Capture your ride | These motorcycle dashcams don't miss a thing and could prove your innocence

In recent years, motorcycle dashcams (the term is best used as a generic one for on-vehicle video recording) have taken off enormously, primarily as a result of a swathe of cash-for-crash accidents, where unscrupulous individuals would deliberately cause road-traffic accidents to get a pay-out, whether from an insurance company or from the individual themselves.

However, motorcycle dashcams, helmet cameras and action cameras can provide a record of what actually happened, and since they have become cheap and accessible, this kind of activity has decreased.

While dashcams for cars can now be had for the price of a family meal from a fast-food restaurant, the demands of motorcycle dashcams are slightly different, not least because of the exposure to the elements of at least the lenses themselves.

Best Motorcycle Dash cams

Other options to consider

Things to consider when choosing a dashcam:

Weatherproofing

It goes without saying that a dashcam for a motorcycle needs to be a fairly different beast to one intended for a car. 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. So the lenses needs to be fully waterproof and the main unit vibration-proof and ideally waterproof as well, especially when using it as a helmet camera.

Lenses

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. 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. 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.

Integrated or separate lenses

Some motorcycle dashcams are single, integrated units and work standalone, ie with a power supply but no other connection. Others use a central recording unit and separate lenses that can be positioned around the bike. Ultimately the choice is up to you, but the former is more transferable, i.e. you can potentially use it on several bikes, while the latter would be hard-wired to the bike and would stay with it. In addition, the lenses would be smaller and less obtrusive than mounting a complete camera on the bike.

Video resolution

Like the angle of the camera, the greater the video resolution, the more information will be available in your recordings. Details such as vehicle numberplates or identification of people is much easier the higher the resolution. Ideally, you’d want 4k resolution, but as an absolute minimum, you should be looking for 1080P. Alongside the resolution is the frame rate, which can affect how accurate the footage is in terms of its ability to identify key data. 30 Frames per Second (fps) is generally the minimum you should be looking for.

Logging

Some units come with built-in GPS tracking that can help identify the location of any incidents where video evidence is necessary. 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.

Recording

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. 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. 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.

Smartphone connectivity

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.

G-sensor

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.

Accessories to consider

Once you have chosen your dashcam, there are several other accessories that you might need to consider to get the most from it.

Memory card

Inevitably most dashcams will record onto a memory card, and some will specify a maximum size of card. We would always recommend buying a branded version and the highest speed possible, particularly if you are using a high-resolution camera and lenses, to ensure you capture and keep all the relevant details from your rides. Most are likely to be a microSD format with an adapter to allow you to remove the card and download footage to your computer easily.

Power solution

While hard-wired systems that use a central recording unit will be permanently connected to the bike’s battery, if you are using a more portable device, then you may need to make sure it is always charged ready for each ride. For an action camera mounted to the bike, you may be able to power this up from an accessory or USB socket in use but bear in mind that many action cameras don’t have waterproof charging options.

Mounting bracket

Permanent systems will generally mount a lens at the front to cover the full view ahead. Similarly, a rearview will do the same. If you are using a standalone dashcam or an action camera, then you will need to mount it to the bike so that it captures the full view yet does not interfere with your view of the road ahead. You also need to ensure that it is mounted securely and won’t move around in use – it is no use if you rely on some video evidence and the camera is shaking so much you cannot make out the necessary details.

Cleaning cloth

Clearly a camera covered in road grime is of no use, so keep the lens(es) clean with a wipe over with a damp cloth between washing the bike as a whole.

How we chose this list

The following list is made up of cameras that we have actually tested ourselves, or have been tested by our sister titles, such as RiDE (available through the Bikes Unlimited app), or have received extensive reviews online.

About the author: After qualifying as a mechanical engineer, Jim Blackstock began working on magazines in the early 1990s. He remains passionate about product testing to ensure readers know what products offer good value and why. He relishes torrential rain to see if riding kit keeps water out and an hour or two to tinker on a project bike in his workshop.

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