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:

• 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: [email protected]

Twitter: @SimonHbikes and @Mufga

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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!