Front End Chatter #83

Welcome to Front End Chatter E83, and what a perfectly formed audio package it is too – supported and sustained as forever and always by the magnificent humanoids at www.bikesocial.co.uk and their Bennetts-ian, bike insuring benefactors. And wow! Scoop! Front End Chatter has a world exclusive interview with none other than the youngest man-child ever to win a grand prix – fresh from his Valencia Moto3 victory, we present Mr Can Öncü, fresh from his crib, literally. But apart from that, this week we waffle interminably on the following:   winners and losers from the final round of MotoGP from a predictably, or not, sopping-wet Valencia... ...and happy bunnies and sad hedgehogs from MotoGP testing at a largely dry Valencia will Triumph enter a factory team in Moto2 at some point, like, 2020, maybe to coincide with the launch of a Daytona 765 road bike? hits and misses from that 2018 Motorcycle Live they had then Triumph's new Street Twin and Street Scrambler, ridden at the launch in Portugal (in case it's unclear) comparing the sound of BMW's R1250 flat twin v the R1200 engine, and what it can tell us about the development of the new engine Renthal's chain expert gives his opinion on dealing with burst O-ring seals down a ropey phone line what's the best road sport tyres for a Daytona 675 for less than £200? what bikes can you buy now that will only increase in value, effectively giving you free biking? And is it worth buying a bike as an investment when you're 50, anyway? why does no-one make a great touring naked bike, in the mould of BMW's Rockster? what's the best small-capacity bike that commute, do a bit of two-up and cope with a more generously-proportioned rider for less than £1000?... • ...and, in contrast, should a man, who isn't the bass player in the Foo Fighters but could be, sell his already exotic bike collection and then buy something truly, fabulously, exceptional? It's a tough one.   Many, many thanks for all your emails; please keep 'em coming to:   [email protected] And catch Simon and Mufga on the Twitters at @SimonHbikes @Mufga Until we meet again!