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Martin Fitz-Gibbons

@mufga.bsky.social
333 followers 55 following 124 posts

Rider, writer and Front End Chatterer, plus Bike magazine editor www.frontendchatter.com

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Reposted by Martin Fitz-Gibbons
John Milbank @johnmilbank.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Slim chance I know, but can anyone help me find Dad's old trike please? According to DVLA it's still on the road. Would be fantastic to get in touch with the owner #motosky
VW Beetle based trike registration Q880 WHL
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Mat Oxley @matoxley.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
We are shipping MARC MÁRQUEZ The Biography 🚀 The book covers his life all the way to his 2025 #MotoGP title win. I interviewed pretty much every rival he’s raced against & every engineer he’s worked with, so through this book you’ll discover a new MM93 matoxley.bigcartel.com/product/marc...
matoxley.bigcartel.com
MARC MÁRQUEZ The Biography ORDER NOW!
This is the only MARC MÁRQUEZ biography that tells the full story from minibikes to winning the 2025 MotoGP championship. The book is written by...
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Had a spare hour on my day off so ripped through a charge on the LiveWire S2 Alpinista. Huge fun to ride - instant whoomph everywhere, 194lbft of torque and a compact, engaging chassis. And the wheelies... oh the wheelies. Here for a good time, not a long time: 95% to 5% rinsed in just 40 miles...
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
Fascinating. My highlight: "I would say there were three types of greed... operational greed... strategic greed... [and] governance greed." No mention of cams. No mention of MV. No mention of Demo Mode. History and folklore will tell a different story, but this is what led to KTM's insolvency.
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Mat Oxley @matoxley.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Got a 6-page interview in the new Bikemagazine with Dorna chief commercial officer Dan Rossomondo, looking into Liberty's plans for #MotoGP 😎✊
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Mat Oxley @matoxley.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Finished MARC MÁRQUEZ The Biography and sent it to the printers😃😃 First come, first served 😎😎 matoxley.bigcartel.com/product/marc...
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
Congratulations to Marc Márquez, seven (or is it nine?) time world champion. Ahá!
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Here 'tis: the new issue of Bike, "my" first. There's loads inside, from a @sihbikes.bsky.social group test, to Nick Sanders riding a Royal Enfield Bear to the Arctic Circle, to the world's fastest R1300GS, to @matoxley.bsky.social interviewing Alex Marquez + tons more. Let me know what you think!
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
22 years ago this month I rode this bike to this building to start a new job as staff writer at Bike magazine. Today I rode the same bike to the same building to start a new job as editor of Bike magazine. It's been a two wheel trip, alright. Here's to the next leg of the journey.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Spent some time getting to know the 2025 Speed Triple 1200 RS - the most powerful production Triumph ever built. But here's why the bhp doesn't really matter, and why its most important and impressive improvement isn't the motor... www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social
bennetts.co.uk
Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS (2025) – Review
Speed Triple 1200 RS retakes the title as Triumph’s most powerful bike
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Spent some time getting to know the 2025 Speed Triple 1200 RS - the most powerful production Triumph ever built. But here's why the bhp doesn't really matter, and why its most important and impressive improvement isn't the motor... www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social
bennetts.co.uk
Triumph Speed Triple 1200 RS (2025) – Review
Speed Triple 1200 RS retakes the title as Triumph’s most powerful bike
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Well, it'll keep me busy.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Whelp
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paulvarnsverry.bsky.social @paulvarnsverry.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Enough is enough! Dodgy sellers keep pushing unsafe gear — and getting away with it. The petition to shut them down closes tomorrow. We’re near 7,100. Let’s hit 7,500 by tonight. 🖊️ Sign: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70... 📬 Verify your email or it’s wasted. 📢 Share — and don’t let this slide.
petition.parliament.uk
Petition: Implement a strategy to protect motorcyclists from imports of unsafe clothing
We want the Government to implement a national strategy that protects motorcyclists from imports of unsafe clothing.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
A #wheeliewednesday from 17 years ago this week on Triumph's Speed Triple 1050. What a tool for the job. That original 1050 was such a willing wheelie bike, with its millpond-flat torque curve and rearward weight bias. Big, butch, brawny, beefy and British. Wonder how the new 1200 RS compares…
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
After 3000 miles and a year with Kawasaki's Z7 Hybrid, I've written an extra huge pile of words covering the recall, the recent discounts, testing EV mode through London, and what it tells us about the future of hybrid motorcycles 👇 www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social
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Mat Oxley @matoxley.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
In the new edition of @BikeMagazine in case you didn’t know about this 🙄😎
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
1.17pm - bike passes MOT, no problems 1.32pm - pick up screw in rear tyre on ride home
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Reposted by Martin Fitz-Gibbons
Mat Oxley @matoxley.bsky.social · 10/06/2025
Summer's here 😍 but with a heavy heart I have to get rid of this beauty because I've no time to do the miles it deserves 😥 2020 BMW R1250RT, 7k miles, pristine condition. Awesome machine and soooo comfortable. £11,500. North London. Reply here if you're interested
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
This is exquisite. Wish they'd do a regular show together. Must-listen.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Awoke my poor old Suzuki SV650S from hibernation yesterday and gatecrashed an MCN event (🙏) to see whether it (and I) could still wally about on one wheel. Wheelies seem a redundant skill, like being able to hunt a woolly mammoth or repair a Betamax. But the world would be far duller without them.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
Front End Chatter #213 is live! Verdicts on Triumph's Tiger Sport 800 and BMW's R1300GS Adventure after nearly 3000 miles apiece in Scotland on our Highland Fling tour(s). Plus Ducati Streetfighter V2, Voge DS625X, KTM/Bajaj, the best cheap sports-tourer and more! www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n...
