There are tons of YouTube videos one could watch to unwind and decompress at the end of the day, perhaps while having dinner. You could watch one of those nature documentaries, travel vlogs featuring beautiful beaches, or perhaps a cooking show.

But there's something strangely therapeutic about watching restoration videos. And the channel I find myself drawn to is Fumicho Restoration, a channel full of videos of old motorcycles being repaired and essentially reborn. I'm not even familiar with most of the models featured, but it's the process that's addictive.

From what I've seen, the owner is quite a mechanic, for there aren't any manuals lying around. But he has no problem disassembling an entire motorcycle and putting it back together without any guidance.

And when I say disassemble, that includes engines, starter motors, and shockingly, carburettors. Carburettors are notoriously tricky, and one should not even think about taking it apart unless you're as skilled as this dude, who looks like he could do these things while half-asleep.

What makes the videos so engrossing is witnessing him figuring out why a motorcycle won't start. It could be a faulty starter, worn spark plugs, a flat battery, or low cylinder compression. It's like watching a detective catch a criminal.

Watching stuff get taken apart is oddly relaxing. I've watched him unscrew, unbolt, and unstick things. He's even repaired dented fuel tanks and resprayed them, complete with original graphics.

Given his talent, I was amused to find a video of him cleaning and restoring his work boots. The man could probably have a side hustle as a cobbler. All these videos are mesmerising, to say the least. Plus, the background music is usually a mix of blues, country and jazz, adding to the laid-back feel.

Interestingly, this YouTuber doesn't have videos of himself riding his restored bikes. After all, viewers are curious to see them in action. But, with my editorial cap on, it dawned on me that while having those videos would be nice, they also wouldn't fit the channel's theme.

After watching Fumicho's videos, it was no surprise that YouTube then fed me videos from Autumn Car Playing. What was surprising, however, was that despite the channel's name, the videos are all about motorcycle restoration.

Of course, even if the content is similar, the flavours still differ. The biggest difference is that on the latter channel, the vlogger narrates her videos. And since she speaks in Chinese, I rely less on the English subtitles (I still need them, though).

The content on both channels is equally interesting, for I get to learn more about two-wheelers and how they work. It's also impressive to see folks who are so mechanically inclined that they're able to take machines apart, find out what's ailing them, fix the issues, and put everything back together. And make the machines look better than when they were new!

Will I get tired of watching videos like these? Perhaps, in the short term, I might go back to watching documentaries about the Cold War. But in the meantime, when I want to unwind, channels like these will continue to be my first stop.

– Jeremy