Drone Pilot/Motorcycle Correlation?

MavicMo · Apr 17, 2017

2015 Ducati Monster 1200S for the street and a Honda Africa Twin for back-country trips.

The number 1 and main reason for me buying the Mavic was to be able to take a drone with me on my back-country trips.

Plawa · Apr 17, 2017

BMW R1200GS and a KTM 350 XCF-W.. I'm the video guy for our group so I always wanted a drone but it wasn't until the Mavic that I could actually carry it with me... now I can even bring it on a dirtbike ride (granted I will take it easy in that case)..

This is a combination of GoPro and Mavic footage.. longer video but the scenery deserved it (drone shots at 3:20, 7:26, 16:35 and 17:57)

Mavtastic · Apr 18, 2017

Good stuff, Plawa.

I've had an '03 Honda VTX 1800R for 12 years that I can't see myself ever letting go of, but at some point I would like to add an 800GS or a 1200GS.

SimpleDrone · Apr 18, 2017

Plawa said:
BMW R1200GS and a KTM 350 XCF-W.. I'm the video guy for our group so I always wanted a drone but it wasn't until the Mavic that I could actually carry it with me... now I can even bring it on a dirtbike ride (granted I will take it easy in that case)..

This is a combination of GoPro and Mavic footage.. longer video but the scenery deserved it (drone shots at 3:20, 7:26, 16:35 and 17:57)

Great videos....! Do you manually fly in all the shots in the three videos. Also what case do you use when storing in your backpack?

Gaz Mc · Apr 18, 2017

i have a 2008 gsxr 1000 k7 blue ands white

and a 2007 kawasaki kx 250f

Michael Ainsworth · Apr 18, 2017

Riding since 1968, many different bikes.
IBA member and Australia FarRiders. Also love taking off and camping.
Current and probably last bike is 2015 DL 650 V Strom.
34000 ks since new.

Plawa · Apr 18, 2017

Surfratowens said:
Great videos....! Do you manually fly in all the shots in the three videos. Also what case do you use when storing in your backpack?

Thanks... Mostly manual, with the exception of the obvious POI, lately I have been using Course Lock as a safety precaution when I line the drone up in a safe direction along the path of travel and then I focus on tracking subjects while it flies along the path.. The only time I have tried ActiveTrack I almost lost the drone (100% operator error) - I set it up to follow me on ~1000ft water crossing, put the RC in my tankbag and took off.. Luckily I had the Mavic in front of me (due to the angle of sun) so I noticed in the corner of my eye that it is descending into the water so I stopped, took over and saved it.. then I realized that when I put the RC away and closed the bag it pushed down on the left stick .. close call, now I have a stick guard... and I used a model for the crossing

I still want to try some of the smart modes for tracking, either Follow me or Spotlight..

As for carrying it - LowePro 200 Backpack, it fits nicely in the DSLR compartment and I can even fit the remote in there without taking the phone out which is a YUUGE factor in being able to take off and then break it down again within minutes and without getting everyone else grumpy about the drone guy slowing the group down.. When I'm on a dirtbike with a smaller backpack I use the cases linked below but like I said, I take it easy because they would not save it if I went down on my back (nor would I want a hard case jammed in my back)..

Other moto related observations..

- Using Sena20S while flying gave me interference warnings but I need to test that again, it's a huge plus when you can talk to your "talent" and tell them what to do and when
- I let the drone initialize on flat ground, then I take off and land from my hand - it's way too dusty where we ride.
- I usually tell people to ride about 1/4 mile up the road, then turn around and come back - I get more footage and they don't need to wait for me up the road while I pack up. Then I usually flip the footage from the return trip horizontally in post so that it all has the same "directional flow".. 180 degree rule of sorts.. I did that in this video, the shots between 0:33 and 1:07 are mirrored.

- Travel case(s) for the Mavic/RC and for extra batteries. I have an all-in-one case at home but the separate cases work better for distributing volume and weight around the bike/backpack
- 3 batteries seem to be enough for a daytrip on a bike, I only used about 1,5 battery/day on the Mojave trip
- The car charger only works above 13.1V or so, so it won't charge your battery when the engine's not running (at least on my GS or in my Jeep). When running it works great - keep that in mind if you want to charge your battery on the bike while you're having lunch (yes, I have direct hookup to the battery)

nx650 · Apr 18, 2017

Hi mavic lovers I have an 1992 Honda ST1100 Pan European

raymo · Apr 19, 2017

Riding since 1964. Current shiny side up is a 2005 Honda Gold Wing.

Skrems · Apr 19, 2017

Beta Trials 290, Honda CRF 450x and a Star Warrior 1700

philh24 · Apr 19, 2017

Honda goldwing 1800 converted to a trike. I did have a phantom 4 but the mavic is so much easier to take with me on the trike.

Mavtastic · Apr 19, 2017

I have noticed a strong correlation with stuffed animals and Gold Wings over the years

philh24 · Apr 19, 2017

Mavtastic said:
I have noticed a strong correlation with stuffed animals and Gold Wings over the years

There was a reason for that, it was a charity event for the north east air ambulance. They were selling them on a stall. But your right there does seem to be a lot of stuffed animals on them these days.