Front End Chatter, Britain’s best motorcycle podcast, considers joining The 27 Club and contains:

– A 30-minute preview of the 2015 MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 seasons with respected journalist and racer Mat Oxley (@matoxley), including: whether Ducati really has turned a corner in turning corners; whether Jorge Lorenzo will fit into his leathers; why Moto2 isn’t as exciting as it was; and why the young Spanish rider who could dominate Moto3 is slightly less Spanish than MFG thinks.

– All the two-wheeled excuses that have got in the way of us making podcasts recently, including: BMW F800GS, Ducati Multistrada 1200, Suzuki GSX-R750, Honda NSR250RSP MC28, Triumph T595, Ducati Monster 1200S, BMW R1200R, Triumph Street Triple Rx and the Ducati Scrambler.

– Your questions and, in few cases, some answers to them, including: whether you’re a twat if you film yourself crashing while attempting a wheelie, and whether that makes you enough of a twat to deserve a suspended prison sentence; what new riding kit to buy if you leave your old riding kit on a train and blame it on a podcast; and what one single motorcycle you’d pick to ride for the rest of your life.

– A surging (and unexpected) response to a casual request for Young People to get in touch, and the revelation that they may in fact be a lot like People.

Thank you, once again, for listening. You can email Front End Chatter about anything motorcycle-related on anything@frontendchatter.com, get in touch with Simon and Martin on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga), and now visit FEC’s shiny new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter

You can download (or stream) every episode of FEC for free at www.frontendchatter.com and/or subscribe to us (also for free) on iTunes or, indeed, any Android podcatchy software. Now #goFECyourself

 

Front End Chatter, Britain’s best motorcycle podcast, considers joining The 27 Club and contains:

– A 30-minute preview of the 2015 MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 seasons with respected journalist and racer Mat Oxley (@matoxley), including: whether Ducati really has turned a corner in turning corners; whether Jorge Lorenzo will fit into his leathers; why Moto2 isn’t as exciting as it was; and why the young Spanish rider who could dominate Moto3 is slightly less Spanish than MFG thinks.

– All the two-wheeled excuses that have got in the way of us making podcasts recently, including: BMW F800GS, Ducati Multistrada 1200, Suzuki GSX-R750, Honda NSR250RSP MC28, Triumph T595, Ducati Monster 1200S, BMW R1200R, Triumph Street Triple Rx and the Ducati Scrambler.

– Your questions and, in few cases, some answers to them, including: whether you’re a twat if you film yourself crashing while attempting a wheelie, and whether that makes you enough of a twat to deserve a suspended prison sentence; what new riding kit to buy if you leave your old riding kit on a train and blame it on a podcast; and what one single motorcycle you’d pick to ride for the rest of your life.

– A surging (and unexpected) response to a casual request for Young People to get in touch, and the revelation that they may in fact be a lot like People.

Thank you, once again, for listening. You can email Front End Chatter about anything motorcycle-related on anything@frontendchatter.com, get in touch with Simon and Martin on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga), and now visit FEC’s shiny new Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter

You can download (or stream) every episode of FEC for free at www.frontendchatter.com and/or subscribe to us (also for free) on iTunes or, indeed, any Android podcatchy software. Now #goFECyourself

 

Episode #26 of Front End Chatter includes:

– Britain’s best motorcycle podcast celebrates its one-year anniversary by being ignored at the London Motorcycle Show. And Martin finally fulfils a four-year promise.

– World Superbikes recap from Phillip Island, including the record-breaking (not in a good way) return of Troy Bayliss, why the podiums resembled the setup to a rubbish old pub joke, and the frank confessions and bruised buttocks revealed by social media.

– More intrigue from MotoGP pre-season testing, where Ducati appear to have successfully turned a corner (for once), Melandri appears to need a montage, and scooters appear to be influencing race bike design.

– Simon discovers how much MotoGP riders earn, where in the world they take it home to, and what the sponsors who fund the whole shebang do aside from taking up space on the side of 200mph race bikes.

– Getting righteously indignant at the politics behind the Donington/Silverstone/CircuitOfWales fiasco, then even more righteously indignanter still at proper politics when it turns out the political party that seemed to be the nice guys really don’t like motorcycles at all, and really don’t want you riding them either.

