Alle afleveringen
224 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
-
Front End Chatter #73
2 maart 2018 · 1 uur 31 min
Hello and welcome to a slightly sweary, distinctly snowy Front End Chatter Episode 73, supported as ever by nos amis at BikeSocial (wwwbikesocial.co.uk) and Bennetts the bike insurers – and which ignores the current level of white precipitation (sounds iffy) while resolutely chattering on about: Lees meer
last weekend's racing season opener, with World Superbike at Phillip Island – was it or wasn't it dull, and what's the difference between an exciting race and dull racing?
recent MotoGP testes, and what's the likely outcome of Tech 3 and Yamaha announcing their conscious uncoupling?
...and then FEC73 dives headlong into proper motorcycling and confronts pressing issues such as:
the launch of Triumph's new Speed Triple S and RS, and when is a hooligan not a hooligan?
how does Triumph's Daytona 675R rate against MV Agusta's 675 and 800 F3s?
is it only us thinking this, or have Triumph got some massive holes in their model line-up, and does that presage a completely new, large-capacity engine powering a range of new models in the near future?
would we buy a Panigale 959 Corse if a) we wanted it and b) could afford it?
• are some new bikes 'better' than other new bikes, and does it matter, or is modern motorcycling more about deciding what the bike feels like?what's the wisdom of filming ourselves for vlogs – does it make motorcycling look bad?
should we feel guilty about not using a bike all the time?
how much does rider weight and fitness level affect our ability to ride a bike?
Plus there's loads more of waffle about grid boys, why manufacturers build the bikes they build, and a satisfied FEC customer!
Thanks for listening, and please keep sending us your questions, thoughts and queries... and picking us up on our errors (that should get a few emails).
Email to: anything@frontendchatter.com@Mufga
@SimonHbikes
-
Front End Chatter #72
11 februari 2018 · 1 uur 35 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 72, Britain's most rambling, shambling biking podcast supported as ever by our gender-neutral comrades at www.bikesocial.co.uk (and definitely *not* .com) in association with Bennetts, the bike insurance people. It's like a great big biking family, packed with road tests, new bikes, used bikes, buying guides and kit git guides; come in, the water's lovely.
On a crammed FEC 72, Martin and Simon waffle about:
• Sepang MotoGP testing results
• the cancelled Welsh Road Races: why it's been postponed and how much damage has been done to the reputation of the organisers and a potential 2019 event – plus some sensible mathematics
• a surprisingly measured and informed opinion on the great grid girls debate... from a man
• McGuinness signs to race the Norprilia at the TT
• news from the launches of the 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports (not in Africa) and Triumph Tiger 800 (in Africa)
• embarrassing crashes, heart-breaking crashes and unpredictable crashes (aren't all crashes unpredictable?)
• do we get the new bikes we want, or the bikes manufacturers think we want... and how are new bikes developed, anyway?
• what were the best-selling bikes in Europe and who were the biggest manufacturers in 2017?
Thank you for your ears, and please get in touch at anything@frontendchatter.com
or on Twitter @SimonHbikes or @Mufga Lees meer -
Front End Chatter #71
29 januari 2018 · 1 uur 4 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's mostest biking podcast, supported by nos amis at Britain's foremost and most comprehensive biking website, www.bikesocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer
And in this week's compact episode Simon (me) and Martin (him) natter about such diverse matters as:
the second darkest winter in northern Europe since records began
results from the Dakar rally, and whether the race is getting too tough (it's not), and whether the IOM TT is harder
will Michael Dunlop's recent test on the MotoGP Suzuki GSX-R RR R at Sepang, Malaysia, presage an entry in the 2018 Senior TT, and do we think he was worried about taking to the track alongside MotoGP regulars?
what else might or might not happen at the first MotoGP test session of 2018 at Sepang?
why has Hutchy jumped on John McG's 'unlucky' Honda Fireblade for next year's TT?
more news on the Ducati, Aprilia and KTM models affected by Brembo's master cylinder recall
first riding reports of Ducati's V4 Panigale and Honda's new Gold Wing are in – and if they're as brilliant as everyone says, how can we tell when it seems like all new bikes are brilliant?
Plus (and sorry, we only have time for a few) your wonderful emails.
Thank you as ever for continuing to listen to our ramblings, and please get in touch at anything@frontendhchatter.com with your questions, thoughts, musings and chit-chat.
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #70
17 januari 2018 · 1 uur 22 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 70, the world's most eclectic motorcycling podcast, supported by www.biksocial.co.uk, the UK's most informed and entertaining website, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer
My name is Simon and that man over there is Martin, and today we're nattering about:
the masochism of riding in winter, and whether a hot bath at the end of it is worth the suffering
the masochism of riding a Kawasaki H2 and an Enfield Himalayan in winter
...or the historical perspective of riding three generations of GSX-R750 on an old runway in Cornwall
details of a Brembo brake recall in the USA; what it is, what bikes are affected, and whether there'll be a recall in the UK
how, despite the Kawasaki H2 SX and Yamaha Niken and BMW F850GS, the Kawasaki Z900RS might just be the best bike of 2018
an enlightened approach to selling a used bike, and how faith should overcome fear...
...or just ask your local dealer to sell it for you
why Honda's Crossrunner is always overlooked when discussing used all-rounders
the crazy new bike deals about last year, such as Honda's Africa Twin DCT PCP deal of no deposit, 0% finance at £70 per month for three years – and the implications for the values of used Africa Twins
how cold is too cold to go for a ride?
and introducing the Hall Of FEC – what bikes are in, what bikes are out (starting with 2009 – which turns out to be a particularly bad year for new bikes)
Thanks for listening, please email your nominations for FEC's Hall Of FEC, or indeed any other thoughts, questions, requests to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
Thanks for listening!
@SimonHbike
@Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #69
27 december 2017 · 1 uur 9 min
Had enough of cold turkey? Fear not, here's your fix of Front End Chatter Episode 69, served in a very small tin foil hat with a side-order of www.bikesocial.co.uk in association with Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer
And, following on from the last episode's fab interview with Julian Ryder, this time it's business as usual as we read through a veritable mountain of your occasionally lengthy emails, on topics as varied as:
• Does the motorcycle industry do enough to attract young riders?
Does uploading fancy software and a few items from the accessories catalogue justify adding a few grand on the price of a new bike and calling it a premium model?
Is motorcycling becoming too tribal?
Will we be seeing more examples of forced induction on new models?
• How British Superbike is also brilliant if you live in the US
Why does no-one build a modular, adjustable motorbike?
Where is the Husqvarna Vitpilen?
Why riding a bike a great cure for illness.
PLUS loads of other nattering and chattering...
Many thanks for your continued ears, please tell everyone you know to download the podcast and please email you thoughts, considerations and questions to:
anything@ frontendchatter.com
You can get us on the Twitter:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
Hope you had a great Christmas and look forward to a splendidly two-wheeled (or three) New Year!
-
Front End Chatter #68
9 december 2017 · 44 min
Hello everybody and welcome to Front End Chatter, the biking podcast powered and empowered by the super-swell folk at Bike Social - that's www.bikesocial.co.uk. Lees meer
In episode 68 Simon and Martin welcome a FECing guest for the first time in a long time. And not any guest, but the one and only Julian Ryder (@MotoGPJules) - journalist, broadcaster, author, antiques dealer and former WSB, 500GP and MotoGP commentator.
Fresh from putting the finishing touches to the official MotoGP Season Review 2017 (a proper book, with "not too many cockups", on sale now at Amazon), Jules talks all about one of the best racing seasons in recent memory, whether things really were better in the good old days, the greatest racers of all time, tribal fans, the MotoGP riders' rider of 2017, why each of the top names performed the way they did this year, how he'd fix World Superbikes (and whether it's important to fix), and which racing series Jules's dulcet tones might (or might not) be gracing next.
