Sign inOpen the app
Artwork for Front End Chatter
Leisure

Front End Chatter

Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons

Britain's best biking podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons

SubscribeListen in podnodRSS feedShow website
  • 224 episodes
  • Updated Yesterday
  • Explicit

Episodes224

Newest first
  • Nov 23, 2018 · 1 hr 42 min

    Front End Chatter #83

    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: literallyanything@frontendchatter.com And catch Simon and Mufga on the Twitters at @SimonHbikes @Mufga Until we meet again!

  • Nov 9, 2018 · 2 hr 2 min

    Front End Chatter #82

    Hello lovely people and welcome to our humble musings on the world of two wheels, otherwise known as Front End Chatter. FEC is supported by www.bikesocial@co.uk, your 24-hr convenience store for biking information, and Bennetts, the bike insurance experts. Here we are again with a marathon podcast to make up for lost time, and we have: • a teeny bit of Moto GP gossip, including why Lorenzo should not be henceforth be known as 'Sicknote' • all (most) new 2019 bikes fresh from the Eicma show they have now, including some detail on BMW's R1250 GS v R1200 GS, as seen on www.bikesocial@co.uk and Ducati's Multistrada 1260 Enduro • listeners' emails, on subjects as varied as new Chinese v used Japanese 125s, which new bike to buy if you don't want to lose too much money, are Royal Enfield's new twins better than an old Bonneville... and much more. Thanks for listening, thanks for downloading (feel free to subscribe on iTunes or your Android pod app, but if you download from www.bikesocial@co.uk we'd be very grateful!), and please email us on anything@frontendchatter.com Thanks! @SimonHbikes @Mufga

  • Oct 4, 2018 · 1 hr 42 min

    Front End Chatter #81

    Oh my lordy lord, here's Front End Chatter E81, hot on the heels of E80 and ploughing an ill-informed furrow through the field of motorcycling podcasts, supported and upheld as ever by the munificence of www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance people. And this time out we have topics as varied as: • Jonathan 'Nice' Rea's fourth consecutive World Superbike title – and which previous WSB champs congratulated him... • Ana Carrasco and her maiden – literally – WSSP300-on-a-400 world title • Jorge Lorenzo, who crashed at the first corner of the Aragon MotoGP race by sheer will power alone • New bikes from Royal Enfield, yes, that's Royal Enfield, with Simon riding the Interceptor and Continental GT at the launch... • ...and even more new bikes, from the Intermots they have now – including, er, well, not all that much, really – apart from Suzuki's GSX-S1000-in-a-frock Katana and Indian's FTR1200 flat-tracker, Moto Guzzi's V85 TT, Kawasaki's 125s, Triumph's Street Scrambler & Street Twin, and Yamaha's Tracer 700GT... • FEC listeners' emails including: – making engines 'emulate' other engines – what to do in the Isle Of Man instead of riding motorcycles – should Gore-Tex be waterproof after two hours in heavy rain? – are paddock/pit-bikes any good? – is feeling for grip affected by suspension set-up? – is a cheap track bike a bad idea? – best winter hack for £1500 – do we wear different kit for different trips, and should we get upset about riders choosing not to wear appropriate protective clothing? And much, much more. Please enjoy, like and susbscribe (if you download from iTunes, but we'd much rather you went to www.bikesocial.co.uk) – and please email your questions and comments to anything@frontendchatter.com Get Simon and/or Martin on all the socials mediums: @SimonHbikes @Mufga Ta-raa pet!

  • Sep 26, 2018 · 1 hr 28 min

    Front End Chatter #80

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E80, brought to you from the girded loins at www.bikesocial.co.uk and supported by bike insurance humanoids at Bennetts. This week, chatter topics for your aural entertainment are: Romano Fenasti – the hot-headed ex-Moto2 rider is definitely cracked, but should he be sacked or backed following his Misano misdemeanour? • Mufga's been riding BMW's new, enlarged, Shiftcam (careful!) R1250GS... ... and Simon's had a go on Yamaha's Niken with some BikeSocialists (and a FECer; hi Dan)... ... and they're not the only ones; other FECers who've tried the Niken let us know what they think, plus loads more of your emails, including Harley out-selling Triumph, Ducati and Suzuki in Europe last year, is MotoE going to be any good, why V4s don't sound like inline fours, is it possible to 'see' grip, best mods for Aprilia's RSV-R, advice for smaller riders... and lots more. Thanks, as always, for listening, please bookmark www.bikesocial.co.uk and get your insurance from Bennetts, and follow us on Twitter @Mufga and @SimonHbikes

