Front End Chatter

We're back! After a prolonged absence, which we find is the best kind, Front End Chatter returns with post-Argentina MotoGP gossip – and, let's face it, it had the lot: tyres, crashes, more tyres, boo-ing, early silly season, and some highly ill-informed nonsense about reverse-spinning cranks. Plus, Martin (him) and Simon (me) natter about some new bikes we've ridden, and where you can read about them. Ish. Thanks for listening, and thanks for remembering we exist. The next episode will be along shortly. x

Episode 40 of Front End Chatter, the Finger On The Pulse episode, comes not so much hot as slightly tepid with gossip from MotoGP testing (at Sepang, Malaysia, not Phillip Island). Fortunately, the big issues are still the same: will Casey race in 2016? Will the new Michelin tyres and retro-spec ECU mix results up this season? Will Lorenzo win the title by mid-season? When will someone first say ‘silly season’?  There’s also plenty of FEC-ing tittle-tattle about: Guy Martin’s no-show at the TT this year Triumph’s new Tiger 1050 Sport 6000 houses created at the Circuit Of Wales site. Sorry, we meant ‘6000 jobs’ why splitting WSB races over two days might be a good idea why manufacturers don’t make more of their Dakar race success reviving the Transatlantic race series – good idea or not? And are any American racers good enough? Or Brits, come to that are anti-theft bike tracking systems a good idea or a bit ‘after the fact’? does a near-miss take the shine off biking? is it okay to still like being a biker, b

HelloAndWelcomeToEpisode39OfBritain'sFavouriteBikingPodcast! And breathe... In the first FEC of 2016, Simon and Martin discuss: - The Dakar Rally, who's winning, who isn't, and who's paying any attention? - All the new rules for MotoGP, whether we can predict anything before anything has happened, and whether that feller who said he doesn't want to race again will, in fact, race again. - What's going on with WSB's barely comprehensible new format, and whether it will detract from what otherwise has the potential to be a pretty great year. - Who in the BSB paddock recently failed a drugs test, who will be making a welcome return to the BSB paddock, and who in the BSB paddock has just made a pretty dramatic career change. - Plus loads and loads (and loads) of your emails frantically read, mumbled, debated and, in a few cases, answered. It's a busy one... Email us: anything@frontendchatter.comTwitter: @SimonHbikes and @MufgaFacebook: www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatterYouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZg

Front End Chatter E38 looks back at 2015: the best bikes, the best races, the best racers, the biggest losers, and Martin and Simon's personal fave moments – plus the absence of British world champs on BBC Sports Personality Of The Year and FEC's New Year Resolutions. Have a merry Christmas, you FECers!   Thanks for listening, and please get on touch on email: anything@frontendchatter.com or Twitter: @Mufga@SimonHbikes  ...and try our Youtube channel!https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w/videos

Welcome to Front End Chatter E37 in which, now the dust has settled, Martin and Simon discuss the ramifications of that race from the point of view of someone who was in the grandstands at Valencia, and someone who had the benefit of replays on the TV (*SPOILER ALERT* hardcore Rossi fans probably shouldn't listen to this). Oh, and there's something about the NEW BRITISH WORLD CHAMPION... but we sort of forgot to mention it at the start...There's also a load of chat about 2016's most interesting new bikes (plus a couple of less interesting ones) with the usual disagreement (and one notable agreement), plus emails and exhortations to buy magazines and merchandising. Thanks for listening, and please get on touch onanything@frontendchatter.com@Mufga @SimonHbikes And if we don't speak again before Christmas (which is entirely possible), have a cracker!

Welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 36 – the Scoop/Meltdown episode – in which Martin and Simon reveal details of Triumph's 2016 range of Bonnevilles, Thruxtons and Street Twin – what they are, why they are, why they've taken so long and why there's no Scrambler. The second half of the podcast is all about who said what to whom at Phillip Island, and who subsequently rode into who at Sepang, and why Keith Huewen had better cut down on his meals for a few days and get used to the taste of Arai. It doesn't seem like much, but at least it feels much longer when you listen to it. Thanks very much for downloading, spread the word, and Visit our shop www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter Subscribe on iTunes itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/front-end-chatter/id827471484?mt=2 Twitter us at @SimonHbikes and @MufgaCheck out our Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter And try FEC visual treats on YouTubewww.youtube.com/channel/UCgeS_FcXLqwZgirmG2OCW0w

Welcome to Front End Chatter E35, which contains details of Kawasaki's forking-great 2016 ZX-10R, BMW's gravity-defying G310 concept bike (and why, if it really does break the laws of physics and hover, it also breaks the law in Britain), the ramifications of the technology-sharing pact between Honda, BMW and Yamaha, and the usual wild MotoGP speculation and gossip. Thanks for listening, and please get in touch: @SimonHbikes @Mufgaanything@frontendchatter.comAnd visit https://www.tshirtstudio.com/marketplace/front-end-chatter to get stuff. 

Front End Chatter E34 – the Less Than Honest Episode – in which: • Martin and Simon get their riding assessed and ride very sensibly – almost as if their livelihoods depend on it (which they do)  • VW are caught cheating on US emissions tests, but are bike manufacturers doing the same?  • details of Ducati's 2016 models are accidentally revealed online, by the same US emissions board who 'outed' VW (who own Audi, who own... Ducati) • Suter release a Grand Prix replica two-stroke, with an engine based on a late 1990s V4 500 motor but which mysteriously turns out to be 576cc• more MotoGP gossip in which Simon professes a sneaky change of heart and can't remember which rider it was caught on TV swapping his mouthguard for a false tooth• plus chat suggested by a selection of listeners' emails, including why are so many parallel twins about now, why Front End Chatter merchandise costs so much, why some bikers seem to hate that fashion and culture they have now, and the origins of Yamaha's speedblock paint design b

Back to scotch rumours of its (not our) demise, Front End Chatter E33 sees a lucid Martin and hungover Simon cover a wide range of two-wheeled gossip including: Jonathan Rea’s record-breaking World Superbike title, and whether Danny Kent winning the Moto3 title might be seen as a bigger deal new bike chat about the 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R, Honda’s Africa Twin, KTM's parallel twin, Yamaha's XSR700 and Ducati’s Monster 1200 R (and whether it is really is their most powerful naked bike ever, or if they’ve forgotten they also build the Diavel) the dubious merit of a short ad film featuring a new Triumph and the 'pseudo hipster saviour of motorcycling', Mr David Beckham the current state of the MotoGP championship, plus a review of Hitting The Apex, a film that definitely isn't about colonoscopy listeners' emails including the fine line between deliberately causing an accident on track, and just making a mistake and details of where you can purchase Front End Chatter's range of T-shirts, mugs and key rings. Blim

Coming to you fresh out of last week and looking all the way into next year, Front End Chatter #32 covers: - Speculation, rumour, gossip, semi-educated guesses and, in a few cases, actual established facts about the new motorcycles we can expect to see in 2016 (and 2017). - Whether BMW's new hi-tech flashing brake light gizmo is really such a bright idea. - MotoGP recap from Sachsenring, the battle for championship points still to fight, and the battle for focus Martin found himself fighting during the race. - Plenty of talk ahead of British Superbikes' crazy £50,000 scheme at Brands Hatch, including what it all has to do with Hulk Hogan. - Plus all your Tweets, emails, faxes and telegrams including two-strokes, racing at Daytona in the 1970s, racing at the TT in your 50s, the future of the 300cc sports class, and plenty more. Be a part of Britain's best motorcycle podcast by emailing your thoughts, opinions, feelings or questions to anything@frontendchatter.com. We're also on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Front

Britain's original motorcycle podcast is back once again with a hundred minutes of talk, discussion, argument, ill-informed rumour, shameful name-dropping and awful impressions covering: – Everything that happened at the Isle of Man TT races, including asking the question NOBODY IS EVER ALLOWED TO ASK! – All the last corner antics from the Assen round of MotoGP, including Rossi vs Marquez and Niklas Ajo vs his knees. – Whether getting the ’80s and ’90s GP band back together in Spain is a race we'd want to see in Britain – and whether it's really a race at all. – All the excitement surrounding Honda's absolutely staggering RC213VhyphenS. It's Márquez's race bike on the road! Well, apart from the engine. And the frame. And the suspension, brakes, wheels, tyres, petrol tank… – What it's like to take on 241 other BMW owners at the UK round of the BMW GS Trophy qualifying event. And, indeed, exactly what any of that actually means. – Plus all your questions and emails answered, or at least read out loud. Thank you

