Liking and subscribing: the Bikesure guide to motovlogging

Back in pre-internet days opportunities to listen to people talking about motorcycles was limited but  nowadays you only need log on to enter the word of motovlogging.

Why motovlogging?

What motivates people to watch videos of people driving their bikes? There’s a number of possible reasons; firstly, and the thing that makes people come back to keep watching channels, is the personality of the vlogger.

Alongside that we have the sensory rush of the visuals and the sound of the engines, which must play some part in that appeal.

So who can motorvlog?

YouTube remains the main hub of motorcycling social media, which is mostly due to the necessity of using mobile phones to use apps like Instagram or any of Facebook’s video streaming services. It’s simply not practical to stream while you’re biking. But anyone with a GoPro and a microphone can record their journeys to upload when they get home. And once you’ve mastered that, it’s a short step to making your own reviews, rants, and whatever you want.

Here Bikesure looks at some of the motovlogging channels you might decide to like and/or subscribe to.

Baron Von Grumble

motovlogging 2 jish

The Baron, Chris Eades, is a pretty good example of  the classic Bikevlogger. If you like footage of people’s journeys with them chatting about a variety of stuff over the top of it, this is a pretty good place to start. His voice is not annoying, and he’s got a pretty good sense of humour. He’s also got a pretty amazing line in merchandise, as well as a website with its own channel if you can’t get enough of that sweet sweet content.

Lambchop Rides

John Bennett, as Mr Chop is known to his bank manager, is one of the growing number of vloggers to have crossed the divide back to traditional media. He was recently hired to write for Performance Bikes magazine on the strength of his YouTube channel, which contains a mix of decent reviews of bikes, aftermarket gear, and the usual travelogues and tour diaries, as well as motorsport action.

Teapot One

Scottish and with a magnificent beard. Drove a bike all the way around the world, but somehow only has 20k subscribers for his motovlogging channel which is the usual mix of reviews, trips, how-to guides and general chat, but he’s an engaging character with a unique insight into touring and long distance travel, among other things, so why not hit him with the old like and subscribe.

Apple Von Crumble

Fans of offroading will find a lot to enjoy here, as the Apple is also a fan and regularly puts up videos of him on his Africa Twin tooling about parts of the countryside. In our opinion, it would be better if he stopped insulting other road users he passes, because it’s not funny and indicates a certain arrogance that, frankly, diminishes the man.

The Bike Shed

The London bar, restaurant and shop has carved a fairly sizeable series of niches for itself as one of the main hubs of bike related activity in the capital, and its youtube presence is a veritable cornucopia of features about the latest and greatest custom bikes, q&a’s as well as films focussing on the bikes of regular customers.

Tri Triple Kylie

A lad, who offroads and vlogs? Rare! Anyway, if you’re into offroading, enduro, greenlaning or just getting muddy on bikes, Kylie’s your girl, though she doesn’t update as regularly as she should..

Chase on two wheels

The first American on our motovlogging list, this guy brings a certain level of professionalism to his channel that anyone familiar with any of the more successful YouTube channels will recognise. Intros, royalty free lofi hiphop music, some degree of post-production, it’s all present and correct. He’s also got a better mic setup. Definitely slicker than most of the British channels, but with slightly less individual personality too.

The Workshop

motovlogging 2 jish

Matthew Hudson is a Yorkshire dude ranting about subjects on his mind and/or giving good advice about mechanics etc. If you’re looking for extra information about how your bike works and how to fix it or keep it in good nick, then this will certainly be useful.

On yer bike

Customs and restorations, among other things. One of the smaller motovlogging channels, but they obviously put a fair amount of effort into their videos. It’s not just head mounted GoPro footage, they’re aiming at a more professional style, which is pretty impressive. Not that the others on this list aren’t, but there’s a more traditional production style in evidence here.

Forty times around

Tim Collins is the owner of this channel, which focuses on motor travel, camping and all-round adventure. Videos are a mix of tips, reviews of good products and general guides. If you’re thinking about getting into touring or want some advice about camping with bikes, then Tim’s yer man.

For the Bold

For the café racer aficionados, this is good. At 70k subscribers it’s one of the larger channels we’re covering, but it’s still small compared to some of the million-club crowd so it’s fine, we’re keeping our indie cred here. Does all the bike channel stuff, but with a focus on café racers.  

Jish

motovlogging 2 jish

Another one for the café racer heads, Jish, or Josh if you’re checking his birth certificate, has been rebuilding and customising bikes for a couple of years. He’s a nice lad, and watching him develop his skills over time is exactly the kind of thing that helps make a successful YouTube channel. He’s also got a good line in merch, which is pretty vital for today’s busy multimedia self-starters.

Obviously this is an incomplete list of motovlogging channels, focusing on the smaller ones, but hopefully we’ve piqued your interest and given you a few more channels to follow (or not). We’ve doubtless missed off your favourite, so why not sound off in the comments and tell us what’s missing.

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