  • Sep 5, 2018 · 57 min

    Front End Chatter #79

    Hello and welcome to Never mind all that usual bobbins, we've got an actual interview with actual Marc Márquez! In episode 79 of Britain's best biking podcast – supported, sustained and stimulated by Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk) as well Bennetts, the record-breaking, crash-saving, championship-leading prodigy of the bike insurance grid: Fallout from the washout at Silverstone. What happened (or, rather, what didn't), why it happened, how it happened, who's to blame, who's not, who thinks they should have raced, who decided to cancel, who thinks they shouldn't have cancelled, is anyone going to accept responsibility, and can we cover all this without getting threatened with legal action? You can't stop the rock – but you can stop all motorsports activity at Rockingham. Britain's newest race circuit is about to become Britain's newest former race circuit – we explain why it's shutting, when it's all over, whether we'll miss it, and what it's going to become instead. And the main event: a solid gold interview with Marc Márquez himself, live and in person (and courtesy of Shoei), talking his place in history, his regrets, his outrageous riding technique, his future, whether winning or having fun is more important, saving the front, the best rider of all time, his favourite rider, and how many crash helmets he gets through each year given all his trips to the tarmac. We hope you enjoy it – and please email us your questions, comments, feedback and more on anything@frontendchatter.com

  • Aug 9, 2018 · 2 hr 2 min

    Front End Chatter #78

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and E78 of Britain's finest motorcycling podcast, presented, in the loosest possible sense, by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, although it's a sobering thought that in an infinite universe it's a certainty there's an Earth-like planet out there with a motorcycling podcast presented by Martin Hargreaves and Simon Fitz-Gibbons. Anyway, whichever universe you're in, we give thanks to the omnipotent and almighty deities at www.bikesocial.co.uk, the UK's most all-encompassing biking website, and Bennetts, the bike insurance people. Right, in this episode we have: MotoGP action from the Czechs... Big Harley-Davidson news, including a guess as to why they're revealing their plans for the next 5 years now... Martin's thoughts on riding the Yamaha Niken... And all your lovely emails – and there are many. We'd love to tell you about them but the damn cat is mewing at the back door and I can't concentrate. Download, listen, you'll find out. Thanks for your ears; please email your questions, musings and ruminations to anything@frontendchatter.com Lucv ya, Right, where's the Whiskas?

  • Jul 18, 2018 · 1 hr 49 min

    Front End Chatter #77

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 77! Courtesy of the alliterative, improvised, indigenous tribes behind Bike Social (that's www.bikesocial.co.uk) and spoken through the mouths of veteran motorcycle-journalists-slash-opinion-havers Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons, this near-two-hour extravaganza covers all the latest comings, goings, rumours and controversies across the motorised two-wheeled universe. Including, but not limited to: The Goodwood Festival of Speed: what it's like, what it isn't, who goes, who cares, who enjoyed their first taste of a Duke's private passage and who gets all bah humbug about it. BMW Motorrad Days at Garmisch: what it is, where it is, the bits we can talk about (and the bits we can't), plus the new bikes announced there (and the bikes that weren't). KTM's Adventure Rally in Wales: an orange dirtstravaganza which we didn't actually go to, only we sort of did but were a day or two late. Plus some insights into the forthcoming 790 Adventure and its curious pendulous saddlebag petrol tanks. More new bike news and rumours, including whether Kawasaki have a new ZX-6R up their green sleeves, and what it might mean for the supersport class. What to wear in a heatwave: full leathers, mesh textiles or heated vests? No, really… MotoGP from Assen. Wow, etc. The questionably successful but unquestionably first episode of Can You Guess What Bike I Ride If I Give You Some Hints About Me And My Riding Background. Motorcycling must-haves, things to take touring and things to leave at home, old bikes with modern technology and much, much more… Thank you once again for letting us into your ears, and thank you once again to www.bikesocial.co.uk – the place you should be going to download this podcast, and the place you should be going for all your online motorcycle needs (and, heck, why not get an insurance quote from Bennetts while you're there?) Get in touch with Simon and Martin on the Twitters (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga disrespectively), or less socially by sending an email to anything@frontendchatter.com (literally anything).

