72 PERFORMANCEBIKES.CO.UK|MARCH2018
THE GARAGE / 360º GARAGE
JOHN’S TOP TIPS FOR YOUTUBE STARDOM
Have a USP
You need to stand out from
everyone else, so have a
unique angle, don’t just
copy someone else and
hope that will work for you.
You need to be different, so
don’t be afraid to try
something new or that you
feel may be too ‘niche’.Do it for yourself
Don’t vlog for anyone else,
do it for yourself. If you are
having fun and enjoying it
then this will come across
in your videos, and viewers
will pick up on this and
appreciate it.Be yourself
Don’t create a new persona
or try to be something you
aren’t – it won’t work. Be
yourself, do your own thing
and if people like you they
will watch you. Don’t play
up to the camera, just be
natural.Stick with it
Building up an audience
can take years, so don’t
get disheartened if your
viewing figures are low. If
you are enjoying making
the videos then stick with it.
You never know, one of
them may just go viral...Don’t expect to make
a fortune
You won’t become a
millionaire through YouTube
unless you happen to hit
upon a winning formula.
Some people do, but don’t
have any expectations of
making money – to be
honest, you probably won’t.‘Don’t try to be someone you’re not’
1 Abba Sky Lift
‘This is absolutely fantastic, especially if you only have
a small single garage. At £437 it isn’t cheap, but it’s so
versatile. You can get the bike up in the air and easily
move around it and as someone who suffers from a bad
back it makes a world of difference. There is no
crouching when you are working on a bike, you can
store stuff underneath it and it is very easy to push
around, even with a bike suspended in mid-air. And
you can even get under the bike and clean the sump.’
2 Aldi Torx bars
‘I’ve only just bought my Super Duke and KTM just
love Torx bolts, so these have been getting a lot of
use. This set cost about £6 from Aldi and is pretty
good – the smaller ones have worn a bit but the
bigger ones are more than up to the job. Torx-
fitment tools are one of those items you never
seem to have in your tool kit, so a cheap set like
this is absolutely ideal.’
3 Lidl baby wipes
‘These are the perfect consistency for
cleaning bikes. Other brands are just too
wet – believe me, I’ve tried quite a lot! Baby
wipes actually contain brake cleaner (no,
honestly they do, I looked on the internet),
they’re cheap and are brilliant for getting bugs and oil
off. They are just as good as expensive bike wipes. At
the end of the day, if they can clean shit off a baby’s
arse they must be pretty good at removing dirt...’
4 Motolug trailer
‘This collapsible trailer is simply wonderful. You can
transport either one or two bikes and it all packs
down small enough to fit into the loft space of my
garage. Without it I would be hiring vans, which
can get expensive. I could have got a cheap
secondhand solid trailer on eBay, but it would
be in the garden rusting all year. The Motolug is
kept in the dry. The first few drives with it were
nerve-wracking, but I’ve got more confident
strapping bikes down and I just turn the radio up
and ignore the noises from behind...’5 GoPro Hero4
‘As a vlogger, this camera is my life. Before the
GoPro, video technology was crap. It arrived and
allowed anyone to record action videos and get
surprisingly good results. The Hero4 has a sound input,
so you can stick a mic in your helmet and talk while you
record. The video quality is superb, the sound is
excellent and at around £250 it is amazing value.
GoPros are also remarkably strong – I have had them
fall off the bike at 80mph and been fine; even recording
themselves bouncing down the road! The Hero4 is
much better than the Hero3 and if you are considering
vlogging, buy one. The only downside is you only get
about 40 minutes per battery, so you need a stack of
spares. Avoid cheap copies, they are crap.’John’s
5 favourite
tools...
What couldn’t he possibly
live his life without2
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