Front End Chatter Podcast Archive – Episodes 110 - 119

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 6 of… er lots).

Front End Chatter – Episode 110

Right. Nothing going on here. Nothing to see, move along.

No, of course we have ill-informed gossip about:

• Norton – the story you’ve probably already heard, where you can read a bit more, and – while it’s a mere speck of insignificance compared to the very real issue and pain of people losing their life savings – we discuss the role of the motorcycle media in the sorry saga

• Triumph’s new Tiger 900 – what’s the crank like?

• Kawasaki’s new Z1000S... sorry! Ninja 1000SX – what’s the steering like?

• Suzuki’s V-Strom 1050 XT – what’s the paint job like?*

• MotoGP is nearly back, with the closest testing times from Sepang in the history of ever meaning it’s even more pointless to try and derive any relevance from it – and why the top-placed factory rider has a V-Strom 1000...

• news on Iannone’s hair and sausage drug defence

• and of course the mighty FEC-sack, including:

  • how to wave at other riders

  • VFR800Fi or late 90s Blade?

  • do mods make a used bike more or less valuable?

  • how to overcome a fear of leaning a bike through corners

• ...and much more.

* It's gorgeous!

Front End Chatter – Episode 111

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E111, the Aaron Slight Episode of Britain's flavoured biking podcast, sponsored and supported as always by nos amis at BikeSocial and Bennetts, the bike insurance peeps. 
And aptly enough we have a WSB feel to the front end of Front End Chatter, as the racing season kicks off with a triplet of cracking races from Phillip's Island in Australialia. Sadly, that's about as far as racing is likely to go for a good few months yet, as global events demonstrate racing is not, in fact, life. 
Luckily we still have a few new bikes to chunter about, as well as a bulging FEC-sac with topics as diverse as... the best bike to replace a 1400GTR, is riding morally wrong, leathers buying advice and the correct underwear, and riding in France on a bike that smells. 

Front End Chatter – Episode 112

Hello and welcome to very special, hopefully one-off, episode of Front End Chatter in which, as a result of current events, has been assembled from snippets of previous FECs and turned into a completely new podcast!

No, truth is in keeping with government advice, FEC has self-isolated itself with Mufga calling in via Skype from the East Wing of Chatter Manors – yes, he's literally phoning it in. 

But even with the seriousness in the world, motorcycling carries on – well, not racing, but we can even talk about not racing. 

And apart from the obvious, we take a deep dive through the FEC sack and discuss your many and varied thoughts, questions, points of order and musings. 

Please keep them coming; the world might be changing but you can rely on FEC to keep chugging along.

Front End Chatter – Episode 113

On this week’s episode we discuss:

• coping with life not riding motorbikes

• will there be any racing at all in 2020?

• does virtual racing offer any kind of substitute for the real thing?

• actual Andrea Iannone drugs ban news

• the joys of watching 1980s racing on YouTube

Plus the mighty FEC sack gets a battering, with topics such as:

• the pleasures of working your way up the biking ladder, then starting again from scratch...

• ... and is it therefore worth ‘saving’ getting your ultimate bike

• candidity (© Mufga) in the bike press

• is an airbag jacket really worth it, and can they save lives? Or better off spending the money on rider training?

• if bike theft trackers are fitted as standard by dealers, will that mean thieves will just get wise and work out how to disable them?

• the merits of Honda’s VFR800 v Honda’s 954 FireBlade, and why Honda’s current VFR isn’t as good as its predecessors

• what’s a good modern sports tourer?

• ... and much much more...

Front End Chatter – Episode 114

Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s – nay, the world’s – most socially isolated motorcycle podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons... and welcome to Episode 114 – the third in a series in which Martin literally phones it in.

Thanks as ever to our brothers and sisters at BikeSocial – the worldwide web of motorcycling (check out their YouTube channel!) and of course Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists.

And in this meandering soufflé of waffle we touch lightly on subjects as varied as:

• what constitutes an ‘essential’ journey, and is a bike an appropriate vehicle?

• Norton has been bought by TVS of India for £16... sorry, £16 million... so will any of that go to refund deposits, reimburse pensions and repay creditors? And what does it mean for future Norton motorcycles?

• the MotoGP 2020 season guessing game continues with news of cancellations and possible fan-free races financed by an energy drink,

• plus! What have the MotoGP stars been getting up to in lockdown, and why they should maybe keep it to themselves,

Plus!

• why owning a Firestorm isn’t as fun as dreaming of owning one,

• should manufacturers be forced to reveal where a bike is assembled on the VIN plate?

• how much influence does the bike press have, and if they covered smaller brands, would it sell more bikes?

