Front End Chatter – Details, episodes & analysis

Hello and welcome indeed to Front End Chatter, Episode 219, in which Martin and Simon use their vast misunderstanding of motorcycles as a basis for interminable waffling on a podcast. As ever, they are supported in their efforts by Bennetts, Britain's best bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, all your motorcycling info needs on the web. 

And on this pod, Simon and Martin natter about: 
• the forthcoming FEC Tour 2026 – The Moors The Merrier – on July 17-20th in the N Yorks Moors
• smashing phones on bikes
• Triumph's Tiger Sport 800
• why bikes aren't as fast as they used to be, and why no-one cares
• Honda's CB1000GT
• Honda's VR3
• Honda's NW7
• BMW's F450GS
• Norton's Atlases
• CFMoto's KTM 990 Adventure
...and much much much more.

Thank you for listening, please spread the word amongst your peers, and please sign up to the FEC Tour by emailing anything@frontendchatter.com and registering your interest. Onwards!

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's Best Biking Podcast presented by 'Fox Mulder' Hargreaves and 'Dana Scully' Fitz-Gibbons – because, spookily, this is FEC Episode 218; exactly the same number of episodes as TV's The X-Files. Except it's not spooky at all because it's not a coincidence. It's inevitable there's a TV show with exactly 218 episodes, and it's the X-Files; if we waited until FEC 219 to make the connection, it would be the same number of episodes as the original ABC run of the American improvisational comedy series Whose Line Is It Anyway? Insert your own joke here. 

And thanks as always to our benevolent benefactors Bennetts, Britain's Best Bike insurers, and bikesocial.co.uk, the website/YouTube channel for all your biking needs. And remember to become a BikeSocial Member – it's automatic if you're insured with Bennetts, or it's £60 per year or £6 per month if not. But it means you get access to loads of competitions, offers and money-off deals on a veritable panoply of kit – basically, if you're thinking of buying anything for your bike, check to see if it's on the list; you might be able to save more than the cost of membership.

For a list of current offers and discounts, visit rewards.bennetts.co.uk/categories

Right, on with the show, and this week Simon and Martin natter about:

• Triumph's new Trident 800
• Ducati's new Monster
• Kawasaki's new KLE500
• Honda's new CB1000F
• Yamaha's new Ténéré 700 World Raid

Plus
• BMW R1300 GSA v RS v RT, and the merits of riding 600 miles for one photo
• Has motorcycling got too easy; if you don't have to earn it, is it worth anything?
• What's it like riding Honda's RC213V-S in 2025?
• Riding 'signatures'
• What's the easiest engine to work on?
• And loads of other hot air and nonsense

Thanks for listening, please tell your motorcycling pals and spread the FEC message of love, hope, friendship and riding as far and fast as possible at all times...
And please continue to grace the inbox and anything@fronteendchatter.com with your thoughts, questions, queries and general bantz.

Aye. Carry on.

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, and it's episode 209 of the 209 episode-long motorcycling podcast presented, and I use the word in its loosest sense, by Martina Fitz-Gibbons and Simone Hargreaves, a pair of transitioning motorcycle journalists whose personal pronouns are 'it'. Fronty End Prongs is supported and comported by Bennetts, Britain's biggest and best bike insurers, and without whom you would all be pretty bloody sorry, I can tell you, so make the most of their offers and support their support of motorcycling ya ingrates. And also BikeSocial.co.uk, the hub of motorcycling's metaphorical Akront rim, with their Youtube channel and website and lots of bike-related content to tuck into.

So on this episode of FEC we chatter about: 
• the latest news from the ailing KTM factory
• bad news from the Nürburgring
• last-minute booking news if you're thinking about coming to ride with us in Scotland in May on the FEC Highland Fling 2 tour
• a ride on Ducati's Multistrada V2 S and exactly how Ducati is it? 
• Honda's new NT1100 and what have they done to it? 
• Honda's new Hornet and wow, how good is it? 
• Honda's last-ever CB1300 and can I have one please? 
• why a 270° parallel twin is rarely an exciting engine
• how to describe engine configurations
• and many more musing and amusings from the FEC Sack of your thoughts, queries, ruminations on a theme

Thank you for listening and supporting us with your ears, and please email your own thoughts and musings to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

Thanks again FECers! 

@Simonhbikes
@Mufga

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 £14m of other people's money he no longer has
• Yamaha release details of the Ténéré 700 Rally, which may or may not be the best-looking bike of 2020
• Ducati launch the Superleggera in an exclusive ride at Mugello, and it's really fast and really expensive and sounds nice, aye
Plus!
• our favourite rides of all time
• the perils of using a phone as a sat nav
• keep the GSX-R750 or get an SV650X or a Tiger? 
• why tracing fuelling faults is the worst job in the world
• why aren't photo-reactive visors more common? 
• the problem with carbon fibre wheels
...and much more including Simon's sandwich recipe and Martin's biking spirit guide revealed. 

Thanks for watching with your ears, and you'll hear from us again soon!

@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

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 better than custom-made plugs?
• with touchscreens and electronics, are bikes getting too complicated for their own good? 
• will voice-activation be a thing for bikes in the future? 
• ...and much, much more, no, really. 

