Front End Chatter Podcast Archive (Episodes 53-59)

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 1 of… er lots).

Front End Chatter – Episode 52

This episode may contain nuts:

• MotoGP 2017 is nearly upon us, so we have look at the final test from Qatar and rate the chances of the major runners and riders, courtesy of William Hill (other bookmakers are available)

• World Superbike, on the other hand, is underway and the burning question is: can the WSB racing from Thailand live up to the craziness of the opening Supersport 600 race from Phillip Island a few weeks ago?

• KTM 1290 Super Adventure v BMW R1200 GS Rallye Sport: we’ve been lucky enough ride both bikes recently – one in Portugal and one in Peru – so we compare our experiences and discover how one is genuinely capable off-road bike for novices while the other is one of the best road bikes in the world, in a frock. Plus, is semi-active suspension really ‘better’ than comparable standard suspension?

• more news in the Honda Africa Twin heated grip saga

• the best waterproof textile jacket and trouser combo for £400, with buying advice help from https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/ SportsbikeShop.

• why covering your bike in aftermarket tat isn’t the smartest idea

• why photochromic visors don’t go black faced with car headlights (it’s obvious)

• your five dream bikes 

• why MotoGP bikes don’t have vacuum die-cast frames. Or do they?

Front End Chatter – Episode 53a

Feast your ears on the will-they-won’t-they, two-wheeled soap opera of Qatar MotoGP – including:

• how recording BT Sport in hi-def when you haven’t upgraded your package can result in missing the race

• the argument for and against remounting a crashed bike

• how Tech3 Yams (pronounced ‘Trois’, but don’t tell Simon) do well at Qatar until a certain Moto2 champion gets carried away

• disrespeculation about why Crutchlow crashed

• some nerdy stats about top speed

• what exactly Lorenzo is packing in his lunchbox

• plus chatter about World Superbike, World Supersports 600 and 300 at Aragon, and BSB at Donington – including a guest appearance by Martin Fitz-Guintoli...

We also say farewell to Sir John Surtees, have a quick tour around Suzuki’s new and rather wonderful V-Strom 650, the less new and less wonderful V-Strom 1000, and chatter about the launch of the least powerful, least torquey, most heavieriest and most expensive Yamaha R6 ever which neither Martin or Simon attended, but about which they have an opinion anyway. Typical. 

Front End Chatter – Episode 53b

A special FEC dedicated to answering, or failing to answer, your emails. Topics up for Front End Chattery include:

• what’s happened to the UK sportsbike market?

• do ex-police bikes make good winter hacks?

• why a BMW K1200LT is the best-value used bike out there

• the best set of one-piece leathers for under £600...

• ... and what should be worn under them?

• more headphone chat (that’s quite enough of that – Ed)

• what’s better: being faster or being safer?

• why MotoGP frames are hand-made and production bike frames aren’t

• is a Honda Varadero more comfy than a Pan European, and are they more comfy than a VFR800? And where does a CBF1000 fit in all this? (and what about a BMW K1200LT?) 

• why there’s a TAT, might one day be a TET, but probably not a TIT or a TWAT

• more Honda heated grips gripes – and turns out it’s not just the Africa Twin that suffers

• more top five favourite bikes, and a few least favourite bikes... including Honda’s 929 Blade and Kawasaki’s 2007 Z750

• how to decode new bike launches, why they’re honest, and why context matters

Front End Chatter – Episode 54

Subjects for discussion in E54 include:

• MotoGP from The Hot Springs Of the River Hondo circuit in Argentina – who won, who fell off, who thought they should've won, how many miles per gallon Cal Crutchlow gets from his RCV, and a whole bunch of nerdy stats including some so nerdy we can't actually work out what they mean

• World Snoozerbike from Aragon where (mumble, mumble)...

• British Superbike from Donington Park

• plus some bikes we've ridden including a thorough review of KTM's revamped 390 Duke, and a less coherent mention of Honda's new Rebel, CB1100s and CBR and CB650F

• plus your emails, which is easily the best bit, including why no-one makes 750 sportsbikes, why Rea could become the most winningest rider ever in WSB this year, and why swapping a Daytona 955i for a Versys 650 is a good idea.

Front End Chatter – Episode 55

In this, the latest episode of FEC, Simon and Marting discuss:

• MotoGP from Texas, where we got the first mouth-watering tease of a proper Marquez vs Vinales MotoGP scrap during qualifying, only to have all our hopes and dreams cruelly snatched away during the race in a massive shower of disappointment.

• The great GP lost-and-found phenomenon, including Lorenzo losing his temper and finding it caught on multiple HD cameras (and other great racing tantrums of our time); Loris Baz losing the front and finding himself praised for it (and other great racing non-crashes of our time); and Valentino Rossi losing his piece of racetrack to General Zarco and finding himself handed a 0.3-second penalty (and whether any of this should have ever happened at all).

• British Superbikes from Brands Hatch Indy circuit, where a nice smart young man appeared to come of age (not to be confused with his race number), won two races, shattered a circuit record - and, sorry, who is he again?

