Alle afleveringen van Front End Chatter – pagina 2 van 5

Front End Chatter #172

28 januari 2023 · 1 uur 48 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 172, hosted by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons and supported in their noble endeavours by Bennetts, the bike insurance gurus, and bikesocial.co.uk, the world wide web of wokorcycling. Lees meer

Bit of a special episode of FEC – c'mon, keep it light – as we visit the Motorcycle Industry Association annual conference and speak to the head of the MCIA, Tony Campbell, to find out what the great and the good of the British motorcycle industry are doing to prepare for the UK government's proposal to ban the sale of new petrol-engined bikes in just over a decade from now. It's not all bad news, but some of it might be.

Thanks for listening, and please email your thoughts, reactions, questions and opinions to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
Get us on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #171

12 januari 2023 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E171 and I'm a bit short on time this week so here's a condensed version of the usual word salad: FEC is a motorcycling podcast created by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycle content creators (I wrote a load of other stuff here about crumbling ivory towers but thought the better of it and pressed delete). Lees meer

Meanwhile, FEC is truly, deeply, madly proud to be supported and fertilised by the good people of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk, the best motorcycling website in the world. Pay them a visit, check out what's going on, and get involved with Bennetts Membership with all its offers and discounts. And there are many.

Bit of a slow news week for this episode, so in the absence of actual news worth repeating we have a deep dive into the FECsack instead, covering so many topics you might as well listen than have me type them out here, if that's ok? Ta.

Please keep your thoughts, queries, musings and mumblings coming in to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

And thank you for your continued aural appreciation.

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #170

22 december 2022 · 1 uur 58 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to episode 170 of Front End Chatter, the UK's finest motorcycling podcast with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons (other finest motorcycling podcasts without Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons are available). Lees meer

FEC is, as ever thus far, supported and ported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the greatest motorcycling website on the, er, web.

And on this episode, we natter about:
• birthdays, and why BMW are celebrating theirs like a death in the family
• prices for Suzuki's GSX-8S and P-Strom, and why maths isn't their strong point
• KTM's spy-shotted RC990, and possible the origins of its motor
• last chance for an exclusive place to the FEC tour 2023 (It's Grin (and indeed, Gin) Up North) before we spread the love on the internet
• our memories of ex-motorcycle journo John Cantlie
• plus loads of next bike recommendations, too late as usual but no-one ever does what we suggest anyway

Thank you for your listening ears throughout 2022, and 'ears to a similarly audible 2023.

Please keep your thoughts, ponderings, musings and questions coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #169

8 december 2022 · 2 uur 3 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's best biking podcast even if we – 'we' being Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycling ne'er-do-wells who once had an opinion and now just have onions – do say so ourselves, which is just as well because no-one else does. Lees meer

Front End Chatter is as ever supported like a great surgical truss of benevolence by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and their media empire of bikesocial.co.uk, upon which one can find all the news, reviews, new bike and consumer tests one could wish for. And check out their YouTube channel too.

On this esipode of Fnet Rund Chasser we have, for your aural delectation:
• a bit of goss from that Motorcycle Live they had recently
• a thoroughly in-depth chat about Honda's new CB750 Hornet
• why World Superbike will be worth watching in 2023
• the return of KTM's 790 Duke and Adventure, only made in China and as we predicted ages ago
• details of the FEC Tour 2023 – It's Grin Up North!
• plus a stack of your emails from the FECsack

Thank you for listening, and please keep your thoughts, queries and ponderings coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #168

13 november 2022 · 1 uur 49 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 168 in the long-running series of Great Motorcycling Podcasts – yes, we're back after a late summer break in which one of us got married and one of us didn't. Lees meer

Thanks as ever to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk – supplying quality motorcycle news, reviews, videos, launches and consumer product tests longer than anyone can remember. No, not the consumer tests themselves; how long BikeSocial has been aro... oh never mind.

Right, 168 is easy to describe:
• a big chatter about the finale of the MotoGP races of the season, who won, are the Japanese factories on the way out, and why it will be our last for a while
• tons of new bike news, including Honda's Transalp & Hornet 750 slugging it out with Suzuki's P-Strom 800DE and impossible-to-pronounce GSX-8S, plus a bit of green news from Kawasaki (geddit?), the most advanced radar system ever on the new Yamaha Tracer 9 GT+, revamped Triumph Street Triples and loads of stuff we forgot to mention.

Thanks again for listening with your ears, and please send thoughts, questions and offers of pretty much anything to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #167

7 oktober 2022 · 1 uur 59 min

Afspelen

Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 167 of Front End Chatter, Britain's poddiest motorcycling cast, supported as ever by nos amis at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, not only the web's most informative and enlightening motorcycling website, but also refreshingly free of the nasty, irritating ads and pop-ups you get on other websites. So let that be a lesson. Lees meer

And on this FEC we rabbit about:
• the new Ducati Multistrada V4S Rally
• BMW's uprated S1000RR
• Honda's new CB750 Hairnet
• ...and which of those is the most important for the future of motorcycling
• the action from MotoGP in Thailand, including how Ducati are actually managing to beat themselves
• 42 MotoGP races at 21 MotoGP rounds next year, including one in Kazakhstan (why?) and India
• Plus more ruminations from the FECsack
• details of FEC at the NEC – yes, on the Black Horse stand talking with Jamie Whitham on Thursday 24th Nov

Thanks for your ears, and please send your thoughts, ideas, disputes and questions to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
Get us on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #166

23 september 2022 · 1 uur 27 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's chattiest motorcycling podcast with him, Simon Hargreaves and him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and supported as ever by the wonderful folk at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best biking website, er, on the internet. Lees meer

And on E166 we have for your aural delectation:

the fallout and the fall-offs from Aragon, son of Arathorn, including Marc 'Mayhem' Marquez

a farewell to Dovi, the new Dani Pedrosa

speculation around the new Honda Hornet 750 parallel twin and Transalp

more speculation around Suzuki's forthcoming parallel twin adventure bike and roadster, including why it could be an 800, not a 700

a whole thing about the future of motorcycling

if there's anyone left, a bit of FECsack including Suzuki power modes, Groms, and how crash recovery isn't the same thing as breakdown recovery.

Thanks for listening, please send thoughts, questions, contributions and other scribbled notes to
anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #165

25 augustus 2022 · 1 uur 53 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's best biking podcast, and episode 165 featuring him, Simon Hargreaves, and him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons. Front End Chatter is, forever and day, sponsored and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and www.bikesocial.co.uk – the best website on the planet to get your fix of news, views and reviews. Lees meer

Hot news – FEC will be *briefly* be on stage at the NEC at 11am Thursday 24th November at Motorcycle Live! Be there, and come prepared to FECkle!

