Front End Chatter

Afleveringen

1. Front End Chatter #224

   3 augustus 2026 · 32 min

   Afspelen
   Hello, welcome everyone and eyes down for The Big FEC Quiz Of The Year! For the first time in 224 episodes of semi-popular pontification, rarely informed speculation and increasingly elaborate two-wheeled tangents, him Simon Hargreaves and him Martin Fitz-Gibbons finally stop pretending to know all the answers… and start asking the questions instead. Lees meer

   Recorded live during the splendidly spectacular 'Moors The Merrier' tour of Yorkshire and the Pennines, organised with forensic fastidiousness by the lovely Paul, Jo and Ollie at MCi Tours (mcitours.com), you're in for an hour of motorcycle-themed pub-quiz-style nerdery, audience participation, healthy competitiveness, unhealthy pedantry and the occasional outbreak of actual knowledge.

   So sharpen your pencil, put down your phone, keep your own score (no cheating at the back), and see whether you know your six-axis IMU from your elbow. Questions range from the swinging sixties right through to the latest motorcycling movers and shakers, from technological firsts to racing record breakers, celebrating all manner of obscure biking trivia that ought to be more useful than it actually is.

   And if you're struggling with the question, 'Who should I get my bike insurance from?' then the correct answer is Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurer. If your policy is up for renewal soon then be sure to get a quote direct from bennetts.co.uk – and if it isn't, then be sure to enjoy all the delectably free-to-air content piled high at bikesocial.co.uk, on the BikeSocial YouTube channel, or at BikeSocial BikeClub (a place where people do actually know the answers to difficult questions).

   Back to the usual shtick next time – so until then please keep emailing all your thoughts, opinions, wonderings, ponderings and musings to anything@frontendchatter.com

   Thankyouloveyoubye

2. Front End Chatter #223

   9 juli 2026 · 1 uur 7 min

   Afspelen
   Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's most celebratory biking podcast, currently marking the historic 223rd anniversary of the moment Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons opened up a small family firm manufacturing essential podcast components. After the original Chatter Manors was flattened by an implausibly large quantity of pancakes falling from the sky, the burgeoning business was brought under state control by the good folk at Bennetts, Britain's best motorcycle insurance brokers. If your bike insurance is due soon get yourself a quote direct at bennetts.co.uk - and if it isn't, then head instead to bikesocial.co.uk for all manner of two-wheeled news and reviews. Oh, and don't forget to check out Bennetts BikeSocial on The YouTubes, where a brand new season of The Great Escape To The Country - sorry, What Bike Next? - will be dropping soon. Lees meer

   Anyhow. In this episode Si & Mufga chatter all about:

   Downsizing, and whether small bikes are the next big thing

   Why Langen's Lightspeed is the polar inverse of BMW's R1300GS

   Silently sneaking around the countryside on Stark's Varg EX

   Screen (extenders) if you want to go faster

   Whether bike security is a total waste of time

   More grey import goodness

   Endurance racing glory

   and probably some other stuff too!

   It's a (relatively) tight one this, clocking in at just over an hour [Thank goodness - All]. Thank you, as always, for listening - and for the lucky few, we'll see you on FEC's 2026 The Moors The Merrier tour very soon!

   Until then, keep on sending your thoughts, wonderings and ponderings to anything@frontendchatter.com

   Mwah

3. Front End Chatter #222

   15 juni 2026 · 2 uur

   Afspelen
   Hello and sorry and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 222 of the motorcycling podcast that may (or may not) owe you an apology. That grovelling worm is Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and that recalcitrant rascal is Simon Hargreaves. Having spent several months avoiding facing up to the monster they unwittingly (in both senses) created, they're back with two hours of unrehearsed waffle about all things biking. As always they'd like to atone for their two-wheeled transgressions to Bennetts, Britain's best motorcycle insurers, represented on the interwebs by both BikeSocial (bikesocial.co.uk) and BikeClub (bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk) – between them a bewilderingly big bonanza of motorcycling news, product reviews, used bike buying guides, industry expert advice and so much more. Lees meer

