$5 Camera Mount For Your Bike

I've been looking around the web for some camera mount ideas, and found an instructional video for a $5 version over at Helmet Hair Motorcycle Blog. Instruction Video $5 Camera Mount

Considering that these things can run anywhere from $99 to $280, finding a McGyver solution is always great.

Pashnit Motorcycle Tours found an interesting adaptation out on the road in California. It was a camera bag with a hole cut in the front and bungeed to the tank bag. The video camera is protected by foam stuffed in the bag.

If you're interested in not taking chances with your camera, there are some camera mount options out there that someone's actually tested.

• CamMount makes a handlebar mount that will fit on an bike, and they're running a sale right now, so it's $40 off the grip action models (weigh about 4 lbs).
  
• I also checked out my ride on RAM Mounting Systems ('03 Heritage Classic Softail), and got a list of parts, but no real solution that actually showed me what to purchase to make it work - so good luck with there. Too bad too, because they had some good looking aqua boxes that might have been handy in bad weather.
  
• Same problem with the Saeng site. I imagine there's a set up that will work for a video and/or digital camera, but they didn't have the quick find so I bailed.
• Now, if you're on a sport bike, you're in luck. Sport Bike Cam has a great sport bike solution, excellent instructions for use and mounting, and you can purchase it directly from their site.
  

If you're looking for a high-end camera and mounting system, check out Twenty20 Cameras. They make both helmet and motorcycle mount cameras, they don't try and sell you something you don't need, and they put a lot into a small package for a good price.

Their VholdR wearable camrecorder looks like it would be a great solution for anyone on a bike. It records up to 100 minutes onto a microSD. Is water, dirt and shock resistant. Will mount to a helmet or handlebars. Looks simple and highly functional. I think I've talked myself into one!

Bears, Eating and Bike Week 2008

Riding down for Bike Week is great. There are bikes everywhere, people everywhere, drinking everywhere, and sometimes bad things happen. So, rather than warn everyone, I thought I'd share a couple of handy map mash-ups from the folks at OrlandoSentinel.com.

First - Bears!! I'm with Stephen Colbert on this one: we're all still in the dark regarding where they use the bathroom, they hock everything from cereal to gelatinous candy, and even young ones outweigh a Rottweiler. If you're headed to or from Daytona via the Ocala National Forest, don't make the mistake of thinking bears are hibernating so won't be out. Be careful. You don't want to hit one. Here's a map of where some bears have been found on Florida's popular roads.

Bears Killed on Florida Roads Since 2005

Second - Eating!! OK, enough about safety and bears. You want to know where to eat, so here are a couple of searchable listings that give you some listings/reviews and health inspection reports.

Restaurant Inspection Reports

Brevard County Restaurants

Volusia County Restaurants

Orange County Restaurants

Seminole County Restaurants

And, you probably need some coupons, so here's a link for some local eateries.

Restaurant Coupons

Avoid Getting Your Butt Kicked

Biker's Handbook: Becoming Part of the Motorcycle Cultureis a new book out from Jay Barbieri, the producer of "American Thunder." If you're a newby, might not be a bad idea to get clued in. Hopefully he mentions something about trying to avoid white socks and tennis shoes when you ride. Has nothing to do with safety - well, actually is does - but you just end up looking like someone who bought a Harley to ride to the bar when his wife's at a PTA meeting.

LATimes.com Q&A with Jay

Ride: Arizona Day Trips

For those of you in a state where the riding is still possible, here are some rides that rank well with other motorcyclists. Most are 4 - 6 hours depending on your speed. Might just be me, but if I end up sleeping in my own bed after a day of riding, I'm staying off the Interstates and city streets, so I've tried to focus on scenic highways.

• Corondo Trail Scenic Byway (East Central) - it's about 123 miles one way. Starts in Morenci and ends in Springerville. It's scenic and has plenty of twisties (over 400 switchbacks), over a mile of elevation change and may be one of the best roads in the U.S. to ride according to biker accounts. You can find a very good description of the route on RoadNotes.com as well.
  
• Petrified Forest National Park (East Central) - this route is pretty straight forward, so a map is probably most used on your "to-the-entrance" and "from-the-entrance" routes, so you're on your own there. It will cost you $5 to ride through the park. For a review of the ride, check out Road Runner magazine. Since I'm a big fan of the magazine, I would recommend subscribing. It has great rides, is a small business trying to make it in today's magazine industry, and they seem like a great group of folks who just love to ride. I've subscribed or four years and have never been disappointed.
  
• Pioneer's Highway (South East) - at just over 200 miles, you'll pass the Biosphere 2 and Tom Mix memorial. Twisties, scenic vistas, and open pit mining on Hwy 177. Mine tours available.
• Catalina Highway (South East) - A 40 mile stretch from Tuscson to Summerhaven, this is a favorite with motorcyclists. Elevation goes from 3,000 to 9,000 feet via switchbacks and curves.
  
• Apache Trail & Tortilla Flats (South East) - Leave Apache Jct. and head north to Roosevelt Dam. Last 30 miles of the 50 mile ride are on a dirt road. Probably one of those rides you want to put into the middle of another day trip as a nice scenic aside. To check out a riders review, head over to Pashnit.com.
• Bagdad to Wickenburg (West Central) - a 123 mile ride through mountains, farmland, dessert and the little town of Prescott. Limited cage encounters, but make sure you gas up in Bagdad or you won't be encountering much of anything after a while!

I haven't been able to find too many well documented rides for the northern portion of Arizona. When I do, I'll add a post.

Deer Jumps Over Biker

Not sure if it's fake or real - but it's worth watching. Scary or cool depends on whether or not you've ever had a close call with a deer.

Leesburg Bike Fest 2007

Reference: Touring Books

Good books with decent maps are hard to come by. They're either too long on copy and too short on route information, or just spend too much time on being a tourist guide book than on being a book for riders.

I love to take a good ride book with me and bust it open each night to get ideas for the next day's ride. Hawk Hagebak has a great series of books titled Motorcycle Adventures that are geographically based, so if you know where you're going, you take along a book and have enough rides for an entire week. There are three in the collection, and all cover the south, primarily TN, NC, and GA. Hawk also maintains a site called Motohawk. A review in case you're curious from CarolinaMCEvents.com and a sample ride in the Southern Appalachians.

I found my copies of his books in a Harley shop in Chattanooga TN, and ended up using some of the rides from the North Georgia portion the next day. You can find used copies on Amazon for about $11.00 apiece.

Another handy guide is AMA's Ride Guide to America, edited by Greg Harrison. While it does cover a majority of the U.S., the Mid-west and plains states are missing, so keep in mind where you'd like to tour before buying. The book is divided into regions, so odds are by the time you're too old to ride you'll have a chance to use all of it. I found a reviews from webBikeWorld, as well as a very good price online from Overstock.

But - let's say you're from Arkansas and these books don't work for you. Here's a link to the Arkansas Parks & Tourism web site offering a free PDF riding guide for the state.