And also on this week's FEC we have:
• MotoGP's plans for an additional Sprint Race in 2023
• Marc Marquez's Honda ultimatum
• the long-term future of Yamaha and Honda in MotoGP
• oh, and there was a race in Austria
• meanwhile, we take a guess at Ducati's seven new 'products' in 2023
• plus the usual deep dive in the FEC sack - your questions, queries, comments and thoughts - please send them to anything@frontendchatter.com

Thanks for listening!

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #164

15 augustus 2022 · 2 uur 3 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Episode 164 of Front End Chatter (or 'FEC' as it's also known around these parts) – a motorcycling podcast, ish, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, the world of biking on the web. Lees meer

And on this episode of FEC we have:
• a round-up of Silverstone MotoGP, for the benefit of the 26,000 people who went last year but didn't go this time.
• Energica Experia – in a genuine ooo, Mufga test rides the best electric bike, by a mile, so far.
• Royal Enfield make the UK's best-selling big bike.
• Triumph's Enfield Meteor rival, built by Baja .

All this and more, including ruminations from the FEC sack of listeners' emails.

Thanks for listening, keep the emailed questions coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #163

31 juli 2022 · 1 uur 51 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Episode 163 of Front End Chatter, Britain's most flavoursome motorcyclistic podcast with Simon Fitz-Gibbons and Martin Hargreaves if you're listening in black & white. Lees meer

Front End Chatter is supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place on the web to keep up to speed with all things two wheels (and don't forget the Bennetts' YouTube channel wot has tons of good stuff on it).

And on this week's FEC we have:

• testing jackets for RiDE magazine on the hottest day EVER
• the splendour of a Bennetts' track day at Cadwell on an SV650
• World Supers from Donington
• running over cats and dead piglets
• does MotoGP visit democratic countries?
• why boots squeak and how to fix it
• how much better is a Tracer 9 GT than a Tracer 900 GT?
• should we experiment with cornering ABS?

All this and much more, or less, depends on your point of view and the orientation of your ears.

Thanks to everyone for listening, please keep your emails coming in to anything@frontendchatter and see you soon!

@simonhbikes
@mufga

Front End Chatter #162

15 juli 2022 · 1 uur 34 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 162 of the long-running family of motorcycling podcasts featuring wayward sons Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons (combined motorcycle journalism age: 50+, combined mental age: -50), supported like a pair of workshy fops by the patriarchal benevolence of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, the place on t'internet to get all your bike info. Lees meer

And on this week's FEC we have:
• when does riding off-road stop being fun?
• Peco Bagnaia done for drink-driving and sticking his car in a ditch
• Suzuki cease World Endurance support as well as MotoGP – is it the beginning of the end?
• detail on Ducati's V21L MotoE race bike (which exists and be ridden) and Triumph's TE-1 prototype (which exists but won't)
• bolt-ons that make you ride like an idiot
All this an much more...

Thanks everyone for listening, please send your thoughts, feelings, emotive pleas and questions to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

Get us on Twitter and Insta:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #161

2 juli 2022 · 1 uur 55 min

Afspelen

Welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's favourite biking and egg-throwing podcast, presented by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk, the best and most complete motorcycling website on the, er, web. Lees meer

On episode 161 of FEC:

When is a MotoGP crash a mistake and when is it reckless riding, and what's the difference?

what is a Maeving RM1 and are friends electric?
• Mufga puts his best foot forward at the Royal Enfield Slide School

RIP Steve Harris, one third of Harris Performance

How much power is too much, and what does too much feel like?

How do we ride with people who are slower than us, and is it ok to get a bit frustrated sometimes?

Is a slow, safe rider a 'better' rider than a quicker but riskier rider?

All this and much more, including pillow-fighting.

Thanks for your ears, please spread the good word (and the bad ones), and get us on the socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #160

3 juni 2022 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's Podcastiest Motorcycle, brought to you by Simone Hargreaves, Martina Fitz-Gibbons, Ben Nets (the bike insurance specialists) and bikesocial.co.uk (the best biking website on the er, web). Lees meer

And on this, the 160th episode, we have for your aural delectation, gossip about:
• Marc Marquez – will he or won't he?
• Suzuki – will they or won't they?
• MotoGP – is it better than WSB or not?
• The FEC800 – was it amazing, or was it amazing?
• Simon's injury – is it broken leg or ankle?
• Yamaha's Ténéré 700 World Raid – is it better than a Ténéré 700 or not?
...and much, much more!

Thank you very much for listening, and please follow Simon and Martin on the socials:
@Mufga
@SimonHbikes

And get your insurance from Bennetts, visit www.bikesocial.co.uk, subscribe to RiDE magazine and buy your kit from www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk

Front End Chatter #159

3 mei 2022 · 2 uur 7 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome everyone to Episode 159 of Front End Chatter, Britain's Lengthiest Motorcycling Podcast – supported and extended by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and Bikesocial.co.uk, the best biking website on, er the web. Lees meer

And on FEC159 we have:
• MotoGP gossip from Portimao and Jerez
• the FEC800 is nearly upon us!
• Suzuki Bennetts BikeSocial Busa Bonanza
• the planned trials of 'noise speed cameras'
• more on motorcycling training in the US
• disappearing testicles and inopportune arousals
•... and plenty more where that came from

Thanks again for listening and please keep your thoughts, questions and poetry coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch us on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #158

23 april 2022 · 2 uur 4 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Episode 158 of Front End Chatter, Britain's most sideways motorcycle podcast, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place on the web for all your biking news, views and reviews. Lees meer

And on E158 we have:
• the implications of Marc Marquez' remarkable ride at COTA
• what is going on with Alvaro Bautista's hair?
• The return of the Honda Hornet, but not as we remember it
• Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey ride together again at Goodwood Festival of Speed
• Mufga's new bike revealed!
• why are some modern bikes too cramped to even fit an alarm?
• the merits of revamping your existing track bike instead of buying a new one
...plus much more!

Thanks for listening, keep your questions, thoughts and admonishments coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

Follow me and him on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #157

10 april 2022 · 1 uur 48 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome everyone to Front End Chatter, Britain's talkiest motorcycle podcast, and episode 157 presented by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves – supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web. Lees meer

And on today's episode we cover the following ground:

MotoGP gossip post Argentina but pre-Circuit of the Americas (well, the North Americas)

will head-butting a herring gull write off your helmet?

bar muffs – sensible and comfortable, or unforgiveable fashion faux pas?

should you take your helmet as hand-luggage or checked-in hold luggage on a flight?

does a wide helmet aperture reduce riding stress?

suggestions for extending life of a high-compression two-stroke (no, really)

best all-season daily textile jacket for under £200

group riding as a confidence-builder

and much much more

Thank you so much for continuing to grace us with your ears, and please keep your thoughts and questions coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

Catch us on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #156

28 maart 2022 · 1 uur 36 min

Afspelen

Hello everyone and welcome to Front End Chatter, a motorcycling podcast of sorts in which Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons conspire, despite something like a combined half century in motorcycle journalism, to demonstrate the absence of having learned anything worthwhile. They are ably supported in their endeavours by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best motorcycling website in the world. If you're insuring you bike, you'd be well advised to have a look at Bennetts BikeSocial Membership scheme, which gives you access to a vast array of discounts, competitions, tracks days and events – including the upcoming Busa Bonanza: the chance for Hayabusa owners to come to Elvington near York and take their bike up the runway as often as they like. Details below. Lees meer

Onto FEC Episode 156, among the contents of which you may find:

guff from the second MotoGP race from Indonesia, including Marc Marquez – he gets knocked down, he gets up again... but how long can this go on?