Thank you once again for allowing FEC into your ears and brain. If you enjoy it, please tell your friends, colleagues, co-worked and fellow riders to find us on www.frontendchatter.com or, better still, on www.bikesocial.co.uk.
You can also find us on Twitter - @SimonHbikes and @Mufga - and we eagerly await any and all of your emailed correspondence at anything@frontendchatter.com
Cheers until next time!
-
Front End Chatter #67
25 november 2017 · 1 uur 33 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter 67, the Shakey's Racing Age episode, ably supported by our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk who are in turn supported by bike insurance bods Bennetts. Lees meer
This week we natter about the small matter of a race in Valencia, some racing in Wales that actually looks like it might happen, some more gossip about the Motorcycle Live bike show they had last week (including how manufacturers cheat on seat heights), and answer a veritable raft of your emails on subjects as wide ranging as what bike you should buy.
Thanks again for your continued ears, and please spread the word of the words we speak.
You can find on Twitter – @SimonHbikes & @Mufga – and you can download this on iTunes or from www.frontendchatter.com – but we'd much rather you listened at www.bikesocial.co.uk, not least because you can lose yourself for hours browsing the library of all sorts of archived biking stuff.
-
Front End Chatter #66
10 november 2017 · 1 uur 36 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E66, supported by our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists – and who better to insure your gleaming new, 2018 motorcycle? Lees meer
Because this week's podcast is stuffed full of new bike news, gossip and opinion (admittedly, more of the latter pair than the former), fresh from the Milan bike show. In no particular order, we natter about:
Kawasaki's 200bhp sport-touring mega-bike, the ZZR1400. Sorry! We mean the new H2 SX/SE
Ducati's V4 Panigale, and whether it's better-looking than the 1299
Yamaha's Niken and whether it's actually a motorcycle
plus chatter about Yamaha Tracer 900s, Kawasaki Z900RS and Café, Honda's Africa Twin Adventure and CB1000R, BMW's F850GS, Triumph's Tigers, Ducati's Multistrada 1260 and KTM's 790 Duke...
...and seeing as how few of us can afford any of them, should we be interested?
Plus we have a brief natter about the forthcoming final MotoGP showdown at Valencia, and answer a few of emails (but not all – more to come!).
Thanks again for listening, and please email your thoughts, questions and comments to us here: anything@frontendchatter.com
Or catch us on Twitter:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #65
20 oktober 2017 · 1 uur 25 min
Hello and welcome to the long-awaited (well, about a month) Front End Chatter Episode 65 – supported as ever by our magnificent colleagues, pals and beneFECtors at www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer
This week FEC bangs on about subjects as wide and varied as:
how does three-time World Superbike champ Jonathan Rea's win-race ratio match to Carl Fogarty's, and how to fix World Superbike (again)
did the three-way Showdown final British Superbike round at Brands and the subsequent love-in make us want to watch it next year?
...and compare all that to an epic MotoGP race at Motegi
PLUS! words of gossip about what we know about 2018's new bikes (or do we?) including
the 2018 supercharged, sports touring Kawasaki H2R GT...
...and their Z900RS, and how close it'll be to the existing Z900
Honda's NSC 'New Sports Cafe'...
...and if the motor is based on the CB650F inline four
Honda's new Goldwing with its funny front end...
KTM's 790-800cc Duke parallel twin which probably won't have bungees pulling the pistons back to TDC
Yamaha's MT-07-based T7 budget adventure bike
Triumph's, er, well, definitely not a 765 Daytona, say Triumph...
Harley-Davidson's new Softail range of, er, big V-twins including the rather splendid Fat Bob
PLUS! listeners' questions, including:
what supermoto as a second bike
the law around on-bike dash-cams – and can plod nick you using your own sat nav's 'snail-trail' as evidence?
are smaller bikes less likely to get you in trouble?
can you buy a decent used bike for the price of a new iPhone?
Thank you for listening and putting up with us – and please email any biking questions (or any questions you like) or comments to
anything@frontendchatter.com
or get us on Twitter
@SimonHbikes@Mufga
And don't forget to check out www.bikesocial.co.uk and get your bike insurance with Bennetts.
-
Front End Chatter #64
12 september 2017 · 1 uur 27 min
Hello and welcome to a special, John McGuinness Front End Chatter Episode 64, supported by our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurer par excellence, bar none. Lees meer
And what a treat this week – apart from the usual nattering about subjects as random as:
tech details from the launch of Ducati's 210bhp V4 Stradale engine, which is coming to a chassis that may or may not but probably will look remarkably similar to a 1299 Panigale this November
Rossi's broken leg bones, Cal's severed tendon, the ramifications for the MotoGP title, and who Valentino gets to sign the plaster cast...
why Silverstone's MotoGP was so poorly attended (conspiracy theory alert)
how lovely BMW's R nineT Racer is, and why don't other manufacturers make bikes that, simply, look beautiful?
will the news Welsh police are actively encouraging dash-cam users to upload footage as evidence for traffic offences make you ride any differently?
how to learn how to pronounce Ikea, Abba and Öhlins on a Magic Motor Experience tour on a Yamaha XT660R, in Sweden...
... the jewel in FEC64's crown is the audio version of BikeSocial's interview with TT legend John McGuinness, in which he talks about:
the physical side effects of 'that' crash (caution: not for the squeamish!)
how it's affected his head
what caused it and what he really thinks about the 2017 FireBlade
what happens to his career now
how important the race fans are to his recovery
Hope you enjoy, please say nice things and spread the word, and please email any and all questions, comments and ideas to anything@frontendchatter.com
Thanks for listening!
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #63
25 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 16 min
Hello everybody and welcome to Front End Chatter #63, brought to you by the definitely-not-primates at Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk where, as well as all the latest news, views and reviews of all things motorcycling, you'll also find a handy link to the superb insurance services of Bennetts). In this not-especially-numerically-significant episode of Britain's best biking podcast, Simon and Martin chatter about: Lees meer
MotoGP from Austria, where someone cleared off for a bit, then there was a bit of a ding-dong and someone won and someone didn't, and there was a last-lap, last-corner, last-gasp move that was actually just a bit silly even though nobody seems to want to say it (except the bloke who won).
British Superbikes from Cadwell Park, which neither of us watched even though one of us was actually there, and which turned out to be pretty brilliant.
The new 158bhp BMW road bike that we've both ridden but only one of us can talk about.
Touratech going insolvent, which is all very curious given almost everyone seems to be riding an adventure bikes these days.
Plus all of your emails - sent to anything@frontendchatter.com - including whether Triumph's new Street Triple 765 RS lives up to the hype, how to survive a group ride with complete strangers, the interweb going crazy over the GS fork recall and the reality of the situation from an owner, Sprint ST vs a Glasgow winter, whether you can tell if someone's riding style is "outright dangerous" from a photo, and plenty more.
Thank you very much for listening (hopefully through www.bikesocial.co.uk if you'd like to kindly support the folk who kindly support us). We are, as ever, @SimonHbikes and @Mufga on the Twitter, and eagerly await your thought, opinions, questions and ponderings arriving on email via anything@frontendchatter.com (yes, literally anything).
Ta-ta for now!
-
Front End Chatter #62
10 augustus 2017 · 1 uur 30 min
Hello everybody and welcome to Front End Chatter, the semi-regular spoken word salad that refuses to stray into nostalgia (other than to remember when nostalgia was better than it is today). Episode #62 continues to be supported by the wondrous website known as Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk) where you should definitely go to check out all the latest motorcycling news and reviews. And get an insurance quote. Go on. Lees meer
In this 90-minute natter extravaganza, Simon and Martin discuss:
MotoGP from Brno, which was either brilliant or boring, where the winner won by a move of either sheer genius or random fortune
Is it time to wave the chequered flag on flag-to-flag races?
