If you're looking for a drone to be used while you're riding your motorcycle, this article will guide you through the whole process, step by step.
So if you’re an up-and-coming vlogger, a cinematographer, or simply want to use drones for personal leisure, this article is going to show you:
If you're in a hurry chose one of the 3 presented down below, and prioritise the first one, as it's the best camera drone in this price range.
Drone | Image | Price | Footage Score | Battery life | FPV Range | Video Res | Photo Res | Gimbal | MP | Bitrate | RAW photo | HDR Photo | HDR Vid | Aperture | Sensor Size | D-log | Live Feed | GPS | Return Home | Obstacle avoidance | Follow me | Weight | Max Speed | Max Wind | Max Altitude | Temperature | Optical flow sensors | Under 250 g | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Kaione Pro max | ![]() | Check Price | 6 | 25 min | 1 km | 4k | 8k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | optional | yes | 280g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
Visuo K1 pro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
SG906 pro 2 | ![]() | Check Price | 6 | 28 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 552g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
SG907 MAX | ![]() | Check Price | 4 | 25 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 309g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
Eachine Ex4 Pro | ![]() | Check Price | 7 | 25 min | 3 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 435g | 10 m/s | yes | no | |||||||||||||
ZLL SG908 | ![]() | Check Price | 4 | 26 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 534g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
JJRC X17 | ![]() | Check Price | 6 | 30 min | 0.8 km | 2.7k | 5k | 2 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 500g | 7 m/s | yes | no | |||||||||||||
mjx bugs 16 pro | ![]() | Check Price | 8 | 28 min | 0.5 km | 4k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 612g | 10 m/s | yes | no | |||||||||||||
mjx bugs 19 | ![]() | Check Price | 4 | 22 min | 0.3 km | 4k | 4k | None | GPS | yes | no | no | 245g | yes | yes | ||||||||||||||
kf101 | ![]() | Check Price | 7 | 30 min | 1.2 km | 2k | 2k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 578g | 8 m/s | yes | no | |||||||||||||
ZLL SG108 PRO | ![]() | Check Price | 6 | 25 min | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 2 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 278g | 3m/s | yes | no | |||||||||||||
LYZRC L106 PRO | ![]() | Check Price | 4 | 25 mins | 0.8 km | 2k | 4k | 2 axis | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 329g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
KF102 | ![]() | Check Price | 5 | 25 min | 1.2 km | 2k | 4k | 3 axis | GPS | yes | no | yes | 332g | yes | no | ||||||||||||||
DJI Mini 2 | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 31 min | 10 km | 4k | 4k | 3 axis | 12mp | 100 Mbps | yes | no | no | f/2.8 | 1/2.3” | no | 720p | GPS GLONASS GALILEO | yes | no | yes | 242g | 16 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 4km | 0° to 40°C | yes | yes | moto |
Mavic Air 2 | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 34 min | 10 km | 4k 60p | 8k | 3 axis | 48mp | 120 Mbps | yes | yes | no | f/2.8 | 1/2" | yes | 1080p | GPS GLONASS | yes | yes | yes | 570g | 19 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 5km | -10° to 40°C | yes | no | moto |
DJI Air 2s | ![]() | Check Price | 10 | 31 min | 12 km | 5.4k/ 4k 60p | 8k | 3 axis | 20mp | 150 Mbps | yes | yes | no | f/2.8 | 1” | yes | 1080p | GPS GLONASS GALILEO | yes | yes | yes | 595g | 19 m/s | 10.7 m/s (Level 5) | 5km | 0° to 40°C | yes | no | moto |
Skydio 2 | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 23 min | 3.5 km | 4k 60p | 4k | 3 axis | 12MP | 100 Mbps | yes | yes | yes | f/2.8 | 1/2.3” | no | 720p | GPS GLONASS | yes | yes | yes | 775g | 16 m/s | 11.1 m/s (Level 5) | -5°C to 40°C | yes | no | moto | |
