Oxley Bom MotoGP podcast

You want to ride a MotoGP-bike? Yeah, good luck with that: everyone knows these are machines made for murder, beasts of technology that only those gifted with near-superhuman reflexes can manage. These days, those rides have about as much in common with your average road bike as a space shuttle has in common with a paper airplane. What can I say; you can't walk the cutting edge if you don't expect to bleed a little. 
Except that once upon a time, there was a bike that was different. Fast as lightning but turned on a dime. Easily built in bulk, yet suited to almost every riding style under the sun. 
Rossi rode it to victory. So did Max Biaggi.  
Like a samurai blade, its deceptive simplicity was only possible because it built on ages of experience with every complex mechanic under the sun. Its name was the Honda RC211V and it was the bike that changed everything. 
It's a machine born out of necessity: when the sun finally fell on the era of the two-stroke engine, it was a whole new game for everyone. MotoGP itself was different then, too: way more of a technological wild west, where there were many different ways to build your ideal racer as long as those ways weren't electronic. It's impossible to avoid: telling the story of the RC211V means telling a story about MotoGP itself, because its role in racing history is just that big. 
Luckily, we've got some great storytellers in Mat and Peter here. One of them even rode the bloody thing! This is going to be one of those episodes that you really don't want to miss, so pour one out for a legend and get straight into it...

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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here. 
Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

No race? Nope! It's the second summer mini-break, giving everyone some time to catch their breaths. It also raises the question what a million dollar rider does to relax. Drinks at a tropical beach, anyone? That'd be our plan, surely. Not sure what cocktails would be involved, but feel free to let us know your best guess for your favourite rider. 
The last time we had a break like this was last month, and we spend it talking about the characteristics of the top five riders. This week we're doing something similar, but looking at the other side of the equation. That's right, it's time for shiny metal and high tech wizardry as we dive head first into bike analysis! 
There's five different machines, and while some are clearly better than others they all have some very unique characteristics. And if you're like Mat and Peter, this is the kind of stuff that keeps you up at night. Small wonder, then, that your hosts have plenty of thoughts on the matter. In fact, I'd argue that this week's episode is so big it might just kill any spare time you'd have had until the next race. Lucky! 
So go imagine yourself on some brilliantly sunny shores, pour out that cocktail and press play. We've got some serious bikes to discuss...
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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here. 
Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

Some things are just meant to be together. You know: peanut butter and chocolate. Salt and pepper. Silverstone and Aprilia. Yes, Assen and Phillip Island are nice. But bring these bikes to Silverstone, and their aero really starts making the difference. 

The result? A clear domination, where in one historic weekend the Italian manufacturer managed to lock down the grid's front row, take all three top places during the sprint and then doing the same during the main race in a pretty historic victory. The result? Three of Aprilia's four bikes are holding steady in the top three positions of the tournament. 

So congratulations on that - but are these bikes getting a little too good for sportsmanship? We're not in Formula 1-land just yet, but Peter's feeling a little spooked. When does a briliant design become a danger to the game? 

That might sound grim, but luckily there's still the factor of the riders themselves and what they bring to play. Good thing Mat and Peter got some thoughts on those, too! 

So come join us as we discuss Silverstone. Cheers! 
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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here. 
Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

IMPORTANT: This episode uses a lot of photo’s, which you will probably want to look at. To do that, please watch this episode on our Patreon or YouTube. Enjoy!

Trip report! Being world famous (and very handsome!) MotoGP-journalist, you wouldn’t believe the places that Mat and Peter have been. But even for them, there’s some places you just don’t get to go to. Places like the country of Sweden, for example. 

Yet that’s exactly where we went, just north of Stockholm, to visit the elusive factory of Öhlins. We all know that the suspension is one of the most immediately noticeable crucial parts of a bike and its setup, so imagine what happens behind closed doors at the biggest provider of suspension systems in the tournament. Or actually, don’t! Because why imagine, when we can just tell you?

So come join us on one hell of a trip as we dive deep into a world of springs, pumps, pressure and carbon in places where you wouldn’t expect it…and then stick around for the industrial espionage, the truth about manufacturer exclusivity in the tournament, previously classified devices for Ducati and machines that can condense any race track in the world into a machine barely more than a few meters big. 

Interested? Then let’s go! 

Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here. 
Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!

So, imagine this. It’s July. You’ve got nothing to do. The day’s a real scorcher, and all you want to do is just sit down in the shade, have a cool drink and, who knows, listen to a ninety minutes long podcast where two geezers discuss the potential benefits of strapping a nuclear reactor to a motorbike and other hypotheticals. 

Well, whether you’re having a sunny holiday or are just getting your tan on in the mediterranean bliss of, eh, London…we’ve got just the thing for you! 

Last week, we asked our awesome Patreons to send in their questions. Then, on Friday, Mat and Peter went to answer them. ‘Which ones?’, you might ask. 

In which case we’d say: ‘All of them!’

Yes, they called us mad. Yes, they said it couldn’t be done. But here we are, with questions about Frankenstein bikes, superstitions about crashing, the feel of a perfect throttle and more. Oh, and stick around to learn something about cycling…
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Want more? Visit our website or support us on Patreon. With big thanks as always to Brad Baloo from The Next Men and Gentleman's Dub Club for writing our theme song. Check out The Nextmen for more great music! And additional thanks to flowerhead, who's music you can find here. 

Oh, and a quick word in regards to sponsors:
If you’re interested in connecting with a really unique MotoGP audience — we’re working with Smash Brand Group out of Sydney to manage partnerships. Curious? Just head to smashbrandgroup.com.au and get in touch!