Hello hello hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s rambliest biking podcast with him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons and me, Simon Hargreaves – enabled, legitimised and somewhat vindicated by Bikesocial.co.uk – the world’s largest repository, depository and not the one beginning with ‘s’-itory of all modern new and used motorcycle info – and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists.

And on E105 we have:

• Motorcycle Live round-up – what we thought of Honda’s Blade, Kawasaki’s Z H2, Ducati’s Streetfighter, Triumph’s Rocket and Suzuki’s V-Big Strom, and what we didn’t think of Aprilia’s RS660, Husqvarna’s Denis and BMW’s R1800 concept because they weren’t there…
• goodbye to Jorge Lorenzo, a ‘complicated’ champion
• goodbye to Karel Abraham, with a ‘complicated’ exit
• hello to Alex, brother of Marc. Can’t see that ending well

Plus a super-massive FEC-sack including…

• what is it with Ducati and cam belts?
• is Aprilia’s CapoNord an alternative to Ducati’s Multistrada 1200?
• leathers v textiles for commuting, and the best options for wearing over office clothes
• is your bike a shrinker or a grower?
• what happened to normal-sized tail units?

…and much, much, too much more.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to:

anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out Bennetts’ YouTube channel for some cool bike vids (still Africa Twin, ahem), and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. And don’t forget to check out their offers!

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello hello hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s rambliest biking podcast with him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons and me, Simon Hargreaves – enabled, legitimised and somewhat vindicated by Bikesocial.co.uk – the world’s largest repository, depository and not the one beginning with ‘s’-itory of all modern new and used motorcycle info – and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists.

And on E105 we have:

• Motorcycle Live round-up – what we thought of Honda’s Blade, Kawasaki’s Z H2, Ducati’s Streetfighter, Triumph’s Rocket and Suzuki’s V-Big Strom, and what we didn’t think of Aprilia’s RS660, Husqvarna’s Denis and BMW’s R1800 concept because they weren’t there…
• goodbye to Jorge Lorenzo, a ‘complicated’ champion
• goodbye to Karel Abraham, with a ‘complicated’ exit
• hello to Alex, brother of Marc. Can’t see that ending well

Plus a super-massive FEC-sack including…

• what is it with Ducati and cam belts?
• is Aprilia’s CapoNord an alternative to Ducati’s Multistrada 1200?
• leathers v textiles for commuting, and the best options for wearing over office clothes
• is your bike a shrinker or a grower?
• what happened to normal-sized tail units?

…and much, much, too much more.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to:

anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out Bennetts’ YouTube channel for some cool bike vids (still Africa Twin, ahem), and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. And don’t forget to check out their offers!

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 104, eventually, brought to you by via the web’s best motorcycling website, bikesocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, via the mouths of Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons.

But before we kick off – come and chat to Martin and Simon for real at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on the Bennetts stand (Hall 4 Stand 4B 25) on Thursday 21st November between 11am to 12pm, then again 2pm to 3pm.

So it’s a really simple FEC this week: bit of racing, then a metric tonne of new bike news, conjecture, comment and opinion – including:

• Aprilia’s RS660, Tuono and Tuareg
• BMW’s F900XR
• Ducati’s Streetfighter V4
• Harley’s Pan Am
• Honda’s Blade and Africa Twin
• Husqvarna’s Denis concept
• Kawasaki’s Z H2 and Z1000SX
• KTM’s 390 Adventure, 890 Duke R and 890 Adventure. Um…
• Suzuki’s lovely, lovely, lovely DR Big 1050
• Triumph’s… er… hello? Hello?
• Yamaha’s Tracy 7

We ramble on for so long we run out of time for the FEC sack so apologies if it’s not a vintage episode, but at least it makes FEC150 a bit of a no-brainer. Thank you for listening, and thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to:

anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out Bennetts’ YouTube channel for some cool bike vids (Africa Twin, ahem), and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. And don’t forget to check out their offers! AND – see you at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on the Bennetts stand (Hall 4 Stand 4B 25) on Thursday 21st November between 11am to 12pm, then again 2pm to 3pm. And probably a few points in between.

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 104, eventually, brought to you by via the web’s best motorcycling website, bikesocial.co.uk, and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, via the mouths of Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons.

But before we kick off – come and chat to Martin and Simon for real at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on the Bennetts stand (Hall 4 Stand 4B 25) on Thursday 21st November between 11am to 12pm, then again 2pm to 3pm.