Guy Martin's future plans, and whether he's quitting, retiring, or quitting retiring?
The new 'global partnership' between Triumph and Bajaj – and how many badges can you bodge on a Bajaj?
Is the London scooter crime spree creating a potential new marketing opportunity?
The most expensive zeroes and ones in motorcycling
Plus all of your emails covering everything from a little-known but much-loved Australian bike-gang film, recalling recalls and more GS stanchion shenanigans, the exceptional machines of Honda's golden period, overlooked V-twins, bargain sports-tourers, the value of ABS, a reason to speed, the blame game, and the best bikes we've crashed.
Thank you very much once again for listening. If you'd like to chatter back, email us on anything@frontendchatter.com or find us on the Twitters – he is @SimonHbikes and he is @Mufga
And if you're going to fire up your interwebsitebrowser, don't forget to point it towards www.bikesocial.co.uk !
-
Front End Chatter #61
21 juli 2017 · 1 uur 39 min
Hello everybody and welcome to Front End Chatter – Britain's best biking podcast, powered (and empowered) by the wondrous two-wheeled website known as Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk – and you should definitely check them out). Lees meer
It's episode 61, which as everybody knows is the **must remember to search Google for an obscure name of somebody who once raced a motorcycle with number 61 here** episode. Which, ironically, has very little racing at all, being mostly composed of:
Chatter about the front end of BMW's R1200GS, and how the previous service campaign – not a recall – to fix the fork stanchions is, erm, ahem, cough, now a recall.
Martin rides to a village in the German Alps to drink beer in the company of 40,000 bikes, while Simon rides to a café near Whitchurch for the world's largest all-female bikers meeting.
Aprilia's Shiver 900, and why are "middleweight"s getting so big now?
Plus roughly one trillion and seventy-two of your finest emails, covering everything from Yamaha Tracer adverts, insurance groups, the best bikes ever to grace the silver screen, Simon gets his helmet out to demonstrate something to Martin, is the new Fireblade changing its tune or is that just the rider, and lots and lots and lots more.
To chatter back to us, email anything@frontendchatter.com or Twit us on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
And, of course, go take a look at Bike Social!
-
Front End Chatter #60
9 juli 2017 · 1 uur
Welcome to Front End Chatter E60, sponsored as always by our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk and backed by Bennetts, the bike insurance boys and girls. And what a scandal-laden FEC we have this week: Lees meer
• despite a truncated MotoGP/racing section we still manage to disrespeculate on Lorenzo's future at Ducati and compare his debut season so far to Rossi's disaster in 2011...
• get into the financial fall-out from the shambles formally known as the Circuit Of Wales...
• details of the new Ducati V4 replacement for the Panigale, after the Final Edition – which, it turns out, might not be so final after all, and will be available from September this year and will cost £35,000...
• ...and why the V-twin is the most versatile engine layout ever built
• BMW's service campaign to check all R1200GSs and GSAs built between late 2013 to date, to make sure the forks aren't about to fall off – and why we should or shouldn't be alarmed by it
• and how Honda's blighted 2017 FireBlade, both base and SP versions, stands up at a Mallory Park track day – a Bennetts Mallory Park track day, no less – against Suzuki's new GSX-R1000R
All this takes so long we don't get time to read any emails at all, so apologies – but at least it means we'll have a another non-racing FEC in a few weeks' time!
Thanks again for listening, and please email us at anything@frontendchatter.com with questions and comments, or get us on the Twitter:
@SimonHBikes & @Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #59
25 juni 2017 · 1 uur 15 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter E59, brought to you in association with our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk, sponsored by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. Lees meer
AND! What an episode we have!
Just in time for the Assen MotoGP race this weekend, Front End Chatter recaps the previous round at Catalunya (apologies for the delay, delay, delay and don't worry, because it was so long ago we keep it brief) – and it's worth reminding ourselves what a hilarious, thigh-slapping sit-com of a race weekend it was with riders using the wrong track (but still in Spain), other riders falling over things and some riders falling over themselves.
We also cover – unusually – a cracking World Superbike race from Misano and find it a rewarding experience. Which is more than can be said for Ducati's Charles Davies.
We've a bit more race goss, including a possible return to racing for former WSB champ and ex-Yamaha MotoGP star Bens Pies, Iannone moving from Suzuki to Aprilia, why it would be cool to see Jonathan Rea switching from WSB to jump on the MotoGP Suzuki, why tyres 'spin' on the rim, the latest British Superbike round from Knockhill, and who is Jake Dixon and is he in the RAF? Plus a bit of natter about Hutchy's awful Senior TT crash. Yikes.
We also read out a few of your emails, including:
more disrespeculation about Honda's FireBlade,
wrist relief on motorways,
recommended heated clothing,
a bit of a rant about why magazine and web new bike 'tests' may or may not be all they seem,
the blurring of distinction between PR and journalism, and
is riding fast an addiction, and what can you do about it?
We think that's quite enough controversy for one episode, so if you enjoy FEC please
a) tell your mates,
b) email us with a question or a topic for discussion,
c) insure your bike with Bennetts and
d) buy RiDE magazine. We may be bought and paid for, but at least we're honest about it.
Thanks, and talk at you again soon!
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
anything@frontendchat…
-
Front End Chatter #58
9 juni 2017 · 1 uur 27 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 58, supported by www.bikesocial.co.uk and sponsored by Bennetts – and a very special, fully employed episode it is too; featuring, as it does: Lees meer
1) Mugello MotoGP goss including
Rossi's motocross crash
a worrying resemblance to a CGI character from Lord Of The Rings
a bad case of the shlitz
fast Ducatis
how to celebrate a win
Mattia Pasini's odd riding controls and his clutchless downshifts
Triumph's Moto2 deal
2) TT goss including – in fact almost entirely – semi-informed speculation about the travails of Honda, the 2017 Fireblade, and riders Guy Martin and John McGuinness – with an attempt to understand the connection between their accidents and the road bike (if there are any)
3) Loads of your emails, on wide-ranging subjects from the health of World Superbike and a few ideas on how to make it better, cheap motorway bikes, Husqvarna Nudas, more best-looking non-sportsbikes, and tons of other chattering.
As ever thank you very much for listening, and thank you even more for downloading it from the top folk at Bike Social (that's still www.bikesocial.co.uk). Please email us on anything@frontendchatter.com or get us on that there Twitter using @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #57
27 mei 2017 · 1 uur 22 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 57, which is really episode 69, powered by the mighty online juggernaut of two-wheeled infotainment that is Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk). Lees meer
This time round Martin and Simon chatter in their front-endy style about:
Nicky Hayden: the man, the talent, the achievements, the infectious passion, the generosity, the tears at Estoril, the tears at Valencia, the incredible strength of character, the smile.
MotoGP from Le Mans, where General Zarco was propelled by patriotism, Lorenzo was stumped by strine, a small fall by Rossi led to a big fall in his championship standing, and Simon got in a huff and turned his telly off before the end of the race and went to spend some time in his log cabin that Danny Kent still hasn't turned up to finish yet.
The red-bike, red-flag, red-fireball fest that was World Superbikes from Imola.
John McGuinness's crash at the North West 200, what might have caused it, and whether it might have anything to do with the slightly peculiar throttle response on the 2017 road-going Fireblade.
By popular demand (no, really), an excessively comprehensive review of the most promising (if hardly imaginatively named) electric road bikes yet.
Your emails, including plenty of air expended about the pros and cons of airbag suits, do MotoGP fans like football, does FEC hate WSB… and finally… and finally?… and finally... a forgotten and (questionably) attractive non-sportsbike from Yamaha.
As ever thank you very much for listening, and thank you even more for downloading it from the top folk at Bike Social (that's still www.bikesocial.co.uk). Please email us on anything@frontendchatter.com or get us on that there Twitter using @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #56
14 mei 2017 · 1 uur 39 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 56 brought to you in association with our pals at www.bikesocial.co.uk. Lees meer
This week, between blackbird interruptions, we look back at the fallout from the spectacular Jerez MotoGP race – which isn't the same as the Corby Grand Prix – including:
race weekend perfection from Daniel Pedrosa
Yamaha's asymmetrical grip
the world's least safe safety car
a last corner clash that failed to materialise
the closest championship since 2009
do the riders, premium athletes to a man, actually pop a can of Red Bull in parc fermé?
the trials and tribulations of ex-Moto2 rider and sometime World Champ Danny Kent, who's not from Kent
Plus – a re-evaluation of Ducati's SuperSport, the merits of A2-licence friendly inline fours or parallel twins, and news of Avon's new Spirit ST, their 'hypertouring' tyre.
Plus – some of your emails, including more of your best-looking non-sportsbikes, is speeding as socially unacceptable as drunk driving, who is General Zarco, what is the Kuiper Belt, is an MOT really necessary, what is defensive riding, how to fix a heavy throttle, and how to spot an idiot bike seller.
Thanks for listening, please support our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk, and please email us on anything@frontendchatter.com
-
Front End Chatter #55
25 april 2017 · 1 uur 36 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter episode 55, powered by the good people at Bike Social (www.bikesocial.co.uk), where Simon and Martin discuss: Lees meer
MotoGP from Texas, where we got the first mouth-watering tease of a proper Marquez v Vinales MotoGP scrap during qualifying, only to have all our hopes and dreams cruelly snatched away during the race in a massive shower of disappointment.
The great GP lost-and-found phenomenon, including Lorenzo losing his temper and finding it caught on multiple HD cameras (and other great racing tantrums of our time); Loris Baz losing the front and finding himself praised for it (and other great racing non-crashes of our time); and Valentino Rossi losing his piece of racetrack to General Zarco and finding himself handed a 0.3-second penalty (and whether any of this should have ever happened at all).
British Superbikes from Brands Hatch Indy circuit, where a nice smart young man appeared to come of age (not to be confused with his race number), won two races, shattered a circuit record - and, sorry, who is he again?
BMW's new HP4 Race - which may or may not have been developed through racing, may or may not be eligible for any racing, and may or may not ever actually be raced by anyone ever - and where it ranks on the Front End Chatter exoticometer.
Plus all of your emails, including the morality of riding fast on the street, whether magazines encourage law-breaking, the hidden costs of BMW's bargain K1200LT, back-torque talk, the world's best sub-95bhp motorcycle, why radiators are where they are, yet more Honda build quality complaints, the very best-looking bikes of all time ever, plus loads more!
Thanks for listening, and please:
- Visit our current official home at www.bikesocial.co.uk
- Catch us on Twitter at @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
- Send any thinkings, feedback, complaints, abuse and self-serving compliments you like to anything@frontendchatter.com
-
Front End Chatter #54
10 april 2017 · 1 uur 14 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E54, brought to you as is our wont, by our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk. Lees meer
Subjects for discussion in E54 include:
• MotoGP from The Hot Springs Of the River Hondo circuit in Argentina – who won, who fell off, who thought they should've won, how many miles per gallon Cal Crutchlow gets from his RCV, and a whole bunch of nerdy stats including some so nerdy we can't actually work out what they mean
• World Snoozerbike from Aragon where
• British Superbike from Donington Park
• plus some bikes we've ridden including a thorough review of KTM's revamped 390 Duke, and a less coherent mention of Honda's new Rebel, CB1100s and CBR and CB650F
• plus your emails, which is easily the best bit, including why no-one makes 750 sportsbikes, why Rea could become the most winningest rider ever in WSB this year, and why swapping a Daytona 955i for a Versys 650 is a good idea.
Thanks for listening, please visit www.bikesocial.co.uk to download FEC (or buy insurance from Bennetts), get hold of Martin and I on Twitter at:
@SimonHbikes and @Mufga
And please keep firing in those emails about anything you want to correct us on, or want us to find out for you, or... whatever you want. Email:
anything@frontendchatter.comThanks!
-
Front End Chatter #53b
8 april 2017 · 55 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter 53b – made possible by www.bikesocial.co.uk; go check them out! – and it's a special FEC dedicated to answering, or failing to answer, your emails. Topics up for Front End Chattery include: Lees meer
what's happened to the UK sportsbike market?
do ex-police bikes make good winter hacks?
why a BMW K1200LT is the best-value used bike out there
the best set of one-piece leathers for under £600...
... and what should be worn under them?
more headphone chat (that's quite enough of that – Ed)
what's better: being faster or being safer?
why MotoGP frames are hand-made and production bike frames aren't
is a Honda Varadero more comfy than a Pan European, and are they more comfy than a VFR800? And where does a CBF1000 fit in all this? (and what about a BMW K1200LT?)
why there's a TAT, might one day be a TET, but probably not a TIT or a TWAT
more Honda heated grips gripes – and turns out it's not just the Africa Twin that suffers
more top five favourite bikes, and a few least favourite bikes... including Honda's 929 Blade and Kawasaki's 2007 Z750
how to decode new bike launches, why they're honest, and why context matters
Thank you very much for continuing to listen to our ramblings and thank you even more for contributing with your emails, thoughts and questions – all are welcome; if anything pops into your head, or if we can help, or you disagree with us, please write and tell us at:
Email: anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
Visit our shop: www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
FB: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
And don't forget, click on www.bikesocial.co.uk – then go buy insurance from Bennetts!*
*other insurance brokers are available, but they're all the same with the lights out and, to be honest, with this one you get to help fund FEC!
-
Front End Chatter #53a
31 maart 2017 · 1 uur 3 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 53a, powered yet again by our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk – and yes, it's the first of two FECs; 53b will be along shortly. Or at least soon. Lees meer
In the meantime, feast your ears on the will they, won't they two-wheeled soap opera of Qatar MotoGP – including:
how recording BT Sport in hi-def when you haven't upgraded your package can result in missing the race
the argument for and against remounting a crashed bike
how Tech3 Yams (pronounced 'Trois', but don't tell Simon) do well at Qatar until a certain Moto2 champion gets carried away
disrespeculation about why Crutchlow crashed
some nerdy stats about top speed
what exactly Lorenzo is packing in his lunchbox
plus chatter about World Superbike, World Supersports 600 and 300 at Aragon, and BSB at Donington – including a guest appearance by Martin Fitz-Guintoli...
We also say farewell to Sir John Surtees, have a quick tour around Suzuki's new and rather wonderful V-Strom 650, the less new and less wonderful V-Strom, and chatter about the launch of the least powerful, least torquey, most heavieriest and most expensive Yamaha R6 ever which neither Martin or Simon attended, but about which they have an opinion anyway. Typical.
Thanks for listening, your emails will be answered in FEC53b, and please please please get in touch via:
email – anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter – @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
Facebook – Front End Chatter
And, of course, please listen to FEC from our new home at www.bikesocial.co.uk
Chatter again soon!
-
Front End Chatter #52
15 maart 2017 · 1 uur 36 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter, episode 52 – and it's a very special episode of Britain's least regular but much-loved motorcycling podcast because this is the first to be brought to you by the lovely people at Lees meer
Bike Social (www.bikesocial.co.uk)!
Front End Chatter is a podcast spoken at length by us, a right pair of motorcycle writers called Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and we chatter about every and any subject with two wheels and an engine: racing, news, new bikes, old bikes, and the issues that effect you, me and him (like what bike should you get next, how to ride, what kit to wear, and generally why things are the way they are). We don't know all the answers (in fact we hardly know any of them) but we now people who do.
Bike Social – and if you're not reading this on their website, WHY NOT? – is Britain's most comprehensive biking website, packed with road test, new bikes, old bikes, features and news. It's like a bike magazine, but on the web, created by Bennetts, the bike insurance people. Did I mention you can find it here: www.bikesocial.co.uk
So if you're a long-time FEC listener, it's good news because it means we'll be coming in your ears twice a month.
And if you're a Bike Socialist, it means FEC will be brightening-up your browsing experience. We may even have a few other bits and bobs about the place after a while.
So, from now on, please get your Front End Chatter fix from www.bikesocial.co.uk – and it's on with the chatter...
This episode may contain nuts:
• MotoGP 2017 is nearly upon us, so we have look at the final test from Qatar and rate the chances of the major runners and riders courtesy of William Hill (other bookmakers are available)
• World Superbike, on the other hand, is underway and the burning question is: can the WSB racing from Thailand live up to the craziness of the opening Supersport 600 race from Phillip Island a few weeks ago?
• KTM 1290 Super Adventure v BMW R1200 GS Rallye Sport: we've been lucky enough ri…
-
Front End Chatter #51
4 maart 2017 · 1 uur 27 min
Say hello to Front End Chatter Episode 51, a numerically insignificant episode that nonetheless contains much chatterage about: Lees meer
the opening round of World Super Brits from Phillip Island – although if you haven't seen the racing you'll be none the wiser afterwards because we watched it and still manage to get the race result wrong not once, but twice...
MotoGP testing from the very same Phillip Island at which, it seems, "They're all going really fast..."
Plus!
how Ducati's new SuperSport is less sports tourer, more sportsbike
why Kawasaki's new Z900 is a 123bhp entry-level naked bike
and why the new Ninja 650 is, er, an entry-level bike with a full fairing
And there's more:
We read out your lovely emails on subjects as wide and wonderful as:
the great hi-viz debate – to yellow or not to yellow
bike security in London
the wisdom of modifying modern sportsbikes
a comparison of the average increase in rider skill v the increase in motorcycle performance
the great Honda Africa Twin underperforming heated grip and corroding spokes problems – BOTH SOLVED! Ish.
why some new bikes are released with obvious problems you'd think the factory would sort during testing
what's the better choice – a six-grand Triumph Daytona 675 or Suzuki GSX-R750?
why we should argue more often ('no we shouldn't', etc)
why photochromic visors are a good idea
how FEC is 'helping' native Spanish-speakers with their English comprehension
Honda's DCT v quickshifters
what bikes do we prefer – riding older, nostalgic machines or sampling the new stuff, with modern technology?
how oe fitment tyres are completely different to aftermarket tyres with the same name from the same manufacturer
As ever, we remain humbly grateful for your continued ears. Thanking youse!
You can get us on:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
And please email anything@frontendchatter.com with whatever thoughts stray across your mind
www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
Buy merch at www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front…
-
Front End Chatter #50
9 februari 2017 · 1 uur 50 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 50 – yes, you're not imagining it, it's really real, and only a week after Episode 49. Lees meer
Anyway, with next to no racing to chatter about, we've finally got round to answering all your emails (at least, the ones that had a question) – some from as far back as last September; sorry about that.
So, in some particular order, we natter about:
Sportsbike luggage systems
What will happen to production racing when there are no more production sportsbikes
Why sports 600s are dying out
The best headphones for on bike entertainment
The perils of Hi-Viz
An extremely long-winded and rambling piece about girls in bike sport
Does size matter? (this is a different point)
Why you only see Ducatis in the Ducati factory car park
Who's better – Rossi or Marquez?
Why Honda's Deauville is desirable
The future of electric bikes
A whole heap of buying advice for several FECers which always seems to end up in the recommendation of a Ducati Multistrada or a BMW R1200GS
...and much, much – some would say too much – more
Thanks for enduring this one – it's a monster – and look forward to some exciting news regarding Front End Chatter in the near future.
Email: anything@frontendchatter.com
Tweet: @SimonHbikes
@Mufga
Webshop: www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter/
-
Front End Chatter #49
3 februari 2017 · 1 uur 24 min
Welcome to FEC49, finally – at least in the sense it's been a long time coming, not in the conclusive sense. And, despite no actual racing to talk about, we find enough to fill half a podcast: Lees meer
• Why MotoGP team launches are fake news – and, worse, they even have fake soundtracks
• Why testing is a pointless guide to the outcome of the season, but it's worth taking notice of because it's some motorbikes going round a track
• Crazy new World Superbike rules
• How BSB should fill a Supersport-sized gap with naked bikes and Moto2
• Who will be the busiest Aussie racer in 2017
• Why this year's TT will be the best ever
• What that crazy Guy Martin has been saying about his TT comeback and why modern bikes are rubbish
PLUS! We have a few mini-reviews of some 2017 bikes, including:
Kawasaki's Z1000SX and why it's better than before but has odd steering
Ducati's 950 Multistrada and why comparisons are odious
Ducati's sportier-for-2017 Monster 1200 S
Suzuki's perfectly nice but slightly ordinary GSX-S750
Ducati's properly off-road Desert Sled Scrambler
Thank you for bearing with us always, please keep emails coming, and we'll read them out in FEC50...
...WHICH WE'RE RECORDING NEXT WEEK, WE PROMISE!
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
anything@frontendchatter.com
www.frontendchatter.com
-
Front End Chatter #48
17 november 2016 · 1 uur 2 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E48, which you'll be pleased to hear has no racing at all apart from a brief discussion about the merits of being called Danny Kent but not actually coming from Kent, unlike Danny Webb who does come from Kent. Lees meer
Anyway, this one's all about 2017's new bikes you *can* buy, and 2016's bikes you can't any longer.
Thanks for listening, hope you like it, and see you at Motorcycle Live at the NEC.
Email: anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga -
Front End Chatter #47
8 november 2016 · 48 min
Hello and welcome back to Front End Chatter E47 - it's been a while, so we've come back with an episode purely about racing – who's won what, why, how, and what will happen next year – and we introduce a new word to the English language: disrespeculation. Lees meer
Thanks for bearing with us – more episodes will follow soon, about 2017 new bikes, and reading your emails and answering your questions.
Email: anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
FB: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter/ -
Front End Chatter #46b
18 augustus 2016 · 59 min
Welcome to Part Two of FEC's Summer Special, featuring your emails and assorted chatter about: Lees meer
• the pros and cons of riding at night
• the ethics of washing bikes and bikinis
• the truth about new tyres
• how best to listen to music while riding
• is the future electric?
• have electronics spoiled racing?
• is Ducati's new Supersport a Monster in drag with the wrong engine?
• what's the best adventure bike for a tall Hamburger?
• why buying a Crossrunner is a good, good, good thing
• why sportsbikes might not be the best idea for people with little self-control
• what's the best bike to strap to the back of a motorhome?
And as if that isn't enough, you can hire Simon to come and play bass at your party/wedding/festival etc.
Once again, we thank you for listening!
-
Front End Chatter #46a
18 augustus 2016 · 36 min
Hello, and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's original... most original... oh, whatever. It's a podcast mostly about bikes, with added swearing. Lees meer
This is the Front End Chatter Summer Special Part One, which is only special by virtue of being a) shorter than usual and b) accompanied almost instantly(ish) by Part Two. So this half is the usual racing chatter, including gossip from the Austrian Red Bull Ring Pull MotoGP round, followed by mini-reviews of a couple of bikes we've ridden recently, and Part Two will be along in a while with a sackful of readers'... no, listeners'... emails. Of which there are many, and for which we thank you. We read all of them, even if we don't read them all out. It would take a long time and there aren't enough seconds in, well, a second, basically.
