My Rules for Motorcycle Product Reviews

There’s something going on in the moto content space right now and I think it’s worth talking about. I’ve been watching some of my favorite channels lately and two videos caught my eye back to back. One from Scott over at Scott’s Moto Adventures here in Pennsylvania, and one from Phil, better known as Spaghetti Weston, out in the UK. Both of them were calling out the same thing from different angles. And honestly, it got me thinking about how I handle motorcycle product reviews and why I do it the way I do.

What Scott and Spaghetti Weston Were Saying

Scott went pretty hard on the topic of brand ambassadors doing camera comparisons. And I get it. There are creators out there who are on the payroll of a specific camera brand, whether that’s Insta360, DJI, GoPro, or whoever, and then turning around and doing head-to-head comparisons against competing brands. And shockingly, the brand cutting the checks keeps coming out on top.

I mean, I get why it happens. But I also don’t understand how anyone thinks that’s okay to put out. If I were being paid by a camera company, I wouldn’t touch a head-to-head comparison. Not because I couldn’t try to be fair, but because there’s no way to shake that perception. The bias is baked in the second you cash the check.

Spaghetti Weston came at it from a different angle. He was talking about the review-for-product arrangement, which is its own thing entirely. Companies send out gear, ask for a review in return, and sometimes they want to see the content before it goes live. Approval rights on a review. That’s wild to me. If a company needs to screen what I say before I say it, that’s not a review anymore.

The Pitches I Get

I get pitched from time to time. It’s always the same email. “Hey WaltInPA. We’ve been watching your content for a while. We love what you do!” And then they pitch me something that has absolutely nothing to do with motorcycles or riding. A minimalist wallet. Knockoff sunglasses. Like, come on. You clearly haven’t watched a single video.

Then there are the pitches that at least make sense on the surface. Motorcycle gear, accessories, stuff that actually fits the channel. But then you dig into it and find out the product is designed for a specific Harley model and I’m not riding a Harley. So when you say you’ve been watching me, what exactly have you been watching?

That stuff is annoying. But it’s not the reason I have my rules. I have my rules because the ones that do make sense deserve a real answer, not just a yes.

My Terms for Motorcycle Product Reviews

When something comes in that actually fits, I always lead with the same response. Thanks for the opportunity, I’m interested, however.

And here are my howevers.

My Opinion Is Mine

Whatever I think about the product is what I’m going to say. I’m not working off bullet points. I’m not softening anything. I’m not using your sales language. If the product is bad, I’m going to say it’s bad. That’s the deal. If you’re okay with that, great. If not, no hard feelings.

The Timeline Is Mine

I live in Pennsylvania. We have seasons. If you send me gear in December and want a review in two weeks, that’s not going to work. I need to actually use the product in real conditions before I can tell anyone whether it’s worth buying. That might take a while. We can talk about a general window, but I’m not putting a deadline on something I haven’t tested yet.

I’m Keeping the Product

You’re asking me to put in the time, the riding, the editing, the whole thing. In exchange for the product. That means the product is mine when it’s done. I’m not paying to ship it back. Worst case I hate it and it sits in my garage. Best case I love it and it becomes part of my regular kit, which is actually what happened with a couple of the accessories I’ve reviewed.

Why These Rules Matter

Look, a lot of companies have come back with a pass after I send that response. And that’s fine. It tells me something. The ones that are okay with my terms are the ones that actually believe in what they’re making. Those are the companies worth working with.

Motorcycle product reviews only mean something if the person doing them has nothing to lose by telling the truth. The second that changes, you’re not watching a review anymore. You’re watching an ad.

I don’t think my terms are unreasonable. But I’m curious what you think. If you’ve got a channel, what do you tell companies when they come knocking? Drop it in the comments.

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