I’ve had my INNOVV K1 motorcycle camera installed and operating for long enough now to have a sense of what I like and what I wish were different. Before I get to that, though, let’s go through the features and compare it to the other camera I have, a GoPro Hero (original model).
Power Source
K1: Bike (connected to switched circuit I added a couple years ago). Also includes internal battery to support recording for up to an hour when parked, if enabled
GoPro: Internal battery – not connected to bike power in any way
Start/stop
K1: Auto-starts recording when power is supplied to the DVR (on my install, this is when the key is turned); records continuously until bike is powered off
GoPro: Manual power on/off, manual start/stop recording
Channels
K1: 2
GoPro: ]How many cameras do you want to mount and deal with
Recording media
K1: Micro-SD (Speed Class 10 or higher)
GoPro: SD
GPS aware
K1: Integrated- GPS included. This is not a navigation system; it provides the location data used to stamp the videos with lat/lon, speed, and direction of travel info
GoPro: No
Field of view
K1: 140 degrees (each channel)
GoPro: Depends on which housing you have
Audio sensitivity
K1: Low- virtually no audio on recordings
GoPro: High
Location
K1: Cams mount where you put them; DVR mounts under seat or in cradle
GoPro: Wherever you put it
Mounting Type
K1: "L" bracket to cam; attach bracket to bike with adhesives or bolt on depending on location
GoPro: RAM mount or GoPro adhesive-backed mount
Wiring
K1: Must route cables through bike frame / bodywork
GoPro: None
Image stability
K1: Depends on where / how mounted
GoPro: Depends on where / how mounted
Resolution
K1: 1920 x 1080 HD (16:9 aspect ratio)
GoPro: 1080p HD; 1080 x 600
Disk space management
K1: Automatically records over oldest video segments unless they are marked to be saved, once disk is full
GoPro: Recording stops when media is full
Info embedding
K1: Automatically embeds cam #, GPS coords (if enabled and connected), direction of travel, speed (if GPS is enabled and connected, and if info embedding is enabled), date, time. Has a MAX SPEED cap (optional) that turns off speed display after a preset speed is reached.
GoPro: No info embedded in image
File naming
K1: Sequential, plus cam # and segment start time
GoPro: Sequential number
Segment duration
K1: Choose 1, 2, 5, or 10 minute segment lengths
GoPro: Continuous until recording is stopped
Auto-save files
K1: Files can be manually marked for retention; if the G-force sensor option is enabled, the DVR will automatically save the current segment when a shock is detected)
GoPro: No
Multi-purpose
K1: No- this unit is dedicated to use on the bike and not easily transplanted back and forth at a moment’s notice
GoPro: Yes; as a wearable, mine goes SCUBA diving as well as motorcycling and zip lining with me
Weather resistance
K1: Cameras: yes; DVR: no. GPS: not much
GoPro: Yes, provided you have the solid back plate on the housing and not the slotted version.
Here's some sample footage to watch while you plow through my review...
[video=youtube_share;ZYSVBZhDCU8]
And here is a video sample from the GoPro for comparison, if you like.
[video=youtube_share;1ka0kKuaHrE]
Okay enough geeky tech stuff; let’s get to the review.
I like it. It appears to be well thought-out, and well-constructed. There are no obviously cheesy corners cut, and a lot of effort has gone into making it easy to install and use. What few things I didn't find immediately self-evident were covered on the INNOVV website.
It takes clear, watchable images and does it automagically with no thought or action required from me. (That in and of itself is worth the price of admission.) I don’t have to remember to turn it on or off, or to start and stop recording.
The camera lenses can be easily and discreetly tucked away so they are out of obvious view; that coupled with the fact that they are hard-wired to the DVR (which lives under the seat) makes it easy for honest people to stay honest. Contrast that to solutions like the GoPro, which is as obvious as they get and just as easily removed.
Get the biggest media card you can (you have to choose and acquire your own; the unit does not ship with even a minimal placeholder), and make sure you get one in the proper speed class.
You are going to chew up a LOT of disk capacity in rapid fashion.
Dial the G-force sensitivity down as far as you can, or you are going to get a LOT of short segments even if you have it set to record in 10 minute increments.
Disable the lane change warning system; it isn’t ready for prime time and will emit a nearly continuous stream of beeps on even a routine roll around the neighborhood.
Apart from getting the front camera to stay in place (see below and my installation article for that story) installation is simple and requires very few tools. Once the wires are tucked away or corralled, it’s a reasonably clean result.
It’s been a struggle, as chronicled in my installation article, to get the front camera to stay put. I have done some superficial damage to the front fender- there are scratches where there did not used to be any- and I have cracked the optional glass lens protective plate because the cam came loose during a ride and flopped around, but with any luck I have that sorted out now. If not, I may resort to one of the optional accessory mounts available from INNOVV.
I recently compared video shot with the INNOVV against a video I shot last spring using my GoPro Hero. I traveled the same road (though in opposite directions) under similar weather and lighting conditions. Because the direction of travel was opposite it won’t be possible to do direct side-by-side split-screen comparisons, but I thought the image quality from the GoPro was marginally better than from the K1. That said, I could see reflections, dirt, and bugs on the windshield in the GoPro footage and none in the K1 video since it is not dash-mounted. All in all, it’s probably a wash and your preference will be driven by your motivation to install and operate either one.
So, motivation: I was interested in the K1 more for forensic reasons than for creating entertainment ride-along videos for sharing on YouTube. I want to have a record when I get involved with an unfavorable interaction with another vehicle, or a deer, or… Once the novelty wears off it is likely that I will not even check the video between rides most of the time.
The GoPro was purchased for other reasons and has been pressed into occasional service while I’ve been riding. As often as not something goes wrong with it- I forget the media, the media are full, the battery is either discharged or dies while in use; I forget whether the camera is recording or not (and stop recording when I think I’m starting it etc.)
