will work... with parts at something like $10 bucks at a pricey Ace Hardware...

*Parts for a Home Built Motorcycle Action Camera Mount*

I'll cut that PVC T in half, down the long side. The plug will get glued into the remaining leg. The hose clamps will secure the two halve around the upper section of the forks...

Then using some of the Drift Supplied Industrial Velcro attached to the head of the PVC plug and one of the misc. bases from Drift Innovation... I'll have a fork located camera mount.

... and if the camera don't run into the fuel tank... Bada Bing! I'm golden! :)

The fourth possible location I've seen, on my bike... is to again use some of that HD Velcro... and set a mount under the tail rack on the Raider's Backrest...

Not sure how much I want to film where I've been, rather than where I'm headed... but it might could be a nice clip or two cut in to a video...

One small issue I've not yet dealt with... and a negative, in my mind, when it comes to the Drift Camera... is the microphone.

Now... the Microphone itself seems to work well... and... Helmet mounted, there'll be NO issue... but I have a gripe about other locations...

If you want to mount the camera down low on the bike? or out front... or whatever... and want to be able to add your monologue audio? They only provided maybe 3 feet of wire on the Microphone lead. It's just TOO SHORT... Now... that wire is really small... probably costs maybe 50 cents a foot? and they think folks would squawk if they made the lead to the camera another couple of feet longer to make it usable for better camera angles? Get real! I'll likely fire off a Suggestion to Drift Innovation... add a dollars worth of wire to the lead... I'll pay it! Sheesh!

... so... I've got to see if I can find a cable extension with the correct ends on it... that the microphone can plug into... all 'cause some bean counter figured they could save a buck?

The weather seems to be letting up a lil'. Maybe, spring is finally here... I've just lost much interest in rain riding when I don't have to. :) So... I'm hoping the sun will co-operate with me... and I can get some road tests and practices done... and start producing some proper Videos... 

Yeah... and all I need do is buy what? Three more cameras... and I can go down the road doin' multi camera filming... just like the big studios! :) ... yeah... right...

Let's all hope I don't go That Far... around the bend!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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New Helmet Cameras and Good Roads...

Lot's goin' on... and nothing... all at the same time.

My HD 170 Stealth action camera, from Drift Innovation arrived the day before we left Fort Collins. A couple days of travel, and then several days of rain since we arrived at Flaming Gorge kept me from doing anything much with it.

Then... just to add another couple layers of confusion and fun, the Wife picked up some sort of a nasty bug, and my main laptop got its own Virus, all at the same time. So between dealing with the weather, ER visits and trying to clean out electronic viruses, my videography education is advancing realllll slow...

I played around with it yesterday when the weather finally broke for a while. It's going to take a bit to work out mounting points on the Raider. The handlebar mount clamps up OK... the problem is, on the Raider, there isn't enough room between the riser and the first bend of the bars, for the camera to sit pointing directly forward.

*Drift Innovation HD170 Stealth Action Camera*

It kicks off a couple of degrees to the right, or left, depending on which side you've mounted on. With 170 degree field of view, I think that might not even be an issue. It'll have to wait for a test ride/filming to know for sure.

An option is mounting one of the misc/helmet bases on the headlight can using supplied velcro... another option requiring a test ride. As solid as that point seems, there might be too much vibration there... we shall see.

A third option I've found is a mount system from a third party company that would allow mounting to the forks, just below the triple tree... That could be an interesting angle... I'll have to order that mount in and give it a try as my video blogging education moves along.

So... though the first Video hasn't come along yet... there has been progress toward actually producing some Riding/Touring Videos! I just have to do some more studying. :)

I played with it some, learning the buttons and working out a way to mount the external microphone I got with it... inside my helmet... but still more to learn! :)

In the mean time... I have found another road for Bikers traveling through the NE Utah area... Highway 44 running from Manila across the southern end of Flaming Gorge National Recreation area and connecting with US 191, 28 miles east.

The country is beautiful, with great views around many if not most of the twists in the asphalt...

