Sunday, August 11, 2013

How to Mount the Camera on the Motorcycle

I had this idea on how to mount my camera onto my motorcycle so I could capture some of my driving experience here in Bangkok.  My bike has this cheesy, yet handy, metal basket mounted on the front.  My idea was to cut a camera-lens sized hole in the front of it and use zip ties to hold the camera in place.  


I figured a nice pair of sturdy aviation sheers would be sufficient to cut the metal of the basket.  

Unfortunately, the classic WISS-style (made in my birth state of Wisconsin, I believe) cutters are not to be found here in Thailand. There are wire cutters, to be sure, but I wasn't sure they'd do the trick. When I thought about it, I really don't want to be buying a bunch of tools here in Thailand anyways.  Who knows how long I'll be here.  I certainly don't at this point. 

Instead, I just took my bike down to the little motorcycle repair shop half a block from my house, explained (again using lots of miming and gesturing) what I wanted to do to the basket.  The mechanic understood and he had a much better solution for how to cut through the metal basket than what I'd thought up.  He removed it entirely and used a hammer and a chisel on a wooden anvil to pound through the metal.  Took him 10 minutes and he charged me 30 Baht ($1). 

Now, I've got a stable platform to show the world the wild and exciting world of driving a motorcycle through Bangkok.  

Enjoy! 



4 comments:

  1. Cool, Joko, but keep your head on a swivel while riding! we don't want to see video your video added to the many viral videos from Asia roadways of things that go splat! Jd Lynnwood

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  2. Can't wait till tonight when I ca see it. We are driving up I5, almost to Oregon. Any info on getting a position after your contract is up?

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  3. Got to see it. It was much smoother than I expected. I hate things that are hand held in motion. Make me feel dizzy. This did not.

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    Replies
    1. That is also in part due to a new stabilizing feature available on YouTube. They digitally make your video less shaky for you.

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