I never thought that I would get into motovlogging. I like traveling as my regular readers would know. These days I have developed a close emotional attachment with my bike. I have a Royal Enfield Bullet 350 CC. So I decided to start motovlogging along with vlogging. So in this article, I would tell you everything about the motovlogging helmet setup that I am using for moto vlogs. This is going to be the best helmet setup for motovlogging in India. A lot of motovloggers are using this setup as a standard setup for their YouTube videos. Let us take a look at the best helmet setup for motovlogging in India.
I am listing down the components and the things that I used in this setup. I would also be embedding a YouTube tutorial video in the end so that you can watch how this setup is done. To watch my vlogs please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
Good Quality Motovlogging Helmet(Branded)
The most important component of this setup is the helmet. DO NOT COMPROMISE ON THE HELMET. I value my life and I decided to go for a good quality certified helmet instead of buying a cheap one. You can get a helmet ranging from INR 700 to INR 3,000,00. Now I am not telling you to invest that much into the helmet. Any decent helmet you will get in the market for INR 4k to 5k. I got an SMK helmet for INR 4000 and it is a pretty good helmet.
Ensure that you get a helmet with detachable padding. This comes in handy when you need to wash and clean the padding. This is needed especially in a warm climate where people sweat a lot.
There are other brands too, but I would suggest that you put in at least 4k to 5k in a helmet. Cheap helmets won’t save you from accidents good quality helmets will.
I am listing few helmet brands to help you out that are considered as best helmet for motovlogging.
Motovlogging helmet near you
- SMK Helmet – Click here to buy
- Vega Helmet – Click here to buy
- Steelbird Helmet – Click here to buy
- Studds Helmet – Click here to buy
- LS2 Helmet – Click here to buy
- THH Helmet – Click here to buy
- MT Helmet – Click here to buy
- AVG Helmet – Click here to buy
Helmet Chin Mount Strap
I saw a lot of videos where folks were using M-Seal 🙂 to stick the GoPro mount to their helmet. What is with the “JUGAD” guys? LOL. I used a chin mount strap for mounting the camera case. The reason why I did not use an M-seal is that firstly, I do not want to damage the paintwork on my expensive helmet. Secondly, M-seal can break and your camera can fall, but the chin strap mount is a sure shot and effective way of keeping your camera safe.
Chinstrap mount is easy to attach with your helmet and unlike M-Seal which takes a lot of time to get fixated on your helmet, it is an instant fix.
Moreover, your helmet stays safe, with no paint damage no structural damage when you take off the chin mount. Also, M-seal does not match the color of your helmet so it looks very ugly unless you paint it with the color of your helmet.
- Helmet Chin Mount, Motorcycle Helmet Strap – Click here to buy
Action Camera
First, you need to have a camera to record. I have been using GoPro 5, GoPro 7 Black, & GoPro 8 Black for some time. GoPro 8 Black I use it for my vlogging and the Hero GoPro 7 Black I am using in my motovlogging setup. I get all my stuff from Amazon, click this link to get your own GoPro today. The price of GoPro’s is usually on the higher side. I am including a list of other action cameras available in the market, that you can choose as per your budget.
- Latest GoPro Hero 9 Black – Click here to buy
- GoPro Hero 8 Black – Click here to buy
- GoPro Hero 7 Black – Click here to buy
- DJI OSMO Action Camera – Click here to buy
- INSTA 360 ONE R Action Camera – Click here to buy
Any other than the cameras listed above I do not find them worth it as the video quality is very poor. I trust only the bands above with GoPro taking the highest place.
GoPro External Mic Connector/Adaptor
I am using GoPro 7 Black for my motovlog helmet setup. So I had to buy this GoPro external mic connector so that I can attach an external microphone. Personally, I do not know why GoPro made this adaptor? Furthermore, the camera should have had a microphone jack which is missing. Anyways this external adaptor comes at INR 4000 on Amazon.
This adaptor has a type C pinout that goes into the GoPro’s charging slot. When you have this connection you can not charge your GoPro. So I would advise you to get extra batteries for your action cam as you know this camera’s battery drains out a little faster. I have got two additional batteries from Amazon.