MotoGP Unlimited: hit or a miss?

ex-500GP-and-lots-more old-age-race-ace Jeremy McWilliams wins a race in the US on an American V-twin for the first time since 2010, when he last won a race in the US on an America V-twin

Busa Bonanza details, and why going fast in a straight line is a Good Thing

KTM 790 Duke makes a comeback after a colossal one year's absence

Honda Hawk, a modern café racer based on the, take a guess, yes, the Africa Twin platform

Triumph's Tiger 1200 ridden, rated, and is it as good as a GS?

There isn't lots more, because that's it for this week! Lots of FEC-sack emails thoughts, questions and ponderings in FEC158, promise!

Thanks for listening and supporting FEC, and please continue to spread the word!

Follow Simon and Martin on the socials at:

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Busa Bonanza details!
Calling all Hayabusa (and B-King) owners, road legal or otherwise… how would you like to attend our event in conjunction with Suzuki GB for as many high-s…

Front End Chatter #155

11 maart 2022 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E155, the Ben Bostrom episode, presented by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons from Chatter Manors, ably supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance experts, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the place for all your motorcycle news, launches, reviews, road tests, product tests and racing. Lees meer

And on this edition of FEC we have:

the first round of MotoGP 2022 from Qatar and matters pertaining...

as Triumph announces the restarting of bike manufacture in the UK, would you pay more for a bike assembled in the UK instead of elsewhere in the world?

should tech development in MotoGP, like carbon discs and shapeshifters, be limited to relevance on road bikes?

Honda's V4 history filtered through the FEC mangle

...and much more – nearly two hours' worth of chatter and bobbins.

Thank you very much for your ears, please keep your emails, thoughts, opinions and musings to anything@frontendchatter, and catch Martin and Simon the socials...

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #154

25 februari 2022 · 1 uur 57 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E154, and – please put your lips together and pipe us a tune – it's our 8th birthday! That means Simon has been making Front End Chatter for 14% of his life – and 20% of Mufga's. Lees meer

Front End Chatter is proud, nay, positively tumescent to be sponsored and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and their multimedia wing, BikeSocial.co.uk. We implore, nay we beseech you to get your bike insurance with Bennetts – bike insurance run by motorcyclists, FOR motorcyclists, and putting more back into the industry than any other bike insurer, FACT. From BSB sponsorship to their YouTube channel with bike reviews and features and kit and gear tests, to the BikeSocial website with news, stories and tests – right through to BikeSocial Membership which gives you access to tons and tons of cool stuff such as: discounts at Sportsbikeshop, money off Yoshimura and Akrapovic exhausts, R&G stuff, Evotec stuff, a VIP weekend at the Nick Sanders Expedition Centre, and bargain track days exclusively for Bike Social members.

Anyway, before all that, a bumper episode of FEC including MotoGP testing from the disintegrating Mandalika circuit, rants about MotoGP Unlimited, surprising indifference to the news Wayne Rainey is riding at Goodwood Festival of Greed Speed, the new Yamaha Ténéré Wordle Raid, and a slew of lovely listener emails.

Keep 'em coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch Simon and Martin on the socials at

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #153

13 februari 2022 · 2 uur 11 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front Endy Prongs number 153 in the long-running cerealised podcast of motorcycle-related things, sponsored forever and a day by Bennetts, the prince among Thebes of bike insurance specialists – and bikesocial.co.uk, the number one place to go for bike-related news, reviews and product and kit tests. And check out Bennetts' YouTube channel, with all the lovely lovely lovely moving images contained therein. Lees meer

Now, to business. This week Simon and Martin natter about:
• MotoGP testing from Sepang
• sending long termers back to importers in a crate
• taking the bodywork off test bikes on location
• Norton ex-boss Stuart Garner pleads guilty
• Triumph's TE-1 electric Speed Triple ready for testing
• BMW's 2022 K1600 reviewed
• and a tone of other stuff, including a smattering of your lovely lovely lovely emails

Thanks for continuing to indulge our witterings, and please continue to send emails with thoughts, queries and questions to
anything@frontend chatter.com

Catch us on the socials at:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #152

31 januari 2022 · 2 uur 5 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome everyone to Front End Chatter, Britain's Best Predominantly Road-Based Biking Podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons supported for the 100th time by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk for all your motorcycle news, launches, reviews, road tests, product tests and racing. Lees meer

And on episode 152 this week we have:

quiz time: who had 152 MotoGP podiums in their career?

Marc Marquez is making his comeback, but in his 10th season he's basically the old timer of the class now

2021 has given BMW and Ducati their best-ever sales results – but where in world do they sell the most?

RIP to the man inspired a generation to ride bikes (okay, maybe just me), Mr Meatloaf

Plus FECsack specials including:

got any good tips for sportsbike touring?

what used litre sportsbikes will get me into the fast group?

how a Grand Prix could be coming to Lincolnshire

Plus loads more – about 2 hours' worth. Blimey.

Thanks for lending us your ears, and please send your questions, queries and thoughts to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch Simon and Martin on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #151

17 januari 2022 · 1 uur 41 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, possibly Britain's longest-running motorcycling podcast, don't sue us, we haven't done the maths, and welcome to episode 151, supported and enhanced as ever by the presence and patronage of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk – the place get all your news and views and reviews of new bikes, used bikes, kit tests and everything happening in motorcycling. Lees meer

And on Front End Chatter E151 we have a FECsack special, partly because there's no news to speak of (apart from Petrucci being a star), and partly special because Simon read the wrong emails. We hope you enjoy!

