Has anyone experimented with the idea of a rearview camera monitor on your bike?

Dont shoot me    I am not 100% sold to the idea, but somehow it might work to quickly check what is going on behind you, especially stopped at an intersection.

Unless of course I am too much of a newbie to aim my mirrors correctly, unless I look at an angle, I cant see what is directly behind me in the mirrors.  I can see the next lane for lane changes, but not what is behind my license plate + 20 feet

I don't really have a problem seeing behind me in my mirrors, but some people could depending on their handlebar/mirror setup and body positioning.  I actually like the idea of a rear view camera.  There is a helmet brand called Reevu that has a built in rear view system.  Not cheap though!  Maybe you could do a cheap camera more inexpensively?

I have my sights on a cheapo monitor and camera on Amazon.  I will test it out, and report back.

M

not an idiot at all my friend. i had considered the idea a while back. mount camera on license plate frame, maybe place monitor on tank or bars using a ram mount or something. make electrical connection under seat?
Aaron.

Just make sure the camera and monitor you get can be powered by 12 V electrical.  Might want to put in some fuse protection for the camera and monitor too.

Why not try some bar end mirrors instead? About $15 on ebay, no wiring, 10 minutes to install, and offer a great view behind & beside the bike.

If you have your phone mounted, maybe you could mount a wifi or bluetooth camera on the back? You might even have an old phone or tablet that you could use.

Too much of a distraction, if there were any benefits to be had, safety or otherwise the manufacturers would have started doing it years ago.

Quote from: sledge on September 22, 2015, 10:33:26 PM
Too much of a distraction, if there were any benefits to be had, safety or otherwise the manufacturers would have started doing it years ago.

I agree, just get bar ends. Get one flat mirror so you can see cops from a distance and one dome mirror so you can see behind you and every where else.

interesting alternatives . however if you decide to persue this, heres a safety idea, wire camera/monitor in, and power it via brake light. that way its triggered when you squeeze brake lever? ( as long as setup is not too large of a current draw). an alternative to consider Eh?.
Aaron

You can never find out the draw on these things until you buy them.

having it connected to the brake light is a fantastic idea I think.  I personally do not think it will be any more distracting than a rear view mirror, which of course motorcycles don't have these.

I think I may just try this, before getting to invasive, I would just direct wire it in, that way I do not have to splice into the ignition.

Getting the power from the brake light would be good, to just have it when the brakes are on, that way you can control it a bit.

I dont buy it, just because manufacturers are not introducing it, does not mean it has no value and does not have credit.  Maybe I don't need such a thing, but maybe it would be a good tool.  How do you know until you try it?  Think of it as the ability to have a rearview mirror on a motorcycle, that is possible, and even cheap, between $80-150CAD for one that works at night.

Not a bad idea, but have you thought about vibration? That's what makes the stock mirrors nearly useless outside the cities..

If I have to hit the brakes hard I more interested in what's going on in front of me than behind me, and when there is a bike braking behind ME I want him to be paying attention to what he sees in front too!!

Lets think this thing through..........

If you start getting into the habit of staring at a tiny screen and start trying to process what you see and what is happening behind you during a brown trouser moment you are far more likely to loose it and run into whatever it is in front of you due to lack of concentration and your reaction time being reduced. The irony is its YOU that then becomes the risk to others as well as compromising your own safety. Furthermore what exactly are you going to do if you do see something behind you that you think poses a risk, are you always  going to have time/reactions to do something about it, and if you do think that way will the situation always allow you to do something about it? Also if you see something going on behind you on that tiny screen that is nowhere near as hazardous as it appears could it not cause you to panic and do something stupid that needlessly compromises your safety or that of others?

Like I said earlier, the manufacturers left it on the drawing board for a reason and here in the UK it would be illegal anyway. The more I think about the idea the more it scares me and if you were involved in an accident and the lawyers found out you could have been distracted and not paying full attention to the road in front they would screw you up and down!!

As always its your bike/life/choice etc but you have to remember you have an obligation to the safety of other road users.

Yes I am concerned about the vibration, but I think It might not be as bad as the mirrors, which are very bad.

Sledge does your car have a rear view mirror?

Have you tried mirror extenders? They get the mirrors farther out so you have more positioning options.

Quote from: GSamIInsane on September 24, 2015, 07:17:09 AM
Sledge does your car have a rear view mirror?

Yes it has 3, and it has a rear view camera that activates when I reverse. What it doesn't have is a rear view camera that is permanently on and certainly not one that only activates when I hit the brakes.

Why do you ask?

Well I guess you are too smart for me. 

Perhaps I will be more cautious in the future sharing ideas.  Implying that I do not feel obligated for the safety of others is really over the top sledge, and I wish you to stop what you are doing.

M

You invited comment, you got comment. I will reiterate and say I don't think its a good idea and that it will compromise not just your safety but that of others too.

But hey......no need to bunch your panties, you don't have to pay any attention to me whatsoever and if you think differently you carry on and do whatever you want, I really don't care what you do and it seems you must have missed the bit where I said, your bike/life/choice etc 

Quote from: sledge on September 24, 2015, 10:17:53 AM

But hey......no need to bunch your panties

Yes, I invited comments, like this one for example...because I like these kinds of comments, very credible sledge, good job.

Yes you invited comments but I think the problem is you cant handle the negative ones. Have you got any replies to the concerns I raised or are you just going to dismiss them? I have got a couple of new ones for you, how will you deal with the problems of glare, how will it work at night when its dark and how are you going to keep the camera lens clean and free of dirt and water

Come on man, pretend this Shark Tank....sell it to me 







(Will someone please hurry up and tell him his idea is both inspired and brilliant and that he is a genius for coming up with it.

I think  its this he wants more than anything else  )