Author Topic: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.  (Read 23454 times)

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« on: January 09, 2014, 01:25:32 PM »
I wanted to mount my GoPro on my bike. I had tried it on the helmet before and hated it. Too much drag or weight pulling to the side, and I'm too tall to have it on top.

Requirements: 
Clean install.  Must me somewhat un-noticed when GP isn't attached.
Must be able to reach it while riding.
Must be able to rotate it 360 degrees.
Must not interfere with any normal operation of the bike (IE, windscreen, mirrors, controls)
No permanent modification to the bike - Use factory screw/ bolt points.
Able to charge while riding (I'm already installing 2 USB Charging points into the glove box using the power taps forward of it)
Solid Mount, as little shake as possible at highway speeds.
No sticky-mounts with 3M tape on the paint. (Yeah, I've already got scratches on both sides from learning how heavy this bike actually is before my MCE Cages came in, but still... Those GP mounts look stupid when not in use IMO. Also not as stable as bolted on)



Keep in mind, this is still in development, and will not be painted or trimmed any further until I'm happy with the results. Final color will be matte black.

Attached are photos of what I came up with.  Took a piece of 1/8" flat bar that I had scrap from another project, and bent it as needed to not interfere with the mirror or windscreen. Used a Nylon spacer and a longer 5MM bolt to secure it to the factory mounting point for the plastics. (That may change to a threaded coupler with a piece of 5mm all-thread sticking out one end, red lock-tite'd in, and a separate 5mm bolt to mount the camera too.  I think it'll be more stable.)

The camera is currently mounted with a 1/4-20 (standard camera mount) bolt going through a hole with a rubber washer on the bottom, and a flat washer on the top.  That has a ny-lock nut securing it, then the GP Tripod-mount attaches to that. 








I'm thinking about cutting a piece of metal to weld to the existing bracket, that goes down to the factory bolt below as well. That'd help a lot with the stability.  There isn't a whole lot of movement, but I have a feeling that once I get above 20 MPH it'll shake. Another issue I'm having is my rotator method...  I need to come up with a much more solid method for that... I wish there was a mini-rotator like the one I have for doing panoramic's with my DSLR.
(Here: )
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2014, 03:34:01 PM »
Well, I replaced the bottom rubber washer with a flat washer, and put marine grease on both of them.  That did the trick. I now have exactly how much resistance I wanted.


Now the next challenge is to figure out a way to have the charge cable plugged in, and maintain waterproofness of the case.  Thinking about modifying a USB mini cable, feeding it through a side of the case, to where it can run inside the case over to the USB port on the camera.  The hole then gets filled with JB weld to seal it.
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline viper

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 42
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2014, 04:00:46 PM »
im currently playing around with my gopro and trying to solve the waterproof charging issue.

ive took a mini usb cable, first i dremelled the connector shorter so it went into the go pro further. then i cut all the black plastic off the plug. then bent the plug over to a 45 deg angle so when its in the gopro its as tight  as possible  to the body of the gopro. i jammed the cable into the seal  of the door of the gopro but removed the outer sheath of the cable so just the coloured wires actually need to be in the seal. you actually only need the red and black wire for charging so you could actually remove the others.

Offline Caffeinated

  • Arena
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 408
  • Country: us
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2014, 06:44:16 PM »
Careful with that mount location. The mount that screw goes into is not meant for any type of weight, and the plastic can break. I managed to break both side on my 2011 by over tightening when installing some handwings.
Chris (COG# 8538), Bristow, Va
2012 Black Concours 1400
2011 Silver Concours 1400 (Totaled)
2002 Silver Concours (sold), 06 Vulcan 900LT (sold), 03 VStar 650 (sold)

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2014, 10:07:05 PM »
Careful with that mount location. The mount that screw goes into is not meant for any type of weight, and the plastic can break. I managed to break both side on my 2011 by over tightening when installing some handwings.

hmmm.... Ill keep that in mind... Cause this has potential for quite a bit of force on that point...  Will remove when I go out tomorrow until further proper planning can be done.  Thanks!!!
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2014, 04:05:32 PM »
Ok, went back to the drawing board and came up with this.  Much-o moar sturdier!!!  Had to forego my original plan of "no permanent mods to the bike" by trimming a bit of plastic, but it looks clean, and I only modified a super easy to replace piece so worst case I can just replace it.











There's a slight bit of vibrations while riding, but nothing I'm too worried about. It's just as a safety/ insurance thing seeing as I'm on the road on a regular basis.  (This is my DD)

Tomorrow I'm gunna pull it off, clean it up, and paint it black. Next thing to do will be get a new housing for the GP so I can make it able to charge on the go.



EDIT: Video being uploaded meow.
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2014, 05:09:51 PM »
Here's the test vid from today


Concours 14 Gopro Mount Test
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline martin_14

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1379
  • Country: ar
  • know who you are
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2014, 10:30:09 AM »
I wish I could see your speed and RPMs. It looks like you're always driving a gear lower than I would, but it might just been the audio... or my driving style  ;D

BTW: nice job on the mount!
Build bridges, not walls.

Education is important. Riding my bike is importanter.