Thanks again to Bennetts and bikesocial.co.uk, and please keep your thoughts, questions and ideas coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

Front End Chatter #150

21 december 2021 · 2 uur 8 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 150, presented as ever by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialist, and bikesocial.co.uk, your one-stop on the interwebs for everything bike-related – and don't forget to check out Bennetts' YouTube channel with a stack of new bike launch videos, consumer advice and how-tos. Lees meer

And on this Christmassy episode we have:

Some bad bike jokes

FEC at the NEC; our chat on stage with Mr Jamie James Whitham live at Motorcycle Live

Triumph's new Tiger 1200 gets more from less

BSA's Goldstar gets something from nothing

Ducati's Desert X gets it white first time

John McGuiness returns to Honda for the NW and TT

Plus

why Sargent seats are good

how having kids changes motorcycling

synthetic fuel alternatives to electric as the future

...and loads of chit-chat in between

Thanks to all of you for downloading and giving FEC a listen, please continue to spread the word, and please keep your thoughts, queries, questions and musings coming in to
anything@frontendchatter.com

...Ands catch us both on the various socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #149

3 december 2021 · 2 uur 23 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and is it that time already? This, in all its error-strewn glory, is episode 149 of the biking podcast presented by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves in which they attempt to steer a smooth path between pot-holes on the A87 of modern motorcycling, and avoid denting their rims. Lees meer

Front End Chatter is, as ever, proud to be supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and Bikesocial.co.uk, the best website in the world for getting all your motorcycling news, reviews, product tests, racing info and first rides of the latest bikes.

And on FEC this week Simon fails to understand much about anything, leaving Martin to soldier on nattering about:

• EICMA No-Show – the big Italian bike show normally flush with new bikes... but minus some big names this year...
• new Bimotas, Hondas – including the resurrection of the Hornet, by name at least – Kawasakis, Moto Guzzi and MV Agusta
• Toprak Razgatlioglu finishes the WSB season in dominant style by losing the final two races but winning the title
Plus samples from the FEC-sack, including:
• what would a bi-directional track day be like as a way of teaching on-road rider training?
• what bike would we love to ride but never want to own?
• what bike would we love own despite there being more exciting rivals?
• what bikes were ahead of their time, failed, but would be a success now?
• what are our best, or closest, near misses?
• plus lots, lots more

Thanks for listening, please keep your mails coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

Come and see us at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on Thursday 9th at 11am, catch us on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

And thank you for your ears.

Front End Chatter #148

19 november 2021 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to episode 148 of the long-running motorcycling podcast otherwise known as Front End Chatter, presented before your brain by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons and supported like a bridge over troubled water by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk, the place to get all your bike news, reviews, product tests and racing. Lees meer

And on this week's episode Simon and Martin blather about:

goodbye and farewell to you-know-who, managing to make the very last lap of his career one of his most impressive
• what's his legacy, what was his finest moment, and what was his worst?

more MotoGP farewells from Petrucci and Mr Steve Day

Marc Marquez' eye injury – what does it mean long term for Marquez, Honda and Repsol?

Jack Miller racing a Panigale V4 R in the Australian Superbike Championship

the passing of Paul Smart, Ducati legend and all-round great bloke

Plus a bunch of new bike reviews:

Ducati's Multistrada V4 Pike Peak

Honda's NT1100 tourer

Ducati's 'new' Multistrada V2 S

Aprilia's Tuareg 660

And finally, news of the FEC800 Tour 2022 – and go see FEC at the NEC on Thursday 9th December on stage with James Whitham, where Simon and Martin will be talking bobbins about the best bikes of 2021 and what we're looking forward to 2022…

Front End Chatter #147

28 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 39 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 147 of the world's most motorcycling podcast performed by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the number one place on the web to carbon capture all the info fit to eat on anything to do with news, new bikes reviews, gear guides and kit tests, used bike info and all manner of racing stuff. Lees meer

So on this episode of Front End Chatter we have a trundle on about:

a new MotoGP champion, a retiring MotoGP champion and a MotoGP champion returning to form

why are there no mean, moody bastards in racing any more, and do we miss them?

WSB's knobbled Kawasakis and does it undermine the legitimacy of Yamaha's success?

Ducati's shock entry into the MotoE world cup

new bike news including Honda's NT1100, Suzuki's GSX-S1000 GT, Ducati's Multistrada V2 and Triumph's Tiger 600 Sport

good lids for oblong heads

what are the best and worst adventure bikes to take on a track?

All this and more in E147 of Front End Chatter. Thanks for listening, and please keep your emails, thoughts, queries and questions coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
And also – if you fancy being part of a crowdfunded road test, check out Twitter:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
And don't forget, only a couple of rooms left on the FEC800 Tour! Email for info!

Front End Chatter #146

26 september 2021 · 1 uur 46 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E146, the UK's most iambically pentametered motorcycling podcast, poetically performed and produced by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and perennially supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the happeningiest place to go for offers, deals and square meals – if you can buy it for your bike or your riding life, you can get discounts and cool points with Bennetts BikeSocial. Fact. Lees meer

And on this episode of FEC we have:

Bagnaia and Bastianini go big in Misano, plus a bit of wow from Aragon the week before

A look at the career of Chaz Davies, who's called WSB a day, so... see you at Darley Moor

Suzuki's new GSX-S1000 GT – is it good value or not, and should we be excited or not?

Ducati's Desert-X – a Multistrada in an off-road frock? Or an entirely new 'middleweight' adventure bike (we don't invent these categories... oh, hang on, we do)

Triumph's new Tiger 1200, with a T-plane crank, and how it'll fare against BMW's R1250 GS – featuring the return of the Mufgulator and some educated guesses on the Tiger's actual capacity, bore x stroke, and a prediction on its power output

Plus more of your thoughts, musings and questions from the FEC-sack

Thanks for listening, and keep an eye out for details of the FEC800, a tour around Scotland's Greatest Hits in May 2022 and to which you are all cordially invited to ride with Simon and Martin, and drink beer in the evening. Full details on the socials:

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #145

12 september 2021 · 1 uur 46 min

Afspelen

Hello and go away to Front End Chatter, the UK's most motorcycling podcast featuring aural nonsense from Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves. This is episode 145, supported and nourished by Bennetts Bike Social; so much more than just bike – and now car – insurance: check out their website to discover the multifarious munificent benefits of membership. And, if you're at all interested in Yamaha's Tracer 9 GT v Triumph's Tiger 900 GT Pro v BMW's F900XR v Kawasaki's Versys 1000 SE GT, check out the road test video at https://youtu.be/C5SJO6trgz8 Lees meer

Anyway, on this week's moany, miserable-ass FEC we have:

on-the-scenes goss from the British MotoGP at Silverstone, including why Mufga loved being there on Saturday and Simon hated it

Dorna's race feed going down just before the race

Marquez crashing out *again* and why he's the crashingiest rider this season

Aprilia's... we can't call it a resurrection so let's just call it an erection...

WSB gets a mention with some fab racing from Magny Cours – and some scandalous losing

more new bikes from Triumph with a teaser for the all-new Tiger 1200 and leaked shots of the new Speed Triple RR

...and the new Moto Guzzi V100 – all-new water-cooled engine, with fins, with fairly *interesting* looks...

Plus the FEC sack, including:

changing pads to change braking character

re-setting the quickshifter on an S1000XR

a touching story about becoming emotionally attached to items of bike clothing

when is a tubeless tyre not a tubeless tyre? Answers please, because we don't know...

And much, much more – including more info on the first, and perhaps only, FEC Tour coming in May 2022...

