We’re spoilt for choice
Although there’s nothing quite like watching any sport live, whether it’s Premier League football or scooter racing, there’s never been so much choice for the armchair spectator.
Personally I rarely watch TV. I have no interest in viewing hours of mindless soaps or watching fame-seeking idiots on reality TV shows. But my phone app recently revealed just how many hours a week I spend on YouTube. Back in my formative years I remember being excited to see Channel 4 launched and the mind-blowing choice offered by four TV channels. Now, thanks to advances in technology and sites such as YouTube, there are literally millions of channels we can watch.
Studying the data held on my app it came as no surprise that my watch history consisted mainly of channels devoted to scooters, cycling and coffee. I found myself thinking about why I spend so much time watching scooters and came to the conclusion that it’s only very recently that the quality, and quantity, of this footage has made the effort of seeking it out so rewarding. Although there’s still a lot of poor quality, shaky riding footage there’s also an increasing number of very well filmed and edited channels that are solely dedicated to scooters.
With my passion for racing I’m obviously drawn to the amazing onboard footage of BSSO scooter racing, especially the Braking Bad channel of John the Greek (https://www.youtube.com/user/chitoglou). He’s a superb, naturally talented and spectacular racer and some of his footage takes your breath away. I’ve shared some of it with friends who are unaware of how quick race scooters are, and I’ve witnessed their jaws drop as they realise just how fast racing scooters travel.
For a bit of humorous scooter tinkering I’d recommend straight line scooter racer Russ Shea’s channel (https://www. youtube.com/user/dopeshots1). Over the years Russ’s channel has included snowboarding and mountain biking but for the last year has been scooter focused. The main action is in the workshop as he and friend Dom tinker with various scooter projects in the workshop.
Cobweb Garage (https://www. youtube.com/channel/UC1LqDA0wcorZSXWWS9HbHog) is a channel that’s recently caught my eye. It’s a high-quality production that follows the build of the ‘OddBod’ custom scooter. The channel action takes place in a well-lit workshop and is very well edited.
The Steel Weasel channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSteelweasel) has some great and very informative videos covering all manner of workshop and engine building content. It’s quite easy to lose track of time watching this one and as you while away a good few hours the effort’s rewarded by the hints and tips provided; even the experienced builder’s likely to pick up useful knowledge along the way.
These channels showcase a variety of subject matter in a style that years ago would require professional quality camera equipment and editing skills. Nowadays even mobile phones can produce great footage and video editing is much easier than it used to be. Creating quality video content at home has never been easier so scooter content will only increase and anyone can be the star.
There are many established channels out there and new channels are popping up all the time. There’s no need to spend hours watching cat videos when scooter content’s available 24 hours a day. It’s also very easy to load YouTube on your smart TV so even your nearest and dearest can be treated to a great night’s viewing from the sofa watching a few hours of scooter content!
One of the greatest things about YouTube is that there’s a video explaining just about any task; a few keystrokes in the search box will reveal tutorials covering everything from extracting broken studs to paint spraying.
Recently I’ve been watching some amazing videos explaining the techniques needed to preserve the patina on decadesold bodywork or how to actually create that rusty bodywork look.
Whether it’s a day at the circuit or a weekend at a scooter rally there’s nothing quite like being there in person, although the next best thing to get your scootering fix could easily be YouTube. Although the two-stroke smell won’t be there, you could easily learn something useful or just listen to hours of glorious two-stroke sounds which is never a bad thing to do. Once you’ve read your copy of Scootering of course…
There’s no need to spend hours watching cat videos when scooter content’s available 24 hours a day.