   In this contrite (but alas not concise) episode of Britain's best biking podcast, Simon and Mufga discuss:

   • Bikes for which manufacturers owe us an apology

   • Riding a Manx Norton (ah) followed by a Norton Manx R – read more in Bike magazine

   • BMW's R1300RS and Moto Guzzi's V100 Mandello S – read more in Bike magazine

   • Touring to Spa on BMW's ludicrous M1000XR – read more in RiDE magazine

   • How 'downgrading' tyres can improve a bike's ride and handling

   • What went on at the 2026 Isle of Man TT

   • Every biking engine layout, what they have in common, and which is best

   • Whether speed limiters ruin sports-tourers

   • The glory days of grey imports, and why they died out

   Thank you, one and all, for choosing to pour some Front End Chatter into your ears. Please keep sending your questions, thoughts, comments, wonderings and ponderings to anything@frontendchatter.com

   Until next time – whenever that may be...

4. Front End Chatter #221

   11 maart 2026 · 1 uur 33 min

   Afspelen
   Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the motorcycling podcast, and none other than Episode 221 – they said we couldn't do it, but we've naysayed the naysayers. His name is Martin Fitz-Gibbons, editor of Bike magazine, and my name isn't but that's not important right now – what's important is we thank Bennetts, Britain's best motorcycle insurers who put more back into biking than insurance companies who put less back into biking, and some of whom put nothing back but merely take take take. Good people one and all. And also uber-thanks to the bikesocial.co.uk, the world of wokecycling on the web and on the YouTubes, with loads of news, views, new bike launches and road tests – all the good stuff. Lees meer

   Right, on with the show – and today Martin and Simon, for it is he, opine about, in no particular order...
   • Suzuki's marvellous DRZ-Z4S and how old can be better than new
   • the loss of Phillip Island as a MotoGP circuit
   • Honda Hornet 1000 recall for excessive oil consumption
   • UK bikes sales stats for YTD up to Feb
   • fab epic bike doc by FortNine called Yalla Habibi
   • plus a selection of your fine emails from the FECSack.

   As ever, please keep your questions and queries coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

   And thank you very much for listening!

5. Front End Chatter #220

   19 januari 2026 · 1 uur 36 min

   Afspelen
   Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the podcast home of all things motorcycle-related, albeit tangentially sometimes, which, let's be honest, it's a slow news decade and we have to talk about something so why not just gossip? He's Martin Fitz-Gibbons and he's Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycle content creators. And they're Bennetts, Britain's Best Bike Insurers, to whom we are all indebted, sometimes quite literally. And they're bikesocial.co.uk, where the web meets the world of bikes. Lees meer

   And on the pod this month we natter about – blimey, where do we start?
   • Bennetts pull out of BSB sponsorship – the why and the what it means for BSB
   • The Buccleuch Arms Hotel, famed as the best hotel in Scotland and catering especially for motorcyclists, is up for sale! Details within
   • Moors The Merrier FEC Tour in 'almost sold out' shock!
   • 2025 new bike sales nearly 20% down on 2024
   • Voge R625 ain't half bad
   • Kawasaki Z1100 SE is more than half good
   • revolutionary solid state battery-powered bike with 10min recharge and 300mile plus range, 'Verge'-ing on the ridiculous
   • 62 historic MotoGP bikes worth zillions seized in Mexican drug bust
   • what's your top speed, ever, no names officer
   • which bike is the GOAT of all time?

   All this and more! And it's all in one episode!

   Send your questions, thoughts, comments, brain farts, top speeds and nominations for Greatest Bike Of All Time to anything@frontendchatter.com

   And don't forget to book onto the Moors The Merrier Tour with us! It's in July, it'll be sunny, it's a weekend, and the beer is... well, it's not free but you might get a pint out of it!

   May your god go with you.

