In the middle of the winter and lockdown 3 we are all looking for some inspiration to help see us through to the summer and the 2021 motorcycling season. YouTube is a wonderful resource for motorcycling and Geoff Clough hosted an excellent Zoom Social meeting on Tuesday 19th January to discuss the possibilities. Favourite motorcycling YouTube channels were introduced by speakers and then we watched example videos as a group and discussed them. To get the best experience from YouTube we recommend that you sign in to YouTube with a Google account which then allows you to subscribe to your favourite channels and manage playlists. This way you will have a steady supply of entertaining and informative motorcycling videos to watch.
For members who were not able to join in the Zoom Social event we have summarised the YouTube Channels and links in this post – hope you enjoy the ‘evening’!
Motorcycling with YouTube Channels
The Missenden Flyer – Geoff Clough
“Hey Kids it’s the Missenden Flyer here, hope you’re well! or at least that’s the first thing you hear him say when you click on one of his YouTube videos … Andy is a motorcycling mad “YouTuber” and on his Channel you can find Bike reviews; Gear reviews; plenty of different rides; excellent photography and drone footage. He owns a number of bikes himself including a BMW R1200GS. Some excellent footage of a trip along the Thames Valley with places many will recognise. Production and presentation are high quality from a very down to earth individual.”
Our first Missenden Flyer favourite is a trip through the Thames Towns with some interesting drone footage.
The Missenden Flyer does a lot of very good bike test reports, often combined with great trips – here is his trip with ‘Mrs Flyer’ to Wales on the new Honda Goldwing 1800. He was so impressed he brought the bike!
You can access the Missenden Flyer Channel on YouTube from this link – don’t forget to subscribe for regular updates.
Itchy Boots – Geoff Clough
“Noraly is a 33-year-old, Dutch, solo-female traveller – currently on a mission to travel the world by motorbike! After University she worked in many different countries, backpacked solo around the world for 2 years before she discovered Motorcycling. In Series 2 on her Channel, she was part way through a trip on a Royal Enfield Himalayan from Argentina to Alaska when Covid intervened. The bike is still in Lima, Peru and she was repatriated to Holland. Noraly has her own inimitable style of presentation and as a solo traveller has had to overcome all sorts of difficulties. The photography is excellent. The videos are very inspiring. A good contrast to typical male adventure travel videos where they seem to do 500+ miles per day even off road.”
You can access the Itchy Boots YouTube channel from this link and by subscribing you can follow Noraly on her travels.
Rapid Training – Dave Tomlinson
“Rapid Training ia an alternative approach to the major advanced motorcycling safety groups: IAM, RoSPA. Rapid are more focused on rider improvement (and safety) with a professional coaching team offering the most advanced high performance rider training in the UK. This particular video was produced with Suzuki but still offers an interesting insight. All Rapid coaches have achieved Police Class 1 certification, recognised universally as the ultimate professional road rider standard.”
Rapid Training have a series of videos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watch/rapidtraining/ . During the Zoom Social we watched the first video in a series about positioning for corners: https://fb.watch/3bK_VejOgm/.
Nottingham Roadcraft (IAM RoadSmart) – Dave Tomlinson
“A series of informative videos by one of the Nottinghamshire IAM group tutors, giving a great insight into the pragmatic use of the IPSGA system of bike control.”
You can access the Roadcraft Nottingham YouTube channel from the link.
Ride Like a Pro Jerry Palladino – Bob Mack
“Around the time of my slow riding course I looked at all sorts of Videos, on YouTube, which covered the subject. Although interesting and useful most were a bit long winded. The Ride Like a Pro series has a very simple theme, which sticks in your head. Head and Eyes, Friction Zone, Rear brake. It’s easy to recall and put into action as you head towards a kerb, for example. The “Ride like a Pro” channel is presented by a retired USA Police Instructor, Jerry Palladino. Watching his Videos is probably the simplest way of understanding the basic principles of manoeuvring large Motorcycles at low speed.”
You can access the Ride Like a Pro YouTube channel from the link. Jerry Palladino provides regular updates so it is worth subscribing.
Megan Kaptein – Geoff Clough
“Megan is a former fashion model and a passionate biker. She is based in Vancouver British Columbia (BC) Canada. Her channel has several tours around Western Canada as well as some SE Asian trips on a hired bike. The photography is not quite as good as some other channels, but she does fly a drone for some excellent shots. The context is good and she presents a good alternative to the “500 miles a day” endurance touring. She also camps which provides some helpful information for those who would like to try this.”
Megan Kaptein has an extensive YouTube channel and you can subscribe from the link.
BMW Motorrad – Steve Moxey
“BMW Motorrad has an extensive YouTube channel which is most useful for new model introductions and details of BMW organised events, such as the Garmisch Partenkirken rally and the International GS Trophy. BMW has a series of podcasts under the hashtag of #rideandtalk; the most important episodes are video podcasts and will appear on YouTube so look out for these. The BMW Motorrad YouTube Channel also has some amusing videos which reflect BMW’s sense of humour, occasionally breaking through the corporate veneer!”
To finish off the evening we viewed a video of the Sanderson steam powered motorcycle named ‘Jenny’ – quite an incredible feat of engineering by an enthusiast!
We will look to add more favourite YouTube motorcycling channels to the website over the coming months so please look out for them.
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