So it’s a really simple FEC this week: bit of racing, then a metric tonne of new bike news, conjecture, comment and opinion – including:

• Aprilia’s RS660, Tuono and Tuareg
• BMW’s F900XR
• Ducati’s Streetfighter V4
• Harley’s Pan Am
• Honda’s Blade and Africa Twin
• Husqvarna’s Denis concept
• Kawasaki’s Z H2 and Z1000SX
• KTM’s 390 Adventure, 890 Duke R and 890 Adventure. Um…
• Suzuki’s lovely, lovely, lovely DR Big 1050
• Triumph’s… er… hello? Hello?
• Yamaha’s Tracy 7

We ramble on for so long we run out of time for the FEC sack so apologies if it’s not a vintage episode, but at least it makes FEC150 a bit of a no-brainer. Thank you for listening, and thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to:

anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out Bennetts’ YouTube channel for some cool bike vids (Africa Twin, ahem), and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. And don’t forget to check out their offers! AND – see you at Motorcycle Live at the NEC on the Bennetts stand (Hall 4 Stand 4B 25) on Thursday 21st November between 11am to 12pm, then again 2pm to 3pm. And probably a few points in between.

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 103, suspended like a great chattering hammock from the stout tree trunks at bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And what a rambling podcast we have this week, only tangentially about motorbikes but also talking in topics such as:

• MotoGP from Aragon, with how the winning bike was second slowest, how Bradley Smith beat a factory Honda and what happens to all the “New World Champion” T-shirts that are made for riders who don’t end up winning them
• Jonathan Rea’s fifth WSB title proves a knife can win in a gunfight if the guy with the gun shoots himself in the foot – or unless he’s actually shot in the foot by a CEO with a Photoshopped head, then takes the money and runs onto a Fireblade
• news of Honda’s 2020 Africa Twin, including how it’s different from last year’s bike up to and down to lower seat height, more power, fancier gadgets and electric springs – and how much it’ll all cost
• plus gossip about the 2020 Triumph Street Triple, Kawasaki’s supercharged naked, BMW’s new S1000XR, F850GT and 850R, remote-controlled KTMs
• whether Ewan and Charlie’s ride across South America on Harley-Davidson Livewires is the most fascinating thing ever or a total irrelevance and, really, who cares? Answers on the back of a TV script please
• plus loads more nonsense about how to do 200mph on the cheap more motorcycling Room 101 topics (and a few disagreements!) what can replace a KTM 990 SuperDuke? what’s the best litre sportsbike replacement for a 2010 S1000RR? how to chainsaw braches on a fallen tree and why a Husqvarna won’t run on mineral two-stroke…

 …and much, much more of the same. Thank you for listening, thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out the Bennetts YouTube channel for some cool bike vids, and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. That is both amazing and great.

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter episode 103, suspended like a great chattering hammock from the stout tree trunks at bikesocial.co.uk and Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists. And what a rambling podcast we have this week, only tangentially about motorbikes but also talking in topics such as:

• MotoGP from Aragon, with how the winning bike was second slowest, how Bradley Smith beat a factory Honda and what happens to all the “New World Champion” T-shirts that are made for riders who don’t end up winning them
• Jonathan Rea’s fifth WSB title proves a knife can win in a gunfight if the guy with the gun shoots himself in the foot – or unless he’s actually shot in the foot by a CEO with a Photoshopped head, then takes the money and runs onto a Fireblade
• news of Honda’s 2020 Africa Twin, including how it’s different from last year’s bike up to and down to lower seat height, more power, fancier gadgets and electric springs – and how much it’ll all cost
• plus gossip about the 2020 Triumph Street Triple, Kawasaki’s supercharged naked, BMW’s new S1000XR, F850GT and 850R, remote-controlled KTMs
• whether Ewan and Charlie’s ride across South America on Harley-Davidson Livewires is the most fascinating thing ever or a total irrelevance and, really, who cares? Answers on the back of a TV script please
• plus loads more nonsense about how to do 200mph on the cheap more motorcycling Room 101 topics (and a few disagreements!) what can replace a KTM 990 SuperDuke? what’s the best litre sportsbike replacement for a 2010 S1000RR? how to chainsaw braches on a fallen tree and why a Husqvarna won’t run on mineral two-stroke…

 …and much, much more of the same. Thank you for listening, thank you for joining in with the conversation by emailing your thoughts, questions, considerations and jokes to anything@frontendchatter.com Please visit bikesocial.co.uk for your two-wheeled info, check out the Bennetts YouTube channel for some cool bike vids, and get your bike and travel insurance from the mighty Bennetts themselves. That is both amazing and great.

@SimonHBikes @Mufga

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode… oh, look, who’s counting? It’s not like we’re keeping score. Anyway – here are Simon and Martin, Making Britain’s Biking Podcasts Great Again, with special thanks and appreciation to bikesocial.co.uk, the one-stop shop (except, er, it’s free) for all your bang-up-to-date biking news, views and reviews (not sure that works). And of course thanks also the Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, for their continued loveliness and support. Hugs.  And on FEC102 (stop it!) we have:  • how motorcyclists get in the way • slightly tardy but nonetheless entertaining flashback to the Misano MotoGP in which Marquez and Rossi renew an old on-track friendship and Jorge Lorenzo falls out of friendship with Honda (recorded literally milliseconds before General Zarco got dumped by KTM)  • a new Harley ridden by Martin in that America they have now • have you ever lost the passion for bikes or riding?  • what’s the worst bike of the last 10 years?  • should we record another FEC LIVE at the NEC bike show?  • is there any other racing besides road racing, and why speedway is a good night out • is poor marketing to blame for the drop in numbers of young riders?  • are seats less comfy than they used to be?  • which matters more: smiles-per-gallon or engine size?  • what’s the best bit of Scotland to ride? …all this and more! Thanks for listening, and longtime love to everyone who helps us make FEC the FECnomena it is. 