Thanks again for supporting us, please leave a review on iTunes, visit bikesocial.co.uk and get your insurance from Bennetts, follow us on Twitters at @SimonHBikes and @Mufga and email your thoughts, musings, questions and insults to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

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 range, or will it always be flagship technology? 
• is an R1250GS *really* the ultimate aspirational bike, or is it over-hyped?
• will wearing an air-bag suit one day be as normal as putting on a helmet?
• is it ever okay to cheer a rider crashing on a race track? 
... and much more natter and chatter. 

Thank you for your continued appreciation, and please keep your emails with questions, answers, thoughts and ideas to:
anything@frontendchatter.com
Catch us on the Twitters:
@SimonHBikes
@Mufga

...and see you next time!

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?
• Fazer 1000 or FZ1 Fazer? And what are the best mods?
• is there any way to keep cool on roasting hot days, and which bikes should be avoided? And do bikes run hotter today then they used to?
• what's our favourite engine configuration and is it the sole reason for falling in love with a bike?
• drop visors – yes or no?
• what modern gadgets are hardest to live without?

...and much more nattering and chattering, as usual.

Thanks for listening, hope it's still helping in this crazy time and hope we all can ease back into riding without causing ourselves or other people any problems. Please keep your emails (and sound files!) coming to us at

anything@frontendchatter.com

with thoughts, advice, queries, questions and observations. Catch us both on the socials at:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

And please visit bikesocial.co.uk for all your biking infotainment (and their YouTube channel!), get your insurance from Bennetts, and get your kicks on the A66 – but easy does it.

Peace and biscuits.

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's – nay, the world's – most socially isolated motorcycle podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons... and welcome to Episode 114 – the third in a series in which Martin literally phones it in.

Thanks as ever to our brothers and sisters at bikesocial.co.uk – the worldwide web of motorcycling (check out their YouTube channel!) and of course Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists.

And in this meandering soufflé of waffle we touch lightly on subjects as varied as:

• what constitutes an 'essential' journey, and is a bike an appropriate vehicle?
• Norton has been bought by TVS of India for £16... sorry, £16 million... so will any of that go to refund deposits, reimburse pensions and repay creditors? And what does it mean for future Norton motorcycles?
• the MotoGP 2020 season guessing game continues with news of cancellations and possible fan-free races financed by an energy drink
• plus! What have the MotoGP stars been getting up to in lockdown, and why they should maybe keep it to themselves

Plus!

• why owning a Firestorm isn't as fun as dreaming of owning one
• should manufacturers be forced to reveal where a bike is assembled on the VIN plate?
• how much influence does the bike press have, and if they covered smaller brands, would it sell more bikes?
• do bikes have a soul?
• is downsizing an admission of defeat?
• more rear brake advice, this time from a MotoGP rider and WSB champ
• the most embarrassing things we've ever done on a bike
• can you go further riding on your own?

...and much more nattering and chattering.

Thanks for listening, hope it's helping in this really crazy time. Please keep your emails (and sound files!) coming in with thoughts, advice, queries, questions and observations. Catch us both on the socials at:

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

And please visit bikesocial.co.uk for all your biking infotainment (and their YouTube channel!), get your insurance from Bennetts, and get your kicks on the A66 – just not right now. Even for decking screws.

Peace and health.

Hello and welcome to E113 and the second lock-down episode of Front End Chatter, the biking podcast that's been around for over 160 hours of guffage – none of yer opportunist 'Johnny-come-lately' podcasts, jumping on the Corona bandwagon because someone's bored, here. Oh no, Front End Chatter has been boring people for a lot longer than that.

Thanks as always to our amazing benefactors and supporters at the world's most comprehensive motorcycling website, bikesocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance experts.

On this week's episode we discuss:

• coping with life not riding motorbikes
• will there be any racing at all in 2020?
• does virtual racing offer any kind of substitute for the real thing?
• actual Andrea Iannone drugs ban news
• the joys of watching 1980s racing on YouTube

Plus the mighty FEC sack gets a battering, with topics such as:

• the pleasures of working your way up the biking ladder, then starting again from scratch...
• ... and is it therefore worth 'saving' getting your ultimate bike
• candidity (© Mufga) in the bike press
• is an airbag jacket really worth it, and can they save lives? Or better off spending the money on rider training?
• if bike theft trackers are fitted as standard by dealers, will that mean thieves will just get wise and work out how to disable them?
• the merits of Honda's VFR800 v Honda's 954 FireBlade, and why Honda's current VFR isn't as good as its predecessors
• what's a good modern sports tourer?
• ... and much much more...

Thanks for listening and we hope lockdown life is made slightly less intolerable by our ramblings. Please continue to populate the FEC sack with your musings, questions, stories and your Corona coping strategies. Email us at:

anything@frontendchatter.com

And catch us on the socials:

@SimonHbikes

@Mufga

Hello and welcome to very special, hopefully one-off, episode of Front End Chatter in which, as a result of current events, has been assembled from snippets of previous FECs and turned into a completely new podcast! 

No, truth is in keeping with government advice, FEC has self-isolated itself with Mufga calling in via Skype from the East Wing of Chatter Manors – yes, he's literally phoning it in. 

But even with the seriousness in the world, motorcycling carries on – well, not racing, but we can even talk about not racing. 

And apart from the obvious, we take a deep dive through the FEC sack and discuss your many and varied thoughts, questions, points of order and musings. 

Please keep them coming; the world might be changing but you can rely on FEC to keep chugging along.

Email: anything@frontendchatter.com

Thanks as ever to our long-time sponsors and friends at www.bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. 

Catch us on the socials @Mufga and @SimonHBikes