Thank you for listening, please keep your questions and thoughts coming in to:

anything@frontedchatter.com

And get us on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #144

26 augustus 2021 · 2 uur 8 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 144, Britain's – nay, the world's – most irreverent motorcycling podcast, with Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves. Thanks as ever to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web, for their unwavering support (especially while the new wing of Chatter Manors is built). Lees meer

And on this week's episode we have:

what year would Kenny Roberts Snr have retired if he'd had Rossi's career longevity?

excerpts from the Secret Diary Of Maverick Vinales, Age 14 and a half, and does he need sympathy or a stiff talking-to, or possibly both?

...but if you think Vinales' behaviour is odd, wait until you hear what Miguel Oliveira's been up to

...and we finally get an explanation as to why Rossi's not come first for ages

plus, the will-they/won't-they Isle Of Wight road race saga continues

ex-Norton boss Stuart Garner is in the dock

Triumph's new half-faired sporty-ish Speed Triple 1200RR...

...and Triumph's also new Tiger 660, based on the Trident

speculation about Yamaha's sporty MT-09, the R9

can we put E10 fuel in our tanks? Mufga has the answer (for SV650s)

plus your FEC sack queries and thoughts...

PLUS! A vague hint about a potentially forthcoming FECing tour of Scotland sometime next year – gauging interest, what do you think? Fancy going for a big ride with Simon and Martin, involving bikes, beer and banter? Let us know at FECtours@frontendchatter.com

Thanks super so much for ears and support, please keep the FEC mails with your thoughts, queries and mad ideas coming in to anything@frontendchatter.com

Get us on the socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #143

14 augustus 2021 · 1 uur 54 min

Afspelen

Welcome, friends, to Front End Chatter E143 – the one hundred and forty third time Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, some-time motorcycle journalists past and present, have sat, stood and otherwise presented themselves before a pair of microphones and spoken unto them, sometimes with funny accents. Lees meer

And special thanks to our sponsors and friends at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk where you can find new bike news, racing, buying guides, used reviews, and gear guides – and don't forget their Youtube channel!

And on this episode of Front End Chatter:

The GOATI (Greatest Of All Time Ish) announces his retirement: not a moment too soon, or wailing and gnashing of teeth?

all the spills and thrills... yes, count them... from the Styrian MotoGP, let's call it Austria #1 between friends

Aprilia's new Tuareg 660, the third model in the popular parallel twin series, picked apart on paper

if you could buy your first bike back now, would you restore it to its original condition or put it back to how you last rode it?

What's the best sportsbike to buy now as an investment?

weren't the 1990s great?

All this and more on FEC143. Thanks for lending us your ears, please tell your fwends about us, please keep sending us your thoughts, musings and questions to

anything@frontendchatter.com

and download us from www.bikesocial.co.uk

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #142

2 augustus 2021 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E142, and right up front please accept sincere apologies for the lousy sound quality – the usual recording room at Chatter Manors has been flooded by an unfortunate incident involving a blockage in the sceptic tank and Ron, the missing handyman, who, it transpires, is in fact the blockage. Thus Simon and Martin have been forced to squeeze into the only room in Chatter Manors that isn't knee-deep in effluent – which is, ironically, the downstairs toilet complete with its unfavourable podcasting acoustics. It might have an echo but at least it's not swimming in raw sewerage. Although some might suggest the two have a lot in common. Lees meer

None of this is the fault of Britain's best bike insurance specialists, Bennetts, nor indeed BikeSocial, who both are blissfully unaware of the infernal plumbing irregularities plaguing Chatter Manors.

Anyway, assuming you can tolerate the infuriating slapback delay, here's what's in store on FEC this week:

• Isle Of Wight Races are back on – or are they?
• Triumph's plans to race enduro and motocross
• Cal Crutchlow subs for Morbidelli at Silverstone and Austria x 2
• who's done more for motorcycling: Keanu Reeves or Tom Cruise?
• when are you too old to ride an MV Agusta?
• when are brakes too good, and how do you make them worse?
• why isn't more love given to Kawasaki's 2004 ZX-10R?

All this and lots more on this week's Front End Chatter, brought to you from the echo chamber. Please keep your thought, ideas, mad plans and questions coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

Get Simon and Martin on the socials
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #141

18 juli 2021 · 2 uur 13 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to E141 of that Front End Chatter they have nowadays, spoken with words by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves and supported, enabled and legitimised by our fwends at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists (and yes, they will insure a Tuono!), and Bike Social, the bike club that gives you access to discounts, track days, events and competitions – as well as running the most up-to-date and informative biking website and YouTube channel, at www.bikesocial.co.uk Lees meer

And on this episode we have:
• how Suzuki's Hayabusa is still the go-to bike for old-school performance
• how Suzuki's revamped 2021 GSX-S1000 is much, much better than the previous version
• why WSB might be worth watching
• how Norton are still getting it wrong
• does Harley-Davidson's history of 'breakout' models bode ill for the Pan America?
• are UK bikers more conformist these days?
• do riders from different countries ride differently?

All this and much much more!

Thanks for listening, and please keep your thoughts, queries, arguments and ideas coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

Get Mufga and Simon on the socials
@Mufga
@SimonHbikes

Front End Chatter #140

1 juli 2021 · 1 uur 44 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 140 – in which Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves (supported and nurtured by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of biking on the web) natter at length about: Lees meer

the Dutch TT at Assen and very much about the future of one Maverick Vinales – and where *is* his head at?

BMW's new R1300GS and why it might not be what everyone thinks it might be

news of Mufga's SV650 renovation

which sporty middleweight twin for the larger gent and costing around £8000

which regular commuter middleweight

what's the best way to park a bike upright that isn't a paddock stand?

when do you tell a mechanically incompetent friend not to touch his bike?

...and much, much more...

Thanks for listening, please tell your friends and spread the FEC word, thanks again to Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk – and:

Send your thoughts, musings, arguments and questions to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
And get Simon and Mufga here on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #139

18 juni 2021 · 2 uur 14 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to episode 139 of Front End Chatter, the marvellous motorcycling podcast supported and, indeed, buoyed by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web. Lees meer

And on FEC this week we have:

• young Fabio's habit of getting his boobs out, and the propriety of doing it on the last laps of a MotoGP race

plans to livestream the 2022 TT, plus more racing in 2023

where we stand on Ana Carrasco's balls

Simon's latest headphone revelations

Plus!

more on where to your feet when you're riding

if you haven't got a bike, are you still a biker?

what would you do and where would you ride if you knew you had limited time left?

are electric bikes *really* green or is it just a great big hypocrisy?

And much, much more!