*View along Utah 44 east of Manila*

You can just see the grey flash of a bit of the highway as it twists through the hills... in the left center of the photo... and for those wanting twists and turns... on their Ribbon of Highway... this road won't disappoint...

*A sample of the Twisties along Utah 44

From gentle sweepers to tight peg scrapers, you'll get your fix... one word of caution... especially in the early season, stay aware and keep it a lil' easy... We had plenty of rock fall pop up sudden like as we rolled around a few of the blind corners. Rock big enough to bust a Freightliners axle... let alone a Roadliner! :) So... watch yourself.

You'll be rewarded though... it's a gorgeous country...

I'd recommend you turn in and take in a bit more of Flaming Gorge itself, not just the road running past. You might even want to set your camp in one of the good campgrounds available; Red Canyon, Canyon Rim, Greens Lake, or Skull Creek, good Forest Service campgrounds all.

*Flaming Gorge Nat. Rec. Area*

Just watch out for one of the Utah traffic jams that are getting kinda common in the area :)

So... it's back to school for me...

I gotta punch the buttons enough, to get comfortable with that new Helmet Camera!:)

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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I've Joined the Ranks of Motorcycle Vloggers

Well... almost...

I've been thinking about it for quite a while... made a couple videos using my regular digital camera... and finally decided that it was time to put up... or shut up...

Now... I don't know anyone who's ever accused me of ... shutting up! so...

I just hit the ORDER button and now have an HD 170 Stealth Action Helmet Camera from Drift Innovation, in the pipeline and heading my way!

I had looked at several others and finally settled on this unit for a couple of reasons. First, all the reviews I found rated it pretty highly. Second, it's one of the few that has an external microphone jack... so you can record decent audio at the same time... w/o having a normal camera stuffed into your helmet somehow...

That also allows you to mount the camera in some places to hopefully get some good/creative videography... while still recording clear audio!

Geeze... guess I have a whole new lingo I've got to learn now!

... and third, this camera has the capability to shoot fast enough that you can produce decent slow motion footage...

Now... since I don't have it in my hands yet... I can only go by what's claimed... another week or so and I'll be able to actually see if the claims are justified... but, so far, it looks real good to me.

I ordered from an outfit that for the time being shall remain nameless. I'd almost ordered from another outfit a couple days ago... but something kept me from pushing the order button... and then, last night I stumbled across another outfit selling the same camera... at the same price... but with pretty much $60 worth of accessories FREE...

Well... DUH! seemed like a no brainer to me! and this time... when I went to push the order button... that lil' voice in the back of my head was silent... So... I guess it knew something! :)

As soon as I actually have the unit... and can verify the service of the outfit... I'll hang a name on it!

Hopefully, I'll learn to use this new Helmet Camera well enough and quick enough... that I'll not run off the readers I've managed to attract so far...

My intention is to post Videos on the blog in support of the existing blog, and on the site in general, that first off, pass on some information other riders might find useful... second... to have some  fun doing it, passing on some of those hopefully good times... and third... the mercenary part :) .... maybe in the process, set my blog and my website a little apart from all the competition.

Only time will tell... and I doubt that Steven Spielberg has much to worry about... but... from what I've seen of Videos of this sort on Youtube or the net in general... it's plain to me, a guy ain't gotta be too awful good to be better then most...

Damn... that sounded kinda rough on some folks didn't it? Well... maybe so... but it's still true. I've looked at quite a few videos while I pondered doin' this... and all I can do is wonder; "Didn't they look at this junk before they uploaded it? or...even think about what they were gonna say... before they hit the record button, and sat there stammerin' like in idiot...

So... while I might could just crash and burn... as soon as the camera I ordered 'bout 10 minutes ago gets here... I'll start practicing and experimenting... and we'll see what happens!

Guess I'm not going to have too long to get decent with it either... A Friend in British Columbia has invited me to ride along with 'em when they take a run from Prince George to the Black Hills in early July... My plan is for me to meet up with 'em as they clear the border ... sort of an Old Bikers Can still Split the Wind with the Best of 'em sort of a rendezvous...  my plan will be to keep the Camera rolling... just in case one of us falls off!