Zino Mini pro | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 40 min | 10 km | 4k | 8k | 3 axis | 200Mbps | yes | yes | no | f/1.85 | 1/1.3” | 1080p | GPS GLONASS | yes | yes | yes | 249g | 16 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 4km | -10° to 60°C | yes | yes | dji alter | ||
Autel Evo 2 | ![]() | Check Price | 10 | 40 min | 9 km | 6k/8k | 8k | 3 axis | 120Mbps | yes | yes | no | f/1.8 | 1” | yes | 1080p | GPS GLONASS | yes | yes | yes | 1150g | 20 m/s | 17m/s (Level 8) | 7km | -10° to 40°C | yes | no | dji alter | |
Powervision power egg X | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 30 min | 6 km | 4k 60p | 4k | 3 axis | 12MP | 76 mbps | yes | no | no | f/1.80 | 1/2.8” | 1080p | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 861g | 18 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 4km | 0° to 40°C | yes | no | dji alter | |
Parrot Anafi | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 25 min | 4 km | 4k | 5k | 2 axis | 21MP | 100 Mbps | yes | yes | yes | f/2.4 | 1/2.4’’ | 720p | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 320g | 14 m/s | 4.5km | -10° to 40°C | yes | no | dji alter | ||
Xiaomi Fimi X8 | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 33 min | 5 km | 4k | 4k | 3 axis | 12MP | 100 Mbps | f/2.2 | 1/2.3” | 720p | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 790g | 18 m/s | 4km | 0° to 40°C | yes | no | dji alter | |||||
Tello | ![]() | Check Price | 6 | 12 min | 0.1km | 720p | 4k | 5MP | 720p | no | no | 80g | 8 m/s | 0.1km | yes | yes | dji alter | ||||||||||||
SJRC F11 4k Pro | ![]() | Check Price | 8 | 26 min | 1.2 km | 4k | 4k | 3 axis | 12MP | no | no | no | 720p | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 565g | yes | no | |||||||||
Autel Evo Nano | ![]() | Check Price | 10 | 28 min | 10 km | 4k | 4k | 3 axis | 48MP | 100mbps | yes | yes | yes | f/2.8 | 1/1.28" | 2.7k | GPS GLONASS GALILEO | yes | yes | yes | 249g | 15 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 4km | 0° to 40°C | yes | yes | ||
SwellPro Spry+ | ![]() | Check Price | 8.5 | 17 min | 1 km | 4k | 4k | no | 12MP | 64mbps | no | no | no | f/2.65 | 1/2.3” | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 480g | 18 m/s | 10.5 m/s (Level 5) | 0.2km | -10° to 40°C | no | no | |||
Hubsan Zino 2 + | ![]() | Check Price | 9 | 35 min | 9km | 4k 60 fps | 4k | 3 axis | 12MP | 100mbps | no | no | no | F/2.2 | 1/2.3" | 720p | GPS GLONASS | yes | no | yes | 929g | 20 m/s | 13.5 m/s (Level 6) | 4km | 0° to 40°C | yes | no |
Let's rank and go into more detail about the best drones for motorcyclists to see which one fits you best (as they're all pretty damn good).
This list is in order of what I consider to be better overall AND what value for money that drone has.
You might have heard or read a thing or two about the following models, but on this list you’ll be able to carefully compare what makes it the go-to companion in your motorcycle adventures.
All these quadcopters are super high quality and you can’t really go wrong. It’s up to you to decide!
The DJI Air 2s is one of the latest drones on the market and comes with an outstanding camera with a large 1 inch sensor, state of the art obstacle avoidance technology and sensors, and it's also foldable and compact so you can travel with it on the bike easily.
As a motorcyclist, having a good auto follow system is very useful, and the Active track 4.0 of the DJI Air 2 is one of the best on the market. What's more, with it's new system APAS 4.0 it can avoid obstacles with incredible precision, even while flying backwards.
The 12 km range is quite outstanding and gives you more than enough room and signal even in difficult situations.
I know I bragged about how important it is for some drones to have active track, but this one is a new addition and it's simply too good not to put it high on the list!
It's so good for the simple reason that it weighs under 250g which makes it a breeze to film anywhere without needing registration or dealing with legal stuff.
