Front End Chatter Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons

Hello and welcome to Episode 181 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s most electric, eclectic and eccentric motorcycling podcast, presented by hoary old motorcycle journalists Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons. We are as ever indebted and in cahoots with Bennetts, Britain’s leading bike insurance experts, and BikeSocial.co.uk. No flipping, don’t change that channel – check out the offers, competitions and discounts Bennetts offer and become a BikeSocial member to access them all even if, for some reason beyond the wit of man, you aren’t insured with Bennetts. Don’t take our word for it – see for yourself.

However, speaking as someone who always fails to take advantage of money-saving offers because I’m hamstrung by a belief that paying less than full value is somehow morally wrong (I don’t like using loyalty cards because why should a supermarket item be cheaper for someone who has a ‘loyalty card’ than for someone who hasn’t? An item should cost what an item costs for every human in that shop, regardless of where they habitually grant their custom). Mind you I’m perfectly happy to stream football matches off an eastern European website, so figure that one out.
 
On this episode of Front End Chatter we have topics as widely varied as:
• Triumph’s new 660 Daytona and how middleweight sportsbikes now often less sporty than middleweight naked bikes
• Triumph’s addition of user-lowered rear preload on Tiger 1200s to make them more usable for more people of inversely advantaged verticality
• why KTM’s 890 Adventure R could be a forever bike, even if it doesn’t last forever
• proving a Zero electric bike can manage a day’s adventure (including off-road)
• and why every single commentator on YouTube, in print or on podcasts need their riding advice filtered through an ‘it doesn’t apply to me’ filter – this stuff ain’t Gospel, okay?

Anyway, that’s enough for now because I’m on holiday and the wifi in the holiday cottage uploads at a prehistoric pace which, given I’m on the Jurassic Coast, is appropriate if not completely infuriating.

Please grace our inbox – anything@frontendchatter.co.uk – with your thoughts, queries, jokes, funny stories and any random stuff that passes across your grey matter.

Catch me and him here:
@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Hello and welcome back to Front End Chatter, Britain's most durable motorcycling podcast, with Simone Hargreaves and Marion Fitz-Gibbons – a pair of ye olde worlde motorcycle journalists like wot they had off them magazines they used to have, talking about bikes, talking about riding them, talking about remembering what it was like to ride them, talking about dreaming of riding them, and talking about other things as well. Or even better. There's more to life than bikes – you might think that's what you came here for, but bikes are just the start. 

Anyway, thank you to Bennetts, the marvellous bike insurers, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place on the web to locate all your motorcycling news, views and reviews. And check out their YouTube channel, whydontcher? 

On this mighty organ of FEC we have: 
• a chat about the BikeSocial group test of the Suzuki GSX-8S, Honda Hornet, KTM 790 Duke and Yamaha MT-07 
• Yamaha's Tracer 9 GT+ with added radar soup
• a bit of natter about manufacturers using throttle mapping to define the power delivery of their bikes
• KTM's upcoming 1390 motor, and what size it might actually be
• ...and do we really need more capacity, and is that what really sells new bikes? 
• plus some of your FECsack emails, including what bike best sums up the 1990s? 

Thanks again to everyone for your ears, and please write with your questions, thoughts, queries, jokes, funny experiences, and that time you met and he tried to get off with your girlfriend, to: 
anything@frontendchatter.co.uk

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

Hello everyone and welcome to episode 179 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s Chattiest Motorcycling podcast with him Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and him, Simon Hargreaves – underpinned, as ever, by Bennetts, Britain’s best bike insurer and BikeSocial.co.uk, the place to go for your biking info. 
And on this week’s FEC we have: 
• EXCLUSIVE details of a special ADDITIONAL FEC tour THIS YEAR!
Yes, we’ve teamed up again with our friends at MCI Tours to bring you a FECin Welsh Weekend. When’s that, I hear you ask?
I’m glad you did – the FECin Welsh Weekend is taking place from the afternoon/evening of Friday 22nd September, riding on Saturday and Sunday, departing Monday 25th September. JOIN US – on the best roads in Wales, officially selected by the Cannes Jury Of Mint Roads in Wales, Bach. 
Visit bit.ly/fecwales and get involved.
Also in this honestly massive episode of FEC (because bigger is better, right?)
• Ivan Cervantes, multiple enduro world champ and Triumph test rider speaks about his world record endurance ride on a Tiger 1200, doing 2493 miles in 24 hours – and also updates on the progress of Triumph’s forthcoming range of enduro and motocross bikes
Plus! 
• all the info on two new technologies coming up on BMW’s R1300 GS – radar-powered front collision warning system and a new suspension system with variable spring rate (haven’t we heard this before? – Ed)
• details of Triumph’s new 400 Scrambler X and Speed 400
• how to ride in the wet

...and if that’s not enough, there’s more of the same. Blimey.

