We complement and offer a new perspective of the proof of a Motohashi-type formula relating the fourth moment of
L
L
-functions for
G
L
1
GL_1
with the third moment of
L
L
-functions for
G
L
2
GL_2
over number fields, studied earlier by Michel-Venkatesh and Nelson. Our main tool is a new type of pre-trace formula with test functions on
M
2
(
A
)
M_2(\mathbb {A})
instead of
G
L
2
(
A
)
GL_2(\mathbb {A})
, on whose spectral side the matrix coefficients are replaced by the standard Godement-Jacquet zeta integrals. This is also a generalization of Bruggeman-Motohashi’s other proof of Motohashi’s formula. We give a variation of our method in the case of division quaternion algebras instead of
M
2
M_2
, yielding a new spectral reciprocity, for which we are not sure if it is within the period formalism given by Michel-Venkatesh. We also indicate a further possible generalization, which seems to be beyond what the period method can offer.