Something is rotten in the state of Denmark…Online motorcycle reviews are just not worth watching most of the time and those that are are just mediocre opinions presented to help promote the reviewers personal profile.
You might ask; “Why such a personal attack on reviewers?”
The fact is that many people on YouTube or any other kind of social media have spoilt it for the rest of the decent motorcycle reviewers. They have gone into dealerships and pretended to want to test ride bikes but with no intention of ever buying one or even interested in buying one. All they want to do is get some footage of them riding a particular bike and spouting off some inane specs and stats and giving their self serving opinion to say whether it’s good or not.
The fact is that in recent years, the online space has been the go to place where many get their information from and are likely to trust online reviewers more than their own senses. Many are even put off test riding bikes for themselves if they feel a reviewer has given a negative opinion.
Many reviewers have focussed their youtube channels or social media accounts to solely do motorcycle reviews, which they know is what people will be searching for, but the problem is that others less competent have all jumped on this band wagon too…diluting the quality and making one wonder how many bikes can a reviewer actually ride in order to gain a huge following.
There is no doubt that riding a new bike for the first time is a thrilling experience as you quickly develop your own thoughts and first impressions. However you only really know a motorcycle after you’ve been riding it for some time, so initial thoughts and impressions may change with the test of time…hence the emergence of the follow up review or 1, 2, 3yr thoughts or even based on mileage. ‘My verdict after 10,000 miles!’
One of the big problems I have had with all motorcycle reviewers is that there doesn’t appear to be a lot of integrity there either. It’s almost as if they are just going through the motions to present a bike on video, in a blog or in photos and invent an opinion that they hope will increase their popularity. It is so much less about providing insightful information or opinion to help would be buyers, and certainly less about promoting a particular brand or lifestyle. In fact in many cases it is about nurturing a relationship with a dealership to help promote them in order to get access to many more bikes to review, which hopefully will attract more viewers.
As a motorcycle content creator, I rarely do motorcycle reviews and if I do it is because I am genuinely interested in riding a bike to possibly buy it for myself…or that I have been specifically asked to ride a bike to give my thoughts on it as an independent observer.
The fact here is that the online space was supposed to be about a real connection between the youtuber, blogger or anyone of social media with whomever was watching or reading the content. Many are trying to be professional reviewers or jump on that bandwagon and so there is less credibility and that connection is being eroded away.
Any new motorcycle that comes onto the market, especially from a well known motorcycle manufacturer, you will note a clammer for reviewers to feature it on their channels or social media accounts. It’s almost laughable at how many people try to use a new bike to further their reputation or grow their channels without providing anything worthwhile to watch or read.
Recently I test rode a Harley Davidson Pan America and I decided to film it too. I had been in discussions with the dealership about trying this bike for months to see if it would suit my needs for a tourer bike, so the bonafide groundwork had been done.
I wasn’t being paid by the dealership or have any special relationship either, which enables me to give a balanced opinion on the bike and my experience of it but also make it relatable to many other Adventure Bikes I have ridden in the past.
However, I was in two minds whether to even do a review of it at all. I knew many reviewers would be chomping at the bit to do a review and considered if there was any point to it at all. I even asked a question on social media whether I should do a review and there was indeed a mixed reaction for exactly the reasons I have mentioned.
What I want from a motorcycle review is to hear from somebody who has a vested interest in the machine and is able to convey their thoughts, impressions and experience of that bike. I want the personal touch and connection too because that is what the online space is supposed to be all about.
In many ways youtube, blogs and social media has become bloated with hacks or professional clones. Each trying just to fulfil self interests or mimic television styles too.
What I certainly don’t want to see is more reviews from riders with no clue how to present any kind of information or even opinion and even less do I want to see anyone review a bike or a style of riding that they have no experience with either.
This will go against the grain, but if people really want to be taken seriously when producing motorcycle reviews then they should start with establishing a connection with the viewer first of all and make it for their benefit and not their own personal crusade to grow their platform. Have some kind, any kind of integrity, knowledge and experience and make it about your voice and a bike that you really want to ride…and for the love of pine nuts…stay away from being the mouth piece of a dealership or a motorcycle brand.
Just like the football players at the Euros removing the Coke bottles during the press conferences…make what you say about you and what you’re reviewing and much less about any commercial benefits…Now that is integrity!