Please keep your emails coming in – queries, thoughts, musings, amusings, funny stories, nothing too heavy if you don’t mind, keep it light – to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

Aye. Youse brilliant, youse are.

@SimonHbikes
@Mufga

 
 

Hello everybody and welcome to a Front End Chatter FECsack special. Special you say? Yes, very special indeed, thanks for asking.
Why so special? Special because in a change from FEC's (un)usual format, we've devoted a full hour to answering one single, solitary, lonely, individual question sent in by a listener. Well, you know, after 170-odd of these things, we figured it's about time we did one properly...
And as such it is the unbelievably enormously magnificently humongous pleasure of Britain's best bum-lickingiest biking podcast to welcome the one and only Adrian Morton - Britain's best bike designer - to the deepest deep dive (too soon?) you'll ever hear on:
what it was like to work with (and then take over from) Massimo Tamburini
- how the Cagiva, sorry, MV Agusta F4 750 came to life, and whether it can ever be repeated
- how many designs does it take to get a footpeg right
- who really designed the F3, despite what Wikipedia says
- and much, much more, including the future of motorcycle design... We hope you love this detour from our usual FEC waffling as much as we do. And if you'd like to contribute to our bulging FECsack of listener questions, please fire your ponderings through to anything@frontendchatter.com

Hello and welcome one and all to Front End Chatter, Britain's cakiest motorcycle podcast with she/him, Martina Fitz-Gibbons and it/blimey, Simone Hargreaves. As the country's leading formerly employed but subsequently jettisoned motorcycle journalistas, now freelancing for anyone with a gold sovereign and a glint in their eye, we're proud to be supported and stimulated by Bennetts, Brian's leading bike insurers, and BikeSocial.co.uk, more motorcycling news, reviews and blues clues on the web than the web really deserves. 

And on this mightily magnificent episode we have: 
• the NC500 and why it's not a Honda parallel twin, but a blummin' ace ride around the top of Scotland
• BMW's new M1000XR
• Kawasaki's new ZX-6R
• the price is announced for Kawasaki's ZX-4RR
• Michael Dunlop and Peter Hickman dominate the 2023 TT
• how Triumph's Tiger 1200 is the fastest bike ever over the longest distance in 24 hours
• details of Bennetts High Performance Awards for bike clothing, taking the complexity out of bike kit protection ratings and why you should look out for it
• FECsack musings including why isn't cruise control fitted to smaller bikes, the best small-bore track bike, why bike modern bike seats don't always fit and much more...

Thanks for your ears, please keep your musings and queries and general thoughts coming to:
anything@frontendchatter.com

@simonhbikes
@mufga

Hello everybody, and welcome to a quick but exciting FEC cordially inviting you, dear FEC listener, to the Bennetts Snetterton Track Day on Thursday 13th July.
We’re going, and we’d love you to be there with us for a chin-wag and a cup of coffee.
Bennetts BikeSocial trackdays aren’t like other trackdays – they’re WAY better.
As well as 7 x 20-minute track sessions, with novice, intermediate and advanced group options, you’ll also get FREE action shots taken by a professional British Superbikes photographer, and be able to meet and ride on track with Mr John McGuinness.
An onsite BSB mechanic will offer set-up advice, a team of instructors will offer riding tips, and Yamaha track hire bikes are available to book. If you’re a novice, this is the perfect introduction – there’s an extended safety briefing if it’s your first time, plus two free classroom sessions offering advice on body position and circuit riding.
And all of this costs just £139 – an absolute bargain.
Normally Bennetts trackdays are only available to BikeSocial members, but we’ve swung a deal to allow FEC listeners to come along too, even if you’re not a BikeSocialist.
We'll be there, and we’ll have a garage put aside exclusively for the use of FECers.
Obviously you will need all the usual trackday safety kit (ACU approved full-face helmet, full one-piece or complete zip-together two-piece leathers, proper boots and leather gloves and all the rest) plus a full length back protector, and a front brake lever guard or hand-guards, and your bike will need to meet the noise limit (102DB static / 92DB driveby).
To book, you’ll need to head to the link below:
https://rewards.bennetts.co.uk/rewards/snetterton-trackday-13072023-discount-voucher-code
You’ll find all the info you need, the terms & conditions, plus a link to take you through to book your place, at Snetterton, on Thursday 13th July.

See you there!