It feels like spring is very late late! But actually i’ts quite normal that only at the end of March the weather is warm enough and the roads are free from ice and snow. I was able to ride gravel roads yesterday (at least here in the most southern parts of Finland) and it felt so good!! The 90km’s route I made was like this:
And ofcourse I had Insta360 Ace Pro attached to my helmet and I made a video!
I bought myself a new GPS device. The main reason was that my Montana couldn’t get the power anymore from the original motorcycle holder. I already removed the wires and I was thinking that I will charge it only with USB wire but that ofcourse brings more problems.
And when I realised that I had the opportunity to buy Garmin Zumo XT2 I decided to take it.
I hear the XT2 has same kind of problems with the power connection so now I’m waiting to have the same peoblems soon. Hopefully not in this summer yet!
The winter started very early (last november!) And quite many years lately the spring didn’t come early or not even in the ordinary time (around mid march). But this year maby it’s early?
At least I was actually doing a proper motorcycle ride already in 24th of February!
My ride was mostly about testing the Sena Spider ST1 helmet phone as the microphone. But I was also testing the remote controller (GPS Preview Remote) which is very easy to use and it gives also the GPS data to your video if you want to use it.
A week later I was riding again!
This morning (06th of March 2024) it was -8° so maybe we still need to wait?!
Helsinki Motorcycle Exhibition 2024
Almost the only new models were BMW’s F900GS and R1300GS (from adventure section).
But from Ducati there was this totally new model (with new 1-sylinder engine) Hypermotard 698 Mono and I really believe (or hope) that there will be Enduro model also coming!
This is mind blowing! It’s revolutionary.
Until now everyone who wanted to talk to the video while riding a motorcycle had to install either a mic with the wire (so called Lavalier microphone) or somekind of wireless microphone inside their helmets.
I was using one of the best ones (RØDE wireless Go II) and I did find a place for the microphone inside my helmet but then there was the problem of the reciever and the adapter on the side of the camera.
The sound quality from this RØDE microphone was very good! But because of the rain I did brake 1 mic adapter last summer.
Then on december 2023 they released this new Insta360 Ace Pro camera and it has bluetooth connectivity!! I didn’t even realize this when I bought it. But about in the same time when I got this new camera the DJI Osmo Action 4 shared new firmware update that allowed it to be connected to DJI Mic 2. That was the first time when I knew something quite important was about to happen! In DJI’s version you still need to install this microphone inside the helmet. Only few weeks later Insta360 released new firmware that had already more than 5 different helmetphone Brands and models that was supported by Insta360 Ace Pro camera!! I had Sena 30K and it was not on the list…. So I sold my helmetphone and bought the new one! It was Sena Spider ST1 and to pair it with Insta360 Ace Pro you do like this:
I knew that when you are using helmetphone microphone they have this “Advanced Noise Control™” that will block all ambient sounds (sounds from the outside of your helmet). So I started testing how can I easily disconnect the helmetphone from the camera so that camera’s own microphone will record all sounds when I’m not talking to the microphone. It can be done but it’s not very easy.
Finally today (3rd of february) it was so warm weather so I decided I will install the battery to my bike. And because my bike’s engine started like it was not winter at all… I decided to go for a ride!
And ofcourse test how this Sena Spider ST1 will work as a microphone in insta360 Ace Pro camera.
Here is the video:
As a result I can say that yes, you can hear the engine sound on the video. But it’s not too loud. Actually if I will use music on the video it will cover pretty much all engine sound… So I will try to remember to disconnect the helmetphone (microphone) when I don’t want to talk to the video.
And when I want to talk again I need to stop recording and connect the helmetphone to the camera again. And start recording again (Sounds little bit complicated here! But it isn’t.)
I have a promo code for you to buy insta360 Ace Pro Action camera!
Unfortunately they do not offer any discount but if you use this link it gives some benefits to me –
Thank You!
It’s almost Christmas! Last weekend there was (new) Christmas Market in Salo and I decided to make a visit. I had also my drone there with me.
Then on sunday we had sunshine! I made a short walk in Fiskars village and here is the result:
If you decide to buy this amazing Insta360 Ace Pro camera please use this link: https://www.insta360.com/sal/ace-pro?utm_term=INRKCO8
I’ve had this camera now almost 2 weeks and I’m getting to know it better.
First video I made with this camera was only a short walk around the area where I live.
But I already added few AI Warp sections to this video.
Then after a long long time not been used I did try my RAM Mount Suction cup holder to my working car.
I also made a safety line so if the suction cup wouldn’t hold the camera would not fall to the ground…. But it didn’t need it! RAM Mount was working perfectly and I made this video:
After this video I had quite nicely material to make few AI Warps more! I was sharing them in instagram mostly… https://www.instagram.com/gozamite/
But I also made a video where I collected some of the best AI Warp edits that I have done so far:
I hope they will make few upgrades to this AI warp editor. The main thing would be the possibility to have only 1 filter in one video, now it has quite many and those are changing randomly all the time. The other one would be more seconds to those edited videos. Now the maximum is 4 seconds.
I found one video where the guy made 1 minute long video with only WI warp edited material. He told me it took 1 full day for him to make it! Here’s the video:
I’ve neen using Insta360 cameras now little bit more than one year. They are as good as DJI cameras especially when they offer also these 360 cameras. Those are definitely an update for everything there was before these interesting cameras.
I realized pretty soon that there’s no sense to have two separate 360 cameras so I started to look for a new action camera… And Insta360 had quite perfect timing when they released new Ace Pro camera.
I ordered it right away when it was published.
When I got the camera I made “UnBoxing” video to youtube (Only in Finnish):
And today I went first to Billnäs to make some video there, Then I visited in Hub Feenix and got some animals also to this video. I had my “old action camera” insta360 One RS with this new insta360 Ace Pro.
SO you can compare the picture that these cameras make in low light snowy landscape with 4K 30fps.
The winter motorcycling is quite challenging! First you’re collecting the best and warmest clothes to put on you. You get dressed up for 1 hour (or something) and then you go out without even knowing if the bike will start?
I was really waiting this kind of weather! The frozen ground makes the gravel roads little bit slippery (Or too slippery like you will see later in this post!) and the riding is more challenging! I took this kind of route yesterday:
I wanted to ride the forest roads near that Iso-Kisko lake and I wanted to see the swimming place and fire place of that lake. I only saw that place once and that was in the middle of the winter -at least now it would be little bit earlier!
Here was the first crossroads where I found the road that I didn’t ride before.
That road had some beautiful views right under the powerline that has no electric current! The line comes from Inkoo Powerplant that was demolished few years ago.
Then I was in another city (Salo) and district (Varsinais-Suomi). That road was just maintained and plowed so there was loose gravel and stones on the surface and right under this loose surface there was frozen layer… It was very slippery! And even I said to myself many times “Be careful, It’s very slippery!” This happened:
For a second I was little bit frightened that I was hurt! I was winded and it felt like there’s something wrong. But it lasted only few seconds and then I pulled myself up and started to my move my hands and shoulders. It felt like everything was ok! I had to ride to the gas station because I needed to fix the foot peg that was stuck on the “Up position”.
This picture I took little bit later when I was already riding back home.
The whole adventure video you can see here:
GoZa Mite 