$7.00 Video Camera mount for a motorcycle.

I love cheap and easy - a metaphor for a lot of my life. I took a motorcycle trip to Tennessee last week and was looking for a better way to shoot video from my motorcycle, but I didn't want to spend a lot of cash for a camera mount, some mounts cost $50+, not for me. With some ingenuity and about $7.00 at the local Home Depot, I MacGyvered up this mount for my crash bars on the bike and was able to shoot some decent looking video while in the Smoky Mountains - some of the best motorcycle riding in the U.S.A.

Home Depot Parts List:

039923147660: PVC TEE (1) $0.73 (size you need for the crash bar mount)
012871624414: 1/2" 90 degree elbow (1) $0.81
012871625596: Riser Extender (2) $0.42
012871628900: 1/2" PVC Plug (1) $0.52
AED 1/4x11/2HBLT: $0.13 (the bolt for mounting the camera)
030699084265: 1/4" HEX NUT (2) $0.04
078575172057: SS Clamp (2) $1.15
& A few 1/4" fender washers.

The most important part is the first one, which is a 1.5" PVC "T" which I sawed in half:

You then drill a hole in the PVC Plug and attach the washers and bolts for the camera attachment, I used locktite blue on the threads to keep it from vibrating loose from the bike motor. How many washers you use will depend on the camera/video camera. I adjusted the amount of washers until it was a flush fit. I have added a fender washer (loose) between the camera mount and the camera body for more stability:

I then needed something to put between the split PVC "T" and the crash bar to prevent damage. I cut up an old inner tube from my recently replaced motorcycle tire, cut it to fit, and used it on the bar where I mounted:

Here is the Split PVC "T" on the crash bar:

Here is the Elbow fitting attached, the extender and the camera mount on the PVC plug:

And here is the whole thing with the camera mounted:

Like I said, the only thing I've added is a large fender washer between the camera and the mount for stability. All it all it worked pretty well, but the bike vibrated the camera in 2nd gear on high revs, the washer should help prevent this on future shoots. I also used larger hose clamps on the bar when I got to TN. to compensate for the thick rubber between the bar and the PVC 'T'.

Trick to good audio on the bike is running a mic cable from the camera (wrapped around the crash bar) up behind my windshield, where I stuck a EV640 mic in my windshield pouch with the end sticking out. You can hear the bike, and my wife & I talking on the bike, but no wind noise.

The proof is always in the pudding, here is a brief video I shot with the new mount: