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 a...
Jul 12, 2023•2 hr 39 min
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 Britai...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 2 min
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 tha...
Jun 17, 2023•1 hr 55 min
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 p...
Jun 09, 2023•6 min
Hello, good morning and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's best general-purpose biking podcast (apart from racing podcasts, of which there are many and excellent). This is Episode 177 of nonsense, the first since the FEC Grin Up North tour. And it's been a while because Simon and Martin have been busy eking a living from the dry, dusty soil of freelance motorcycle journalism. Thanks as always to Bennetts, with whom you ought to be insured for so many reasons – they're actually motorcyclists...
Jun 03, 2023•2 hr 1 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E176... LIVE FROM THE 2023 GRIN OOP NORTH TOUR! Yes folks, after a lengthy absence due to life, the universe and everything, Front End Chatter is back – and not only back, but back LIVE. Recorded in front of a hand-picked audience of FEC friends from a hotel in Lancashire, your hosts Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons talk a load of nonsense including: • guff about the new Suzuki GSX-S 8S and why it might be better than Honda’s Hornet • guff about the...
May 09, 2023•1 hr 17 min
Hello and welcome to Episode 175 of Front End Chatter, Britain’s funkiest motorcycling podcast, presented by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons, supported as ever by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place to get your motorcycling news and other two-wheeled resources. And on FEC175 we have: • Simon becomes one of a handful of humans to ride both Suzuki’s V-Strom 800DE and Honda’s Transalp at their respective launches – find out what he thinks and whic...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 59 min
Dearest FECers, welcome to episode 174 of the long-running – well, it's our ninth birthday, apparently, Happy Birthday to us etc – motorcycling podcast brought to you by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and ably, nimbly and elastically supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists (and if you haven't yet, you really should) and bikesocial.co.uk, the world of wokecycling on the web. And on this episode of FEC we have: • Martin making his spring comeback on his MV • top tips for g...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 52 min
Hello & welcome to Front End Chatter with him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and me, Simon Harararargreaves. This is episode #173 of a long-running saga, in which we are as ever indebted to Bennetts, the only bike insurers who actually invest a shed-load back into British motorcycling culture to promote the British Superbike series, create an ocean of free content at www.BikeSocial.co.uk, planted the seeds for a rich and fertile YouTube channel, and allow FEC to come in your ears once a fortnight. Th...
Feb 12, 2023•2 hr
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter Episode 172, hosted by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons and supported in their noble endeavours by Bennetts, the bike insurance gurus, and bikesocial.co.uk, the world wide web of wokorcycling. Bit of a special episode of FEC – c'mon, keep it light – as we visit the Motorcycle Industry Association annual conference and speak to the head of the MCIA, Tony Campbell, to find out what the great and the good of the British motorcycle industry are doing to...
Jan 28, 2023•1 hr 48 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E171 and I’m a bit short on time this week so here’s a condensed version of the usual word salad: FEC is a motorcycling podcast created by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycle content creators (I wrote a load of other stuff here about crumbling ivory towers but thought the better of it and pressed delete). Meanwhile, FEC is truly, deeply, madly proud to be supported and fertilised by the good people of Bennetts, the bike insurance ...
Jan 12, 2023•2 hr 2 min
Hello and welcome to episode 170 of Front End Chatter, the UK's finest motorcycling podcast with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons (other finest motorcycling podcasts without Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons are available). FEC is, as ever thus far, supported and ported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the greatest motorcycling website on the, er, web. And on this episode, we natter about: • birthdays, and why BMW are celebrating theirs like a dea...
Dec 22, 2022•1 hr 58 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's best biking podcast even if we – 'we' being Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, a pair of motorcycling ne'er-do-wells who once had an opinion and now just have onions – do say so ourselves, which is just as well because no-one else does. Front End Chatter is as ever supported like a great surgical truss of benevolence by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and their media empire of bikesocial.co.uk, upon which one can find all the new...
Dec 07, 2022•2 hr 3 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 168 in the long-running series of Great Motorcycling Podcasts – yes, we're back after a late summer break in which one of us got married and one of us didn't. Thanks as ever to Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk – supplying quality motorcycle news, reviews, videos, launches and consumer product tests longer than anyone can remember. No, not the consumer tests themselves; how long BikeSocial has been aro... oh never mind....
Nov 13, 2022•1 hr 49 min
Hello everyone, and welcome to episode 167 of Front End Chatter, Britain's poddiest motorcycling cast, supported as ever by nos amis at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, not only the web's most informative and enlightening motorcycling website, but also refreshingly free of the nasty, irritating ads and pop-ups you get on other websites. So let that be a lesson. And on this FEC we rabbit about: • the new Ducati Multistrada V4S Rally • BMW's uprated S1000RR • Honda's ...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 59 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s chattiest motorcycling podcast with him, Simon Hargreaves and him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons, and supported as ever by the wonderful folk at Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best biking website, er, on the internet. And on E166 we have for your aural delectation: the fallout and the fall-offs from Aragon, son of Arathorn, including Marc ‘Mayhem’ Marquez a farewell to Dovi, the new Dani Pedrosa speculation around the n...
Sep 23, 2022•1 hr 27 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's best biking podcast, and episode 165 featuring him, Simon Hargreaves, and him, Martin Fitz-Gibbons. Front End Chatter is, forever and day, sponsored and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and www.bikesocial.co.uk – the best website on the planet to get your fix of news, views and reviews. Hot news – FEC will be *briefly* be on stage at the NEC at 11am Thursday 24th November at Motorcycle Live! Be there, and come prepared to FEC...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 53 min
Hello and welcome to Episode 164 of Front End Chatter (or 'FEC' as it's also known around these parts) – a motorcycling podcast, ish, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, the world of biking on the web. And on this episode of FEC we have: • a round-up of Silverstone MotoGP, for the benefit of the 26,000 people who went last year but didn't go this time. • Energica Experia – in a genuine ooo, Mufga test rides the best electric bike, by a mile, so far. • Roya...