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2014, 04:10:05 PM »
I wish I could see your speed and RPMs. It looks like you're always driving a gear lower than I would, but it might just been the audio... or my driving style  ;D

BTW: nice job on the mount!

Thanks!!!

I agree.  But with my GPS Mounted where I want it, it's hard to put the GP back there and still be able to see the gauges with my eyes lol.  Also, I may be a gear lower than you would be.  I came from a Ninja 650 and this thing has GOBS more power (Almost triple!) and with it being my daily driver, I tend to operate it more like a car, unless I'm tearing up the twisties, which I don't do much of due to lack of time or money... I'm a 22YO Old fart!  hahahahahahaha :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :chugbeer:

There is no 2 without 3.

http://youtu.be/eLw6Gw_9vaA


MGvalerio. ;D

MG, I love your mounts!  Eventually I would like to do some electric servo's like you did, with a auto-leveling gimbal. It's only money.  lol.   But I did look at how you mounted your GP's to get ideas of how to mount mine.
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline lather

  • Arena
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1591
  • Country: us
  • And I think my spaceship knows which way to go...
    • Louisiana Chapter MSTA
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2014, 08:31:48 AM »
I got a Gopro for Christmas. It came with a bunch of different mounts. I stuck one of the adhesive mounts in the middle of my windshield. Works great but the windshield has to be down all the way.
Nothing worse than having your balls go missing.

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2014, 09:01:56 AM »
I got a Gopro for Christmas. It came with a bunch of different mounts. I stuck one of the adhesive mounts in the middle of my windshield. Works great but the windshield has to be down all the way.

Another thing I wanted to avoid.  I hate stuff in my line of sight... If you've ever driven a military vehicle of any kind, you'll know what I'm talking about. One of the reason's for me riding a motorcycle every day regardless of weather, is me hating blind-spots. lol
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline lather

  • Arena
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1591
  • Country: us
  • And I think my spaceship knows which way to go...
    • Louisiana Chapter MSTA
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2014, 09:42:12 AM »
Another thing I wanted to avoid.  I hate stuff in my line of sight... If you've ever driven a military vehicle of any kind, you'll know what I'm talking about. One of the reason's for me riding a motorcycle every day regardless of weather, is me hating blind-spots. lol
I put it low enough that it is totally out of my line of sight, just high enough that I can reach the button.  I put a mount on one of my helmets also but I have not tried it yet. I wanted the camera to be centered but I notice in your vid that you can't really tell that it is off center.
Nothing worse than having your balls go missing.

Offline stevewfl

  • Arena
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4268
  • Country: 00
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2014, 10:12:27 AM »
I wanted to mount my GoPro on my bike. I had tried it on the helmet before and hated it. Too much drag or weight pulling to the side, and I'm too tall to have it on top.


The new Hero 3+ black is so light I don't really notice it on the lid.
“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” St. Augustine

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2014, 10:12:58 AM »
I put it low enough that it is totally out of my line of sight, just high enough that I can reach the button.  I put a mount on one of my helmets also but I have not tried it yet. I wanted the camera to be centered but I notice in your vid that you can't really tell that it is off center.

Mostly because you can't see the bike lol.

If I had money to do it, I'd have done the dashboard from KAS, with the gopro up there, as I also wanna do a radar detector eventually. but this is a cheap $4 fix. (if that...)


The new Hero 3+ black is so light I don't really notice it on the lid.

The one I tried on my helmet was a Hero 3, and I hated it.  Hanging off the side there was way too much pull from wind.  My neck was sore after about 10 miles of freeway from the drag.
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline MGvaleri

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 383
  • Country: it
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2014, 12:55:49 PM »
« Last Edit: March 08, 2014, 10:59:20 AM by MGvaleri »
Centauro ancora a  60 anni,..che non finisca mai!!!

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2014, 03:20:24 PM »
http://youtu.be/dkMAV-yPCa4


 ;)MGvalerio.


How do you know what way the camera is pointing? Do you have an indicator where your controls are?
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline MGvaleri

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 383
  • Country: it
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2014, 10:05:35 PM »

How do you know what way the camera is pointing? Do you have an indicator where your controls are?

The mirror you can see the GoPro, you see the GoPro.


MGvalerio ;)
Centauro ancora a  60 anni,..che non finisca mai!!!

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2014, 10:49:45 PM »
.... Wow i feel dumb..... Hahahahaha
2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD

Offline MGvaleri

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 383
  • Country: it
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #18 on: January 15, 2014, 11:43:00 PM »
.... Wow i feel dumb..... Hahahahaha

No friend GTRista, x know? must be tried!

MGvalerio. :)
Centauro ancora a  60 anni,..che non finisca mai!!!

Offline Stephen.G.Fiddes

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 344
  • Country: us
  • They don't call me crash for nothing...
Re: DIY GoPro Hero 3 mount.
« Reply #19 on: January 16, 2014, 12:05:34 PM »
Got it all painted up the other day.  Doesn't look bad!   I greased both sides of the top and bottom washers to help prevent the paint from wearing too bad underneath.  Should work well!





2013 Kawasaki Concours 14 - CURRENT
2012 Yamaha V-Star 250 - WIFE'S
2006 Kawasaki Ninja 650R - SOLD
1982 Honda CM450E - SOLD