Front End Chatter

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

Hello and go away to Front End Chatter, the UK's most motorcycling podcast featuring aural nonsense from Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves. This is episode 145, supported and nourished by Bennetts Bike Social; so much more than just bike – and now car – insurance: check out their website to discover the multifarious munificent benefits of membership. And, if you're at all interested in Yamaha's Tracer 9 GT v Triumph's Tiger 900 GT Pro v BMW's F900XR v Kawasaki's Versys 1000 SE GT, check out the road test video at https://youtu.be/C5SJO6trgz8

Anyway, on this week's moany, miserable-ass FEC we have:

• on-the-scenes goss from the British MotoGP at Silverstone, including why Mufga loved being there on Saturday and Simon hated it
• Dorna's race feed going down just before the race
• Marquez crashing out *again* and why he's the crashingiest rider this season
• Aprilia's... we can't call it a resurrection so let's just call it an erection...
• WSB gets a mention with some fab racing from Magny Cours – and some scandalous losing
• more new bikes from Triumph with a teaser for the all-new Tiger 1200 and leaked shots of the new Speed Triple RR
• ...and the new Moto Guzzi V100 – all-new water-cooled engine, with fins, with fairly *interesting* looks...

Plus the FEC sack, including:

• changing pads to change braking character
• re-setting the quickshifter on an S1000XR
• a touching story about becoming emotionally attached to items of bike clothing
• when is a tubeless tyre not a tubeless tyre? Answers please, because we don't know...

And much, much more – including more info on the first, and perhaps only, FEC Tour coming in May 2022...

Thank you for listening, please keep your questions and thoughts coming in to:

[email protected]

And get us on the socials:

@SimonHBikes

@Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 144, Britain's – nay, the world's – most irreverent motorcycling podcast, with Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves. Thanks as ever to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web, for their unwavering support (especially while the new wing of Chatter Manors is built).

And on this week's episode we have:

• what year would Kenny Roberts Snr have retired if he'd had Rossi's career longevity?
• excerpts from the Secret Diary Of Maverick Vinales, Age 14 and a half, and does he need sympathy or a stiff talking-to, or possibly both?
• ...but if you think Vinales' behaviour is odd, wait until you hear what Miguel Oliveira's been up to
• ...and we finally get an explanation as to why Rossi's not come first for ages
• plus, the will-they/won't-they Isle Of Wight road race saga continues
• ex-Norton boss Stuart Garner is in the dock
• Triumph's new half-faired sporty-ish Speed Triple 1200RR...
• ...and Triumph's also new Tiger 660, based on the Trident
• speculation about Yamaha's sporty MT-09, the R9
• can we put E10 fuel in our tanks? Mufga has the answer (for SV650s)
• plus your FEC sack queries and thoughts...

PLUS! A vague hint about a potentially forthcoming FECing tour of Scotland sometime next year – gauging interest, what do you think? Fancy going for a big ride with Simon and Martin, involving bikes, beer and banter? Let us know at [email protected] Thanks super so much for ears and support, please keep the FEC mails with your thoughts, queries and mad ideas coming in to [email protected]

Get us on the socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Welcome, friends, to Front End Chatter E143 – the one hundred and forty third time Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, some-time motorcycle journalists past and present, have sat, stood and otherwise presented themselves before a pair of microphones and spoken unto them, sometimes with funny accents. And special thanks to our sponsors and friends at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk where you can find new bike news, racing, buying guides, used reviews, and gear guides – and don't forget their Youtube channel!

And on this episode of Front End Chatter:

• The GOATI (Greatest Of All Time Ish) announces his retirement: not a moment too soon, or wailing and gnashing of teeth?
• all the spills and thrills... yes, count them... from the Styrian MotoGP, let's call it Austria #1 between friends
• Aprilia's new Tuareg 660, the third model in the popular parallel twin series, picked apart on paper
• if you could buy your first bike back now, would you restore it to its original condition or put it back to how you last rode it?
• What's the best sportsbike to buy now as an investment?
• weren't the 1990s great? All this and more on FEC143. Thanks for lending us your ears, please tell your fwends about us, please keep sending us your thoughts, musings and questions to [email protected] and download us from www.bikesocial.co.uk @SimonHbikes @Mufga