As a side note, check my list with the drone laws in each country to make sure you can fly.
The Mini 2 is a drone released almost in 2021 and comes with a stunning 31 min flight time, a super sharp 4k camera that's also very well stabilized and it's about as small as a phone (smaller in fact).
And it is also upgraded to withstand Level 5 winds!
It's a best travel drone overall, as well as a super compact 4k drone to have for any motorcyclist (that doesn't prioritize follow me).
The DJI Mavic Air 2 is in my opinion the best all around drone for motorcyclists (and my personal serious camera drone), yet it's cheaper than most.
It's actually great for anything but excels at so much stuff that I simply can't put it first on this list (although the second is very close).
We're looking at a drone with an exceptional follow me capability with obstacle avoidance thanks to the front and back sensors and a lot more!
The Air 2 also has a Zoom in feature and the ability to do 240fps slow motion in 1080p.
In terms of battery life, it's a monster, flying up to 34 minutes and 10km away in perfect conditions ( that is for USA, in EU it flies 6km).
What's really great about this drone is also that it's super compact compared to most others and can fit in a pretty small backpack with controller and all.
When the Skydio R1 was released, it promised of an autonomous, follow-me drone. And it did deliver.
However, with the release of Skydio 2, this upgrade doesn’t fail to live up to expectations. Some of its main selling points include a 4K60 HDR camera that could capture sharp photos even while moving in midair, it is crash-proof, and it has an improved follow-me mode.
It also allows you to control it in the most convenient way with the help of an app, a remote control, and a beacon--a pill-shaped remote that lets you control the camera through your body signals.
Let's see some more specific details about the best drones for motorcyclists and how to choose a drone in general.
There’s nothing more adrenaline-filled than a shot of you while doing all the action while running, cycling, maneuvering a boat, or getting a bumpy ride in a 4x4 rover. But that wouldn’t be possible without a stable, drone that could hover and follow you. Good thing, there have been recent releases in the market of these drones. Some of them, like the DJI Mavic series, have modes like trace and spotlight, where the former tracks the subject at a constant distance while the latter keeps its camera pointed at the subject during flight.
It should also be noted that speeds of flights vary during sports mode, ascent, and descent. For the DJI Mavic Air, it offers the fastest sports mode at 68.4 km/h in its maximum speed while also maintaining close to sea level with no wind. It also has a 4 m/s ascent and 3 m/s descent speed, all using remote controller. This speed makes it also great for tracking subjects in all kinds of sports like kite surfing, including over water.
The Skydio 2 comes in at a close 2nd place with a 58 km/h maximum speed and a maximum ceiling service of 15,000 ft, giving you a wider panorama of the shot.
Meanwhile, the DJI Mavic Mini might be smaller in comparison but it could perform on a 46 km/h maximum speed. It has a 13.12 ft/s ascent and 9.84 descent speed, respectively.
As a drone owner, you should also ready yourself for external factors that could lead you into peril. Since operating this gadget is highly dependent on weather conditions, it pays to choose something that could go against the wind.
But even if your drone has all the abilities to withstand harsh weather conditions, one of the biggest nightmares you’d face is losing your drone after it runs out of battery. Now you ask, do you have an option to prevent this?
Thankfully, there is. DJI Mavic Mini, DJI Mavic Air, and Skydio 2 have the ability to return in the incident of low battery and loss of signal, and when we mean return, they actually go to where you set your home location. As for the landing precision, they could perform a maximum of 2m from the point they were launched.
Enduring weather disturbance like strong winds is one thing, but overcoming physical obstructions is another story. With all the creative angles and shots we see in different contents, the quality of cinematography has been raised to risky levels—like letting their drones fly between narrow gaps of trees, rocks, tangled cable wires, or even almost within reach of anyone’s head. If achieved, these shots could turn out really epic, otherwise, nose-diving into a building a limestone, a house, or worse, another person, is not only costly but troublesome too. But thanks to technology, manufacturers have included adding obstacle avoidance sensors in some drones.
