ADB: Kyle Brotherson from Dirt Bike Channel, thanks for taking the time to chat. I often find myself doing interviews with people on the other side of the world at 5am or 10pm, but the Utah time zone is actually pretty civilised! You’ve been creating YouTube content for around a decade now, built a following of more than 320,000 subscribers, owned dozens of bikes, reviewed heaps of bikes, gear and riding techniques, given away bikes in your sweepstakes, and made a full-time living out of it. That’s seriously impressive.
There are plenty of things I’d love to ask, but two topics close to my heart are:
1) What bikes are your favourites and how do you set them up?
2) How did you turn riding dirt bikes into a career?
KYLE: If we’re starting with bikes, I’d have to say some of my all-time favourites are the older-gen 250cc two-strokes. I especially loved my 2017 KTM 250 XC with a carby, and also the 2020–2022 KTM 250 TPI models. There’s been a lot of noise over the years about the TPI bikes, and most of the negativity came from riders running them out of spec or not understanding how to set them up properly. They’re actually great bikes.
I think the 250s—whether carby, TPI or even the newer TBI models—have all had solid engines. But the current bikes from 2024 onwards feel really stiff to me. They’re not quite as nimble as the earlier models, and I don’t think that trade-off has been worth it.
KTM sets the bar of the off-road world and the others follow, such as Beta and Sherco (Kyle has owned them all). The last couple of years I wish the bikes could go back to the previous frames and gearing. The bikes in the US are different to those in Australia. I used to buy the XC – cross country range – they are pretty much like supercross bikes, different transmission, really great. But now they’ve changed them, and the gearing this generation is too derived from the motocross range, and so I go for the XC-W which would ride like the KTM EXCs in Australia.
I’ve spent a lot of time trying to convince people not to just go and buy a 450 four-stroke. For many people they’re too powerful and there are better options.
ADB: [Laughs] Well, that’s exactly the bike I’ve just bought – a 2024 KTM 450 EXC-F. That said, two bikes ago I had a ’21 GasGas EC 250 TPI, and it was actually your reviews of the 250 TPIs that influenced my decision. You made them look like so much fun to ride.
In my case though, I bought it second-hand with just five hours on it, and I reckon the previous owner had played around with the settings a bit too much. It took a lot of effort to get that bike running right. On the flip side, I rode a 2021 Husqvarna TE 300i and it was brilliant—felt perfectly sorted straight out of the box.
So, what kind of modifications do you typically like to make?
Kyle: To be honest, I’m just a big advocate for tyres. Ride your bike more and change your tyres so they’re fresh with plenty of tread. So often I see guys on expensive bikes with aftermarket parts and their tyres are shot. Why? Good tyres are the best bang for your bike.
I’m not an advocate for spending lots of money on aftermarket parts. Often I believe that small startup businesses are ‘creating’ problems to solve them with their aftermarket part… often, I try these items and, yes they are different, but better? Often not. I just say don’t waste your money.
I don’t actually want to give these guys negative reviews so typically I say nothing. Conversely I’ve met the engineers at KTM and seen the years of R&D, testing and so on, and honestly, they do an incredible job and it’s rare that some guy in his shed with a CNC setup is going to make the bike better than the factory. Buying unproven aftermarket parts may or may not make your bike marginally better but it will certainly reduce your bank balance.
If you have a beautiful show-piece bike that makes you happy then go for it, spec it out, but for most people, if you ride once a week or less, like a few times a year, getting an aftermarket ECU and exhaust and more power on your 450 is not the best way forward. The best investment in my view is in the rider riding more. Put more hours on your bike, become a better rider and do some coaching because the rider skill is really what matters.
ADB: I reckon a couple of coaching sessions have been the best investment I’ve made so far. That, and suspension – easily the best upgrade I’ve done to my bike. But honestly, the gains you make in riding technique, and training when you can, just keep paying off no matter what bike you’re on.
Kyle: I ride a lot, or used to ride heaps – I’ve been doing it a little less lately and by riding a lot you become more competent. As I was improving I started paying attention to the really good/fast riders. I found these guys have taken racing seriously. The drawback is the number of broken bones they had – multiple wrists, collarbones six to seven times, femurs etc.). That’s a lot of injuries. Personally, I’m not pushing it so when I get tired I back off. I don’t need to crash. So far my injuries in 12 years were an ACL on a trials bike (an unlucky fall at 1mph) and a broken finger, so hardly any injuries. I started really getting into bikes at 30. I don’t have a massive ego or need to be super fast, I’m in it for fun.
ADB: I’m not a fan of crashing either – broken bones, busted gear or wrecked bikes isn’t my idea of a good time. So I try to ride within my limits. I pushed it a bit riding Finke last year, but with solid training and sticking to a plan, it went well. The problem is, now I’m wondering if I should double down and have a crack at some international rallies. Has that ever crossed your mind?
Kyle: No. I have no interest in racing. Everyday someone on YouTube or email asks me when I’m going to do a race. I never have! I joke that if I go two days without someone asking me this question then I’ll actually do a race. I got into dirtbikes to get space and freedom – from a stressful job, lots of kids. I love to explore, learn new places and during a ride I’ll take a break, sit down and be silent for a while. It’s great for preventing burnout.
With big races like Dakar, Erzberg and Roof of Africa, I’d love to go and watch, to film and photograph them instead. I really love film, and just started out as an amateur photographer putting minis together for family. I’d usually get 12 views. Then one day I did a dirtbike video and got 24 views. I thought that’s strange, who are the extra 12 people I don’t know. I also discovered Adam Riemann (another Aussie) and really like the dirtbike films he was making.
ADB: Well that leads us onto the second aspect I’m interested in. How did you made a living out of this and did Riemann’s videos influence you?
Kyle: Well actually, yes. I never watch other reviewers online, except some of Adam’s. I wanted all my videos to be original, to not get caught in a cycle of reviewing the same products, having the same conclusions as everyone else or burning out with the noise.
ADB: I reckon your video content comes across as really original and authentic, and I’m sure that’s played a big part in your success over the years. How does the business side of it all work for you?
Kyle: In 2012, after seeing non-family members watch my videos, I set little goals for my videos. Could I get 1000 views? 10,000 views? With YouTube Adsense I made $5 one month and thought if I could make $10,000 I’d get a bike for free? That $10,000 was literally the hardest money I have ever made. You shouldn’t try to do it on YT because it’s such sparse ad revenue. <i>Dirt Bike Channel<i> only works by stacking revenue streams.
I’ve made some money from Patreon but they take 30% commission and it’s never been a big earner. Same with YouTube ads – you get some money but not much. Over the years I’ve had my own goods to retail, but recently the cost of freight, holding them and so on makes this tougher. The best over a long period of time has been the referral income I’ve earned from Rocky Mountain ATV. The percentage they pay is modest but there are no costs, so that’s really kept me going.
Over time I found I was hitting my goals. In 2015 I was tired of lending this little business money and in 2015 I thought this feels like work… and not as much fun. What if I acknowledged it was a job, treat it like a job and see what it can do? At the time I had a full-time sales job for a tech company. Everyone at work laughed because I’d have two phones in my hand all day, the landline for work and my mobile for <i>DB Channel<i>. But I still hit my work sales quotas so I didn’t get fired.
Internally, I had a number in my head and I said if I hit this revenue [the number remains secret] I’d quit and do <i>Dirt Bike Channel<i> full time.
Well that happened in July 2018 and in the end I had to call my own bluff and follow through. Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision, giving up my [equity] options, 401(k) and setting out on my own. But here I am. I turned 43 last week and went out riding on my birthday.
