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.

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

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.

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 [email protected]

And catch Simon and Martin on the socials at

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

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.  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

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.

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: [email protected] And catch Simon and Martin on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

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.

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:  [email protected]

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.

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  [email protected] ...Ands catch us both on the various socials: @SimonHBikes @Mufga

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.  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 [email protected] 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. 

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.

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…

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. 

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:  [email protected] 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!

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.

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