Thanks for listening, please support Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk with your patronage, email your thoughts, questions and musings to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch us on Twitter and Insta

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #138

2 juni 2021 · 2 uur 23 min

Afspelen

Hello and benvenuto to Front End Chatter, Britain's most tardy motorcycling podcast with Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves. And why not. And, lest we forget, grazie to our wonderfully benevolent benefactors Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, from who you can secure not only, some say, the most competitive insurance premiums in the business, but who also are the only bike insurers who plough so much back into motorcycling – where do you want your cash to go? Into the pockets of fat cat shareholders using retired racers as a PR stunt for an existing bike insurance broker? Or actually back into motorcycling and, full disclosure, into our pockets? Lees meer

Right, on Episode 138 of FEC we natter about:

MotoGP from Mugello, in which the racing was overshadowed by the death of Moto3 talent Jason Dupasquier in qualifying. But the racing went ahead anyway: should it? Plus why can't Marc Marquez and Alex Rins stay upright?

we also natter about Yamaha's R7 (we wuz rite)

why southern Italy is a cool place to ride a bike

why a 2021 Tracer 9 GT is a good bike to ride it on

why a 2021 BMW S1000 XR maybe isn't

and Simon's completely unbiased opinion of Bridgestone's new Battlax T32 sport touring tyres (cheque to the usual please Mr Stone)

Plus!

do we still have to deduct a Covid year of not riding from a helmet's life?

should we give Harley's Pan Am a chance?

if adventure bikes are the bikes for all occasions, and we don't like scooters, what doe we think of Honda's X-ADV?

should a first-time A2-licence bike owner go for a project bike or a new/used bike - and what's the best pillion A2 bike?

All this and much more! Is this the longest FEC ever?

Many thanks again to Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk, please remember to like and subscribe and leave a review on iTunes, please send your questions, queries and thoughts to anything@frontendchatter.com
And please follow/get in touch on Twitter and Insta
@Mufga
@SimonHBikes

Front End Chatter #137

26 april 2021 · 2 uur 6 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 137 in the long-running series of 137 so far, in which Simon H and Mufga, a pair of motorcycling outfluencers, talk about motorbikes and motorcycling – and are supported in their endeavour by the mighty Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the wonderful world of widing on the web. Lees meer

In this episode we have:

MotoGP from Portugal, wherein did Marc Marquez return to the fray and managed to score more points in one race than Valentino Rossi has in the first three. And although his body may be weak, it took but a few minutes to discover the Marquez spirit is still strong.

a brief summation of a first ride on KTM's new 1290 Super Adventure S

a few impressions from the first big trips on Suzuki's 2021 Hayabusa

and Mufga's final road test (maybe for a while, maybe not) on Aprilia's Tuono 660

how hot is too hot to ride a bike?

best tourer for a six-footer with a sportsbike background?

why a Kawasaki KLX230 might the answer to reliving your biking youth (if you could buy it in the UK)

best sporty all-round tyres for a custom-built Suzuki SV650…

…should used scrubs from racing be used on the road?

…all this and much, of so much, more!

Thanking you muchly for listening; please keep your thoughts, observations and questions coming in to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

And you get us on the socials, here:
@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Aye! Till the next time, whenever it is.

Front End Chatter #136

5 april 2021 · 2 uur 2 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Episode 136 of Front End Chatter, the UK's most chocolatey motorcycling podcast. Lees meer

Thank you to Bennetts, the suspenders to our stockings, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the internet's repository of all that is wise and current about motorcycling. A

And in this episode Simon and Martin rattle on about:

• MotoGP is back! Two races from Qatar, a veritable oasis of human rights, and a few lefts, in the desert – where, true to current MotoGP form, there is literally and metaphorically no form book.
• Suzuki's Hayabusa gets ragged up a runway fo some speed figures, and reveals the result of its engine changes
• Triumph unveil the TE-1 – their electric Speed Triple [it's not a triple - Ed] and even cynics are taking an interest [will the first test be written by Sir Alan Cathode? Hahhaahha – Ed]
• and a deep dive into the FEC sack, with wide ranging questions such as:
• which Scrambler is the best?
• are there any bike models in which the bike with the smaller engine is better than its bigger brother?
• are illegally ridden electric mountain bikes putting kids off 'proper' motorbikes?
• advice on new bikes and rubbish tyres
...and much, much more.

Thanks again to the patron saints of FEC – Bennetts and BikeSocial – and please keep you thoughts, questions, queries and musings coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
And get Simon:
@SimonHBikes
And Martin:
@Mufga

Laters!

Front End Chatter #135

21 maart 2021 · 2 uur 8 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the world's most self-deprecating motorcycling podcast in which, for the 135th time, Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons talk two wheels into a microphone. FEC is supported by Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the web's central repository of all the news, new bike reviews, product tests and touring info worth a read. Lees meer

And on this week's FEC we have:

the season hasn't even begun yet, but MotoGP testing from Qatar has already produced a long list of winners and losers, and raised more questions than it answered:

will Dovi race an Aprilia this season?

when will Marc Marquez return?

who will be Yamaha's top rider?

will this be Rossi's last season?

Plus we have gossip about:

a potential return for the R7 name, but not as we know it

when buying a crash helmet, do you get better protection the more you spend?

is a KTM SUperDuke GT a better sports tourer than a Kawasaki Z1000SX or a new Yamaha Tracer 9 GT?

where should we put our feet, part II

what's Moto Guzzi's next step?

is a 2021 FireBlade really a better road bike than a 2011 model?

what's the best bike for a motorcycling Rip Van Winkle?

All this and more! Get it while it's hot!

Thanks for listening and please continue to fire in your emails with thoughts, musings, meanderings and mutterings to:

anything@frontendhcatter.com

And catch Simon and Mufga on the socials:

@Mufga
@SimonHBikes

Front End Chatter #134

7 maart 2021 · 2 uur 9 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Episode 134 of Front End Chatter, the UK's most scatterbrained motorcycling podcast featuring the musical talents of Martin 'Maverick Not Vinales' Fitz-Gibbons and Simon 'Iceberg Lettuce' Hargreaves. Apparently it's the seventh anniversary of Front End Chatter. Happy birthday to us. Lees meer

We are enabled and besotted with Bennetts, the Bike Insurance specialists – yes, ask them nicely and they'll do their best to help, as proven by Mufga – and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web.

And on this week's episode we chatter about:

• which bikes from the 1990s Performance Bikes archives did *exactly* 134.0mph?
• Harley-Davidson's Pan Am adventure bike and what we can glean from the – let's not be coy – frankly amazing spec. Is it too good to be true? And is it ugly or good-looking?
• the return of Buell, which probably isn't actually
• Keanu Reeves' virtual sex
• Suzuki's Hayabusa, with an explanation by Suzuki as to why it makes less power – and does it matter?
• will the battery-swapping tie-up between Honda, Yamaha, KTM and Piaggio make any difference to the acceptance of electric bikes?
• what's the best road to the West Coast of Scotland?
• what bike from the last ten years will go to be collectable in the next ten?