  • Jun 23, 2018 · 1 hr 39 min

    Front End Chatter #76

    Hello and welcome to episode 76 of Front End Chatter, Britain's most argumentative motorcycling podcast, presented in the loosest sense of the word by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and spilling seamlessly into your ears courtesy of www.bikesocial.co.uk – the motorcycling world on a website – and Bennetts, the bike insurance people who put back more into biking than any other insurance company, and that's a true fact. On E76 we have: Jorge Lorenzo – why's he started winning on a Ducati, why's he signed to ride for Honda in 2019, what's in it for new teammate Marc Marquez, and is there a conspiracy theory we can generate from it all? (The answer is yes) Peter Hickman's astonishing Senior TT lap record, and a lengthy discussion (again) about whether discomfort at supporting the event is legititmate Why so many motorcyclists dislike football How to do 200mph on the cheap Should there be courses in basic motorcycle understanding? Why Honda's NC750X is a good bike. But only if you don't test ride a Yamaha Tracer 700 first Suzuki GSX-R750 – is the best middleweight sportsbike on the road? Can anyone actually name Jonathan Rea winning a "really close and exciting race that will go down in history"? ...and much more (well, a bit) Thank you very much for listening, please visit www.bikesocial.co.ukfor all your motorcycling media needs, and please subscribe on iTunes or your Android device to make sure you get every episode of FEC. Please email your thoughts, questions, musings – in either written or .mp3 formats – toanything@frontendchatter.com

  • Jun 6, 2018 · 1 hr 34 min

    Front End Chatter #75

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, episode 75 of Britain's sweariest motorcycling podcast, presented before your ears by two motorcycle journalists called, literally, Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and furthermore enabled by the humungous humanoids at the UK's most enhanced two-wheeled web experience, otherwise known as www.bikesocial.co.uk – which is itself a mere digit on the mighty, but gentle, hand of Bennetts, the bike insurance people. Among the topics for discussion today are: • Is the TT more important than MotoGP? • MotoGP silly season, including why Lorenzo will never, in a million years, take a seat at Repsol Honda, oh, he just did... • TT latest including the unbelievably spectacular riding at this year's race, some slightly troubling consequences, and what's the point of the Superbike class? • How many horsepowers do we a) need, b) want and c) can use?... • ... and where does Ducati's V4 Panigale sit on that scale? • What are the worst bikes ever (and haven't we been here before)? • What effect will Yamaha's Niken have, if any, on motorcycling? ...and much, much less. More. I meant more. Thank you very much for listening, please visit www.bikesocial.co.uk for all your motorcycling media needs, and please subscribe on iTunes or your Android device to make sure you get every episode of FEC. Please email your thoughts, questions, musings – in either written or .mp3 formats – to anything@frontendchatter.com Simon on Twitter @SimonHBikes Martin on Twitter @Mufga

  • Apr 29, 2018 · 1 hr 41 min

    Front End Chatter #74

    We're back! Welcome to Britain's most paternal motorcycling podcast, Front End Chatter Episode 74, supported by the infinite patience of our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk, in association with Bennetts, the bike insurance specalists... and while we can't quite make up for lost time, we can chatter about a bunch of stuff including: armchair gossip about current MotoGP shenanigans – mostly from Argentina, for whom no-one is crying apart from Marc Marquez who, upset at not being disqualified for riding the wrong way up the track, went on to effectively disqualify himself from the race, several times over – what is Marc Marquez on, is he becoming MotoGP's bad boy, and is he heading for a biggie? a bit of catch-up with WSB and BSB, including a refreshingly new look to the top step of the BSB podium at Donington in the shape of a myopic mop-head from Kent called Bradley Ray... ...plus a bit of chat about Triumph's Tiger 1200 XRT v BMW R1200GS TE Exec v Ducati's Multistrada 1260S Touring v KTM's 1290 S Super Adventure • ...and a bit about Kawasaki's Z900RS v BMW's RnineT Pure and Yamaha's XSR900... ...and exactly how extraordinary is Kawasaki's H2 SX SE? Plus! what's the point of KTM in MotoGP? does being a dad slow you down? which retro naked bike has the sportiest character? should Triumph release a Speed Triple RS half-faired sports tourer? can you do a track day on a BMW R1200 GS? is the VFR800Fi a future classic? • can we form an emotional attachment to an inanimate object? why do some bikes have unadjustable suspension that works, while some have adjustable suspension we struggle to set-up? why do journalists criticise adjustable suspension, then comprehensively fail to actually be bothered to adjust it? hello to Jason Isaacs what's the best bike to get married on? ...and so much more! Thank you for sticking with us, and please remember to visit www.bikesocial.co.uk to give us a Like. You can catch us on the usual social media things they have now: @SimonHbikes @Mufga ...or on Front End Chatter's Facebook page. And please email your questions and thoughts to anything@frontendchatter.com

