VSysto Dash Cam

Kirk and I decided to invest in a "dash cam". Yes, I know. We really do not have a dashboard but could not think of a better name. Essentially, we now have a camera that comes on and records when ever the bike is started. Initially we mounted one camera on the front (rear will be coming soon once we figure out WHERE to mount it).

The idea behind the camera is two fold. First, EVERYONE should have a dash cam. Car, motorcycle, moped...it does not matter. You need to video everything. Why? In case of an accident. We recently learned that in NC that most court cases go agains the motorcyclist. Having video is one huge step in our favor. No more he said - she said. We will have a video that shows what happened. That is probably the main reason we got a dash cam...indisputable evidence in the case of an accident OR a ticket.

The second reason for the video is not as important but to capture "interesting" events that occur. Yes, we have a GoPro but we do not run them ALL the time we get on the bike. Why? It requires a battery and turning it on, memory, etc. With the dash cam, it is hard wired and automatic. This does not mean that we will not use the GoPro (we will for interesting parts of trails, etc). It just means that now we can capture EVERYTHING all the time.

We are not cam experts. We did research and we wanted to get a good cam that could be hard wired, turn on when the bike is started, turn off when bike turned off, impact video save (if there is an accident, the video is frozen - cannot be deleted), good video, and inexpensive. There are a LOT of brands and many are VERY expensive. The VSysto brand had numerous models that we liked and we opted for the VSysto D6WL model. Its water proof and has two cameras. It also is ignition aware. FYI, you do not have to wire the camera to your ignition. It also comes with an On/Off switch.

When the package arrived, we opened the box to find the initial packaging.

When we opened the box, we took out all the components to ensure we had everything.

Since we were wiring to the ignition, we had no use for the On/Off button (still in packaging). And we had no intention of wiring the rear camera to start either (still in packaging). We were interesting in the front camera, the video module, and the power supply.

We decided to mount the front camera on our crash bar.

To do this, we first removed the video mount install on the camera.

This was easy to remove. Just unscrew the lens and remove it. We got the idea to use a handlebar mount to actually mount the camera (since it was round) and then using another handlebar mount with a ram extension to install it on the crash bar.

We clamped the camera in one handlebar mount. Then using another handlebar mount and a small ram extension, placed it on our crash bar.

This mount is solid. We took the wire along the frame (avoiding the fork pivot points) and back to the battery location under the seat. We grabbed the video module and added our SD card.

Once that was installed, we wired the module to the camera, installed the power line to our ThunderBox and that was it. Yes, that simple. The ThunderBox makes a huge difference since it is already keyed to the ignition. We decided since the video module AND the power fuse box are so large, that we would just place them in the existing tray under our seat (in many cases, this is where the stock tool box is located). We do not carry anything there and thought it would make a perfect location.

Once all wired up, we started the bike and were able to see the video on the app.

We are quite happy with the easy installation, quality of the video, and the price. So if you are looking, give VSysto a try.

Quick Update

Kirk got his camera as well. He decided to use the double stick tape and was able to place the front camera just under the windshield. Very well hidden and the wires were tucked up very well. He also installed the read camera but stuck it upside down above the fender. Another nice install. I am not so trusting on the double stick tape. His looks cleaner and tucked away. Time will tell.