All this and much, much more. Thanks for listening and continuing to support the podcast with your magnificent ears, we really do appreciate it. Please keep your thoughts, queries, questions and musings coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

...and please download from www.bikesocial.co.uk if you can.

Find Simon and Martin on the socials:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #133

19 februari 2021 · 2 uur 12 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's most pancake-powered biking podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons, Britain's most pancaked motorcycle journalists. And Front End Chatter is, as ever, made from the plain flour and two eggs of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world's most comprehensive motorcycling website. Lees meer

And on this episode of Front End Chatter we have:

how do you like your pancakes?

full details of Suzuki's 2021 Hayabusa, including some thinking behind that headline power deficit over the old bike…

Martin's new bike – what's he got and why's he got it?

how cool would an adventure bike rally-cross race at the Isle of Man be?

how will a proposed naked superbike class effect the prospects of up-and-coming young riders on an international stage?

wouldn't it be cool if Triumph lay on a Speed Triple one-make series to promote the new bike?

the pros and cons of the Rekluse auto clutch system

fuelling and throttle snatch – why, oh why does it exist?

why is fuel injection less efficient than carbs?

… all this and much more chattering!

Thanks for listening and supporting the pod, and please keep your emails and questions coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch us on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #132

5 februari 2021 · 2 uur 5 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 132 of the long funning ramily drama in which ranty old seadog Simon Hargreaves (played by Oliver Reed, in his final screen role), rattling around alone in the east wing of Chatter Manors, is faced with moral bankruptcy and can only be saved by the intervention of the saintly Martin Fitz-Gibbons (played by Peter O'Toole in his final screen role). Together they form an unlikely alliance with Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists (played by Alan Bennett, in his final screen role) and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of biking on the web (played by Meryl Strepsil, in her final screen role). Lees meer

And there are some motorbikes in all this, in case you're new round here.

And in this episode, Simon and Martin chatter about:

a new Suzuki Hayabusa they know nothing about, but which you, by now, do – was we right or was we right?

Triumph's new and rather impressively spec'd Speed Trip

KTM's updated but also impressive 1290 Super Adventure with rude tyres

Are BMW really not going to bike shows any more?

And in the FEC sack, we have topics as varied as:

how to secure your helmet to your bike when going walkabout

how to ride over potholes and bumps (at speed)

what do electric bikes have to achieve to find widespread acceptance?

what makes a bike exceed expectations?

what's the Five Nations Tour?

when is a Vyrus not a virus?

...and much, much more...

Thank you for downloading and listening, and sending your thoughts, ideas and questions to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

And thanks to Bennetts and BikeSocial for continued support!

Get Simon and Martin on the socials at:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #131

21 januari 2021 · 2 uur 3 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E131, Britain's favourite and longest serving motorcycling podcast, possibly either or, who's counting? What's for sure is we're indebted and abetted by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the marvellous motorcycling website. Lees meer

And on FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about:

Triumph's new Speed Triple 1200 RS – how big will it be really, is it bored and/or stroked, and will Triumph go after hyper-naked revs and power, or keep the Speed Trip a raunchy but slightly more useful super-naked?

when is a spy shot not a spy shot?

guesswork around Aprilia's new RSV4 and Tuono, for whom the passenger has always been a "barely tolerated guest" according to Aprilia – and wouldn't it be nice if they made a CapoNord V4?

We also dive in the FEC sack and ponder delights such as:

when is it too cold to get your pegs down and why motorcycling shouldn't be a faith-based activity

where should we put our feet when we're riding?

how racing isn't necessarily a mandatory next step on from track days

what's the adventure bike equivalent of a ZZR1400 for £6-£7k?

and much, much more! A bit.

Thank you very much for listening, thanks to Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk for putting up with us, and please keep your thoughts, musings, queries and fact correcting coming to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

Catch us on the Instas and Twitters:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #130

11 januari 2021 · 2 uur 11 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E130, and the first FEC of 2021; a brand new year, and hopefully things will get better – but some things stay the same and there's not much chance of FEC improving any time soon. Lees meer

Thanks as always to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, home of all that's good and virtuous in motorcycling.

And on FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about:

Davide Brivio's shock exit from Suzuki MotoGP team boss to F1... and who we'd choose to replace him

John McPint MBE has won an MBE from the Queenie, but who else has and who hasn't?

when motorcycle manufacturers get market research wrong

hello to Aprilia's new Tuono 660...

...and goodbye; we mourn the passing of true racing and engineering pioneer, Peter Williams

We also dive in the FEC sack and answer some timeless wonderings:

what was that about preload and ride height again?

winter hacks – it's a love/hate thing

magazines are for old riders; YouTube is for young 'uns: discuss

are the Isle Of Wight Diamond Races going to happen in 2021?

all this and much more!

Thank you very much for listening, thanks to Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk for putting up with us, and please keep your thoughts, musings, queries and fact correcting coming to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

Catch us on the Instas and Twitters:

@SimonHbikes (but to be honest it's more paracord hobbies and current affairs than bikes; I like to think it's context)

@Mufga (he's funnier than me)

Front End Chatter #Joan Mir Interview

5 januari 2021 · 26 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to a very special mini-episode of Front End Chatter, sponsored by Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk – and it's the one where Simon and Martin, literally a quartet of spods in underpants, get to have a 10-minute chat with none other than the 2020 MotoGP World Champion, Suzuki's Joan Mir. It's short and sweet, a bit like Mr Mir himself. Lees meer

Front End Chatter #129

23 december 2020 · 2 uur 20 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome a fully festive, technically flawed, partially visual (which makes no sense to listeners in black and white) but otherwise entirely oral episode 129 of Front End Chatter, Britain's favourite motorcycling podcast helmed by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons and kept afloat by the oceanic Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, all your two-wheeled needs digitally delivered via fibre optics (get well soon John!) Lees meer

And this week on FEC we have:

good news for Norton donors

good news for scooter and moped manufacturers

how the Covid pandemic has affected bike sales and how far and often we ride, and how it's given us renewed motivation to do the things in 2021 we've always put off doing

our favourite bikes of the year, and biggest disappointments

what we're looking forward to riding in 2021

plus! Do you want an MV Agusta Turismo Veloce, or would a Tracer GT do the same thing? Or even a Z1000SX?

would a Guzzi V85TT suit a novice off-road rider?

is the NC500 really worth it?

what's Britain's most picturesque motorway?

is the 1998 Kawasaki ZX-9R C1 the most underrated sports tourer ever?

...and much much more.

Thanks again to Bennetts and BikeSocial, thanks to you for listening to us, supporting us and sending in your thoughts, queries, ponderings and questions to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

...and we hope you manage to have a great Christmas. See you in the New Year!