  • Mar 2, 2018 · 1 hr 31 min

    Front End Chatter #73

    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: anything@frontendchatter.com @Mufga @SimonHbikes

  • Feb 11, 2018 · 1 hr 35 min

    Front End Chatter #72

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 72, Britain's most rambling, shambling biking podcast supported as ever by our gender-neutral comrades at www.bikesocial.co.uk (and definitely *not* .com) in association with Bennetts, the bike insurance people. It's like a great big biking family, packed with road tests, new bikes, used bikes, buying guides and kit git guides; come in, the water's lovely. On a crammed FEC 72, Martin and Simon waffle about: • Sepang MotoGP testing results • the cancelled Welsh Road Races: why it's been postponed and how much damage has been done to the reputation of the organisers and a potential 2019 event – plus some sensible mathematics • a surprisingly measured and informed opinion on the great grid girls debate... from a man • McGuinness signs to race the Norprilia at the TT • news from the launches of the 2018 Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports (not in Africa) and Triumph Tiger 800 (in Africa) • embarrassing crashes, heart-breaking crashes and unpredictable crashes (aren't all crashes unpredictable?) • do we get the new bikes we want, or the bikes manufacturers think we want... and how are new bikes developed, anyway? • what were the best-selling bikes in Europe and who were the biggest manufacturers in 2017? Thank you for your ears, and please get in touch at anything@frontendchatter.com or on Twitter @SimonHbikes or @Mufga

  • Jan 29, 2018 · 1 hr 3 min

    Front End Chatter #71

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's mostest biking podcast, supported by nos amis at Britain's foremost and most comprehensive biking website, www.bikesocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And in this week's compact episode Simon (me) and Martin (him) natter about such diverse matters as: the second darkest winter in northern Europe since records began results from the Dakar rally, and whether the race is getting too tough (it's not), and whether the IOM TT is harder will Michael Dunlop's recent test on the MotoGP Suzuki GSX-R RR R at Sepang, Malaysia, presage an entry in the 2018 Senior TT, and do we think he was worried about taking to the track alongside MotoGP regulars? what else might or might not happen at the first MotoGP test session of 2018 at Sepang? why has Hutchy jumped on John McG's 'unlucky' Honda Fireblade for next year's TT? more news on the Ducati, Aprilia and KTM models affected by Brembo's master cylinder recall first riding reports of Ducati's V4 Panigale and Honda's new Gold Wing are in – and if they're as brilliant as everyone says, how can we tell when it seems like all new bikes are brilliant? Plus (and sorry, we only have time for a few) your wonderful emails. Thank you as ever for continuing to listen to our ramblings, and please get in touch at anything@frontendhchatter.com with your questions, thoughts, musings and chit-chat. @SimonHbikes @Mufga

