A low-cost and miniature vibration recorder was developed to capture the vibration data of drilling motors for their health assessment. The recorder is installed in the rotor catch of a conventional drilling motor in such a way that no additional length is added to the bottom hole assembly. The recorder is fitted with two triaxial vibration accelerometers with different ranges, a rate gyroscope, a temperature sensor, and an integrated circuit (IC) for timestamps. The recorder can log data over the full operation cycle of a drilling motor, including vibration during surface activities and downhole operation. It allows the vibration recorders to be easily deployed to motor operations. The vibration recorder has been deployed to drilling motors in unconventional horizontal wells. The data analysis showed that the recorder captured vibration data from the installation of the recorder in maintenance bases until the return of the tools. Not only downhole drilling vibration data were successfully obtained, but also surface vibration data during shipment, and rig-side handling was recorded; the vibration recorders provided adequate information of a drilling motor to asset owners for maintenance and operation optimisation.