Plus plenty more. Well, a bit more. Regardless, thank you so very much for listening. If you enjoy it, you can check out our first year of FECing on www.frontendchatter.com; subscribe for free on iTunes; send us an email to anything@frontendchatter.com; and Twit us on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.

PS – If you spot the not-as-deliberate-as-we-wish-it-was mistake, email us on loadofcobblers@frontendchatter.com

Episode #26 of Front End Chatter includes:

– Britain’s best motorcycle podcast celebrates its one-year anniversary by being ignored at the London Motorcycle Show. And Martin finally fulfils a four-year promise.

– World Superbikes recap from Phillip Island, including the record-breaking (not in a good way) return of Troy Bayliss, why the podiums resembled the setup to a rubbish old pub joke, and the frank confessions and bruised buttocks revealed by social media.

– More intrigue from MotoGP pre-season testing, where Ducati appear to have successfully turned a corner (for once), Melandri appears to need a montage, and scooters appear to be influencing race bike design.

– Simon discovers how much MotoGP riders earn, where in the world they take it home to, and what the sponsors who fund the whole shebang do aside from taking up space on the side of 200mph race bikes.

– Getting righteously indignant at the politics behind the Donington/Silverstone/CircuitOfWales fiasco, then even more righteously indignanter still at proper politics when it turns out the political party that seemed to be the nice guys really don’t like motorcycles at all, and really don’t want you riding them either.

Plus plenty more. Well, a bit more. Regardless, thank you so very much for listening. If you enjoy it, you can check out our first year of FECing on www.frontendchatter.com; subscribe for free on iTunes; send us an email to anything@frontendchatter.com; and Twit us on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.

PS – If you spot the not-as-deliberate-as-we-wish-it-was mistake, email us on loadofcobblers@frontendchatter.com

Episode 25 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s best and most superlative biking podcast, returns from a lengthy absinthe to discuss the first stirrings of a MotoGP season from testing at Sepang, Malaysia, and whether anything can be inferred from said performances other than some bikes and riders will definitely be on the grid at the start of the season, and some will be faster than others (the chances of a dead heat involving the entire field in every race are slim). Episode 25 also features the FEC Pointless MotoGP PR podium, a celebration of banal soundbites and talking nonsense, in which Alvaro Bautista is showing great pre-season form…

Front End Chatter also nearly breaks a Yamaha press embargo on the new VMAX Cartoon… sorry, Carbon… and notices Suzuki’s best-value bike, the GSX1250 FA, now comes with full luggage in its £7999 price, which is great until remembering the standard bike (without the luggage) was on sale for £6865 six months ago. FEC#25 also worries about biking getting older (it’s a proper Saga) and wonders where the new blood is coming from (if there is any), why kids don’t ride mopeds, whether Triumph should put a Tiger 800 motor in Street Triple chassis and slap a half fairing on it, the pros and cons of riding in winter, and marvel at the eccentric life of Maurice Seddon, the man who cooked his supper in his panniers and ‘invented’ heated clothing for bikers.  Hope you like it; please subscribe and tell everyone you know to do likewise.  See you after the London bike show 🙂 @Mufga @SimonHbikes 

Episode 25 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s best and most superlative biking podcast, returns from a lengthy absinthe to discuss the first stirrings of a MotoGP season from testing at Sepang, Malaysia, and whether anything can be inferred from said performances other than some bikes and riders will definitely be on the grid at the start of the season, and some will be faster than others (the chances of a dead heat involving the entire field in every race are slim). Episode 25 also features the FEC Pointless MotoGP PR podium, a celebration of banal soundbites and talking nonsense, in which Alvaro Bautista is showing great pre-season form…

Episode 24 of Front End Chatter does not, sadly, contain Kiefer Sutherland defending the world from a series of increasingly improbable terrorists. Instead, Simon and Martin discuss:

– The two-week, 5000-mile Dakar Rally compressed into 10 minutes

– A pre-pre-season preview, as MotoGP prepares to start testing, World Superbikes prepares to start racing, and the internet prepares to start using the c-word about Casey Stoner

– Why the 2015 Isle of Man TT has turned into the world’s fastest group test (and why a Kawasaki H2R might appear after all…)

– Why things are looking up if you’re in the business of selling motorcycles

– The Frankenbikes we would build given an imaginary angle grinder and welder

– The events to get in your 2015 diary, from London to Barcelona to Coventry

And finally, to find out if reports of Superbike magazine’s death have been greatly exaggerated, we speak to editor John Hogan (@JohnatSuperBike) about the title’s past, present and future.

