i've used a few ram mounts in my short time and a simple way i could explain it would be that a ram mount consists basically of four parts (as described on their site):
1) base
2) arm
3) adapter
4) cradle (3 and 4 are sometimes sold together as one p/n)
the base is the part that attaches to the bike. just a ball by itself screwed into the unused side mirror spot near the clutch, or a ball with a u-joint clamped to the bars, mcl's risers with one built in, brake/clutch reservoir, etc. it's the piece that gets a ram ball on the bike somewhere.
the arm connects the base and adapter (a ball joint on each end, if you will). they come in various lengths.
the adapter is the piece that adds a ball to your device's cradle.
the cradle is usually the piece custom to your device. specific gps model, specific gopro or contour camera model. etc. the piece your device snaps or clamps into.
if you start browsing around on their site, ram-mounts.com you will see various wizards for picking mounts for specific devices. or mounts for specific bikes etc. it looks complicated because there are so many options and parts. but knowing the core idea behind it makes it a bit easier to process!
1) base
2) arm
3) adapter
4) cradle (3 and 4 are sometimes sold together as one p/n)
the base is the part that attaches to the bike. just a ball by itself screwed into the unused side mirror spot near the clutch, or a ball with a u-joint clamped to the bars, mcl's risers with one built in, brake/clutch reservoir, etc. it's the piece that gets a ram ball on the bike somewhere.
the arm connects the base and adapter (a ball joint on each end, if you will). they come in various lengths.
the adapter is the piece that adds a ball to your device's cradle.
the cradle is usually the piece custom to your device. specific gps model, specific gopro or contour camera model. etc. the piece your device snaps or clamps into.
if you start browsing around on their site, ram-mounts.com you will see various wizards for picking mounts for specific devices. or mounts for specific bikes etc. it looks complicated because there are so many options and parts. but knowing the core idea behind it makes it a bit easier to process!