Power Source
K1: Bike (connected to switched circuit I added a couple years ago). Also includes internal battery to support recording for up to an hour when parked, if enabled
GoPro: Internal battery – not connected to bike power in any way
Start/stop
K1: Auto-starts recording when power is supplied to the DVR (on my install, this is when the key is turned); records continuously until bike is powered off
GoPro: Manual power on/off, manual start/stop recording
Channels
K1: 2
GoPro: ]How many cameras do you want to mount and deal with
Recording media
K1: Micro-SD (Speed Class 10 or higher)
GoPro: SD
GPS aware
K1: Integrated- GPS included. This is not a navigation system; it provides the location data used to stamp the videos with lat/lon, speed, and direction of travel info
GoPro: No
Field of view
K1: 140 degrees (each channel)
GoPro: Depends on which housing you have
Audio sensitivity
K1: Low- virtually no audio on recordings
GoPro: High
Location
K1: Cams mount where you put them; DVR mounts under seat or in cradle
GoPro: Wherever you put it
Mounting Type
K1: "L" bracket to cam; attach bracket to bike with adhesives or bolt on depending on location
GoPro: RAM mount or GoPro adhesive-backed mount
Wiring
K1: Must route cables through bike frame / bodywork
GoPro: None
Image stability
K1: Depends on where / how mounted
GoPro: Depends on where / how mounted
Resolution
K1: 1920 x 1080 HD (16:9 aspect ratio)
GoPro: 1080p HD; 1080 x 600
Disk space management
K1: Automatically records over oldest video segments unless they are marked to be saved, once disk is full
GoPro: Recording stops when media is full
Info embedding
K1: Automatically embeds cam #, GPS coords (if enabled and connected), direction of travel, speed (if GPS is enabled and connected, and if info embedding is enabled), date, time. Has a MAX SPEED cap (optional) that turns off speed display after a preset speed is reached.
GoPro: No info embedded in image
File naming
K1: Sequential, plus cam # and segment start time
GoPro: Sequential number
Segment duration
K1: Choose 1, 2, 5, or 10 minute segment lengths
GoPro: Continuous until recording is stopped
Auto-save files
K1: Files can be manually marked for retention; if the G-force sensor option is enabled, the DVR will automatically save the current segment when a shock is detected)
GoPro: No
Multi-purpose
K1: No- this unit is dedicated to use on the bike and not easily transplanted back and forth at a moment’s notice
GoPro: Yes; as a wearable, mine goes SCUBA diving as well as motorcycling and zip lining with me
Weather resistance
K1: Cameras: yes; DVR: no. GPS: not much
GoPro: Yes, provided you have the solid back plate on the housing and not the slotted version.
Here's some sample footage to watch while you plow through my review...
[video=youtube_share;ZYSVBZhDCU8]
And here is a video sample from the GoPro for comparison, if you like.
[video=youtube_share;1ka0kKuaHrE]
Okay enough geeky tech stuff; let’s get to the review.
I like it. It appears to be well thought-out, and well-constructed. There are no obviously cheesy corners cut, and a lot of effort has gone into making it easy to install and use. What few things I didn't find immediately self-evident were covered on the INNOVV website.
It takes clear, watchable images and does it automagically with no thought or action required from me. (That in and of itself is worth the price of admission.) I don’t have to remember to turn it on or off, or to start and stop recording.
The camera lenses can be easily and discreetly tucked away so they are out of obvious view; that coupled with the fact that they are hard-wired to the DVR (which lives under the seat) makes it easy for honest people to stay honest. Contrast that to solutions like the GoPro, which is as obvious as they get and just as easily removed.
Get the biggest media card you can (you have to choose and acquire your own; the unit does not ship with even a minimal placeholder), and make sure you get one in the proper speed class.
You are going to chew up a LOT of disk capacity in rapid fashion.
Dial the G-force sensitivity down as far as you can, or you are going to get a LOT of short segments even if you have it set to record in 10 minute increments.
Disable the lane change warning system; it isn’t ready for prime time and will emit a nearly continuous stream of beeps on even a routine roll around the neighborhood.
Apart from getting the front camera to stay in place (see below and my installation article for that story) installation is simple and requires very few tools. Once the wires are tucked away or corralled, it’s a reasonably clean result.
It’s been a struggle, as chronicled in my installation article, to get the front camera to stay put. I have done some superficial damage to the front fender- there are scratches where there did not used to be any- and I have cracked the optional glass lens protective plate because the cam came loose during a ride and flopped around, but with any luck I have that sorted out now. If not, I may resort to one of the optional accessory mounts available from INNOVV.
I recently compared video shot with the INNOVV against a video I shot last spring using my GoPro Hero. I traveled the same road (though in opposite directions) under similar weather and lighting conditions. Because the direction of travel was opposite it won’t be possible to do direct side-by-side split-screen comparisons, but I thought the image quality from the GoPro was marginally better than from the K1. That said, I could see reflections, dirt, and bugs on the windshield in the GoPro footage and none in the K1 video since it is not dash-mounted. All in all, it’s probably a wash and your preference will be driven by your motivation to install and operate either one.
So, motivation: I was interested in the K1 more for forensic reasons than for creating entertainment ride-along videos for sharing on YouTube. I want to have a record when I get involved with an unfavorable interaction with another vehicle, or a deer, or… Once the novelty wears off it is likely that I will not even check the video between rides most of the time.
The GoPro was purchased for other reasons and has been pressed into occasional service while I’ve been riding. As often as not something goes wrong with it- I forget the media, the media are full, the battery is either discharged or dies while in use; I forget whether the camera is recording or not (and stop recording when I think I’m starting it etc.)
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