Greetings from China

[Kiamo]

- Name or handle
Kiamo, although I opened my youtube account yeaaaars ago back when I used Nujtik

- Where you're from
SCOTLAND! But I live in China now. South China.

- Abit about you. For example; what you do for a living, your interests etc.
I'm a kindergarten English teacher and I love it. Love biking (duh), playing in the great outdoors, exploring, travelling, tech, and friends.

- What bike you ride
Yamaha YBR125. Small thing, but more suitable for roads here. Nice and thin for lane splitting, park it anywhere, drive it anywhere, fuel economy is awesome, cheap to buy, cheap to repair, more comfortable than my last bike (Haojue HJ150).

- Why you started v-logging
Initially just because I watched so many great motovlogs than inspired me to give it a whirl. I find driving here interesting and fun every day, and thought others might too.
Now that I've made a few vlogs, I'm a bit shocked at how poorly I convey what I want to say, and I see vlogging as a great way to focus on learning to organize my thoughts and speak clearly and coherently.

- What camera setup you use
GoPro Hero3 Black, with internal mic. Not sure how to improve this situation as I don't wear closed helmets. And I don't really want to... as it's crazy hot most of the year, and I like feeling more connected to the road. So anywhere I put a mic is still going to catch a lot of wind :/

If I only talk when doing less than 40km/h it seems clear enough... But I'd really like some input regarding this.

- Links to blogs/website you may own
G+


and finally...

- A link to your YouTube channel!
Kiamo on Youtube

 

[CopperHeadpxl]

Ahoy!

 

[ToastToGo]

Google Plus!!! You're OK in my book. Welcome. I used G+ as well. Just added you.

 

[dexterbiker]

Hey, Welcome to the forum, just subbed you looks good

 

[TripleTwister]

"and I like feeling more connected to the road" Shouldnt be an prob if you come off lol. Seriously though, short of a full face lid you just need to add as much wind buffering as poss to the mic itself, a lot of the wind noise is from circulating air not wind hitting the mic

Anyways, welcome and ive subbed.

 

[Kiamo]

=D

Thanks guys! Yea I've come off twice so far, once in the dark in some epic rain at 90k, when I hit a pile of cardboard boxes in the middle of the freeway. Flew about 10 meters and then slid another 10. After that I realised these 5quid helmets everyone uses here aren't so bad after all. The other time was a few weeks ago on dry asphalt while playing too hard with counter steer at 110k. Managed to mostly slide on my wallet and a sandal until it was easy to roll out the remaining momentum.

Oh! And last summer, typhoon blew a tree down in front of me! How could I forget... Only doing about 50 so that was minor.

Anyway, the point is just that these crappy helmets aren't half bad. =D

I'll see if I can find a better mic... Here's hoping!

 

[Mikesmotorbike]

Welcome to the forums sound like an exciting life haha

 

[gpzDave]

Hi and welcome along!

I hear the weather is better in China, well apart from all the smog...

 

[Kiamo]

The weather is freakin awesome where I am. China is big, so while there are tons of heavily polluted places that get all the attention, there are also piles of stunning mountains with awesome clean air, and brilliant twisty roads winding through that you can do anything on. I really think it is one of the best places to ride. If you can stomach the traffic... Some people can't deal without rules... Some thrive =D

 

[whichplanetisthis]

Welcome! I've only been on here a short time myself but the forum is a great place so far.

I've actually been to China a couple of times (working). Reading your post about cardboard boxes reminded me of the day a bunch of us were bombing down the motorway (in a car) when the guy in front swerved suddenly to reveal a bunch of workmen - and their large truck - working in the fast lane, and 'protected' by a grand total of about three plastic cones. Needless to say our driver, who was presumably more used to this kind of thing(!), did exactly the same... pretty close shave! From observation, I believe their safety standards in many cases differ from those in the UK And that was far from the only 'totally nuts' thing I saw there!

 

[Kiamo]

Welcome! I've only been on here a short time myself but the forum is a great place so far.

I've actually been to China a couple of times (working). Reading your post about cardboard boxes reminded me of the day a bunch of us were bombing down the motorway (in a car) when the guy in front swerved suddenly to reveal a bunch of workmen - and their large truck - working in the fast lane, and 'protected' by a grand total of about three plastic cones. Needless to say our driver, who was presumably more used to this kind of thing(!), did exactly the same... pretty close shave! From observation, I believe their safety standards in many cases differ from those in the UK And that was far from the only 'totally nuts' thing I saw there!

haha yea, it's an adventure alright. I reckon there is plenty I don't even recognize as crazy any more... I don't know how I will cope back in the UK. I'll probably PISS A LOT OF PEOPLE OFF! despite my best efforts...

At the very least I'll try to remember NOT to drive the wrong way up roads, pull U-turns anywhere-anyhow, run reds, drive around junctions, drive up to around 3x the speed limit, cut people off, force my way into the smallest of spaces, use my horn too much...

I think it's fair to say though, that the experience gets better every year. They recently made it harder to pass the driving test, and in my short time here, I've definitely noticed an increase in better skilled drivers. (mostly all young folk)

I'm not really sure if learning to survive the roads here makes me a better driver or not. On the one hand you can't go to sleep and relax like you can at home, you have to be SUPER AWARE of EVERYTHING, but on the other hand I have picked up many bad habits... many many many many....

 

[SvCatRider]

Hi, Welcome to the forums

 

[Mr AusAdventure]

Welcome to the site and also to the crazy world of motovlogging!

It must be pretty mad living in China. I have visited the country and saw some weird stuff.

Like motorbikes carrying two palm trees......

Awesome country though. Crazy road rules! :lol: