Front End Chatter

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s most pancake-powered biking podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons, Britain’s most pancaked motorcycle journalists. And Front End Chatter is, as ever, made from the plain flour and two eggs of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world’s most comprehensive motorcycling website. And on this episode of Front End Chatter we have: how do you like your pancakes? full details of Suzuki’s 2021 Hayabusa, including some thinking behind that headline power deficit over the old bike… Martin’s new bike – what’s he got and why’s he got it? how cool would an adventure bike rally-cross race at the Isle of Man be? how will a proposed naked superbike class effect the prospects of up-and-coming young riders on an international stage? wouldn’t it be cool if Triumph lay on a Speed Triple one-make series to promote the new bike? the pros and cons of the Rekluse auto clutch system fuelling and throttle snatch – why, oh why does it

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 132 of the long funning ramily drama in which ranty old seadog Simon Hargreaves (played by Oliver Reed, in his final screen role), rattling around alone in the east wing of Chatter Manors, is faced with moral bankruptcy and can only be saved by the intervention of the saintly Martin Fitz-Gibbons (played by Peter O’Toole in his final screen role). Together they form an unlikely alliance with Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists (played by Alan Bennett, in his final screen role) and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of biking on the web (played by Meryl Strepsil, in her final screen role). And there are some motorbikes in all this, in case you’re new round here. And in this episode, Simon and Martin chatter about: a new Suzuki Hayabusa they know nothing about, but which you, by now, do – was we right or was we right? Triumph’s new and rather impressively spec’d Speed Trip KTM’s updated but also impressive 1290 Super Adventure with rude tyres Are BMW really

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E131, Britain’s favourite and longest serving motorcycling podcast, possibly either or, who’s counting? What’s for sure is we’re indebted and abetted by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the marvellous motorcycling website. And on FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about: Triumph’s new Speed Triple 1200 RS – how big will it be really, is it bored and/or stroked, and will Triumph go after hyper-naked revs and power, or keep the Speed Trip a raunchy but slightly more useful super-naked? when is a spy shot not a spy shot? guesswork around Aprilia’s new RSV4 and Tuono, for whom the passenger has always been a "barely tolerated guest" according to Aprilia – and wouldn’t it be nice if they made a CapoNord V4? We also dive in the FEC sack and ponder delights such as: when is it too cold to get your pegs down and why motorcycling shouldn't be a faith-based activity where should we put our feet when we're riding? how racing isn't necessar

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E130, and the first FEC of 2021; a brand new year, and hopefully things will get better – but some things stay the same and there’s not much chance of FEC improving any time soon. Thanks as always to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, home of all that’s good and virtuous in motorcycling. And on FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about: Davide Brivio’s shock exit from Suzuki MotoGP team boss to F1... and who we’d choose to replace him John McPint MBE has won an MBE from the Queenie, but who else has and who hasn’t? when motorcycle manufacturers get market research wrong hello to Aprilia’s new Tuono 660... ...and goodbye; we mourn the passing of true racing and engineering pioneer, Peter Williams We also dive in the FEC sack and answer some timeless wonderings: what was that about preload and ride height again? winter hacks – it’s a love/hate thing magazines are for old riders; YouTube is for young ’uns: discuss are the Isle Of Wigh

Hello and welcome to a very special mini-episode of Front End Chatter, sponsored by Bennetts and www.bikesocial.co.uk – and it’s the one where Simon and Martin, literally a quartet of spods in underpants, get to have a 10-minute chat with none other than the 2020 MotoGP World Champion, Suzuki’s Joan Mir. It’s short and sweet, a bit like Mr Mir himself.

Hello and welcome a fully festive, technically flawed, partially visual (which makes no sense to listeners in black and white) but otherwise entirely oral episode 129 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s favourite motorcycling podcast helmed by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons and kept afloat by the oceanic Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, all your two-wheeled needs digitally delivered via fibre optics (get well soon John!) And this week on FEC we have: good news for Norton donors good news for scooter and moped manufacturers how the Covid pandemic has affected bike sales and how far and often we ride, and how it’s given us renewed motivation to do the things in 2021 we’ve always put off doing our favourite bikes of the year, and biggest disappointments what we’re looking forward to riding in 2021 plus! Do you want an MV Agusta Turismo Veloce, or would a Tracer GT do the same thing? Or even a Z1000SX? would a Guzzi V85TT suit a novice off-road rider? is the NC500 really

Ladies and gentlemens, pray welcome to Front End Chatter E128. Inside you’ll discover presentation by the ineffable Mr Simon Hargreaves and the inestimable Mr Martin Fitz-Gibbons, plus their delightfully delictatious Mr Ben Nets, the bike insurance specialist, and wwwbikesocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the webbage. And in this episode of FEC we have: Mufga’s riding impressions of the new Aprilia RS660 (closes eyes, makes brum brum noises) and SiH’s riding impressions of the new Ducati Multistrada V4 (closes eyes, makes brum brum noises), in case anyone hadn’t been watching Bennetts YouTube channel, reading the website or picking up just about every UK bike magazine and newspaper in the last few weeks Marc Marquez going for third time lucky for arm operations, while FEC will henceforth be acting as medical advisor for DORNA on the grounds we have a better handle on what constitutes fitness to ride than they do why we shouldn’t dismiss Long Way Up with such offhand flippancy why do we measure bike t

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 127, the slightly behind the curve episode, with Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves waffling along as usual – supported and enhanced by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the home of all things two-wheeled and powered by an engine, internally combustible or electric or, indeed, propelled by little more than an inappropriate fragrant emission.   And on the show this week we have:   a new MotoGP World Champeen, and a slightly subdued Portimao ending to the craziest, least predictable and – let’s be honest – luckiest MotoGP season in modern history • the best Joan Mir stat you will ever hear new bikes for 2021, including: – BMW’s S1000R, the bike with the wrong half of the fairing removed  – Ducati’s Multistrada V4 which Simon hadn’t ridden, much, when the podcast came out, but which it subsequently turns out he had. It’s very confusing – Ducati’s underrated SuperSport, now called a 950 – ...and the Panigale V4 SP, whatever t

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's most paracorded motorcycling podcast Fronted by Simon Hargreaves, Ended by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Chattered by www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And in E126 we have: • Yamaha's overhauled, uprated and enlarged (but not in the way you might have read) MT-09 • Martin's unnatural desire to buy a Piaggio MP3, as winter-hack path to an almost equally irrational Aprilia RS660 • the usual ramblings on MotoGP including where in the world is Marc Marquez, has he been moonlighting as his own brother, and what does this all mean for the 2020 title?  • plus emails on topics as wide-ranging as more small acts of human kindness, the IOW Diamond Races (or not), ugly features on otherwise not ugly bikes, the difference between buying the first bike you look at and the bike you look at first, why under- (or over-) inflating a tyre for an extended stint on a motorway might not be a good idea, and the real reason you want to adjust your suspens

Hello and welcome for Front End Chatter, Britain’s best biking podcast, and Episode 125 of the aforementioned, presented by him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and him, Simon Hargreaves. And we are, as ever, enabled and legitimised by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and www.bikesocial.co.uk, the wonderful world of woking on the web. And in this fun-sized Mars Bar of an episode we chatter about: how IAM observers are like twitchers what’s the best 125 ever, why isn’t it the Varadero, and are modern 125s better than classic 125s? how to topple off an Africa Twin and an F800GS in style how far can you go on a Zero SRF, and still get back in a day? wet MotoGP from Le Mans including an uncannily prescient Martin suggesting Covid could play a part in sideling riders THE DAY BEFORE a viral Rossi misses a couple of rounds loads of chat about Ducati’s new V4 Granturismo motor powering the new Multistrada – how it’s bigger, but smaller, lasts longer, makes more power but less torque, and where has the whole Desmo busi

Hurrah for wet roads, diminishing daylight and dropping temperatures. We’re so excited about the onset of winter. Excited, excited, excited. Apparently, a study of the moods of the Nordic peoples shows a successful strategy for coping with long periods of little sunshine – and Seasonal Affective Disorder – may be to simply develop a positive attitude toward it. Literally, repeating “I am excited about ” has been shown to reduce anxiety. So we’re excited, excited and excited to invite you into Fronty End Prongs, episode 124, brought to you by Bennetts, the people who offer amazing discount deals and offers with bike insurance thrown in, and the world of motorcycling at www.bikesocial.co.uk. Please remember to wipe your feet on the way in and your bum on the way out. And this week Simon and Mufga natter about: autumn – why? why Dumfries and Galloway is a good place to ride a bike why we don’t review bikes any more BMW’s new M1000RR and why it’s failing to light Mufga’s fire future Mufga pays us a visit down th

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s nicest motorcycling podcast, with Simon H & Mufga, punctuated and perforated by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and BikeSocial.co.uk, home of news, views, road tests and Jammie Dodgers. And on this month’s – hang on, it’s been a month? – we chatter about: the closest, craziest MotoGP season since records began with exploding brakes, exploding forearms, exploding engines, first-time winning teams, bikes and riders, unlikely crashes and testing pit-to-bike radios why World Superbike is worth watching this year the merits or otherwise of Ewan and Charley’s Long Way Up, on Harley Livewires does Regina’s new M-Endurance chain signal the end of lubing and adjusting? is the FIM’s criteria for five push-ups really sufficient to determine a human’s fitness to ride a MotoGP bike? do bike journos adjust test bike suspension to suit their preference? do men really ask their partners for ‘permission’ to buy a new bike? the wisdom of repairing a puncture with

Hello und velcome, friends, to Front End Chatter Episode 122 in which Simone and Marion chatter endlessly, augmented into three dimensions under the auspices of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and BikeSocial.co.uk, the finest accumulation of news, sport, views, product tests and road tests ever to grace the ether. And this week – well, what do you reckon? Let’s talk about the myWorld Motorrad Grand Prix Von Österreich. Topics include: who’s to blame for that crash? is the circuit safe? why did Ducati apparently provoke Dovi into sacking himself? if riders could be somehow 100% protected from all harm and injury in crashes, would we still find racing such a compelling spectacle? is ‘safer’ inherently a) less exciting than dangerous, and b) is it inversely proportional to speed? Plus is Honda BSB rider Andy Irwin a liability ? what’s not the correct method for transporting a guitar on a bike? more ‘heaviest things you’ve carried on a bike’, and why it might include 14 bottles of Jerez brandy, 24 bot

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E121, Britain’s most aromatic motorcycling podcast, presented by the fragrant Simon Hargreaves and the perfumed Martin Fitz-Gibbons – and supported as ever by the mellifluous niff emanating from the guys and gals of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and the aromatic scent wafting from www.bikesocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the interweb. And on this edition of FEC we natter about: details of the proposed Isle of Wight Diamond Races – Britain’s first new road race in modern times – and ask how likely it is to happen, who's paying for it, and what do the islanders have to say – plus, a detailed look at the layout and quality of the circuit itself action from MotoGP from Jerez #2, including the wisdom of racing with broken bones action from WSB at, er, Jerez again more electrical issues and who can solve them is there such a thing as a good, cheap, sporty V-twin? does comfort matter on a naked bike?  have sportsbikes got too radical and would a Superlegg

Hello and welcome to FEC120, the 120th episode of not the UK’s most popular automotive podcast but one of them. As ever, we are indebted to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists – and check out www.bikesocial.co.uk for the kind of comprehensive investigative consumer journalism you can’t find anywhere else. However, if it isn’t comprehensive investigative consumer journalism you want but a pair of gas-bags waffling instead, here’s what’s in store for you in episode 120: does a necktube count as a face mask? a scatter-gun and largely incoherent round-up of MotoGP from Jerez #1 – including: - should riders be allowed to race with broken bones, and is the ‘medical’ tough enough? - will the championship result be any less significant if the favourite is injured? - should Repsol team manager Alberto Puig be allowed to troll other riders? Plus! goodbye to the Honda Ron Haslam Race School does just the thought of selling a bike mean eventually selling becomes inevitable? which is the best Multistrada: original

    Hello and welcome to possibly the final lock-down episode of Front End Chatter, the motorcycling podcast that reaches the parts upon which other podcasts fear to tread. Thanks as always and eternally to that repository of all that is knowledgeable and wise, BikeSocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And in episode 119, Martin and Simon chatter about: revving up for the return of MotoGP at Jerez with more speculation about who goes where in 2021, and guessing who’s going to win the great biennial KTM giveaway is Arai’s Pro Shade: inelegant solution or just naff? is taking weight off your bike’s flywheel a good idea, and can it improve handling? track days are back in action, but how safe are they post-lockdown? after six years and 119 episodes, what are our FEC highlights? how would riders who ride in POLITE vests react if they were asked to do actual police work? what’s the biggest thing you’ve carried on the back of your bike? what’s the best post-Direct Access bike for a new rider,

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the occasionally number one motorcycling podcast in Iceland and, now, Singapore. This is episode 118 in a series we can confidently state contains at least 118 episodes recorded from the orals of Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycle journalists who’ve both forgotten more than they ever knew anyway. Eternal thanks to that font (sans serif) www.bikesocial.co.uk – all your two-wheeled infotainment emanating from one convenient portal (and YouTube) – and Bennetts, the bike insurance experts who not only insure your motorcycle but also add all kinds of benefits and bonuses; discounts, offers and competitions. Quite the array of offers should you so be inclined, as indeed you should. Anyway, to matters in hand: in this episode of FEC we have: • more speculation on the MotoGP merry-go-round of who’s signed for who and who’s not signed for anyone and who might be getting the Herr Flick • disgraced Norton ex-boss Stuart Onions is required to pay back £1

Halló og velkomin to Front End Chatter E117, briefly the most popular automotive podcast in the whole of Iceland (a country renowned for its exquisite and most excellent taste) and also, briefly, the second-most popular automotive podcast in the UK (er, yes, them too). Great bundles of thanks to the hominids at Bennetts BikeSocial – improve everyone’s lives and get your bike insurance from Bennetts and your biking infotainment from www.bikesocial.co.uk (and their YouTube channel). Right, on this week's episode we have chatter about:  • The return of racing, with condensed schedules proposed for MotoGP and BSB – and which riders will benefit? • Rider line-ups for 2021 taking shape, with him there and him going there, does that mean he won't go there?  • no Motorcycle Live in 2020 – so what new bikes will we see in 2021, and where can we see them? • why do manufacturers make bikes with small fuel tanks?  • the four-wheel Honda powered by an Africa Twin engine • how to fit earplugs properly, and are foam plugs

Hello you lucky people you, and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 116 with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons,  brought to you via Durham with a detour to Castle Barnard.  Front End Chatter is supported through thick and thicker by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, internet's home of motorcycling.  And in this episode, a still socially distant Martin and Simon rabbit on about: • the return of MotoGP, and whose Alpinestars Jack Miller will be filling at Ducati in 2021... and if they turn out to be Petrucci's, will the Italian then go and do the Dakar instead? • getting back on a bike after post lockdown, and is 'riding rust' actually a thing or is it just riders getting overexcited after a period of inactivity?  • what bikes do we think are the best of all time in a FEC's Factor? • should we celebrate 125 episodes of FEC by doing 125 laps of a flat-track oval, or a roundabout? • will Kawasaki's supercharging technology eventually trickle down to smaller bikes in their r

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s most teeth-sucking motorcycling podcast... but no! That was the previous episode! For FEC115, Simon and Martin have installed a 5G mast at Chatter Manors to deliver you, dear FECers, broadcast quality audio at what I think you’ll agree is the minor cost of second-degree skin burns among the local peasant population. Thanks as ever to our comrades at bikesocial.co.uk – the worldwide web of motorcycling (check out their YouTube channel, it’s awesome despite Simon’s launch videos) and of course Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And in this week’s worldwide web of waffle we discuss: when is lockdown not a lockdown, and why it’s important to make our first ride back special how MotoGP and WSB plan to keep calm and carry on – and if a race falls down in a season and there’s no-one there to see it, does it actually happen? Plus! taking an MT-07 off road, and is it better to have a single all-rounder, or two specialist bikes but each at half the value? Faze