Thanks for your patience in waiting for the least consistent podcast in all creation, and please get in touch via anything@frontendchatter.com or @SimonHbikes or @Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #45
11 juli 2016 · 1 uur 19 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter E45 featuring not much racing, shock, partly because there hasn't been much since E44 but mostly because we didn't actually watch what there was. Which, as it turns out, was a wet Assen MotoGP (always a pleasure, never a chore). So we talk about a race we didn't see, plus wings they aren't going to use for a safety concern (or issue) they may or may not have. It's just like actually being there, only with your eyes closed and with fingers in your ears. Lees meer
We also find time to chunter about:
BMW's 2017 F700 and F800GS with thrilling new Euro 4 compliance
Ducati's 939 SuperSport sporty sportsbike that fills the gaping hole in their range for a non-entry level, non-track day road sporty sportsbike
Yamaha's MT-07-based 700 Tracer that has the same performance as a 1992 TDM850 but at a fraction of the price
Triumph's rumoured 765cc Street Triple roady sportsbike-ish
The recently opened David Silver Honda Collection based near Ipswich, for fans of vintage Hondas
The very excellent Champions Flat Track School, run by our mate Boastie, which introduces noobs to the noble art of going slideways
Plus! Some of your emails, including more on BMW ESA suspension replacement/service info, the absence of Irish bike MOTs, why the bloke at the back of a group ride always ends up speeding, and more!
Thanks for listening, keep writing in, spread the word among your friends, and visit us on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga) or Facebook.
And you can purchase Front End Chatter merch here:
www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
-
Front End Chatter #44
23 juni 2016 · 1 uur 7 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter #44, in which Mufga and SiH talk about a couple of MotoGP races that happened ages ago – and including the tragic loss of Moto2's Luis Salom at Catalunya, the slightly unedifying fallout, the race itself with torpedoes and last lap thrills, and a very necessary handshake to cap it all off. Lees meer
We also natter about TT racing – and in our excitement over the difference between letting a MotoGP bike race in the Superbike class but chucking out a rider for coated cam buckets in another, completely neglect to offer condolences to the family and friends of lost riders Dwight Beare, Ian Bell, Paul Shoesmith, Andrew Soar and Dean Martin. Which we do here.
Mufga and Si also discover the joys of Bluetooth headsets, muck about in Wales on BMW's GS Challenge, ride KTM's 1290 GT (for the next issue of Bike magazine) and chunter about BMW's R1200 GSA v KTM's Super Adventure v Triumph's new Explorer v Ducati's new Multistrada Enduro (check it out in a forthcoming issue of Ride magazine). No spoilers. Ok, maybe just a couple.
After all that, we run out of time to read out your emails so they'll be in the next episode of FEC, out sometime next week. Blimey.
Love and rockets, email us on anything@frontendchatter.com, Tweet us on @SimonHbikes or @Mufga, check out Facebook, and buy T-shirts and stuff from somewhere. Follow the link on www.frontendchatter.com
-
Front End Chatter #43
9 mei 2016 · 1 uur 30 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter E43, brought to you in association with the enjoy-while-it-lasts British summer. In this episode, Simon and Mufga chatter about: Lees meer
• results and matter arising from Jerez and Le Mans MotoGP including Brad Binder's hooky software issues in Moto3, Rossi's lauded flag to flag win, Lorenzo's flag-to-flag win that no-one cares about, synchronised crashing, more wings and things, being beaten up by a tangerine, and even more about who goes where, and who's talking about who's going where, in 2017. And why. And are you Team BTSport or Team MCN/MotoMatters?
• Chaz Davies' WSB double for Ducati in Imola and a great weekend's racing at Oulton Park in BSB
• a world first podcast review of TomTom's new Rider 410 sat nav, plus a bit of Garmin Navigator Street
• loads more emails and questions covering topics as diverse (I nearly said 'perverse') as Circuit Of Wales, fantasy British MotoGP tracks, burying bodies, dropping other bodies on their heads, crashing a Desmosedici into a pig, best MotoGP books, Marquez' strategy for crashing, riding in fear, riding faster in groups, and what could possibly go wrong with 30,000-mile BMW ESA suspension?
Thanks for your time, please subscribe on iTunes, tell your friends and tell them to tell their friends about FEC, write emails to motorcycle manufacturers explaining how important FEC is in your buying decisions, check FEC out on Facebook, follow @SimonHbikes and @Mufga on Twitter, buy stuff from our shop (www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter) and all that other stuff.
We are genuinely flattered, humbled and grateful for your wonderful emails, Tweets and downloads.
-
Front End Chatter #42
9 april 2016 · 1 uur 7 min
I dunno, you wait ages for an episode of Front End Chatter, and then two come along at once. Lees meer
Welcome to FEC#42, which is (almost) solely devoted to reading your emails and answering your questions on subjects as wide-ranging as:
• riding the B500 in The Black Forest Gateaux, a nice road in Croatia, and what's the best off-road bike for a father and son (like we'd know)
• why a 2 x British world champ is doing a bit of half-naked Turkish oil wrestling on TV but isn't coming across as a nob
• choosing between a BMW R1200RT and a Suzuki GSX1250FA
• whether a Honda VFR400 handles better than a Ducati 748 - or a modern sportsbike
• on-bike tracking systems for £13
• how the risk of riding a bike could put you off riding altogether
• what bike manufacturers get from racing
• why F1 cars blow up more than MotoGP bikes
Plus, a bit more natter about Circuit Of Wales wrangles and other bits and bobs. Please don't make me listen to it again just to fill this bit out.
Thanks for downloading, please leave a review on iTunes and/or subscribe, and join in with Front End Chatter on Facebook, or on Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
You can also visit www.frontendchatter.com, follow the links and purchase T-shirts, key-rings, mugs and mouse mats.
-
Front End Chatter #41
7 april 2016 · 1 uur 10 min
We're back! After a prolonged absence, which we find is the best kind, Front End Chatter returns with post-Argentina MotoGP gossip – and, let's face it, it had the lot: tyres, crashes, more tyres, boo-ing, early silly season, and some highly ill-informed nonsense about reverse-spinning cranks. Lees meer
Plus, Martin (him) and Simon (me) natter about some new bikes we've ridden, and where you can read about them. Ish.
Thanks for listening, and thanks for remembering we exist. The next episode will be along shortly.
x
-
Front End Chatter #40
19 februari 2016 · 1 uur 6 min
Episode 40 of Front End Chatter, the Finger On The Pulse episode, comes not so much hot as slightly tepid with gossip from MotoGP testing (at Sepang, Malaysia, not Phillip Island). Fortunately, the big issues are still the same: will Casey race in 2016? Will the new Michelin tyres and retro-spec ECU mix results up this season? Will Lorenzo win the title by mid-season? When will someone first say ‘silly season’? Lees meer
There’s also plenty of FEC-ing tittle-tattle about:
Guy Martin’s no-show at the TT this year
Triumph’s new Tiger 1050 Sport
6000 houses created at the Circuit Of Wales site. Sorry, we meant ‘6000 jobs’
why splitting WSB races over two days might be a good idea
why manufacturers don’t make more of their Dakar race success
reviving the Transatlantic race series – good idea or not? And are any American racers good enough? Or Brits, come to that
are anti-theft bike tracking systems a good idea or a bit ‘after the fact’?
does a near-miss take the shine off biking?
is it okay to still like being a biker, but go off actually riding bikes?
choosing between a Suzuki Bandit 1250 (too old school?), Kawasaki Versys 650 (too tame?) or a Yamaha Tracer (too expensive) for hustling mountain roads, touring and commuting. Or just pick a Yamaha FZ1 Fazer.