However, only one of the three drones in comparison here have these sensors, and that’s the DJI Mavic Air. Although DJI Mavic Mini and Xiaomi Fimi X8 also have built-in sensors at the bottom, it won’t come close to Mavic Air as its obstacle avoidance sensors are three-dimensional—front, bottom, and back. These sensors allow Mavic Air to stop before hitting objects, especially when the operator is looking down or when the drones is flying backwards.
With the Skydio 2, it has a Skydio Autonomy Engine which could visualize and predict what could happen next based on the trajectory of its path. Boasting of its 6x4 camera and the ability to build a 3D map of its surroundings, it is capable of making its own decision in a split second, thereby avoiding any impending obstacle.
But keep in mind, although using obstacle avoidance mode could really save you, your drone, and all your efforts, it could be limiting to use it too when it comes to flying, due to the sensitivity of its three-dimensional sensor compound.
All points taken, obstacle avoidance should be a priority if you’re a beginner and you’re still half-hearted about operating a drone. But if you don’t want to spend an extra fortune for added caution, the least you could probably do is to stick to safe shotlists and operate in open areas.
With the advent of drones, it has become a common sight these days to see these modern, miniscule aircrafts hovering above--or in more technical term, an unmanned aerial vehicle. In the US alone, it is predicted to have about 7 million drones, mostly due to hobby flying.
If used for recreational purposes, flying a drone still isn’t banned in general. However, it isn’t rocket-science to realize too that these aircrafts could be dangerous and be used to take advantage of both private and public space, domains, and properties.
To paint a clearer picture, one lost drone could endanger lives of birds and may even interfere with the trajectory of planes, so yes, it is a serious issue. But that isn’t the end of drone technology though, we still get to enjoy the benefits of this wonderful invention. And if you want these benefits to last, isn’t really restricting and oppressing to follow a couple of universal regulations.
In general, it is prohibited to fly a drone in a public area and over a moving vehicle, especially as dense and crowded as a highway. In most parts of the world, you’re going to need a permit to fly publicly.
In the US and in the Europe, they impose stricter restrictions, especially in areas designated as “no-fly zones.” However, it is allowed to fly a drone if it is above a stationary vehicle, or within a covered structure an is hovering above a person. If you may ask, why above a person? Well simply because they are entertaining the possibility that that drone could be used to save that person’s life, especially if it protects him from a falling debris or any untoward incident.
When it comes to using a controller, there are drones that still require one. But recent innovations have also paved way to operating without any need for controller. Here we’ll break down what drones are suitable for you, depending on your preference for using a controller.
For both the DJI Mavic Air and Mini, they come with foldable, detachable remote controller making it more comfortable to pack. You also have have to charge it manually link with the drone. But if you’re leaning more on the autonomous, self-operating drones, you could go for the Skydio 2. Unlike its predecessor, the Skydio R1, it gives you an option to control it with or without a remote. But if you try to test its legitimacy if it really is self-controlling, try purposely crashing it to a solid object and you’ll be surprised how it manages to get off on its own--thanks to its multi-angled sensors that detect any forthcoming hindrance.
Now if you want to test Skydio 2’s self-operating features, you could just go on and walk and you’d be surprised how obedient it could be to its owner--just wave a little to it, and it follows you like a loyal dog, only that it’s hovering around you. Using its 3-axis motion sensors, you could just direct the Skydio 2 with your hands where you want it to go. If you’re up for some selfie, you could also switch to selfie-engagement mode, connect it with your phone, and do your best pose. And in case you went by too fast, say you ran too quickly and you it nearly got lost track of you, do not fret, its built-in GPS locators could find you too.
Part of the privilege in buying a drone is knowing that with every penny spent, you’ve made a wise decision that will last a lifetime of phenomenal shots. So if before reading this article you were one of those meticulous yet undecided customers, you probably now have one less problem to think of. And if you are planning to travel internationally, I'd suggest you to checkout my list of best travel drones so far.
If you’re a traveler or simply an adventure-seeker with two wheels, one thing that could complete your journey is a drone that would immortalize your memories. But the question is, which of these drones fit your preference? You’ll be the judge.