Our first impressions
So firstly, the same as opening the box of the K5 shows a real attention to detail from INNOVV, everything in its place and very well packaged, instantly providing a feel of a quality product right from the start.
Each piece of the kit feels premium and made from quality materials and you get everything you need in the box to fit which is a massive bonus!
Fitting
Fitting is again, really a breeze! It’s not joke that this is a really really easy system to fit. The only thing that takes the time is to find channels and routes to fit all of the wires so that they are out of the way, hidden, neat and secure. That’s what took the time. Be sure to leave about 3 hours to do a good job (obviously depending on your bike and the space available of course!).
We started at the front. The 1080HD front camera is the same quality material, shape and size of the rear camera we decided where to fit it, and then fed the wires through the bike (as you will see in the video – link below) and to the main unit.
This unit is different than the K5 in that the main (brain) box is in the middle of the connection wires meaning that this can ben mounted under the riders or pillion seat to keep things neat.
We mounted the front camera on the top of the headlight as this doesn’t move with 3M tape which holds it really firm.
Then we fitted the rear camera and chose to fit it on the existing rear indicator stalk with the fittings that come with the system that are extensive and should provide enough for you to fit the camera in most places.
Then we fitted the DC Converter to the battery. Fairly straight forward and then we connected the ignition live to the BMW harness.
Then it was the microphone connection (yep, again you heard right, a microphone!). We fitted this and routed it up through the bike on the BMW 850 GSA so that it could be stored when not in use. Of course, if you don’t need it, you don’t need to connect it, but its always handy to record sound whether you are talking or just want to get that engine sounds on spirited rides!
Then the smart control button. this was fitted again with the supplied fixings and we chose to fix it to the rear view mirror stalk to give an OEM look.
Then the GPS unit. We found a space on the left hand side of the BMW 850 GSA (opposite the battery) which provided enough space to hide it and the wires well.
So then it was time to test it before putting panels back on the bike. As soon as the power was supplied it went through it’s set up process and started up. We connected the app seamlessly and it worked first time.
Once the cameras were set up and adjusted to the right orientation it was time to put the bike back together and get out on the road to test it out.
Out on the road testing
Again from the start the K3 is confidence inspiring that looks like it will work every time, and work well.
The quality of the recordings are great for a motorbike camera system providing 1080P from both cameras. Both cameras are stable and are provide very smooth footage which is rich in details.
We can see that this camera system will feature in future videos and will enable us to vlog while on the go really easily!
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- K3 Rear Camera
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- K3 Function Buttons
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- K3 Rear Camera
Conclusion
INNOVV have certainly improved the K2 camera and produced a well thought out system in the K3. The recording are great and rich in detail and the system works seamlessly in testing. It was easy to fit, and in some ways easier than the K5 as the cameras are the same size and look like bullets, meaning you can hide them easily, for that stealth look!
The only thing is that the wifi is only 2.4GHz which makes downloading recordings a little slower than the big brother K5 but its by no means as laborious as some other brands. And of course, you can also remove the card and pop it in your computer if you need to to view recordings.
The microphone works really well and provides rich sound with out the need to tweak much in post production.
A neat unit that does what it says on the tin! and it will be there for you when or if you need to provide evidence in the event of a mishap or even to record your riding for prosperity.