• what are the best tyres for a Yamaha XJ6?choosing the fabulous FEC theme tune.
Please email questions, comments and/or abuse to: anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter us at: @SimonHbikes & @Mufga
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w
Please visit support FEC and visit our shop for T-shirts and mugs: www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/front-end-chatter/id827471484
We're also on Android podcast apps.
Thanks for listening! Keep watching for new episodes (and sorry they're so sporadic etc).
Simon & Martin
-
Front End Chatter #39
22 januari 2016 · 1 uur 6 min
HelloAndWelcomeToEpisode39OfBritain'sFavouriteBikingPodcast! And breathe... Lees meer
In the first FEC of 2016, Simon and Martin discuss:
- The Dakar Rally, who's winning, who isn't, and who's paying any attention?
- All the new rules for MotoGP, whether we can predict anything before anything has happened, and whether that feller who said he doesn't want to race again will, in fact, race again.
- What's going on with WSB's barely comprehensible new format, and whether it will detract from what otherwise has the potential to be a pretty great year.
- Who in the BSB paddock recently failed a drugs test, who will be making a welcome return to the BSB paddock, and who in the BSB paddock has just made a pretty dramatic career change.
- Plus loads and loads (and loads) of your emails frantically read, mumbled, debated and, in a few cases, answered.
It's a busy one...
Email us: anything@frontendchatter.com
Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
Facebook: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w
FEC shop: www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/front-end-chatter/id827471484 -
Front End Chatter #38
17 december 2015 · 1 uur 4 min
Front End Chatter E38 looks back at 2015: the best bikes, the best races, the best racers, the biggest losers, and Martin and Simon's personal fave moments – plus the absence of British world champs on BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and FEC's New Year Resolutions. Lees meer
Have a merry Christmas, you FECers!
Thanks for listening, and please get on touch on email:
anything@frontendchatter.com
or Twitter:
@Mufga
@SimonHbikes...and try our Youtube channel!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w/videos
-
Front End Chatter #37
26 november 2015 · 1 uur 18 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter E37 in which, now the dust has settled, Martin and Simon discuss the ramifications of that race from the point of view of someone who was in the grandstands at Valencia, and someone who had the benefit of replays on the TV (*SPOILER ALERT* hardcore Rossi fans probably shouldn't listen to this). Oh, and there's something about the NEW BRITISH WORLD CHAMPION... but we sort of forgot to mention it at the start... Lees meer
There's also a load of chat about 2016's most interesting new bikes (plus a couple of less interesting ones) with the usual disagreement (and one notable agreement), plus emails and exhortations to buy magazines and merchandising.
Thanks for listening, and please get on touch on
anything@frontendchatter.com
@Mufga@SimonHbikes
And if we don't speak again before Christmas (which is entirely possible), have a cracker!
-
Front End Chatter #36
28 oktober 2015 · 1 uur 10 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 36 – the Scoop/Meltdown episode – in which Martin and Simon reveal details of Triumph's 2016 range of Bonnevilles, Thruxtons and Street Twin – what they are, why they are, why they've taken so long and why there's no Scrambler. Lees meer
The second half of the podcast is all about who said what to whom at Phillip Island, and who subsequently rode into who at Sepang, and why Keith Huewen had better cut down on his meals for a few days and get used to the taste of Arai.
It doesn't seem like much, but at least it feels much longer when you listen to it.
Thanks very much for downloading, spread the word, and
Visit our shop
www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
Subscribe on iTunes
itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/front-end-chatter/id827471484?mt=2
Twitter us at @SimonHbikes and @Mufga
Check out our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatterAnd try FEC visual treats on YouTube
www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w -
Front End Chatter #35
15 oktober 2015 · 1 uur 3 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter E35, which contains details of Kawasaki's forking-great 2016 ZX-10R, BMW's gravity-defying G310 concept bike (and why, if it really does break the laws of physics and hover, it also breaks the law in Britain), the ramifications of the technology-sharing pact between Honda, BMW and Yamaha, and the usual wild MotoGP speculation and gossip. Lees meer
Thanks for listening, and please get in touch:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
anything@frontendchatter.com
And visit https://www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter to get stuff.
-
Front End Chatter #34
8 oktober 2015 · 1 uur 24 min
Front End Chatter E34 – the Less Than Honest Episode – in which: Lees meer
• Martin and Simon get their riding assessed and ride very sensibly – almost as if their livelihoods depend on it (which they do)
• VW are caught cheating on US emissions tests, but are bike manufacturers doing the same?
• details of Ducati's 2016 models are accidentally revealed online, by the same US emissions board who 'outed' VW (who own Audi, who own... Ducati)
• Suter release a Grand Prix replica two-stroke, with an engine based on a late 1990s V4 500 motor but which mysteriously turns out to be 576cc
• more MotoGP gossip in which Simon professes a sneaky change of heart and can't remember which rider it was caught on TV swapping his mouthguard for a false tooth
• plus chat suggested by a selection of listeners' emails, including why are so many parallel twins about now, why Front End Chatter merchandise costs so much, why some bikers seem to hate that fashion and culture they have now, and the origins of Yamaha's speedblock paint design by someone who was there.
Thank you very much for listening, please subscribe on iTunes or Android, and leave a review. You can find us here:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufgawww.frontendchatter.com
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/front-end-chatter/id827471484?mt=2
www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter
www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
-
Front End Chatter #33
22 september 2015 · 1 uur 16 min
Back to scotch rumours of its (not our) demise, Front End Chatter E33 sees a lucid Martin and hungover Simon cover a wide range of two-wheeled gossip including: Lees meer
Jonathan Rea’s record-breaking World Superbike title, and whether Danny Kent winning the Moto3 title might be seen as a bigger deal
new bike chat about the 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R, Honda’s Africa Twin, KTM's parallel twin, Yamaha's XSR700 and Ducati’s Monster 1200 R (and whether it is really is their most powerful naked bike ever, or if they’ve forgotten they also build the Diavel)
the dubious merit of a short ad film featuring a new Triumph and the 'pseudo hipster saviour of motorcycling', Mr David Beckham
the current state of the MotoGP championship, plus a review of Hitting The Apex, a film that definitely isn't about colonoscopy
listeners' emails including the fine line between deliberately causing an accident on track, and just making a mistake
and details of where you can purchase Front End Chatter's range of T-shirts, mugs and key rings.
Blimey. Thank you for listening, and spread the FEC word!
-
Front End Chatter #32
21 juli 2015 · 1 uur 17 min
Coming to you fresh out of last week and looking all the way into next year, Front End Chatter #32 covers: Lees meer
- Speculation, rumour, gossip, semi-educated guesses and, in a few cases, actual established facts about the new motorcycles we can expect to see in 2016 (and 2017).
- Whether BMW's new hi-tech flashing brake light gizmo is really such a bright idea.
- MotoGP recap from Sachsenring, the battle for championship points still to fight, and the battle for focus Martin found himself fighting during the race.
- Plenty of talk ahead of British Superbikes' crazy £50,000 scheme at Brands Hatch, including what it all has to do with Hulk Hogan.
- Plus all your Tweets, emails, faxes and telegrams including two-strokes, racing at Daytona in the 1970s, racing at the TT in your 50s, the future of the 300cc sports class, and plenty more.
Be a part of Britain's best motorcycle podcast by emailing your thoughts, opinions, feelings or questions to anything@frontendchatter.com. We're also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter); Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga) and iTunes (bit.ly/iTunes) - where you can subscribe or download old episodes FOR FREE. And, of course, good old-fashioned www.frontendchatter.com.
