Front End Chatter Podcast Archive – Episodes 130 - 139
BikeSocial Road Tester
11.01.2021
We've had a rummage in the back of the cupboard and pulled out all those old editions of Front End Chatter that get pushed back there when the new one lands, brushed them down, tidied them up a bit and put them all together into one bumper page - the Front End Chatter Archive (Part 8 of… er lots).
Front End Chatter – Episode 130
On FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about:
Davide Brivio’s shock exit from Suzuki MotoGP team boss to F1... and who we’d choose to replace him
John McPint MBE has won an MBE from the Queenie, but who else has and who hasn’t?
when motorcycle manufacturers get market research wrong
hello to Aprilia’s new Tuono 660...
...and goodbye; we mourn the passing of true racing and engineering pioneer, Peter Williams
We also dive in the FEC sack and answer some timeless wonderings:
what was that about preload and ride height again?
winter hacks – it’s a love/hate thing
magazines are for old riders; YouTube is for young ’uns: discuss
are the Isle Of Wight Diamond Races going to happen in 2021?
all this and much more!
Front End Chatter – Episode 131
On FEC this week, Simon and Martin chatter about:
Triumph’s new Speed Triple 1200 RS – how big will it be really, is it bored and/or stroked, and will Triumph go after hyper-naked revs and power, or keep the Speed Trip a raunchy but slightly more useful super-naked?
when is a spy shot not a spy shot?
guesswork around Aprilia’s new RSV4 and Tuono, for whom the passenger has always been a "barely tolerated guest" according to Aprilia – and wouldn’t it be nice if they made a CapoNord V4?
We also dive in the FEC sack and ponder delights such as:
when is it too cold to get your pegs down and why motorcycling shouldn't be a faith-based activity
where should we put our feet when we're riding?
how racing isn't necessarily a mandatory next step on from track days
what's the adventure bike equivalent of a ZZR1400 for £6-£7k?
and much, much more! A bit.
Front End Chatter – Episode 132
in this episode, Simon and Martin chatter about:
a new Suzuki Hayabusa they know nothing about, but which you, by now, do – was we right or was we right?
Triumph’s new and rather impressively spec’d Speed Trip
KTM’s updated but also impressive 1290 Super Adventure with rude tyres
Are BMW really not going to bike shows any more?
And in the FEC sack, we have topics as varied as:
how to secure your helmet to your bike when going walkabout
how to ride over potholes and bumps (at speed)
what do electric bikes have to achieve to find widespread acceptance?
what makes a bike exceed expectations?
what’s the Five Nations Tour?
when is a Vyrus not a virus?
...and much, much more...
Front End Chatter – Episode 133
On this episode of Front End Chatter we have:
how do you like your pancakes?
full details of Suzuki’s 2021 Hayabusa, including some thinking behind that headline power deficit over the old bike…
Martin’s new bike – what’s he got and why’s he got it?
how cool would an adventure bike rally-cross race at the Isle of Man be?
how will a proposed naked superbike class effect the prospects of up-and-coming young riders on an international stage?
wouldn’t it be cool if Triumph lay on a Speed Triple on e-make series to promote the new bike?
the pros and cons of the Rekluse auto clutch system
fuelling and throttle snatch – why, oh why does it exist?
why is fuel injection less efficient than carbs?
… all this and much more chattering!
Front End Chatter – Episode 134
On this week's episode we chatter about:
which bikes from the 1990s Performance Bikes archives did *exactly* 134.0mph?
Harley-Davidson's Pan Am adventure bike and what we can glean from the – let's not be coy – frankly amazing spec. Is it too good to be true? And is it ugly or good-looking?
the return of Buell, which probably isn't actually
Keanu Reeves' virtual sex
Suzuki's Hayabusa, with an explanation by Suzuki as to why it makes less power – and does it matter?
will the battery-swapping tie-up between Honda, Yamaha, KTM and Piaggio make any difference to the acceptance of electric bikes?
what's the best road to the West Coast of Scotland?
what bike from the last ten years will go to be collectable in the next ten?
All this and much, much more. Thanks for listening and continuing to support the podcast with your magnificent ears, we really do appreciate it.
