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:

• 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: [email protected]

@Mufga

@SimonHbikes