No animals were harmed during the making of this podcast. Apart from one dog.
-
Front End Chatter #31
30 juni 2015 · 1 uur 41 min
Britain's original motorcycle podcast is back once again with a hundred minutes of talk, discussion, argument, ill-informed rumour, shameful name-dropping and awful impressions covering: Lees meer
– Everything that happened at the Isle of Man TT races, including asking the question NOBODY IS EVER ALLOWED TO ASK!
– All the last corner antics from the Assen round of MotoGP, including Rossi vs Marquez and Niklas Ajo vs his knees.
– Whether getting the ’80s and ’90s GP band back together in Spain is a race we'd want to see in Britain – and whether it's really a race at all.
– All the excitement surrounding Honda's absolutely staggering RC213VhyphenS. It's Márquez's race bike on the road! Well, apart from the engine. And the frame. And the suspension, brakes, wheels, tyres, petrol tank…
– What it's like to take on 241 other BMW owners at the UK round of the BMW GS Trophy qualifying event. And, indeed, exactly what any of that actually means.
– Plus all your questions and emails answered, or at least read out loud.
Thank you, as always, for downloading us, subscribing to us on iTunes, liking our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter), following us on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga), and telling everyone you know who rides a bike about the veritable audio feast that is Front End Chatter.
-
Front End Chatter #30
30 mei 2015 · 1 uur 1 min
Front End Chatter, Britain's best motorcycle podcast, celebrates its 30th episode with a Q&A special. This time we've passed the handlebars over to you, dear listener(s), as Simon and Martin spend a full hour finding, inventing, and in some cases, actually knowing, answers to your questions. Topics include: Lees meer
- Why many riders find life gets in the way of riding, often for years at a time
- Are bikes getting taller? And does size (of a bike's seat height) really matter?
- Is the Ducati Scrambler "completely wanky"? (Not our words...)
- 10 (or so) great roads to ride in Europe (and one in Wales...)
- The invention of the British SuperCeleb championship, where Hollywood (the culture) meets Hollywood (the baker) at Hollywood (the corner)
- Are the DVLA being sneaky buggers, or are some people just not paying enough attention?
- Plus an ex-pat makes us all feel better by bursting a few bubbles about the reality of riding in Australia
Thank you for downloading and, hopefully, listening. All questions, comments, replies and general communication is welcomed to anything@frontendchatter.com
You can find us on Twitter at @SimonHbikes and @Mufga or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
Subscribe to Front End Chatter for free on iTunes (bit.ly/FECiTunes) or find us direct at www.frontendchatter.com
-
Front End Chatter #29
20 mei 2015 · 1 uur 12 min
After six weeks of sponsored silence, Britain's least-consistent motorcycle podcast is back. In episode 29, Simon and Martin discuss: Lees meer
- Why watching MotoGP racing is a bit like watching two walruses fighting, or a Shakepearean play, or something.
- Will Valentino win the title, will Ducati win a race, and will Melandri win a point?
- The North West 200 race that was won by a movie star.
- The new Honda Africa Twin, and whether it would have been much, much better or much, much worse if it was more like a Varadero.
- Why Royal Enfield have bought Harris (not Rolf), and whether there are any warnings to be learned from Hero investing in EBR
- The passing of Geoff Dukeobe (sorry, Duke OBE) and whether TT spectators in the 1950s got better value from slower racing.
Thank you very much for listening. If you like, or at least tolerate this, check out all our other podcasts at www.frontendchatter.com or search for Front End Chatter on iTunes - and subscribe! Email anything@frontendchatter.com with questions, comments and anything else, or find us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter) and Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga).
-
Front End Chatter #28
3 april 2015 · 1 uur 38 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter episode 28, in which Martin and Simon: Lees meer
• discuss the drama of the 2015 season-opening MotoGP race from Qatar
• preview (just) the upcoming 2015 season-opening British Superbike race from Donington
• interview BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs in the back of a van and talk about what’s in store this year, why BSB is a success, whether the rules on electronics and the Showdown are a good thing or a bad thing, and what he regrets most after seven years in charge
• ruminate on Dani Pedrosa’s poorly wrist and Casey Stoner’s unlikely MotoGP comeback
• and read out listener’s emails on subjects such as Marco Melandri’s performance, why the law is an ass, the current status of Front End Chatter’s T-shirts and what we think of the current BT Sport MotoGP line-up.
Hope you enjoy it; please send in your questions (verbal or written), subscribe via iTunes or Android, like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter) and talk to us on Twitter
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga
-
Front End Chatter #27
21 maart 2015 · 1 uur 39 min
Front End Chatter, Britain's best motorcycle podcast, considers joining The 27 Club and contains: Lees meer
- A 30-minute preview of the 2015 MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 seasons with respected journalist and racer Mat Oxley (@matoxley), including: whether Ducati really has turned a corner in turning corners; whether Jorge Lorenzo will fit into his leathers; why Moto2 isn't as exciting as it was; and why the young Spanish rider who could dominate Moto3 is slightly less Spanish than MFG thinks.
- All the two-wheeled excuses that have got in the way of us making podcasts recently, including: BMW F800GS, Ducati Multistrada 1200, Suzuki GSX-R750, Honda NSR250RSP MC28, Triumph T595, Ducati Monster 1200S, BMW R1200R, Triumph Street Triple Rx and the Ducati Scrambler.
- Your questions and, in few cases, some answers to them, including: whether you're a twat if you film yourself crashing while attempting a wheelie, and whether that makes you enough of a twat to deserve a suspended prison sentence; what new riding kit to buy if you leave your old riding kit on a train and blame it on a podcast; and what one single motorcycle you'd pick to ride for the rest of your life.
- A surging (and unexpected) response to a casual request for Young People to get in touch, and the revelation that they may in fact be a lot like People.
Thank you, once again, for listening. You can email Front End Chatter about anything motorcycle-related on anything@frontendchatter.com, get in touch with Simon and Martin on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga), and now visit FEC's shiny new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter
You can download (or stream) every episode of FEC for free at www.frontendchatter.com and/or subscribe to us (also for free) on iTunes or, indeed, any Android podcatchy software. Now #goFECyourself
-
Front End Chatter #26
25 februari 2015 · 1 uur 3 min
Episode #26 of Front End Chatter includes: Lees meer
- Britain's best motorcycle podcast celebrates its one-year anniversary by being ignored at the London Motorcycle Show. And Martin finally fulfils a four-year promise.
- World Superbikes recap from Phillip Island, including the record-breaking (not in a good way) return of Troy Bayliss, why the podiums resembled the setup to a rubbish old pub joke, and the frank confessions and bruised buttocks revealed by social media.
- More intrigue from MotoGP pre-season testing, where Ducati appear to have successfully turned a corner (for once), Melandri appears to need a montage, and scooters appear to be influencing race bike design.
- Simon discovers how much MotoGP riders earn, where in the world they take it home to, and what the sponsors who fund the whole shebang do aside from taking up space on the side of 200mph race bikes.
- Getting righteously indignant at the politics behind the Donington/Silverstone/CircuitOfWales fiasco, then even more righteously indignanter still at proper politics when it turns out the political party that seemed to be the nice guys really don't like motorcycles at all, and really don't want you riding them either.
Plus plenty more. Well, a bit more. Regardless, thank you so very much for listening. If you enjoy it, you can check out our first year of FECing on www.frontendchatter.com; subscribe for free on iTunes; send us an email to anything@frontendchatter.com; and Twit us on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.
PS - If you spot the not-as-deliberate-as-we-wish-it-was mistake, email us on loadofcobblers@frontendchatter.com