  • Jan 17, 2018 · 1 hr 22 min

    Front End Chatter #70

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 70, the world's most eclectic motorcycling podcast, supported by www.biksocial.co.uk, the UK's most informed and entertaining website, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. My name is Simon and that man over there is Martin, and today we're nattering about: the masochism of riding in winter, and whether a hot bath at the end of it is worth the suffering the masochism of riding a Kawasaki H2 and an Enfield Himalayan in winter ...or the historical perspective of riding three generations of GSX-R750 on an old runway in Cornwall details of a Brembo brake recall in the USA; what it is, what bikes are affected, and whether there'll be a recall in the UK how, despite the Kawasaki H2 SX and Yamaha Niken and BMW F850GS, the Kawasaki Z900RS might just be the best bike of 2018 an enlightened approach to selling a used bike, and how faith should overcome fear... ...or just ask your local dealer to sell it for you why Honda's Crossrunner is always overlooked when discussing used all-rounders the crazy new bike deals about last year, such as Honda's Africa Twin DCT PCP deal of no deposit, 0% finance at £70 per month for three years – and the implications for the values of used Africa Twins how cold is too cold to go for a ride? and introducing the Hall Of FEC – what bikes are in, what bikes are out (starting with 2009 – which turns out to be a particularly bad year for new bikes) Thanks for listening, please email your nominations for FEC's Hall Of FEC, or indeed any other thoughts, questions, requests to: anything@frontendchatter.com Thanks for listening! @SimonHbike @Mufga

  • Dec 27, 2017 · 1 hr 9 min

    Front End Chatter #69

    Had enough of cold turkey? Fear not, here's your fix of Front End Chatter Episode 69, served in a very small tin foil hat with a side-order of www.bikesocial.co.uk in association with Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And, following on from the last episode's fab interview with Julian Ryder, this time it's business as usual as we read through a veritable mountain of your occasionally lengthy emails, on topics as varied as: • Does the motorcycle industry do enough to attract young riders? Does uploading fancy software and a few items from the accessories catalogue justify adding a few grand on the price of a new bike and calling it a premium model? Is motorcycling becoming too tribal? Will we be seeing more examples of forced induction on new models? • How British Superbike is also brilliant if you live in the US Why does no-one build a modular, adjustable motorbike? Where is the Husqvarna Vitpilen? Why riding a bike a great cure for illness. PLUS loads of other nattering and chattering... Many thanks for your continued ears, please tell everyone you know to download the podcast and please email you thoughts, considerations and questions to: anything@ frontendchatter.com You can get us on the Twitter: @SimonHbikes @Mufga Hope you had a great Christmas and look forward to a splendidly two-wheeled (or three) New Year!

  • Dec 9, 2017 · 44 min

    Front End Chatter #68

    Hello everybody and welcome to Front End Chatter, the biking podcast powered and empowered by the super-swell folk at Bike Social - that's www.bikesocial.co.uk. In episode 68 Simon and Martin welcome a FECing guest for the first time in a long time. And not any guest, but the one and only Julian Ryder (@MotoGPJules) - journalist, broadcaster, author, antiques dealer and former WSB, 500GP and MotoGP commentator. Fresh from putting the finishing touches to the official MotoGP Season Review 2017 (a proper book, with "not too many cockups", on sale now at Amazon), Jules talks all about one of the best racing seasons in recent memory, whether things really were better in the good old days, the greatest racers of all time, tribal fans, the MotoGP riders' rider of 2017, why each of the top names performed the way they did this year, how he'd fix World Superbikes (and whether it's important to fix), and which racing series Jules's dulcet tones might (or might not) be gracing next. Thank you once again for allowing FEC into your ears and brain. If you enjoy it, please tell your friends, colleagues, co-worked and fellow riders to find us on www.frontendchatter.com or, better still, on www.bikesocial.co.uk. You can also find us on Twitter - @SimonHbikes and @Mufga - and we eagerly await any and all of your emailed correspondence at anything@frontendchatter.com Cheers until next time!

  • Nov 25, 2017 · 1 hr 32 min

    Front End Chatter #67

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter 67, the Shakey's Racing Age episode, ably supported by our friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk who are in turn supported by bike insurance bods Bennetts. This week we natter about the small matter of a race in Valencia, some racing in Wales that actually looks like it might happen, some more gossip about the Motorcycle Live bike show they had last week (including how manufacturers cheat on seat heights), and answer a veritable raft of your emails on subjects as wide ranging as what bike you should buy. Thanks again for your continued ears, and please spread the word of the words we speak. You can find on Twitter – @SimonHbikes & @Mufga – and you can download this on iTunes or from www.frontendchatter.com – but we'd much rather you listened at www.bikesocial.co.uk, not least because you can lose yourself for hours browsing the library of all sorts of archived biking stuff.