Thank you very much for listening to Britain’s best biking podcast. If you enjoy it, subscribe for free on iTunes, and check out all of our previous episodes (which would take more than a day of non-stop listening to get through). You can also play or download every episode free from www.frontendchatter.com

Talk to us either on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga) or send us an email about anything you like to anything@frontendchatter.com

 

Episode 24 of Front End Chatter does not, sadly, contain Kiefer Sutherland defending the world from a series of increasingly improbable terrorists. Instead, Simon and Martin discuss:

– The two-week, 5000-mile Dakar Rally compressed into 10 minutes

– A pre-pre-season preview, as MotoGP prepares to start testing, World Superbikes prepares to start racing, and the internet prepares to start using the c-word about Casey Stoner

– Why the 2015 Isle of Man TT has turned into the world’s fastest group test (and why a Kawasaki H2R might appear after all…)

– Why things are looking up if you’re in the business of selling motorcycles

– The Frankenbikes we would build given an imaginary angle grinder and welder

– The events to get in your 2015 diary, from London to Barcelona to Coventry

And finally, to find out if reports of Superbike magazine’s death have been greatly exaggerated, we speak to editor John Hogan (@JohnatSuperBike) about the title’s past, present and future.

Thank you very much for listening to Britain’s best biking podcast. If you enjoy it, subscribe for free on iTunes, and check out all of our previous episodes (which would take more than a day of non-stop listening to get through). You can also play or download every episode free from www.frontendchatter.com

Talk to us either on Twitter (@SimonHbikes and @Mufga) or send us an email about anything you like to anything@frontendchatter.com

 

The first Front End Chatter of 2015 covers such diverse subjects as:

– Simon enters a race through a village on his FireBlade, only to find out that’s it’s not really a race.

– The first (and last) Front End Chatter 2014 Manufacturer Countdown, pop-pickers.

– Listeners’ problems solved (or at least answered), from trials clubs to tourism advice.

– Does racing sell road bikes?

– Do tall-rounders make sportsbikes look silly?

Plus, Front End Chatter’s off-road correspondent JP (@Jonpe23) returns to discuss the ins, outs and upside-downs of the Dakar Rally, including:

– Who nearly didn’t even make the start line this year.

– What the words “mousse”, “liason” and “fesh-fesh” mean.

– Why you don’t necessarily want to finish first (but to finish first, first you have to finish…)

– Was the Dakar better when it actually went to Dakar?

Thanks very much for listening. As ever, please subscribe (for free) on iTunes or elsewhere, check out our previous 20-odd episodes (for free), and spread the word by telling friends (and strangers) about Britain’s best biking podcast.

You can also shape future episodes by emailing comments, suggestions, questions and observations to anything@frontendchatter.com or by getting us on Twitter on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.

 

The first Front End Chatter of 2015 covers such diverse subjects as:

– Simon enters a race through a village on his FireBlade, only to find out that’s it’s not really a race.

– The first (and last) Front End Chatter 2014 Manufacturer Countdown, pop-pickers.

– Listeners’ problems solved (or at least answered), from trials clubs to tourism advice.

– Does racing sell road bikes?

– Do tall-rounders make sportsbikes look silly?

Plus, Front End Chatter’s off-road correspondent JP (@Jonpe23) returns to discuss the ins, outs and upside-downs of the Dakar Rally, including:

– Who nearly didn’t even make the start line this year.

– What the words “mousse”, “liason” and “fesh-fesh” mean.

– Why you don’t necessarily want to finish first (but to finish first, first you have to finish…)

– Was the Dakar better when it actually went to Dakar?

Thanks very much for listening. As ever, please subscribe (for free) on iTunes or elsewhere, check out our previous 20-odd episodes (for free), and spread the word by telling friends (and strangers) about Britain’s best biking podcast.

You can also shape future episodes by emailing comments, suggestions, questions and observations to anything@frontendchatter.com or by getting us on Twitter on @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.