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode… oh, look, who’s counting? It’s not like we’re keeping score. Anyway – here are Simon and Martin, Making Britain’s Biking Podcasts Great Again, with special thanks and appreciation to bikesocial.co.uk, the one-stop shop (except, er, it’s free) for all your bang-up-to-date biking news, views and reviews (not sure that works). And of course thanks also the Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, for their continued loveliness and support. Hugs.  And on FEC102 (stop it!) we have:  • how motorcyclists get in the way • slightly tardy but nonetheless entertaining flashback to the Misano MotoGP in which Marquez and Rossi renew an old on-track friendship and Jorge Lorenzo falls out of friendship with Honda (recorded literally milliseconds before General Zarco got dumped by KTM)  • a new Harley ridden by Martin in that America they have now • have you ever lost the passion for bikes or riding?  • what’s the worst bike of the last 10 years?  • should we record another FEC LIVE at the NEC bike show?  • is there any other racing besides road racing, and why speedway is a good night out • is poor marketing to blame for the drop in numbers of young riders?  • are seats less comfy than they used to be?  • which matters more: smiles-per-gallon or engine size?  • what’s the best bit of Scotland to ride? …all this and more! Thanks for listening, and longtime love to everyone who helps us make FEC the FECnomena it is. 

Hello and welcome to the podcast they said would never happen – ‘they’ being ‘us’ – yes, it’s Front End Chatter E101 – the one hundred and one-est motorcycling podgasm in the world.  And thanks as ever to the munificent and mellifluous melodians of motorcycling, Bikesocial.co.uk, and the brains behind the beauty, Bennetts the bike insurance specialists.  In E101 we have:  • our biking Room 101s (as suggested by Mian Cowell but whom I suspect we forgot to credit!) including:    – Steppenwolf    – Polite vests     – riding certificates     – the good old days      – PR    – track tyre pressure obsession    – moaning about other riders’ kit • plus! all the fact -free opinions from Silverstone MotoGP (which, yes, seems like a long time ago but was only last weekend ffs) • opinion about new bikes, including Triumph’s Daytona 765, Honda’s 1100 Africa Twin, and Triumph’s Tiger 900… and a radical guess at Suzuki’s 2020 range…  • plus #2 – emails on topics as diverse as: • helmet HUDs • heated visors • how a KTM 1290 and 1050 have the same gearing apart from top gear • best sub-500cc second bike for a short all-year commute • why learning to ride in your 30s might save biking • what are wire crash barriers all about?  • best underwear for hot weather and long distances All this and much more, so give FEC a go! Thanks again to Bennetts and Bikesocial.co.uk, thanks to you for listening (please continue to spread the words!), thanks to all race commentators everywhere for giving us free plugs, and get FEC on Twitter @SimonHbikes and @Mufga. 

Hello and welcome to the podcast they said would never happen – ‘they’ being ‘us’ – yes, it’s Front End Chatter E101 – the one hundred and one-est motorcycling podgasm in the world.  And thanks as ever to the munificent and mellifluous melodians of motorcycling, Bikesocial.co.uk, and the brains behind the beauty, Bennetts the bike insurance specialists.  In E101 we have:  • our biking Room 101s (as suggested by Mian Cowell but whom I suspect we forgot to credit!) including:    – Steppenwolf    – Polite vests     – riding certificates     – the good old days      – PR    – track tyre pressure obsession    – moaning about other riders’ kit • plus! all the fact -free opinions from Silverstone MotoGP (which, yes, seems like a long time ago but was only last weekend ffs) • opinion about new bikes, including Triumph’s Daytona 765, Honda’s 1100 Africa Twin, and Triumph’s Tiger 900… and a radical guess at Suzuki’s 2020 range…  • plus #2 – emails on topics as diverse as: • helmet HUDs • heated visors • how a KTM 1290 and 1050 have the same gearing apart from top gear • best sub-500cc second bike for a short all-year commute • why learning to ride in your 30s might save biking • what are wire crash barriers all about?  • best underwear for hot weather and long distances All this and much more, so give FEC a go! Thanks again to Bennetts and Bikesocial.co.uk, thanks to you for listening (please continue to spread the words!), thanks to all race commentators everywhere for giving us free plugs, and get FEC on Twitter @SimonHbikes and @Mufga.