6. Front End Chatter #219

   14 december 2025 · 1 uur 28 min

   Afspelen
   Hello and welcome indeed to Front End Chatter, Episode 219, in which Martin and Simon use their vast misunderstanding of motorcycles as a basis for interminable waffling on a podcast. As ever, they are supported in their efforts by Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, all your motorcycling info needs on the web. Lees meer

   And on this pod, Simon and Martin natter about:
   • the forthcoming FEC Tour 2026 – The Moors The Merrier – on July 17-20th in the N Yorks Moors
   • smashing phones on bikes
   • Triumph's Tiger Sport 800
   • why bikes aren't as fast as they used to be, and why no-one cares
   • Honda's CB1000GT
   • Honda's VR3
   • Honda's NW7
   • BMW's F450GS
   • Norton's Atlases
   • CFMoto's KTM 990 Adventure
   ...and much much much more.

   Thank you for listening, please spread the word amongst your peers, and please sign up to the FEC Tour by emailing anything@frontendchatter.com and registering your interest. Onwards!

7. Front End Chatter #218

   3 november 2025 · 1 uur 30 min

   Afspelen
   Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's Best Biking Podcast presented by 'Fox Mulder' Hargreaves and 'Dana Scully' Fitz-Gibbons – because, spookily, this is FEC Episode 218; exactly the same number of episodes as TV's The X-Files. Except it's not spooky at all because it's not a coincidence. It's inevitable there's a TV show with exactly 218 episodes, and it's the X-Files; if we waited until FEC 219 to make the connection, it would be the same number of episodes as the original ABC run of the American improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Insert your own joke here. Lees meer

   And thanks as always to our benevolent benefactors Bennetts, Britain's Best Bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, the website/YouTube channel for all your biking needs. And remember to become a BikeSocial Member – it's automatic if you're insured with Bennetts, or it's £60 per year or £6 per month if not. But it means you get access to loads of competitions, offers and money-off deals on a veritable panoply of kit – basically, if you're thinking of buying anything for your bike, check to see if it's on the list; you might be able to save more than the cost of membership.

   For a list of current offers and discounts, visit rewards.bennetts.co.uk/categories

   Right, on with the show, and this week Simon and Martin natter about:

   • Triumph's new Trident 800
   • Ducati's new Monster
   • Kawasaki's new KLE500
   • Honda's new CB1000F
   • Yamaha's new Ténéré 700 World Raid

   Plus
   • BMW R1300 GSA v RS v RT, and the merits of riding 600 miles for one photo
   • Has motorcycling got too easy; if you don't have to earn it, is it worth anything?
   • What's it like riding Honda's RC213V-S in 2025?
   • Riding 'signatures'
   • What's the easiest engine to work on?
   • And loads of other hot air and nonsense

   Thanks for listening, please tell your motorcycling pals and spread the FEC message of love, hope, friendship and riding as far and fast as possible at all times...
   And please continue to grace the inbox and a…

8. Front End Chatter #217

   13 oktober 2025 · 43 min

   Afspelen
   Hello everyone and welcome to THE 2025 FECSTIVAL – live from the beautiful Buccleuch Arms Hotel in stunning, sun-drenched (cough, ish, ahem) Moffat, Scotlandshire! Lees meer

   After a couple of fantastic (truth), incident-free (truth-ish) and bone-dry (truth-adjacent) days riding through the very best of the Scottish Borders and the Galloway Forest, Front End Chatter – Britain's best biking podcast – has retired to the bar for a small sweet sherry, a roaring radiator, and 43 minutes of inspired, improvised, impromptu biking banter and deep-drivel discussions including:

   Marc Marquez's ninth (or is it seventh?) world championship, if his comeback really is the greatest return ever witnessed across the near-infinite history of sporting achievement, and whether MotoGP's new owners are trying to control our collective thoughts

   Witnessing hostility towards Chinese-branded bikes thaw in real time, the reasons we're starting to be interested (b£¥ond the obviou$), and how soon before the first one is part of a FEC tour

   Nominations for the greatest, must-ride, can't-miss riding roads in all of mainland continental Europe, especially if the definition of 'mainland continental Europe' now includes the UK and a bit of America…

   Could electric bikes be the future of trackdays? Simon & Mufga's mixed fortunes with electric bikes on track. And could Front End Chatter's future lie in someone's fuel tank?

