How to fit a bike ‘dashcam’ that sees everything front and rear
Fit a bike dashcam system and record every single ride
1 Do the groundwork
Installing a front and rear camera system on a bike needs a bit more consideration than you’d give to just bolting on an action camera. A dedicated motorcycle ‘dashcam’, such as this Thinkware system, has a rear and forward-facing camera and a separate main control unit ‘brain’ hidden out of view. Read the instructions carefully and lay the components out on the floor.
3 Stick it in place 3
Fix the main unit to the bike making sure there is sufficient access to any USB ports or comms sockets. Use alcohol wipes to clean and degrease both surfaces, then stick the unit in position using strong double-sided adhesive pads. Check the manual to see what each wire does; this unit has a lead for front/rear cameras, power from the battery and a remote control.
2 Find a home for the brain
Next you need to make a decision on where to locate the ‘brain box’. Most bikes, such as this Suzuki Hayabusa, will have plenty of room under the passenger seat. When you’ve chosen your spot, check that the wiring harness can be routed from the brain to both the front and rear of the bike. Remove bodywork and petrol tank as necessary.
4 Get a rear view 4
Identify a suitable location for the rear-facing camera. The wideangle lens needs to have an unobstructed view of what’s directly behind, so keep this in mind. Things like indicators and numberplates are obvious things to keep out of view. Fix the camera bracket to the bike using strong adhesive pads and route the wire neatly back to the main unit.
5 Get under the skin
Install the front camera in the same way, so it has a clear view of the road ahead. Next, figure out a way of routing the lead seamlessly back to the main unit at the rear of the bike. Find ways of getting the lead beneath the bodywork to make the installation as tidy as possible (for example, running the lead through a fairing louver).
7 Push-button control
Purpose-built motorcycle dashcams have a lot of features, one of which will be a remote control. The remote control unit needs to be mounted in a location that is easy to access from the riding position, such as the left-hand upper frame rail or fairing inner. Then route the connecting wire under the tank and back to the main unit.
9 Wired for power
Connect the brain to the bike’s battery or power source, as per the instructions. The connectors on our system are straightforward – a black negative connection to the battery and a red lead connection to a switched live. Take a look at a workshop manual before you connect this wire, or ask your local dealer for advice.
6 Time for a cable tidy
Run the camera leads to the main unit along the path of the bike’s main loom. Cable tie the camera wires to the main loom as you go. If the loom has reusable clips, open them and add the camera wire into them until you veer off and connect to the main unit. Connect the cameras to the corresponding outputs from the main brain.
8 Find the horizon
To display correctly, the cameras need to placed in the right alignment prior to being tightened in their mountings. Each camera has a horizontal reference mark that needs to be lined up in the 12 o’clock position. Align these marks on both cameras then tighten the clamp bolts on the mounting brackets to secure the cameras.
10 Lights, camera, action!
All’s that’s left is to spend some time reading the camera system’s manual and download the app. The remote control unit on the frame rail displays a flashing LED with different colours to signify the status. Check all is working as it should, take a quick test ride, then download the video to fine-tune the alignment and positioning.