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PODCAST · business

Prick & Thistle

Mike & Andrew discuss their various experiences of owning & managing two franchise Ducati motorcycle dealerships in Scotland, as part of the Ducati Manchester Group. They have different backgrounds, but are both biking nuts, who over the years have loved road riding, racing, track days, off road riding, adventure touring and Club membership. They own and ride a wide range of Ducati motorcycles and attend various events, factory visits and race meets in the UK and overseas. They have a good network of industry contacts from the biking world and beyond. In this Podcast they talk about all of this stuff. Get in touch with us at [email protected] views expressed in the podcast are those of Prick & Thistle, as we do not represent Ducati UK, nor Ducati Motor Holdings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac

  1. 16

    Two old guys reminisce, then with audio challenges discuss the current motorcycle retail environment

    we haven't podcasted for a while. we have been focused on the business. dealing with potentially very challenging business issues. but, it's not just us. the UK motorcycle retailing trade is having it tough just now. we chat about that from our point of view. annoyingly, after 30 or so minutes, we experienced terrible audio quality. sorry about that. hopefully it won't happen again. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. 15

    Sugar coated sticky ring

    Mike's off to Spain on his Streetfighter, as long as he can find out what blood group he is. The track days at Angelsey were epic once the toilets had been negotiated, even for 'Rider A'. Investment grade Sport homes are on our shopping list. Was it Pecco's fault or Alex's fault? We discuss. Incoming new Ducati models for 2025 and winter riding for pensioners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. 14

    "Wet, sweaty & broken", Marc Marquez is coming & Pusher's "great escape" - WDW2024 (Part 2)

    Andrew recorded Mike's arrival back to the hotel room, from the dinner on the first night of WDW2024. We apologise for the fruity language. We offer a canter around the many attractions of the event, including the Race of Champions, and then marvel at the antics of the travelling group on the route northwards, back towards the ferry home. We do a relatively deep dive on Glenn Irwin's Race of Champions ride. We include Pusher's legendary 'great escape' from the mid-Alpine mountains by rail. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  4. 13

    10 countries in 10 days - tinkles, fags & fuel - WDW2024 (Part 1)

    We've been away for a month. Lots of Ducati related things have happened over the last four weeks, and we've also been on holiday. This podcast episode is 'Part 1' of the things that we can remember from the highlight of the last month - our customer tour from Scotland to World Ducati Week 2024, at the San Marino Circuit near Rimini, Italy. We'll be back very soon with 'Part 2' and soon after that with 'Part 3' - 'what happened next.....'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  5. 12

    There are no tigers in the Serengeti...but Andrew went to Donnington & Mike did 2,002 KM on a Multistrada Rally.

    We are gearing up for World Ducati Week 2024. But, not before Andrew spent a weekend at Donnington Race Circuit for the WSBK UK round. Meanwhile, Mike was unexpectedly riding 2.002 KM for a 3 day UK tour on a Multistrada Rally, as part of the Ducati Multistrada Rally 60.000KM European Tour. We also receive listener feedback whicj challenges our knowledge of global flora & fauna. If only we have taken geography more seriously at school....... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  6. 11

    Shaun the Sheep shimmies his way to the ABR Festival 2024

    This episode is mostly about Andrew's, Mike's and Ian 'Simmo' Simpson's experience at the Adventure Rider Bike Festival 2024 at Ragley Hall, near Alcester. As ever, the latest MotoGP news is discussed and we telegraph future episodes that we feature Hal's technical training in Bologna and one of our good friends and customers who has spent a lifetime in the music industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  7. 10

    Eggs, rain, tyres & workshop deep dive (part 1)

    Andrew cooks his lunchtime eggs in a kettle whilst discussing our local BSB round from last weekend at Knockhill circuit. Motorcycle tyres for the race track and for off road rising, get an outing, as does the rain in various locations. We offer a behind the scenes perspective on the workshop operations of the dealership in the first of a two part series. We finish with Ben's water divining using parts of a toasting grill and an electric blanket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  8. 9

    Specials, Lane Blockers & Net Promoter Scores

    The current roster of special edition bikes by Ducati prompts Mike to try and remember Ducati's historic collaborations. Mike's laptop is broken and Andrew is happy. To rent or buy? Why we hate lane blockers. How many riders does it take to create a traffic jam? Even if you don't buy a Ducati from us, you still get to mark our homework. The MotoGP paddock is alive with rumours of rider signings for 2025. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  9. 8

    The last Jaffa cake, the verdant bush & The Dirty Baker's Dozen - "Clear!"

