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Front End Chatter

Front End Chatter

By: Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons
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Britain's best biking podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-GibbonsCopyright Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons
Episodes
  • Front End Chatter #222
    Jun 15 2026
    Hello and sorry and welcome to Front End Chatter, and episode 222 of the motorcycling podcast that may (or may not) owe you an apology. That grovelling worm is Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and that recalcitrant rascal is Simon Hargreaves. Having spent several months avoiding facing up to the monster they unwittingly (in both senses) created, they're back with two hours of unrehearsed waffle about all things biking. As always they'd like to atone for their two-wheeled transgressions to Bennetts, Britain's best motorcycle insurers, represented on the interwebs by both BikeSocial (bikesocial.co.uk) and BikeClub (bikeclub.bennetts.co.uk) – between them a bewilderingly big bonanza of motorcycling news, product reviews, used bike buying guides, industry expert advice and so much more. In this contrite (but alas not concise) episode of Britain's best biking podcast, Simon and Mufga discuss: •     Bikes for which manufacturers owe us an apology •     Riding a Manx Norton (ah) followed by a Norton Manx R – read more in Bike magazine •     BMW's R1300RS and Moto Guzzi's V100 Mandello S – read more in Bike magazine •     Touring to Spa on BMW's ludicrous M1000XR – read more in RiDE magazine •     How 'downgrading' tyres can improve a bike's ride and handling •     What went on at the 2026 Isle of Man TT •     Every biking engine layout, what they have in common, and which is best •     Whether speed limiters ruin sports-tourers •     The glory days of grey imports, and why they died out Thank you, one and all, for choosing to pour some Front End Chatter into your ears. Please keep sending your questions, thoughts, comments, wonderings and ponderings to anything@frontendchatter.com Until next time – whenever that may be...
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    2 hrs
  • Front End Chatter #221
    Mar 11 2026

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the motorcycling podcast, and none other than Episode 221 – they said we couldn't do it, but we've naysayed the naysayers. His name is Martin Fitz-Gibbons, editor of Bike magazine, and my name isn't but that's not important right now – what's important is we thank Bennetts, Britain's best motorcycle insurers who put more back into biking than insurance companies who put less back into biking, and some of whom put nothing back but merely take take take. Good people one and all. And also uber-thanks to the bikesocial.co.uk, the world of wokecycling on the web and on the YouTubes, with loads of news, views, new bike launches and road tests – all the good stuff.

    Right, on with the show – and today Martin and Simon, for it is he, opine about, in no particular order...
    • Suzuki's marvellous DRZ-Z4S and how old can be better than new
    • the loss of Phillip Island as a MotoGP circuit
    • Honda Hornet 1000 recall for excessive oil consumption
    • UK bikes sales stats for YTD up to Feb
    • fab epic bike doc by FortNine called Yalla Habibi
    • plus a selection of your fine emails from the FECSack.

    As ever, please keep your questions and queries coming to anything@frontendchatter.com

    And thank you very much for listening!



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    1 hr and 33 mins
  • Front End Chatter #220
    Jan 19 2026

    Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, the podcast home of all things motorcycle-related, albeit tangentially sometimes, which, let's be honest, it's a slow news decade and we have to talk about something so why not just gossip? He's Martin Fitz-Gibbons and he's Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycle content creators. And they're Bennetts, Britain's Best Bike Insurers, to whom we are all indebted, sometimes quite literally. And they're bikesocial.co.uk, where the web meets the world of bikes.

    And on the pod this month we natter about – blimey, where do we start?
    • Bennetts pull out of BSB sponsorship – the why and the what it means for BSB
    • The Buccleuch Arms Hotel, famed as the best hotel in Scotland and catering especially for motorcyclists, is up for sale! Details within
    • Moors The Merrier FEC Tour in 'almost sold out' shock!
    • 2025 new bike sales nearly 20% down on 2024
    • Voge R625 ain't half bad
    • Kawasaki Z1100 SE is more than half good
    • revolutionary solid state battery-powered bike with 10min recharge and 300mile plus range, 'Verge'-ing on the ridiculous
    • 62 historic MotoGP bikes worth zillions seized in Mexican drug bust
    • what's your top speed, ever, no names officer
    • which bike is the GOAT of all time?

    All this and more! And it's all in one episode!

    Send your questions, thoughts, comments, brain farts, top speeds and nominations for Greatest Bike Of All Time to anything@frontendchatter.com

    And don't forget to book onto the Moors The Merrier Tour with us! It's in July, it'll be sunny, it's a weekend, and the beer is... well, it's not free but you might get a pint out of it!

    May your god go with you.





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    1 hr and 36 mins
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