Front End Chatter, Britain's best motorcycle podcast, celebrates its 30th episode with a Q&A special. This time we've passed the handlebars over to you, dear listener(s), as Simon and Martin spend a full hour finding, inventing, and in some cases, actually knowing, answers to your questions. Topics include: - Why many riders find life gets in the way of riding, often for years at a time - Are bikes getting taller? And does size (of a bike's seat height) really matter? - Is the Ducati Scrambler "completely wanky"? (Not our words...) - 10 (or so) great roads to ride in Europe (and one in Wales...) - The invention of the British SuperCeleb championship, where Hollywood (the culture) meets Hollywood (the baker) at Hollywood (the corner) - Are the DVLA being sneaky buggers, or are some people just not paying enough attention? - Plus an ex-pat makes us all feel better by bursting a few bubbles about the reality of riding in Australia Thank you for downloading and, hopefully, listening. All questions, comments,

After six weeks of sponsored silence, Britain's least-consistent motorcycle podcast is back. In episode 29, Simon and Martin discuss: - Why watching MotoGP racing is a bit like watching two walruses fighting, or a Shakepearean play, or something. - Will Valentino win the title, will Ducati win a race, and will Melandri win a point? - The North West 200 race that was won by a movie star. - The new Honda Africa Twin, and whether it would have been much, much better or much, much worse if it was more like a Varadero. - Why Royal Enfield have bought Harris (not Rolf), and whether there are any warnings to be learned from Hero investing in EBR - The passing of Geoff Dukeobe (sorry, Duke OBE) and whether TT spectators in the 1950s got better value from slower racing. Thank you very much for listening. If you like, or at least tolerate this, check out all our other podcasts at www.frontendchatter.com or search for Front End Chatter on iTunes - and subscribe! Email anything@frontendchatter.com with questions, comment

Welcome to Front End Chatter episode 28, in which Martin and Simon: • discuss the drama of the 2015 season-opening MotoGP race from Qatar • preview (just) the upcoming 2015 season-opening British Superbike race from Donington • interview BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs in the back of a van and talk about what’s in store this year, why BSB is a success, whether the rules on electronics and the Showdown are a good thing or a bad thing, and what he regrets most after seven years in charge • ruminate on Dani Pedrosa’s poorly wrist and Casey Stoner’s unlikely MotoGP comeback • and read out listener’s emails on subjects such as Marco Melandri’s performance, why the law is an ass, the current status of Front End Chatter’s T-shirts and what we think of the current BT Sport MotoGP line-up. Hope you enjoy it; please send in your questions (verbal or written), subscribe via iTunes or Android, like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/FrontEndChatter) and talk to us on Twitter @SimonHbikes @Mufga

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

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 stil

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

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

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 (

This year's final episode of Britain's best biking podcast comes to you from the jungle... no, Andorra... no, Benidorm. And Sicily. In this hour-and-a-bit, Ant and Dec - sorry, Simon and Martin - cover: - Is Britain officially in love with Foggy once again (the stats suggest so), or did he just surf a wave of cult nostalgia (the stats suggest so...)?  - Marquez moves out of his parents' house, cries, then proves he's the greatest rider on the planet even in the off-season. Plus, a review of his new biography. - Reports from the launches of the new BMW R1200R (a simple bike that's incredibly high-tech), Kawasaki Versys 650 (the small bike trying to be a big bike) and Versys 1000 (the adventure bike that wasn't really an adventure bike and definitely isn't an adventure bike any more). - Front End Chatter discovers what it's like to ride a Kawasaki H2. - Plus your emails answered, some light bickering, and much more. If you enjoy this (for free), you can subscribe to Front End Chatter (for free), check out our p