• BMW's new HP4 Race - which may or may not have been developed through racing, may or may not be eligible for any racing, and may or may not ever actually be raced by anyone ever - and where it ranks on the Front End Chatter exoticometer.

• Plus all of your emails, including the morality of riding fast on the street, whether magazines encourage law-breaking, the hidden costs of BMW's bargain K1200LT, back-torque talk, the world's best sub-95bhp motorcycle, why radiators are where they are, yet more Honda build quality complaints, the very best-looking bikes of all time ever, plus loads more!

Front End Chatter – Episode 56

This week, between blackbird interruptions, we look back at the fallout from the spectacular Jerez MotoGP race – which isn’t the same as the Corby Grand Prix – including: 

• race weekend perfection from Daniel Pedrosa

• Yamaha’s asymmetrical grip

• the world’s least safe safety car

• a last corner clash that failed to materialise

• the closest championship since 2009

• do the riders, premium athletes to a man, actually pop a can of Red Bull in parc fermé?

• the trials and tribulations of ex-Moto2 rider and sometime World Champ Danny Kent, who’s not from Kent

Plus – a re-evaluation of Ducati’s SuperSport, the merits of A2-licence friendly inline fours or parallel twins, and news of Avon’s new Spirit ST, their ‘hypertouring’ tyre.

Plus – some of your emails, including more of your best-looking non-sportsbikes, is speeding as socially unacceptable as drunk driving, who is General Zarco, what is the Kuiper Belt, is an MOT really necessary, what is defensive riding, how to fix a heavy throttle, and how to spot an idiot bike seller.

Front End Chatter – Episode 57

This time round Martin and Simon chatter in their front-endy style about: 

• Nicky Hayden: the man, the talent, the achievements, the infectious passion, the generosity, the tears at Estoril, the tears at Valencia, the incredible strength of character, the smile. 

• MotoGP from Le Mans, where General Zarco was propelled by patriotism, Lorenzo was stumped by strine, a small fall by Rossi led to a big fall in his championship standing, and Simon got in a huff and turned his telly off before the end of the race and went to spend some time in his log cabin that Danny Kent still hasn't turned up to finish yet. 

• The red-bike, red-flag, red-fireball fest that was World Superbikes from Imola. 

• John McGuinness's crash at the North West 200, what might have caused it, and whether it might have anything to do with the slightly peculiar throttle response on the 2017 road-going Fireblade. 

• By popular demand (no, really), an excessively comprehensive review of the most promising (if hardly imaginatively named) electric road bikes yet. 

• Your emails, including plenty of air expended about the pros and cons of airbag suits, do MotoGP fans like football, does FEC hate WSB… and finally… and finally?… and finally... a forgotten and (questionably) attractive non-sportsbike from Yamaha. 

Front End Chatter – Episode 58

• A very special, fully employed episode it is too; featuring, as it does:

  • Mugello MotoGP goss including:

  • Rossi’s motocross crash

  • a worrying resemblance to a CGI character from Lord of the Rings

  • a bad case of the shlitz

  • fast Ducatis

  • how to celebrate a win

  • Mattia Pasini’s odd riding controls and his clutchless downshifts

  • Triumph’s Moto2 deal 

• TT goss including – in fact almost entirely – semi-informed speculation about the travails of Honda, the 2017 Fireblade, and riders Guy Martin and John McGuinness – with an attempt to understand the connection between their accidents and the road bike (if there are any). 

• Loads of your emails, on wide-ranging subjects from the health of World Superbike and a few ideas on how to make it better, cheap motorway bikes, Husqvarna Nudas, more best-looking non-sportsbikes, and tons of other chattering. 

Front End Chatter – Episode 59

Just in time for the Assen MotoGP race this weekend, Front End Chatter recaps the previous round at Catalunya (apologies for the delay, delay, delay and don’t worry, because it was so long ago we keep it brief) – and it’s worth reminding ourselves what a hilarious, thigh-slapping sit-com of a race weekend it was with riders using the wrong track (but still in Spain), other riders falling over things and some riders falling over themselves.

We also cover – unusually – a cracking World Superbike race from Misano and find it a rewarding experience. Which is more than can be said for Ducati’s Charles Davies.

We’ve a bit more race goss, including a possible return to racing for former WSB champ and ex-Yamaha MotoGP star Bens Pies, Iannone moving from Suzuki to Aprilia, why it would be cool to see Jonathan Rea switching from WSB to jump on the MotoGP Suzuki, why tyres ‘spin’ on the rim, the latest British Superbike round from Knockhill, and who is Jake Dixon and is he in the RAF? Plus a bit of natter about Hutchy’s awful Senior TT crash. Yikes.

We also read out a few of your emails, including:

• more disrespeculation about Honda’s FireBlade,

• wrist relief on motorways,

• recommended heated clothing,

• a bit of a rant about why magazine and web new bike ‘tests’ may or may not be all they seem,

• the blurring of distinction between PR and journalism, and

• is riding fast an addiction, and what can you do about it?

We think that’s quite enough controversy for one episode, so if you enjoy FEC please

1. tell your mates,

2. email us with a question or a topic for discussion,

3. insure your bike with Bennetts

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