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I’m renting an m10 for a small vacation and going to also use the time with it to see how I feel about an M camera. One concern I have is I do a lot of motorcycle riding. I’ve seen posts about RF going out of calibration due to vibrations, bumps, etc…would a daily commute on a motorcycle cause any issues to the RF or M body itself? 

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I carried my M4-2 thousands of miles on my '82 BMW R100RT without a problem.  The film cameras saw combat, photojournalism, and air drops into Vietnam with Seals.  I think you'll be fine.  I was never particularly kind to my M8 or M9P and never had issues.   If the digitals are that fragile, then they're not worth much... are they.

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I’m an ardent supporter of anyone buying Leica products, and encourage you to proceed with buying an M body and the multiple lenses to use and enjoy .

However for less than the price of one less M lens, I suggest a two camera strategy,  a second one for the times you are wanting to bring a camera regularly motor biking, therefore a less expensive (disposable) Ricoh GR III(x) which if damaged in your vigorous travels, would be less compromising to your M set.

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I do currently have a TL2 which I’d probably designate to really extensive treks on the motorbike, but I use my bike (Moto Guzzi) for daily transportation around a large city. I typically bring a camera with me every day because I have no idea what I’ll come across that I’d find interesting to shoot. There’s always the iPhone camera, but I try to avoid using it all costs, especially if I have a better camera on hand. I’m glad to read that it seems the M bodies will have no issues at all holding up to daily adventures on the motorbike. Thank you all so much for your insight 

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2 hours ago, maidenfan84 said:

I do currently have a TL2 which I’d probably designate to really extensive treks on the motorbike, but I use my bike (Moto Guzzi) for daily transportation around a large city. I typically bring a camera with me every day because I have no idea what I’ll come across that I’d find interesting to shoot. There’s always the iPhone camera, but I try to avoid using it all costs, especially if I have a better camera on hand. I’m glad to read that it seems the M bodies will have no issues at all holding up to daily adventures on the motorbike. Thank you all so much for your insight 

I guess if the TL2 has survived the vibrations and jolts of Moto Guzziing in SJ ,  at least you have a fallback body to use, if the M requires attention from extensive travelling on your MG.

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I’ve racked up over 55,000 miles on my touring bike alone across 20 countries and always carry my digital M cameras with me. Sometimes in the tank bag, sometimes in the panniers, sometimes in a backpack or sling pack, and sometimes just slung over my shoulder. I ride in all climates and have never had a problem. I also ride other much less forgiving bikes and have still always got a camera with me. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I carried Leica M cameras on my motorcycles for roughly 40 years (middle 1970s to 2021). I nearly always put them into a back-of-the-seat bag inside a thin protective wrap or case with all my other gear, and rode many hundreds of thousands of miles that way over the years. Never once had a problem with any Leica M (or any other camera, for that matter) attributable to the motorcycle's vibration and road behavior. 

G

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Yes safe for motorcycling - never had a problem with M2, M6, M272, M10, M10R.

 I’ve done many rough road rides including Cape Aghulas to Nordkapp with an Algeria/Niger trans Sahara and full west-east across the Congo (DRC). Put the camera in a soft bag (or wrap it in a dry towel) in a pannier.

Pic: Near Watamu, Kenya, 1992. Around my neck an M2, Summaron 35mm f/2.8, loaded with  Fujichrome 100. 

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Depends how you carry it, I guess.

I carry an.M camera on my Ducati Multistrada (the water cooled V twin from 2013) all the time - commuting and on trips.  I either have it in a tank bag (easier access) or in a Mono-9 bag slung over my shoulder.

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I had an early Canon digital that lived in a padded camera bag that you could wear like a fanny pack. I carried it all the time on my Ducati 916. On one ride, the buckle clasp let loose at about 70mph. I saw the green bag spinning and tumbling in the rear-view. Oops! The codura cover had scorch marks from where it contacted the asphalt. Amazingly, the camera and lens were just fine and I used the same gear for a few more years without any problem.

But I made the mistake of putting the camera bag in my topcase while riding in Death Valley (not on the Duc, of course). It was pretty hot and I didn't want to carry the gear on my body. A 30-minute section of washboard completely destroyed the camera and the lens. When I stopped to take a photo, the lens was "drooping" limply from the mount--several internal structures were broken. The camera was toast too. I asked Canon if it was fixable and they said "Nope!"

Vibration is the main thing to avoid. My riding friends often put their cameras in tank bags for convenience, but I'd never do that now. I always carry a camera on my body, typically in a Domke F-5XB. That worked well enough for my M8 to survive a 40,000 mile loop from San Francisco to Argentina and back. My avatar photo was taken with that M8 on the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia.

The main downside with Domke bags for motorcycling is that they aren't sealed well against dust (which will accumulate if you ride off-road). Dust never seemed to affect my M8, but it did get into the 28mm Elmarit I carried.

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I never had any issues with an M on any of my bikes. But then - if you go for a longer trip and/or think of taking important photos, maybe add Visoflex. In case you would note a rangefinder misalignment, the Visoflex is your answer. And it is practical, too, in certain situations. Not too large, either.

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For so long that I have M with me on motorbike travellings, needing some traditional precautions.

When on tank bag, I put some foam or even folded towel to cancel vibrations under photo gears.

Easy access is important, counting numbers of "good pictures" I happend to take, while sitting on the motorbike.

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