- GoPro AAMIC-001 3.5mm Mic Adapter – Click here to buy
- GoPro 5/6/7/8 Additional Battery – Click here to buy
External Case for GoPro and Mic Adaptor
I used to hate everything that China was making after this COIVD-19 outbreak. But seriously, there are some useful things that they have built. For an e.g. this ULANZI case for hero GoPro 6,7,8 and works like a charm. This case is good in quality and I can vouch for it. Plus this case has a separate compartment for your GoPro mic adaptor. So all you need to do is put your GoPro in the case, slide the adaptor in the compartment below and connect them. So now your case is ready with your action camera and adaptor ready to be connected to an external microphone.
ULANZI V2 Vlogging Protective Housing Case Shell – Click here to buy
External Microphone
I do not want to get into a debate as I used cheap quality ones and expensive ones. Bottom like the most branded you take the better audio/sound quality you get. For e.g. I used a cheap one which was Maono AU-400 Lavalier Microphone this comes in just INR 480 approx. The audio quality was ok, not great though, but I can’t complain either. You cant have world-class results in just 500 bucks.
Expensive ones and branded microphones from brands like BOYA, RODE, JBL, etc. will give you better results. They are expensive but then they are worth every penny.
One Important thing to watch out when purchasing mic is taking a look at the pins and the rings on it. There are two types of microphone jacks.
TRS
This stands for tip, ring, and sleeve. (TRS) Easy to identify as they only have two rings on the jack. For a detailed understanding of this TRS, you need to check this article. However, to make it easy this is what most of the lavalier microphone has.
TRRS
This stands for tip, ring, ring sleeve. (TRRS) This jack has three rings that are clearly visible. This kind of connector you find on computers and mobile devices. Also, in the GoPro connector, you will find this jack type. Check out this article for more information.
Bottom line is that for GoPro cameras, you need to have a microphone with a TRS jack. If you have a TRRS mic, you will need a TRRS to TRS adapter for it to work. Although, microphones like the one I got comes with a connector. If not you can purchase one from Amazon. This is available easily.
Now you have everything you need for the best helmet setup for motovlogging
Let us setup up this thing.
Physical Setup (Best helmet for motovlogging India)
- I removed the internal padding of the helmet first so that I can place my lavalier microphone inside my helmet. The placement of the microphone has to be either on the left or right. Do not place it in front of your mouth, as it might record your breathing and the audio might not be clear. The wires are long so make sure that the wiring is placed properly with no extra wire hanging around.
- The second step includes attaching the chin mount to the helmet. Make sure that the straps are buckled up tightly and the mount should not move. This might take a little time but make sure the attachment of the mount is firm.
- Now place the GoPro inside the ULANZI housing and also the GoPro mic adaptor. Make sure that the requirements are safe inside the housing. Note: You will have to remove the GoPro battery and connection compartment cover. This means that GoPro will no longer be protected from water, please make a special note of this.
- Now with the help of additional connectors of GoPro attach the ULANZI case with GoPro and adaptor to the chin mount.
- Finally, connect the microphone to your GoPro adaptor, you need to use a TRS to TRRS connector for this without which it won’t work. Although this adaptor connects a wide range of external 3.5mm mics
GoPro Setting (Best helmet for motovlogging India)
- Now let us set up the settings on our GoPro
- Go to GoPro preferences
- Turn off the wireless connection else you will get cracking sound in your audio
- Now go and tap the back button to go to preferences again
- Scroll all the way down to input/output
- Go to audio input in the menu (Second option)
- The default setting is an external mic (Used in case of non powered mics)
- Microphone + is an additional boost if your mic is not that powerful
- A powered mic is when you have an external self-powered microphone (Not to be used in our scenario)
- Go to your protune settings now
- Scroll to the bottom you will get two options raw audio and mic
- Raw Audio: It just creates a separate audio file, leave it as of this is not required
- Microphone Setting: It has three settings, Auto, wind, and stereo, leave it to stereo
- We are done, put on your helmet, and go motovlogging.
Best helmet setup for motovlogging in India (Video Tutorial)
Summing up best motovlogging helmet setup for motovlogging India
I am sure there are a lot of articles, but I found them to be a little confusing. So I curated this article, especially for new motovloggers. In case you have any questions please drop in a comment and I will ensure to answer it ASAP. Also, check out my Instagram and my YouTube channel, and do not forget to subscribe to my Channel.