Aug 15, 2022•2 hr 3 min
Hello and welcome to Episode 163 of Front End Chatter, Britain's most flavoursome motorcyclistic podcast with Simon Fitz-Gibbons and Martin Hargreaves if you're listening in black & white. Front End Chatter is supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place on the web to keep up to speed with all things two wheels (and don't forget the Bennetts' YouTube channel wot has tons of good stuff on it). And on this week's FEC we have: • testing jackets for...
Jul 31, 2022•1 hr 51 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Episode 162 of the long-running family of motorcycling podcasts featuring wayward sons Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons (combined motorcycle journalism age: 50+, combined mental age: -50), supported like a pair of workshy fops by the patriarchal benevolence of Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists and bikesocial.co.uk, the place on t'internet to get all your bike info. And on this week's FEC we have: • when does riding off-road stop being fun? •...
Jul 15, 2022•1 hr 34 min
Welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain’s favourite biking and egg-throwing podcast, presented by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves, and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk, the best and most complete motorcycling website on the, er, web. On episode 161 of FEC: When is a MotoGP crash a mistake and when is it reckless riding, and what’s the difference? what is a Maeving RM1 and are friends electric? • Mufga puts his best foot forward at the Royal Enfie...
Jul 01, 2022•1 hr 55 min•Season 1Ep. 161
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter, Britain's Podcastiest Motorcycle, brought to you by Simone Hargreaves, Martina Fitz-Gibbons, Ben Nets (the bike insurance specialists) and bikesocial.co.uk (the best biking website on the er, web). And on this, the 160th episode, we have for your aural delectation, gossip about: • Marc Marquez – will he or won't he? • Suzuki – will they or won't they? • MotoGP – is it better than WSB or not? • The FEC800 – was it amazing, or was it amazing? • Simon's injur...
Jun 03, 2022•2 hr 2 min
Hello and welcome everyone to Episode 159 of Front End Chatter, Britain's Lengthiest Motorcycling Podcast – supported and extended by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and Bikesocial.co.uk, the best biking website on, er the web. And on FEC159 we have: • MotoGP gossip from Portimao and Jerez • the FEC800 is nearly upon us! • Suzuki Bennetts BikeSocial Busa Bonanza • the planned trials of 'noise speed cameras' • more on motorcycling training in the US • disappearing testicles and inopport...
May 03, 2022•2 hr 7 min
Hello and welcome to Episode 158 of Front End Chatter, Britain's most sideways motorcycle podcast, supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best place on the web for all your biking news, views and reviews. And on E158 we have: • the implications of Marc Marquez' remarkable ride at COTA • what is going on with Alvaro Bautista's hair? • The return of the Honda Hornet, but not as we remember it • Kevin Schwantz and Wayne Rainey ride together again at Goodwoo...
Apr 23, 2022•2 hr 4 min
Hello and welcome everyone to Front End Chatter, Britain’s talkiest motorcycle podcast, and episode 157 presented by Martin Fitz-Gibbons and Simon Hargreaves – supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the world of motorcycling on the web. And on today’s episode we cover the following ground: MotoGP gossip post Argentina but pre-Circuit of the Americas (well, the North Americas) will head-butting a herring gull write off your helmet? bar muffs – sensible and co...
Apr 10, 2022•1 hr 48 min
Hello everyone and welcome to Front End Chatter, a motorcycling podcast of sorts in which Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons conspire, despite something like a combined half century in motorcycle journalism, to demonstrate the absence of having learned anything worthwhile. They are ably supported in their endeavours by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the best motorcycling website in the world. If you’re insuring you bike, you’d be well advised to have a look...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 36 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E155, the Ben Bostrom episode, presented by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons from Chatter Manors, ably supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance experts, and BikeSocial.co.uk, the place for all your motorcycle news, launches, reviews, road tests, product tests and racing. And on this edition of FEC we have: the first round of MotoGP 2022 from Qatar and matters pertaining... as Triumph announces the restarting of bike manufacture in the UK, would you...
Mar 11, 2022•2 hr 2 min
Hello and welcome to Front End Chatter E154, and – please put your lips together and pipe us a tune – it’s our 8th birthday! That means Simon has been making Front End Chatter for 14% of his life – and 20% of Mufga’s. Front End Chatter is proud, nay, positively tumescent to be sponsored and supported by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and their multimedia wing, BikeSocial.co.uk. We implore, nay we beseech you to get your bike insurance with Bennetts – bike insurance run by motorcyclist...
Feb 25, 2022•1 hr 57 min
Hello and welcome to Front Endy Prongs number 153 in the long-running cerealised podcast of motorcycle-related things, sponsored forever and a day by Bennetts, the prince among Thebes of bike insurance specialists – and bikesocial.co.uk, the number one place to go for bike-related news, reviews and product and kit tests. And check out Bennetts' YouTube channel, with all the lovely lovely lovely moving images contained therein. Now, to business. This week Simon and Martin natter about: • MotoGP t...
Feb 13, 2022•2 hr 11 min
Hello and welcome everyone to Front End Chatter, Britain’s Best Predominantly Road-Based Biking Podcast, with Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons supported for the 100th time by Bennetts, the bike insurance specialists, and bikesocial.co.uk for all your motorcycle news, launches, reviews, road tests, product tests and racing. And on episode 152 this week we have: quiz time: who had 152 MotoGP podiums in their career? Marc Marquez is making his comeback, but in his 10th season he’s basically...
Jan 31, 2022•2 hr 5 min
