Welcome to Front End Chatter E83, and what a perfectly formed audio package it is too – supported and sustained as forever and always by the magnificent humanoids at www.bikesocial.co.uk and their Bennetts-ian, bike insuring benefactors. And wow! Scoop! Front End Chatter has a world exclusive interview with none other than the youngest man-child ever to win a grand prix – fresh from his Valencia Moto3 victory, we present Mr Can Öncü, fresh from his crib, literally. But apart from that, this week we waffle interminably on the following:

 

• winners and losers from the final round of MotoGP from a predictably, or not, sopping-wet Valencia...
• ...and happy bunnies and sad hedgehogs from MotoGP testing at a largely dry Valencia
• will Triumph enter a factory team in Moto2 at some point, like, 2020, maybe to coincide with the launch of a Daytona 765 road bike?
• hits and misses from that 2018 Motorcycle Live they had then
• Triumph’s new Street Twin and Street Scrambler, ridden at the launch in Portugal (in case it’s unclear)
• comparing the sound of BMW’s R1250 flat twin v the R1200 engine, and what it can tell us about the development of the new engine
• Renthal’s chain expert gives his opinion on dealing with burst O-ring seals down a ropey phone line
• what’s the best road sport tyres for a Daytona 675 for less than £200?
• what bikes can you buy now that will only increase in value, effectively giving you free biking? And is it worth buying a bike as an investment when you’re 50, anyway?
• why does no-one make a great touring naked bike, in the mould of BMW’s Rockster?
• what’s the best small-capacity bike that commute, do a bit of two-up and cope with a more generously-proportioned rider for less than £1000?... • ...and, in contrast, should a man, who isn’t the bass player in the Foo Fighters but could be, sell his already exotic bike collection and then buy something truly, fabulously, exceptional? It’s a tough one.

 

Many, many thanks for all your emails; please keep ’em coming to:

 

[email protected] And catch Simon and Mufga on the Twitters at @SimonHbikes

@Mufga Until we meet again!