Help & Tips Will Be Greatly Appreciated

[MeGustaMoto]

What's up community!!! Been a long time since I've been here! But I am coming to you guys to ask for a lot of help and maybe some tips! Let me tell you a little story of what happened today...

Sooooo a friend and I went to a Honda Power sports and wanted to look around. I saw they had a couple bikes that were used and they weren't really taken care of. So I wanted to see if I could test ride one of them (Kawasaki 300 & Yamaha R3). I did not really mind that they were 300's because a bike is a bike and I just wanted to ride.

So my friend asked if they did test rides. He said "Yeaaahhhh sorta..." He asked me how long I've been riding and if I had my license. I said "About 4 years. I had to give my dad's bike back to him since I moved up here for school." He said, "Okay well, for me, I would say yes cause that's a good thing for me, but let me talk to one of the sales reps." So he went ahead and got a sales rep who brought with her a person from HR.

The HR person asked me my name and where I'm from. I told him. Then out of nowhere I asked him right off the bat, "I'd like to do a review for one of your bikes...." I won't bore you with the details, but he said, "That would be great. You can do a review on the GROM 300 or the newest bike we got, the Rebel 500." I said, "Whatever you would like for me to review sir and I will do it." He said, "Great we will pay you for the reviews. Just setup an appointment with Lucas (sales rep) on Tuesday and we will get started."

Now this is where I need a lot of tips. I have NEVER reviewed a bike before. I know some key points to look for, but what should I focus on? What should I do during the review? Whatever you guys can help me with would be GREATLY GREATLY appreciated!!

Might also make a new channel with a different name so if you guys can help me come up with some interesting names that would be great!

Thank you everyone!! I'm also going to do research on the Rebel 500 and the GROM.

 

[lupin]

Watch lots of other reviews and work out what works and what doesn't.

There are basically 2 ways of doing it. Factual with actual details and specs of the bikes. The other way is just to give your opinion as you ride.

 

[MeGustaMoto]

Watch lots of other reviews and work out what works and what doesn't.

There are basically 2 ways of doing it. Factual with actual details and specs of the bikes. The other way is just to give your opinion as you ride.

Thank you so much for your reply!! I'd like to do both. Do the nity grity stuff like details and specs in the beginning then my opinion, as a rider, as I ride the bike around.

 

[SighBored]

Don't read off the spec sheet, anyone can read that for themselves, you can pick a few specs that you think is cool and touch on it with your experience of riding it. You don't have to cover everything just the core important stuff. Ask yourself, what would YOU want to know about a bike if you are watching a review, and make sure YOUR video covers it. If you think someone reading a spec sheet on a video is boring for you, then make sure you don't do that in yours, and so on.

 

[scooterwuf]

Keep in mind they may be expecting a written review as well as a video one. Regardless, you want to do everything you can to make it look as professional as possible, especially since they are paying you. Keep your production values high regarding sound quality, make sure you use royalty free music, or music you have the rights to, professional looking graphics and present the reviewed bike in the best way possible. Ask if the dealership can clean the bike, and if they have a preference as to where they's like you to shoot things -- walk arounds (maybe on the showroom floor, or roads to ride on.

You may also may need a crew, or an additional camera operator to shoot you on the bike, as well as footage from whatever action cam you have.

- Wuf

 

[BehindBars]

Check out Smo's review of the 2017 Triumph Bonneville Bobber (mods, can I link it?). To me, that is hands down the absolute best video review I have EVER watched, for ANYTHING, not just bikes. It's a combination of beautifully shot visuals, the facts, and then a ride review. All of that put together properly makes for one hell of a review.

For facts, voiceovers are your friend, you don't have to memorise anything, read from a script. Pull together useful information from the fact sheets, model history, new features, and lay all that over some nice cinematic shots of the bike.

Then people want to know what it's like to actually ride. How it feels entering and exiting corners, running costs, comfort, what the standard tyres are like, and little niggling things that'd piss you off after a while of riding. Don't just focus on positives, look for bad things too.

 

[MeGustaMoto]

Wow everyone! Thank you for all the input. I appreciate it all!! The bike they are most likely going make me review is the Honda Rebel 500 or the GROM 300. I will take int consideration of what you all said!

 

[MeGustaMoto]

So I was thinking about doing some research on the bike, but also going into it with a fresh mind so its easier rather than going into with all this research and boring people with numbers and specs. Of course I'll do specs in the beginning and do all the beauty shots then I'll get into the ride and review handling, acceleration, speed, braking etc.

I want it to be fun and informative. But then again it matters what Honda wants.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

I think viewers will respect you more if you do an honest review rather than sugar coat flaws etc to appease the people that sell it. There is plenty of videos selling the Honda dream... how about selling the reality.... promo videos kiss the manufacturers backsides.... reviews should be unbiased and impartial else they are worthless.

 

[MeGustaMoto]

I think viewers will respect you more if you do an honest review rather than sugar coat flaws etc to appease the people that sell it. There is plenty of videos selling the Honda dream... how about selling the reality.... promo videos kiss the manufacturers backsides.... reviews should be unbiased and impartial else they are worthless.

Yes I agree! That's the main reason why I wanna go into it with a fresh mind. Rather than doing all this extensive research. I don't plan on kissing Honda's backside that's for sure! I want to do an honest take on the bikes they want me to review.