  • Nov 10, 2017 · 1 hr 36 min

    Front End Chatter #66

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E66, supported by our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists – and who better to insure your gleaming new, 2018 motorcycle? Because this week's podcast is stuffed full of new bike news, gossip and opinion (admittedly, more of the latter pair than the former), fresh from the Milan bike show. In no particular order, we natter about: Kawasaki's 200bhp sport-touring mega-bike, the ZZR1400. Sorry! We mean the new H2 SX/SE Ducati's V4 Panigale, and whether it's better-looking than the 1299 Yamaha's Niken and whether it's actually a motorcycle plus chatter about Yamaha Tracer 900s, Kawasaki Z900RS and Café, Honda's Africa Twin Adventure and CB1000R, BMW's F850GS, Triumph's Tigers, Ducati's Multistrada 1260 and KTM's 790 Duke... ...and seeing as how few of us can afford any of them, should we be interested? Plus we have a brief natter about the forthcoming final MotoGP showdown at Valencia, and answer a few of emails (but not all – more to come!). Thanks again for listening, and please email your thoughts, questions and comments to us here: anything@frontendchatter.com Or catch us on Twitter: @SimonHbikes @Mufga

  • Oct 20, 2017 · 1 hr 25 min

    Front End Chatter #65

    Hello and welcome to the long-awaited (well, about a month) Front End Chatter Episode 65 – supported as ever by our magnificent colleagues, pals and beneFECtors at www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. This week FEC bangs on about subjects as wide and varied as: how does three-time World Superbike champ Jonathan Rea's win-race ratio match to Carl Fogarty's, and how to fix World Superbike (again) did the three-way Showdown final British Superbike round at Brands and the subsequent love-in make us want to watch it next year? ...and compare all that to an epic MotoGP race at Motegi PLUS! words of gossip about what we know about 2018's new bikes (or do we?) including the 2018 supercharged, sports touring Kawasaki H2R GT... ...and their Z900RS, and how close it'll be to the existing Z900 Honda's NSC 'New Sports Cafe'... ...and if the motor is based on the CB650F inline four Honda's new Goldwing with its funny front end... KTM's 790-800cc Duke parallel twin which probably won't have bungees pulling the pistons back to TDC Yamaha's MT-07-based T7 budget adventure bike Triumph's, er, well, definitely not a 765 Daytona, say Triumph... Harley-Davidson's new Softail range of, er, big V-twins including the rather splendid Fat Bob PLUS! listeners' questions, including: what supermoto as a second bike the law around on-bike dash-cams – and can plod nick you using your own sat nav's 'snail-trail' as evidence? are smaller bikes less likely to get you in trouble? can you buy a decent used bike for the price of a new iPhone? Thank you for listening and putting up with us – and please email any biking questions (or any questions you like) or comments to anything@frontendchatter.com or get us on Twitter @SimonHbikes @Mufga And don't forget to check out www.bikesocial.co.uk and get your bike insurance with Bennetts.

  • Sep 12, 2017 · 1 hr 27 min

    Front End Chatter #64

    Hello and welcome to a special, John McGuinness Front End Chatter Episode 64, supported by our good friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurer par excellence, bar none. And what a treat this week – apart from the usual nattering about subjects as random as: tech details from the launch of Ducati's 210bhp V4 Stradale engine, which is coming to a chassis that may or may not but probably will look remarkably similar to a 1299 Panigale this November Rossi's broken leg bones, Cal's severed tendon, the ramifications for the MotoGP title, and who Valentino gets to sign the plaster cast... why Silverstone's MotoGP was so poorly attended (conspiracy theory alert) how lovely BMW's R nineT Racer is, and why don't other manufacturers make bikes that, simply, look beautiful? will the news Welsh police are actively encouraging dash-cam users to upload footage as evidence for traffic offences make you ride any differently? how to learn how to pronounce Ikea, Abba and Öhlins on a Magic Motor Experience tour on a Yamaha XT660R, in Sweden... ... the jewel in FEC64's crown is the audio version of BikeSocial's interview with TT legend John McGuinness, in which he talks about: the physical side effects of 'that' crash (caution: not for the squeamish!) how it's affected his head what caused it and what he really thinks about the 2017 FireBlade what happens to his career now how important the race fans are to his recovery Hope you enjoy, please say nice things and spread the word, and please email any and all questions, comments and ideas to anything@frontendchatter.com Thanks for listening! @SimonHbikes @Mufga