bennetts.co.uk
Front End Chatter - episode 213
Plug in your headphones & have a listen
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 27/05/2025
Isle of Man TT races preview from the Framlingham Weekly News, Saturday 27th May 1922 - so exactly 103 years ago today. Reads like a parody but it's 100% legit. Poor old Thacker on his Beardmore Precision.
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Michael Liebreich @mliebreich.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
It is over fifty years since Japan's "Sunshine Project" started governments pouring money into green hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels. How is it going? TLDR: not well. open.substack.com/pub/mliebrei...
open.substack.com
Fifty years of green hydrogen in five charts
It is over fifty years since Japan's "Sunshine Project" started governments pouring money into green hydrogen as a replacement for fossil fuels. How is it going? TLDR: not well.
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 22/05/2025
Full details of KTM's rescue and bailout by Bajaj, how Stefan Pierer will have no more involvement with the Austrian motorcycle manufacturer, and what it might mean for their MotoGP program. motomatters.com/news/2025/05...
motomatters.com
Bajaj Funds KTM Creditor Payout, Faces Final Obstacle Before Taking Control Of KTM | MotoMatters.com | Kropotkin Thinks
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Adam Wheeler @adamwheeler99.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
MotoE: Still relevant? Floating along? Or still showing the possibilities of alternative tech in MotoGP? Some thoughts and words from a person that knows best: ontrackoffroad.substack.com/p/motoe-2025... (photo by motogp.com)
ontrackoffroad.substack.com
MotoE 2025: A third year of Ducati power but does the series still feel relevant?
Le Mans plugged MotoE back into action for another seven-round contest and the seventh campaign since the championship entered the MotoGP support card in 2019. But is the series running out of charge?
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Bennetts BikeSocial: Get more from motorcycling @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
Would you still be tempted by this #motorcycle if you knew you had to run it on Super Unleaded? www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... #skymoto #motosky
bennetts.co.uk
Voge DS625X (2025) – Review
Voge’s new middleweight adventurer promises a lot for six grand
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David Emmett @motomatters.com · 22/05/2025
Bajaj to take control of KTM, Stefan Pierer to step down completely in June 2025. www.reuters.com/world/india/...
reuters.com
India's Bajaj Auto to take control of KTM with $906 million debt deal
India's Bajaj Auto plans to take control of KTM AG as part of an 800 million euro ($906.2 million) debt package aimed at reviving the troubled Austrian motorcycle maker, it said on Thursday.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 22/05/2025
20 years ago this week I took a group test into London; it was a disaster, of course. Retreated and headed for the roundabout outside Bike's office on the winner; Suzuki's SV650S, of course. Wore a hole through my jeans - and my knee. Foreshadowing… #throwbackthursday @suzukibikesuk.bsky.social
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Gotta be in the running for bike of the year: www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r...
bennetts.co.uk
Triumph Tiger Sport 800 (2025) – Review
New Tiger Sport 800 hits the sports-touring sweet spot
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Took this for a spin today. Voge's DS625X - 581cc twin, 63bhp, £6199. Centrestand, crash bars, TPMS, backlit switches, handguards, tubeless cross-spoked wheels, hoooge TFT dash, and even a 1080p dashcam in the nose. 26k valve clearance checks. Three-piece ally luggage costs just £699. Tempting?
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
2700 miles in 10 days The best roads in Scotland, twice 30 lovely FECers Sun and fun by the tonne Quite a bit of Belhaven 🍺 FEC's Highland Fling tours were very special. The bar has been raised ridiculously high. Blown away by the Tiger Sport 800. Proper write-up once my head's stopped spinning 🤯
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 07/05/2025
Racked up 1750 miles on Triumph's Tiger Sport 800 so far on FEC's Highland Fling tours. It's been spectacularly good. Spacious, comfy and smooth for the long-haul, then agile, eager and frisky in the twisty stuff. Hasn't put a paw wrong. Two more sunny riding days, then a final 500-mile dash home!
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
Och aye and away... Heading north for FEC's Highland Flings, a pair of back-to-back tours of Scotland's best bits. Riding so good I'll get to do it all twice! Couldn't ask for a better bike to be doing it on than Triumph's Tiger Sport 800 either. Three-piece luggage is loaded to the Sally's!
