Front End Chatter #212

Front End Chatter #212

From Front End Chatter by Simon Hargreaves and Martin Fitz-Gibbons

May 19, 2025 · 1h 7m

About this episode

Episode #212 features a live discussion from the Highland Fling tour in Scotland, addressing various topics in the motorcycling world.

Awrite hens and laddies, and welcome to a very special episode of Front End Chatter presented, ingested and recorded LIVE at the Highland Fling tour(s) in bonnie, sunny (no, really) Scotland! With not a lot to discuss in the world of motorcycling at the moment - other than the uncertain future of one of Europe's biggest bike manufacturers, plus a raft of new flagship models revealed by another of Europe's biggest bike manufacturers - our fabulous FECers have boldly stepped into our creative breach. Episode #212 is a Live FECsack extravaganza, with a wealth of wicked wonderings wittered by Highland Fling tourists spaken in the vague direction of Simon McHargreaves and Martin McFitz-Gibbons, including but not limited to… Does the rise of Chinese bikes mean certain doom for European brands? What effect will US tariffs have on motorcycling? Can KTM repair its reputation - and who would we pick to run it going forwards? What substance, material or concept should power motorcyclings's future? If you could only ride one road for the rest of your life, which would it be? And what would you ride it on? What's all the fuss about two-strokes? What would be the least-enjoyable bike to ride…

People in this episode

Hosts: Simon Hargreaves, Martin Fitz-Gibbons

Topics covered

  • motorcycling industry
  • European bike manufacturers
  • Chinese bikes
  • motorcycle tariffs
  • KTM reputation
  • motorcycling risks
  • road riding experiences

Keywords

  • motorcycling
  • Highland Fling
  • European brands
  • KTM
  • Chinese bikes
  • US tariffs
  • two-strokes
  • riding experiences

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: KTM, Europe, US

Products: Chinese bikes

Places: Scotland, Gdańsk

More episodes of Front End Chatter

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Front End Chatter podcast page.