Front End Chatter – Episode 135
And on this week’s FEC we have:
the season hasn’t even begun yet, but MotoGP testing from Qatar has already produced a long list of winners and losers, and raised more questions than it answered:
will Dovi race an Aprilia this season?
when will Marc Marquez return?
who will be Yamaha’s top rider?
will this be Rossi’s last season?
Plus we have gossip about:
a potential return for the R7 name, but not as we know it
when buying a crash helmet, do you get better protection the more you spend?
is a KTM SUperDuke GT a better sports tourer than a Kawasaki Z1000SX or a new Yamaha Tracer 9 GT?
where should we put our feet, part II
what’s Moto Guzzi’s next step?
is a 2021 FireBlade really a better road bike than a 2011 model?
what’s the best bike for a motorcycling Rip Van Winkle?
All this and more! Get it while it’s hot!
Front End Chatter – Episode 136
in this episode Simon and Martin rattle on about:
MotoGP is back! Two races from Qatar, a veritable oasis of human rights, and a few lefts, in the desert – where, true to current MotoGP form, there is literally and metaphorically no form book.
Suzuki's Hayabusa gets ragged up a runway fo some speed figures, and reveals the result of its engine changes
Triumph unveil the TE-1 – their electric Speed Triple [it's not a triple - Ed] and even cynics are taking an interest [will the first test be written by Sir Alan Cathode? Hahhaahha – Ed]
and a deep dive into the FEC sack, with wide ranging questions such as:
which Scrambler is the best?
are there any bike models in which the bike with the smaller engine is better than its bigger brother?
are illegally ridden electric mountain bikes putting kids off 'proper' motorbikes?
advice on new bikes and rubbish tyres
...and much, much more.
Front End Chatter – Episode 137
In this episode we have:
MotoGP from Portugal, wherein did Marc Marquez return to the fray and managed to score more points in one race than Valentino Rossi has in the first three. And although his body may be weak, it took only a few minutes to discover the Marquez spirit is still strong.
a brief summation of a first ride on KTM’s new 1290 Super Adventure S
a few impressions from the first big trips on Suzuki’s 2021 Hayabusa
and Mufga’s final road test (maybe for a while, maybe not) on Aprilia’s Tuono 660
how hot is too hot to ride a bike?
best tourer for a six-footer with a sportsbike background?
why a Kawasaki KLX230 might the answer to reliving your biking youth (if you could buy it in the UK)
best sporty all-round tyres for a custom-built Suzuki SV650…
…should used scrubs from racing be used on the road?
…all this and much, of so much, more!
Front End Chatter – Episode 138
On Episode 138 of FEC we natter about:
MotoGP from Mugello, in which the racing was overshadowed by the death of Moto3 talent Jason Dupasquier in qualifying. But the racing went ahead anyway: should it? Plus why can't Marc Marquez and Alex Rins stay upright?
we also natter about Yamaha’s R7 (we wuz rite)
why southern Italy is a cool place to ride a bike
why a 2021 Tracer 9 GT is a good bike to ride it on
why a 2021 BMW S1000 XR maybe isn't
and Simon's completely unbiased opinion of Bridgestone's new Battlax T32 sport touring tyres (cheque to the usual please Mr Stone)
Plus!
do we still have to deduct a Covid year of not riding from a helmet's life?
should we give Harley's Pan Am a chance?
if adventure bikes are the bikes for all occasions, and we don't like scooters, what doe we think of Honda's X-ADV?
should a first-time A2-licence bike owner go for a project bike or a new/used bike - and what's the best pillion A2 bike?
All this and much more! Is this the longest FEC ever?
Front End Chatter – Episode 139
And on FEC this week we have:
young Fabio’s habit of getting his boobs out, and the propriety of doing it on the last laps of a MotoGP race
plans to livestream the 2022 TT, plus more racing in 2023
where we stand on Ana Carrasco’s balls
Simon’s latest headphone revelations
Plus!
more on where to your feet when you’re riding
if you haven’t got a bike, are you still a biker?
what would you do and where would you ride if you knew you had limited time left?
are electric bikes *really* green or is it just a great big hypocrisy?
Until next time!
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