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Rode Triumph's 2025 Trident and Tiger Sport 660s recently. Check out the reviews on Bennetts BikeSocial here: Triumph Trident 660 www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... Triumph Tiger Sport 660 www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r... @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n...
bennetts.co.uk
Front End Chatter - episode 211
Plug in your headphones & have a listen
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Oooof. KTM shutting down Mattighofen production again until July 27th. www.krone.at/3764935
krone.at
Bis Ende Juli: KTM lässt Werke wieder stillstehen
Mitten im Kampf um die Rettung, für die KTM noch Hunderte Millionen Euro braucht, sorgt der Motorradhersteller für eine Hiobsbotschaft: Die erst ...
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Bad news if you're still hanging on for that hydrogen bike. New research paper looking at "Realistic roles for hydrogen in the future energy transition" puts motorcycles firmly in the "uncompetitive" category, along with cars, trains and bulk e-fuels. Sozballs. www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Realistic roles for hydrogen in the future energy transition - Nature Reviews Clean Technology
Hydrogen has been proposed as a fuel for widespread use since the 1970s, but uptake has repeatedly fallen below projections, primarily due to high costs. This Perspective considers hydrogen’s potentia...
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 10/04/2025
Some sparky malarky for a #throwbackthursday ahead of BMW's R1300R reveal. This was April 2019, shot for RiDE's first test of the R1250R. A comfy, gentle, capable roadster that never wanted to play the lairy supernaked game, it could still get a decent wriggle on in its own, quiet, unassuming way.
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Ali Jackson @alister667.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Anyone else listen to Front End Chatter? www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n... Highly recommended, UK based podcast with @mufga.bsky.social and @sihbikes.bsky.social #motorbike #motorcycle #motosky #FEC
bennetts.co.uk
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Front End Chatter #210 is up at @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social, YouTube and the usuals. The bikes we'd be if we were bikes, BMW's R-space-12-space-G-slash-S, bike journalism 120 years ago, Honda Hornet 1000 SP, Moto Guzzi Griso, Triumph Daytonas and plenty more! www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/n...
bennetts.co.uk
Front End Chatter - episode 210
Plug in your headphones & have a listen
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Bennetts BikeSocial: Get more from motorcycling @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Despite the updates for 2025 the standard NT1100 has no price increase from the 2024 version – remaining at £12,679 in base form... but is that good value? #BikeSocial find out with Mufga in the hot seat! 👊⤵ www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/r...
bennetts.co.uk
Honda NT1100 (2025) – Review
NT1100ES joins the 2025 Honda range along with upgraded NT1100
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Bennetts BikeSocial: Get more from motorcycling @bennettsinsurance.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
We've just made this handy starter pack for anyone new to #BlueSky. Please add your suggestions in the comments, and we've put a few more down there too! go.bsky.app/5dSLT3r
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
If you have an electric car or bike you should retax it today, even if the tax isn't due. VED rates come in from tomorrow, but tax it today and you'll postpone paying until March 2026.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
A wonky #wheeliewednesday from 2019 aboard the quirktastic Moto Guzzi V85 TT. Reminded of this pic because I've just picked up the 2025 version (right) ahead of a spin tomorrow. Six years back I was shooting for MCN; tomorrow I'll have my RiDE hat on. Anything you'd like to know about the V85 TT?
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
One bike, three motors. How Yamaha's new hybrid powertrain works 👇 www.motorcyclenews.com/news/2025/ma...
motorcyclenews.com
Yamaha’s prototype hybrid motorcycle has three motors!
Read about Yamaha's prototype hybrid motorcycle that combines an internal combustion engine with not one, but two electric motors, here with MCN.
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Simon Evans @drsimevans.carbonbrief.org · 12/03/2025
📢ANALYSIS: UK emissions fell 3.6% in 2024 to lowest since 1872 🏭Coal lowest since 1666, when Great Fire ravaged London 🚗EVs pushed oil down despite more traffic, saving £1.7bn 🌇Gas down on "cleanest ever" power 📈📉Since 1990, CO2 -54% / GDP +84% www.carbonbrief.org/... 1/9
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paulvarnsverry.bsky.social @paulvarnsverry.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
Motorcyclists often criticise the government for not considering powered two wheelers when determining policy. There are currently 3 Parliamentary petitions that deserve support to get noticed by Whitehall. The petition I created is at petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70.... Please sign and share.
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Martin Fitz-Gibbons @mufga.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
FINAL CALL! Come ride Scotland with @sihbikes.bsky.social & me on FEC Highland Fling #2 Arrive Tues 6th May, spend 3 mind-blowing days riding the best of Scotland, leave Sat 10th May. Great roads, great scenery, great company. Don't miss out - bookings close tomoz (Fri 7th Mar) 👉 bit.ly/fecfling2
bit.ly
2025 Escorted Motorcycle Tour of the Scottish Highlands
2025 Motorcycle tour of Scotland, meals as specified included.
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