BEST CAMERA FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDES

What is the best camera for motorcycle vlogging? We’ve reviewed the Insta360 X4, which shoots in a whopping 8K format. Is it worth it? How does the Insta360 compare to the GoPro? If you’re a motorcycle blogger looking to capture your motorcycle travel videos, find out if the Insta360 X4 is the best camera for motorcycle rides!

Are you looking to be a motorcycle vlogger? Or maybe you’re looking for a unique way to capture your rides while you’re out traveling on great motorcycle roads . If you are, you may be trying to figure out the best camera for motorcycle rides to make videos.

Perhaps you’ve seen the kind of 360 footage on YouTube , where it feels like the camera is moving around on its own getting footage in front, between and behind the motorcycle rider.

Well, there’s only one camera in the world that does it quite like this, and that’s the Insta 360 x4. But is it worth it? And how does it compare to the GoPro Hero for recording your motorcycle rides?

What is the Insta360?

As you probably know, there’s a lot of action cameras out there these days to choose from. For years, I’ve used a GoPro attached to my helmet by a chin mount to get basic straight on point of view footage while I’m riding a motorcycle . The GoPro Hero to me has been the gold standard action camera to get that straight on point of view (‘POV’) footage. A shown below, this kind of shot gives the viewer the satisfying feeling that they’re on the motorcycle themselves, instead of feeling like they’re watching someone else ride their motorcycle.

While the GoPro Hero does have a wide angle lens option to get more footage into the frame, the GoPro Hero is very much a straightforward “point and shoot” action camera.

The Insta360 on their other hand is anything but a straightforward point and shoot camera. It’s actually one of the most versatile cameras in the world.

The Insta360 features two cameras, one in front and one in back. They both capture a 180° field of view which is later stitched together on playback. So the entire time it’s literally capturing everything in front and behind – then putting it together in between.

Ways to mount the Insta360 for motorcycle rides

If you want the ‘POV’ look to your footage with the motorcycle handlebars in view, Insta360 offers a chest mount accessory you can wear, and this angle enables you to get that kind of footage.

In that type of scenario, you would want to use the single lens mode on the Insta360. The single lens mode only uses the front lens. This angle will give the option for the ‘POV’ footage, similar to a standard point and shoot style camera like the GoPro Hero.

But a good place to start for getting riding footage for the 360° style video is placing the camera on the handlebar mount . Make sure you have a nice flat spot on your bars with no or curves or dents.

Thankfully, the folks over Insta360 have an abundance of accessories to mount the camera almost anywhere on your motorcycle, so you can get the camera mounted at almost any angle.

What’s the best angle to record motorcycle rides for action cameras?

Riders can get some interesting angles and ways to get footage with the Insta360 selfie stick. Mounting the camera on the handle bars with the selfie stick , I found you can capture more of the road without the rider taking up so much of the frame.

The selfie stick extends to get a higher viewpoint image of the rider and the road. The cool thing about the selfie stick is that it completely disappears in your edit, which enables you to capture aerial angles and third person perspectives that are impossible to achieve with other cameras. 

We preferred using the selfie stick attached to the handlebars as opposed to without it, since the rider is not so close to the shot taking up all the frame space, as shown in the examples below.

You can also mount the Insta360 towards the rear of the bike to get the camera angle from behind the rider. It’s a great option if you want to get even more of the scenery around you. This is perfect if you’re riding in a national park or another scenic motorcycle road like the Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle ride .

Riders will want to be careful for any low hanging trees or branches with the selfie stick extended behind you. If you can’t have a drone follow you around while you ride your motorcycle, this is the next best thing!

The fun of using the Insta360 is that motorcycle riders can try different mounting angles and see what style of shot works best for the style of video you want.

How is the image quality on the Insta360 X4?

We found right out of the box, the image quality on the X4 is amazing with brilliantly vivid colors. You won’t have to do much with color editing.

One of the features that makes the Insta360 the best camera for motorcycle rides is the fact that it shoots in 8K. With this doubled bitrate, it’s more than enough quality to record motorcycle riding videos. In fact, the 8K resolution is 78% more pixels than 5.7K. You could play your riding footage on a 75” TV screen and it will look amazing with no pixelation. The detail and greater clarity makes the Insta360 X4 a perfect camera for motorcycle rides if looking to publish in 4K for YouTube motorcycle travel videos.

If you’re looking to shoot slow motion, you can do it in 5.7K at 60fps. That’s a perfect setting for action sports and exceptional slow-motion clarity.

What features does the Insta360 X4 have for motorcycle riding?

There’s one particular feature on the Insta360 X4 that makes it the best camera for motorcycle rides, and that’s the Gesture Control. With the Gesture Control feature on, the Insta360 will stop and start recording when you hold up your hand clearly in front of the camera. This is an absolutely fantastic feature if you want to record certain sections of your travels and don’t want to be fiddling around trying to find the record button while focusing on your motorcycle ride.

This is something I’ve always struggled with while recording my motorcycle rides with the GoPro Hero. Many times I have to pull over and actually look into my side mirror to make sure the little red indicator is off when I want to make sure that I’m definitely not recording any footage.

Another reason why the Insta360 is the best camera for motorcycle rides is the ‘shoot first and edit later’ functionality. This means you don’t have to worry about setting up your shot to be perfect before you record your motorcycle rides. You can edit everything later on. The phone app allows for all the fun post production in real time after you’ve got the footage.

How do I edit the Insta360 for motorcycle rides?

Insta360 has a “Quick” edit option, where you physically move the phone to get the angles you want in real time while watching the video back. Honestly, I had so much fun editing the clips this way.

For those who just want to have the app choose the best footage, the “AI” edit feature will recommend the best clip edit for the 360° footage you took. Just click on the AI edit feature, and within a moment you’ll have a fully edited video clip of your footage, with different angles and views, ready to share with the world.

And for those looking for a more hands on approach, there’s the “Pro” editing feature, where you can get more customization to get the footage exactly how you want it.

How is the battery on the Insta360 X4?

Another reason why the Insta360 is the best camera for motorcycle rides is the larger battery. The X4 has a 67% longer runtime, which gets you an incredible 135 minutes recording time! The GoPro only gets 90 mins in the same frame rate.

Is the Insta360 worth It?

The Insta360 X4 was made for motorcyclists who love the look of 360° action cameras. And it’s especially made for those who have high expectations of how clear 360° action cameras can capture their riding footage. If you’re a content creator, blogger or photographer who is looking for cinematic image quality with ultra sharp 8K resolution, the Insta360 X4 is the most versatile camera in the world. The Gesture Control feature itself makes it one of the best cameras for motorcycle riding. If you’re looking for a unique way to capture your motorcycle travels, the Insta360 X4 is the way to go.

Grab your Insta360 X4 here . Use promo code: INR2RLW

Please note: The information here is based solely on our opinions and are meant for informational purposes only. To use information contained on this site is to do so at your own risk. We assume no liability for decisions made as a result of the information provided here. You are responsible for your decisions, your actions, and your safety. By using this website you agree to the TERMS OF USE .