Transporting Mavic on Motorcycle

[MKGym]

I'm going on a 600+ mile motorcycle ride next month and I'd like to take my Mavic along. I plan to transport it in a foam-lined hard case and keep the factory gimbal lock in place. My concern is that the bike, an HD Ultra Classic, vibrates more and has a bumpier ride than a four-wheeled vehicle. Has anyone else done this or have any insight on whether the hard case will protect my Mavic well enough?

 

[Marples]

In a good hard case made for the Mavic, gimble locked and props removed it should be fine. The foam will insulate the drone from normal road bumps and vibration. I've transported computers and electronic equipment with less protection and worse conditions and they arrived fine.

 

[SantaSailor]

I ride a 2006 Police Special and put my Mavic Air in the saddle bag, rode the 2 + hrs from Jacksonville, Fl to Daytona, Fl without any issues. Flew the MA, put it back in it's case and rode home. I haven't had any issues yet. That is why I bought the MA. Will be heading to Ohio in June to ride the rolling hills of Amish country and take drone videos. I'll let ya know if I have any issues.

 

[MKGym]

Thanks for the replies. I'll give it a try. Seems like the hard case should provide plenty of protection. Hadn't thought of removing the props but it sounds like a good idea.

 

[conchman]

I have been transporting my MP in the soft bag inside a compartment in the back of my offroad vehicle (CanAm Maverick X3 UTV), riding on bumpy trails pretty fast. It fits pretty snug in the compartment, so it doesn't bounce inside the compartment but of course the whole vehicle has a rough ride. Never had an issue with the MP yet.

 

[MKGym]

I have been transporting my MP in the soft bag inside a compartment in the back of my offroad vehicle (CanAm Maverick X3 UTV), riding on bumpy trails pretty fast. It fits pretty snug in the compartment, so it doesn't bounce inside the compartment but of course the whole vehicle has a rough ride. Never had an issue with the MP yet.

That's good to hear. I plan to surround the hard case with clothing or other soft items in the trunk. Will have to leave it home when traveling with my wife, however. No spare space anywhere then!

 

[angeloyzf]

View media item 1847

This is where i carry my Mavic .... no problems at all

 

[MKGym]

View media item 1847

This is where i carry my Mavic .... no problems at all

Nice. Where was that photo taken?

 

[angeloyzf]

Nice. Where was that photo taken?

Switzerland

 

[MKGym]

Great photo!

 

[MKGym]

Update: Carried the Mavic in it's hard case inside the tourpack on my bike. Rode 310 miles each way over typical Michigan roads. No evidence of vibration damage and it functioned perfectly after both legs of the trip. Unfortunately I only made one short flight due to wind conditions.

 

[matap]

I ride a 2017 Road King Special and just recently got back from a 1400+ mile trip in the Texas Hill Country and I had it with me all day everyday. No problems at all. I did just have to calibrate the compass once but I think I was trying to take off where there was gnarly magnetic interference in the ground.

Oh and btw, I purchased a set of those cases that hold the mavic, the remote and the battery separate of each other. They are the hard shell with mold padding on the inside and I just stowed it away in one of my saddlebags.

 

[ScottB]

If you want the ultimate protection, google suspension packaging. I agree with the posts above that a good case will be plenty but if you want it to truly float and not absorb a single vibration, suspension packaging is awesome.

 

[DesignFlaw06]

I don't have a Harley, but I used to transport my Phantom 3 Pro in the top box of my FJR. I made a custom foam case (ugly, but it worked). I cut out 2 inch foam layer by layer. The other thing I did was put a rubber band around the gimbal lock. A thousand miles and never had an issue.

You could do something, albeit smaller, with your Mavic.

Took every square inch of the top box though so everything else had to fit in the side cases. It made it a pain to take with on long trips. For that reason, I sold the P3P and picked up a Mavic Air a couple weeks ago. I'm riding up the coast of Lake Michigan this weekend so I'm looking forward to the portability of the Air.

 

[MKGym]

I don't have a Harley, but I used to transport my Phantom 3 Pro in the top box of my FJR. I made a custom foam case (ugly, but it worked). I cut out 2 inch foam layer by layer. The other thing I did was put a rubber band around the gimbal lock. A thousand miles and never had an issue.

You could do something, albeit smaller, with your Mavic.

Took every square inch of the top box though so everything else had to fit in the side cases. It made it a pain to take with on long trips. For that reason, I sold the P3P and picked up a Mavic Air a couple weeks ago. I'm riding up the coast of Lake Michigan this weekend so I'm looking forward to the portability of the Air.

The hard case took up most of my tour pack also. Enough room left for a light jacket and extra gloves, but that's about it! As it turned out I could have just brought the soft bag and padded it well but I thought I'd need more batteries.

I see you're also from Muskegon. What area? I'm off Green Creek on the Northside. Perhaps 1.5 miles from the BLT and about 2 from the state park.

 

[DesignFlaw06]

I see you're also from Muskegon. What area? I'm off Green Creek on the Northside. Perhaps 1.5 miles from the BLT and about 2 from the state park.

Norton Shores area by the old Mona Shores Administration building.

 

[stuckinbis]

I’m leaving tomorrow for the Black Hills, SD...with the MP. I have it in the Fly More bag and everything is packed tight. I think it’ll be more than safe in my saddle bag. I ride a 2007 HD Sportster 1200 XL. My first long weekend road trip! Hoping the people I go with stop enough so I can get good footage with the Mavic!

 

[MavicFlyGuy]

I was just on Facebook and saw what looked like a DJI Mavic Air.... are DJI Ripping is off or is this a clone? $89.99! Instead of $850....

 

[DesignFlaw06]

I’m leaving tomorrow for the Black Hills, SD...with the MP. I have it in the Fly More bag and everything is packed tight. I think it’ll be more than safe in my saddle bag. I ride a 2007 HD Sportster 1200 XL. My first long weekend road trip! Hoping the people I go with stop enough so I can get good footage with the Mavic!

From my experience, things won't go right when you try to do it. A watched pot never boils. Everyone will be standing around watching and waiting. That's when it won't connect, needs an update, or has to calibrate. Make sure the rest of your group has realistic expectations about what it will take to fly. It's not just a 5 minute stop.

See if there are areas you know you want to fly at so your group can plan a longer stop there.

Enjoy the Black Hills. I was out there last August. There are some really great roads.

 

[stuckinbis]

From my experience, things won't go right when you try to do it. A watched pot never boils. Everyone will be standing around watching and waiting. That's when it won't connect, needs an update, or has to calibrate. Make sure the rest of your group has realistic expectations about what it will take to fly. It's not just a 5 minute stop.

See if there are areas you know you want to fly at so your group can plan a longer stop there.

Enjoy the Black Hills. I was out there last August. There are some really great roads.

Good advice. Before we leave I’m going to ask how often they stop. If it isn’t much I’ll leabe the MP at home. My dad and brother and others do this ride yearly, but I never went due to not having a motorcycle. Now I can finally join the guys. We are meeting my brother and his son there who now live in CO.

When I was younger we lived in rapid city for a few years. Beautiful area. I’ve only been back once as an adult.