• do bikes have a soul?

• is downsizing an admission of defeat?

• more rear brake advice, this time from a MotoGP rider and WSB champ,

• the most embarrassing things we’ve ever done on a bike,

• can you go further riding on your own?

...and much more nattering and chattering.

Front End Chatter – Episode 115

And in this week’s worldwide web of waffle we discuss:

• when is lockdown not a lockdown, and why it’s important to make our first ride back special

• how MotoGP and WSB plan to keep calm and carry on – and if a race falls down in a season and there’s no-one there to see it, does it actually happen? 

Plus!

• taking an MT-07 off road, and is it better to have a single all-rounder, or two specialist bikes but each at half the value?

• Fazer 1000 or FZ1 Fazer? And what are the best mods?

• is there any way to keep cool on roasting hot days, and which bikes should be avoided?  And do bikes run hotter today then they used to?

• what’s our favourite engine configuration and is it the sole reason for falling in love with a bike?

• drop visors – yes or no?

• what modern gadgets are hardest to live without?

...and much more nattering and chattering, as usual.

Front End Chatter – Episode 116

And in this episode, a still socially distant Martin and Simon rabbit on about:

• the return of MotoGP, and whose Alpinestars Jack Miller will be filling at Ducati in 2021... and if they turn out to be Petrucci's, will the Italian then go and do the Dakar instead?

• getting back on a bike after post lockdown, and is 'riding rust' actually a thing or is it just riders getting overexcited after a period of inactivity?

• what bikes do we think are the best of all time in a FEC's Factor?

• should we celebrate 125 episodes of FEC by doing 125 laps of a flat-track oval, or a roundabout?

• will Kawasaki's supercharging technology eventually trickle down to smaller bikes in their range, or will it always be flagship technology?

• is an R1250GS *really* the ultimate aspirational bike, or is it over-hyped?

• will wearing an air-bag suit one day be as normal as putting on a helmet?

• is it ever okay to cheer a rider crashing on a race track?

... and much more natter and chatter. 

Front End Chatter – Episode 117

Right, on this week's episode we have chatter about:

• The return of racing, with condensed schedules proposed for MotoGP and BSB – and which riders will benefit?

• Rider line-ups for 2021 taking shape, with him there and him going there, does that mean he won't go there?

• no Motorcycle Live in 2020 – so what new bikes will we see in 2021, and where can we see them?

• why do manufacturers make bikes with small fuel tanks?

• the four-wheel Honda powered by an Africa Twin engine

• how to fit earplugs properly, and are foam plugs better than custom-made plugs?

• with touchscreens and electronics, are bikes getting too complicated for their own good?

• will voice-activation be a thing for bikes in the future?

...and much, much more, no, really.

Front End Chatter – Episode 118

Anyway, to matters in hand: in this episode of FEC we have:

• more speculation on the MotoGP merry-go-round of who’s signed for who and who’s not signed for anyone and who might be getting the Herr Flick

• disgraced Norton ex-boss Stuart Onions is required to pay back £14m of other people's money he no longer has

• Yamaha release details of the Ténéré 700 Rally, which may or may not be the best-looking bike of 2020

• Ducati launch the Superleggera in an exclusive ride at Mugello, and it's really fast and really expensive and sounds nice, aye

Plus!

• our favourite rides of all time

• the perils of using a phone as a sat nav

• keep the GSX-R750 or get an SV650X or a Tiger?

• why tracing fuelling faults is the worst job in the world

• why aren't photo-reactive visors more common?

• the problem with carbon fibre wheels

...and much more including Simon's sandwich recipe and Martin's biking spirit guide revealed.

Front End Chatter – Episode 119

And in episode 119, Martin and Simon chatter about: 

• revving up for the return of MotoGP at Jerez with more speculation about who goes where in 2021, and guessing who’s going to win

• the great biennial KTM giveaway

• is Arai’s Pro Shade: inelegant solution or just naff?

• is taking weight off your bike’s flywheel a good idea, and can it improve handling?

• track days are back in action, but how safe are they post-lockdown?

• after six years and 119 episodes, what are our FEC highlights?

• how would riders who ride in POLITE vests react if they were asked to do actual police work?

• what’s the biggest thing you’ve carried on the back of your bike?

• what’s the best post-Direct Access bike for a new rider, for around £4000, apart from Honda’s CBR650F?

• what to look for when buying your first bike, and how to try not to buy one with a shagged gearbox without getting a test ride

• the pros and cons of commuting on so-called ‘exotic’ bikes, and is Husqvarna’s Nuda 900 the ideal exotic commuter?

• how high can you drop a helmet from before it’s knackered? 

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