    The weather is good and both Mike & Andrew have been out riding. Mike damaged his bike riding over some stones and Andrew's been splitting lanes again. The Green Welly Demo Day is nearly upon us and we are offering some bikes at knockdown prices. "Clear" is the signal to pull out around a blind left hand bend, if you trust your riding pals. Well done Glenn Irwin on being the winningest Superbike rider at the NW200. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  10. 7

    Fuel light bingo, matching bikes & handbags and Top Gun handles

    The temperature is now in double figures and we've been riding out to the seaside for fish, chips and ice cream with the official Ducati Club. When the fuel light comes on, Mike ponders whether he'll make it to the next filling station. We Ride as One will have us out again next weekend, meeting at 11am at the Kelpies in Falkirk, or watching BSB at Oulton Park. The bearded glamour of flip top lids are discussed, as well as 'fully fitted' Cardo Comms. Our guest this week is legend road & track racer Ian Simpson, who has been planning our customer 'Run to Rimini' 10 day tour to WDW2024 in July. Andrew marvels at the MotoGP round in Jerez and postulates that Marc Marquez is going to be Pecco Bagnaia's closest rival for the Championship in 2024. Finally, it's back to Glasgow to face the new blanket 20mph city wide speed limit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  11. 6

    Andrew's Hells' Kitchen Nightmare & his trip to COTA. Mike buys a tent for ABR.

    Andrew is back from his trip to America. He starts with his latest dietary fad, before expounding upon his experience at Ducati dealers and Moto GP's Round 3 at the Circuit of the Americas, in Austin Texas. We get an exclusive interview with Jason Chinook, CEO of Ducati North America. Finally, Mike tells us about a tent that he's purchased for ABR in June. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  12. 5

    Lane splitting in California, Troy Bayliss in Bolton & BSB testing with Glenn Irwin

    Andrew is visiting Uri in California, before they both travel to Texas to watch the MotoGP round at the Circuit of the Americas. Meanwhile back in the UK, Mike met Troy Bayliss at the DMG 'Evening with' event where Troy was joined by Carl Fogarty and Glenn Irwin. 160 guests enjoyed a brilliant evening where the racers shared some fantastic stories, some old, some new. Afterwards the racers and home team had a hotel party. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  13. 4

    Potholes, GoPros and the time when Pecco met Mark in Portimao

    This episode is a dolly mixture assortment, a smorgasbord of things, that we've been up to and what we've been looking at since last time. An e-bike crash, the Dundee demo day, the state of the roads in Scotland, the rise and fall of different types of motorcycle, Liberty's acquisition of Dorna, the Pecco/Marquez crash at Portimao, various bits of DMG news and the time Mike lost his GoPro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  14. 3

    The Scottish Motorcycle Show including the 'Hall of Doom'

    In this episode Andrew & Mike discuss their experience of exhibiting and attending the MCN Scottish Motorcycle Show on 16 & 17 March 2024. They talk about the background to the show, how and why the Ducati Glasgow & Dundee dealerships were exhibiting, and how all the racing legends came together on the stand. Later on they explore the full universe of motorcycling that the show's 3 halls represent and ask the question, 'what will happen to all the classic bikes when the current owners leave the planet?'. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  15. 2

    Glenn Irwin discusses Business, Bologna and BSB

    We are back with Episode 2. Sometimes in life, you have to be reactive. If you see a new family member walking by, you have to grab him and have a chat. Unexpectedly, we got the chance to talk to motorcycle racer Glenn Irwin about him joining the DMG family as an ambassador, his recent trip with us and some of our customers to Bologna, his off season training regime, as well as his motivations and aspirations for the North West 200 and the British Superbike Championship in 2024 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  16. 1

    What could possibly go wrong?

    We kick off our podcast series with our first ride on the new Hypermotard 698 Mono, a preview of the upcoming Scottish Motorcycle Show, our sofa views on the 2024 motorcycle racing season, as well as and a look ahead to what we'll be talking about in future episodes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

Mike & Andrew discuss their various experiences of owning & managing two franchise Ducati motorcycle dealerships in Scotland, as part of the Ducati Manchester Group. They have different backgrounds, but are both biking nuts, who over the years have loved road riding, racing, track days, off road riding, adventure touring and Club membership. They own and ride a wide range of Ducati motorcycles and attend various events, factory visits and race meets in the UK and overseas. They have a good network of industry contacts from the biking world and beyond. In this Podcast they talk about all of this stuff. Get in touch with us at [email protected] views expressed in the podcast are those of Prick & Thistle, as we do not represent Ducati UK, nor Ducati Motor Holdings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac

HOSTED BY

Mike Robins

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Prick & Thistle have?

Prick & Thistle currently has 16 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Prick & Thistle about?

Mike & Andrew discuss their various experiences of owning & managing two franchise Ducati motorcycle dealerships in Scotland, as part of the Ducati Manchester Group. They have different backgrounds, but are both biking nuts, who over the years have loved road riding, racing, track days, off road...

How often does Prick & Thistle release new episodes?

Prick & Thistle has 16 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Prick & Thistle?

You can listen to Prick & Thistle on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Prick & Thistle?

Prick & Thistle is created and hosted by Mike Robins.
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