   Radical suggestions for reorganising bike ergonomics and controls, featuring foot clutch, backwards-action left-hand throttle and bum brake

   The perfect bike for when you're retiring to live in Japan

   Thank you FECers one and all - and to Paul, Jo and Anthea at MCi Tours - for joining us at the 2025 FECstival, either live and in person or via time-travelling earholes. And, of course, sincerest gratitudes as ever to Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurers, for continuing to enhance, advance and romance Front End Chatter – don't forget to get a quote direct from Bennetts the next time your mo…

9. Front End Chatter #216

   8 september 2025 · 1 uur 14 min

   Afspelen
   Aye, wotcha, marnin', welcome to Front End Chatter, wiv him, Simon Fitz-Martin, and him Hargreaves Gibbons, a reet pair of motorcycle journalists speaking into a wizardy recording device for the 216th time of asking, except nobody is. You get what you deserve. Lees meer

   Massive thanks to Bennetts, Britain's Best bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, for their support of this podcast, and seemingly limitless reserves of patience and understanding at this most trying of times (and we really are trying).

   And on this week's FEC (which week is that exactly?) we have:
   • why Triumph's 2025 Speed Triple RS has got us so excited we're figuratively and, in Simon's case literally, standing to attention
   • why Kawasaki's Ninja 1100SX SE Tourer is a genuine contender for 'Sports Tourer of 2025" as if that's an actual thing, which it isn't, really
   • why Yamaha's Tracer 7 GT is a genuine contender for "Sports Tourer of 2025 under 1000cc" as if that's also an actual thing, which it also isn't, also really
   • why BMW's R1300 RT is more like a sports tourer, with a longer tank range and as long as you don't do more than 400 miles in a day
   • how journalists have tested the patience of manufacturers (how many fingers have you got?)
   • why CFMoto's 450 MT is about to take over the world
   All this and not much more, come on, it was gone 9pm when we finished and I needed a lie down with a stiff one, it might not be the most physically demanding job but I don't remember that last time a plumber had to compromise his principles quite as often. Dahling.

   Right, enough, go away, but not before you've summoned your thoughts, musings, queries, questions and hilarious stories of motorcycling mishaps and mayhem and committed them to an email to:
   anything@frontendchatter.com

   We remain your effervescent amis

   Simon H
   Mufga

   Ride yer bike. You know it makes very little sense.

10. Front End Chatter #215

    31 juli 2025 · 1 uur 39 min

    Afspelen
    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and it's episode 215 of the long-running motorcycling podcast with him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and him, Simon Hargreaves – and immense thanks as always to the ever-supportive Bennetts, Britain's best-by-miles bike insurer, and the magnificent bikesocial.co.uk, the website with all your info on the latest new bikes, used bikes, classic bikes, news, reviews and product tests. Lees meer

    Right, on with the show – and, today, we're in for a reborn, reinvented, reimagined, reincarnated treat... because:

    • Suzuki's GSX-R1000R is back, baby, for 2026 – and we have all the details, hot off the emails from Hamamatsu: power, weight, colours and tech. You can read about it elsewhere – but you can only hear about it, er, here

    • KTM are back, baby – details of production starting again in Austria; the what, the when, and the how many

    • BSA's Bantam is back, baby – yes, after only half a century, the owners of BSA, Mahindra, decide to resurrect the name for their new 334cc single roadster, as a direct rival to Honda's GB350S
    • and of course the FECsack is back, baby – more musings, ponderings and queries from you lot to us lot about that lot

    Thanks for listening, please email your own compositions and questions and congratulations to Mufga on his new job to:

    anything@frontendchatter.com – and we'll do our best to read them out.

    Thank ee again, and see you on the backside, baby!

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