It's gonna be a fine summer!

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Vlogging Equipment

It sure would help if I had some sort of an Idea what I was doing! :o) It's kind of like the words from the old song; "It's a Bad motorcycle with the Devil on the seat, ridin' 90 miles and hour down a dead end street!" ... or something real close to that.

I'd pretty much focused in on the go pro Hero camera for Motorcycle Videos... but, it lacks any ability to plug in an external microphone... so I figured that I'd be needing either/or a second camera in my helmet or a voice recorder of some sort... and then splicing the two together, after the fact... more hassle than I'm really wanting.. and my learning curve is already steep enough! :o)

so... I kept looking, and yesterday I ran across what just might be my answer. Don't know why I hadn't found it before... It's called Helmet Camera or Extreme Mount Helmet Camera. This unit has a remote microphone, as well as an extension available for that... so a guy can mount the camera unit anywhere... on the bike, helmet, looking forward, looking backward... and move it around several different mounting locations... while having a microphone mounted inside the helmet... exactly what I've been looking for...

It seems like a no-brainer to me... If you're marketing a camera for "action" type videos where the intention is to mount it to vehicles or your body in some way... and you put in the effort to add audio capapbility to the camera... why wouldn't you make provision to plug in an external microphone for on the spot Voice over... Duh!

One advantage for me is, that though the camera is better than a hundred bucks more for their system... it eliminates the need for a second camera... and... a fresh helmet that I could fit the second camera in... and/or the audio recorder... that would be needed with the Go Pro model...

So... my research into Motorcycle Vlogging equipment is starting to bear fruit... now... all I got to do is find the $400 bucks! :o) ... and maybe a review or two, from riders that have used this camera setup... before I plunk down those precious greenbacks...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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Motorcycle Vlogging... Uh Oh...

Yeah... I'm another Blogger/Website writer (I hate the word webmaster!) gettin' that itch. I've been studyin' it for a while... and seriously looking at moving into a regular Motorcycle Vlogging effort. I've been thinking of things I could do with it... the opportunity for having some pretty good times...

... as well as looking at the $$$ cost of getting set up in a way I can do what I think would be a good job.

A "Hero Go Pro" camera is nigh on to $300 bucks... a second small camera suited to mount inside my helmet; which in my case, 'cause of my big freakin' nose... will require a fresh helmet! :o) and a few other odds and ends...

In my research of what other people have done so far... One of the things I've seen, among the current crop of Motorcycle Vloggers, is far too many people just ridin' down the road with little thought about what they're doing... talkin' about nuthin'... and not really producing anything useful...

Right there, to my mind... is the dangerous part of Blogging, not to mention Vlogging, ... at least if you don't pay attention to it...

The dangerous thing I see in it is; Ego...

Let's face it... who am I to criticize what other folks are doing? So the next words here... are addressed to myself as much as anyone.

It's too easy to just hang your face... or your Blog/Vlog on the net... and think you're something special... but you ain't! You're (I am) just another person among something better than 6 billion pushin' and shovin' to get by...

So... What's my point?

My Point is this... if you're not gonna share something of value... if all you're gonna do is make some noise, thinking anyone wants to hear that... then why bother? The world has enough noise... why not, since you're there anyway, and making the video any way... why not, put out a lil' more effort, a lil' more thought, and actually create something people can use?

So... That's what I'm thinkin' about and workin' on these days... I've already built a few videos at this point. Those are mostly information type stuff... but creating them, kind of tickled my imagination. I can see Lots of room for improvement... and I've got lots of ideas for some videos that I think... in my ego :o) ... some riders might find useful... and then... I've got a few whacked out ideas... that would be just a flat out hoot to build.

So... as soon as I can fit the required equipment into my sorry, anemic budget... I'm gonna throw my helmet into the Motorcycle Video Blogging ring... and see if I can do a respectable job...

Grab Your Handles and Ride!
Brian

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