Front End Chatter #128

11 december 2020 · 1 uur 59 min

Afspelen

Ladies and gentlemens, pray welcome to Front End Chatter E128. Inside you'll discover presentation by the ineffable Mr Simon Hargreaves and the inestimable Mr Martin Fitz-Gibbons, plus their delightfully delictatious Mr Ben Nets, the bike insurance specialist, and wwwbikesocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the webbage. Lees meer

And in this episode of FEC we have:

Mufga's riding impressions of the new Aprilia RS660 (closes eyes, makes brum brum noises)

and SiH's riding impressions of the new Ducati Multistrada V4 (closes eyes, makes brum brum noises), in case anyone hadn't been watching Bennetts YouTube channel, reading the website or picking up just about every UK bike magazine and newspaper in the last few weeks

Marc Marquez going for third time lucky for arm operations, while FEC will henceforth be acting as medical advisor for DORNA on the grounds we have a better handle on what constitutes fitness to ride than they do

why we shouldn't dismiss Long Way Up with such offhand flippancy

why do we measure bike tank size in litres and fuel consumption in mpg?

how to – but really, why – pull a wheelie

what should a rider do with their helmet when dismounting and walking about?

what's the best electric bike out there, and why?

why oe tyres might not be perfectly not great, but it's not the tyre manufacturer's fault, it's the bike manufacturer we should blame

Thanks to Bennetts and BikeSocial for their indulgence and please download FEC from www.bikesocial.co.uk if you can.

Thank YOU massively for indulging our nonsense, and please continue to populate the FEC sack with your thoughts, ideas, questions and nonsense of your own – write to anything@frontendchatter.com

You can catch us on the socials here:
@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

One more before Xmas! Yay! A Yuletide FEC.

Front End Chatter #127

29 november 2020 · 2 uur 12 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 127, the slightly behind the curve episode, with Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves waffling along as usual – supported and enhanced by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the home of all things two-wheeled and powered by an engine, internally combustible or electric or, indeed, propelled by little more than an inappropriate fragrant emission. Lees meer

And on the show this week we have:

a new MotoGP World Champeen, and a slightly subdued Portimao ending to the craziest, least predictable and – let's be honest – luckiest MotoGP season in modern history
• the best Joan Mir stat you will ever hear

new bikes for 2021, including:

– BMW's S1000R, the bike with the wrong half of the fairing removed

– Ducati's Multistrada V4 which Simon hadn't ridden, much, when the podcast came out, but which it subsequently turns out he had. It's very confusing

– Ducati's underrated SuperSport, now called a 950
– ...and the Panigale V4 SP, whatever that is

– Triumph 850 Sport, and how it replaces the world's shortest-lived model, the Triumph Tiger 900
– Yamaha MT-09 Tracer and GT

– Yamaha's track-only R6, and the death of the supersports 600

PLUS! A brief dip into the FECsack and topics such as do track days matter when you're over 50, is a Z900 RS Café better than a Z H2, tyre scrubbers, how come more people don't commute on bikes, and much – a bit – more...

Many thanks to Bennetts and Bike Social for their continued patronage, and many thanks to you, dear listener, for lending us your ears... and please keep sending your thoughts, musings and life stories to us here:

anything@frontendchatter.com

You can get us on the Socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Cheers ma dears.

Front End Chatter #126

1 november 2020 · 1 uur 53 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's most paracorded motorcycling podcast Fronted by Simon Hargreaves, Ended by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Chattered by www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer

And in E126 we have:
• Yamaha's overhauled, uprated and enlarged (but not in the way you might have read) MT-09
• Martin's unnatural desire to buy a Piaggio MP3, as winter-hack path to an almost equally irrational Aprilia RS660
• the usual ramblings on MotoGP including where in the world is Marc Marquez, has he been moonlighting as his own brother, and what does this all mean for the 2020 title?
• plus emails on topics as wide-ranging as more small acts of human kindness, the IOW Diamond Races (or not), ugly features on otherwise not ugly bikes, the difference between buying the first bike you look at and the bike you look at first, why under- (or over-) inflating a tyre for an extended stint on a motorway might not be a good idea, and the real reason you want to adjust your suspension.

Thanks for letting us into your ears, hope the new lockdown and winter aren't too savage for you, and please email us your further thoughts, comments and/or questions to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Front End Chatter #125

17 oktober 2020 · 1 uur 59 min

Afspelen

Hello and welcome for Front End Chatter, Britain's best biking podcast, and Episode 125 of the aforementioned, presented by him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and him, Simon Hargreaves. And we are, as ever, enabled and legitimised by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the wonderful world of woking on the web. Lees meer

And in this fun-sized Mars Bar of an episode we chatter about:

how IAM observers are like twitchers

what's the best 125 ever, why isn't it the Varadero, and are modern 125s better than classic 125s?

how to topple off an Africa Twin and an F800GS in style

how far can you go on a Zero SRF, and still get back in a day?

wet MotoGP from Le Mans including an uncannily prescient Martin suggesting Covid could play a part in sideling riders THE DAY BEFORE a viral Rossi misses a couple of rounds

loads of chat about Ducati's new V4 Granturismo motor powering the new Multistrada – how it's bigger, but smaller, lasts longer, makes more power but less torque, and where has the whole Desmo business gone? And why?

a natter about details of Aprilia's RS660, as Martin from the past pays a visit to remind us his half of FEC worked all that stuff out a year ago. Apart from the price.

all before we dive into the FEC sack with its usual barrage of good points, corrections and fab stories.

Please email us all your thoughts and questions to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

Thank you very much for listening, please spread the word, leave us a review on iTunes, and if it's not too late and you're in the US – VOTE!

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Front End Chatter #124

5 oktober 2020 · 2 uur 6 min

Afspelen

Hurrah for wet roads, diminishing daylight and dropping temperatures. We're so excited about the onset of winter. Excited, excited, excited. Apparently, a study of the moods of the Nordic peoples shows a successful strategy for coping with long periods of little sunshine – and Seasonal Affective Disorder – may be to simply develop a positive attitude toward it. Literally, repeating "I am excited about " has been shown to reduce anxiety. Lees meer

So we're excited, excited and excited to invite you into Fronty End Prongs, episode 124, brought to you by Bennetts, the people who offer amazing discount deals and offers with bike insurance thrown in, and the world of motorcycling at www.bikesocial.co.uk. Please remember to wipe your feet on the way in and your bum on the way out.

And this week Simon and Mufga natter about:

autumn – why?

why Dumfries and Galloway is a good place to ride a bike

why we don't review bikes any more

BMW's new M1000RR and why it's failing to light Mufga's fire

future Mufga pays us a visit down the time tunnel

Triumph's Trident – what it is and how much it should cost

high speed MotoGP review

where, or not, to get up-to-date info on MotoGP engine use

advice for your second track day

is the current lack of spectators at race events sustainable, and if the racing has to change, how will it change?

is buying a bike while under the influence a good idea?

...and much, much more.

Thanks for listening, and let's do this again in a fortnight.

Please send thoughts, questions and musings to:

anything@frontendchatter.com

Keep up with Simon and Mufga on the socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga