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2017 SA Bike Festival: Here’s all you need to know

<B>ALMOST TIME:</B> Organisers are ready to get the 2017 SA Bike Festival underway. <I>Image: Instagram / SA Bike Festival</I>
<B>ALMOST TIME:</B> Organisers are ready to get the 2017 SA Bike Festival underway. <I>Image: Instagram / SA Bike Festival</I>
SA Bike Festival

Johannesburg - With just 10 weeks to go, the 2017 South Africa Bike Festival, has announced one of the many highlights ahead of the two-wheel festival - Circuit Test Rides. 

The rides will take place at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. 

The 2017 SA Bike Festival will showcase more than 50 of the latest and greatest motorcycles. 

Organisers said: "This is the only opportunity in the motorcycle events calendar where the public can try, test, ride, learn, compare & discuss the multiple different models on offer all in ONE day, with the guidance and instruction from the most educated and up-to-date ambassadors from each of the participating brands.

"Everything and anything a fan could possibly ask for, over three days of fun-fuelled thundering two-wheeled, rip-roaring live action."


Festival times:
Friday, May 26th: 11am – 7pm
Saturday, 27th May: 9am – 9pm
Sunday, 28th May: 9am – 6pm

Click here to purchase tickets 


200 test rides

*Circuit Test Rides are on sale from March 15, via a password-protected test-ride website. Only those with tickets to the Festival are eligible to book these and those who already have their festival tickets will be sent their unique password ahead of time, giving them access to over 2500 test rides and time slots to choose from.

Organisers said: “After the success and excitement around last year’s rides, organisers are pleased to announce there are more timeslots than in 2016, which is to ensure no one is left out of experiencing the weight, throttle and thrills of these stunning machines, all of which will be marshalled and run safely and professionally once again by Dirk Du Plooy’s, TD Agencies Superbike School.” 

Motorcycles at the show

Firm favourites BMW Motorrad, Indian Motorcycles, KTM, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki and Harley-Davidson will be featured. Fans can look forward to newcomers Can-Am Spyder as well as a new motorcycle brand, just arrived in South Africa, Zontes Motorcycles, bringing with them the entry level Zonte Phantom S250 which visitors can take for a spin around the track for just R60. 

READ: SA bike festival returns to Kyalami this May!

Honda will be using SA Bike Festival as a platform to launch its much-anticipated CBR 1000 RR Fireblade. 
Other launch models include KTM’s 1290 Super Duke R, Super Duke 390 and new Adventure Range. KTM will also host South Africa’s 2017 Dakar hero, Joey Evans. 

Indian Motorcycles will offer five of its motorcycles at R100 a ride. Big news for the brand this year include launching its new Scout 60 and Indian Motorcycle Riders Group (IMRG). There will also be twelve Victory Demo & pre-owned motorcycles available to buy in the “The Nearly-New Motorcycle Shop”, run by AutoTrader, as well as a special raffle for a Victory Custom Judge model, worth R246 000 – of which proceeds will go towards the Reach for a Dream Foundation. 

Harley-Davidson is set to bring several of the SA finalists from its international Battle of the Kings custom competition. Harley-Davidson will offer free motorcycle lessons and plans to give away lots of tickets to its fan base over the coming weeks.

READ: Inaugural SA Bike Festival a great success

Motorsport: 1000cc SuperGP Champs

The event will host two rounds of the 1000cc class of the DEOD SuperGP Champions Trophy, with 30 of SA’s top superbike riders competing in this race series. Organisers said: “The schedule of events for the weekend will include three 20 minute practice sessions as well as one qualifying session on the Friday, with main races on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.” 

Adventure rides

Adventure Ride Outs will be available at the rear of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. Motorcylists can experience a 2km course on adventure motorcycles from Honda, Suzuki, KTM, Yamaha, Polaris and Linhai and, depending on stock levels, visitors can either test the Can-Am Traxter utility or Can-Am Maverick.

New bikes for SA

Ducati and the Scrambler brands will be featured in a pit garage inside the Kyalami pit building, where they will be launching eight new models to the market. Yamaha Motorcycles will be unveiling its new R6 and Anassis Racing are bringing with them a Yamaha R1 to giveaway to one lucky fan. 

Husqvarna Motorcycles have a static display in the pit garages and will debut its new VITPILEN 401 (‘White Arrow’), set to arrive locally in February 2018, at this year’s festival.

SA Bike Festival Trophy 

The Custom Bike Championship has a new home at the festival. Judging and prize giving of 14 new categories, will take place over the three days of the festival. SA’s master builders are getting their machines ready for the competition of a lifetime with each category winner taking home a South Africa Bike Festival 2017 Trophy, and the overall winner will receive a BikeJet stand worth over R6500. 

Classic bikes, charity ride 

Another great addition is the return of the prestigious Pride of Ownership Classic Motorcycle Display. Owners of motorcycles from 1995 and older can nominate their classic motorcycle to be one of thirty exclusively hosted at the event. 

On May 28, the Dunlop Charity Motorcycle Ride will see thousands of motorcyclists ride their own motorcycles around Kyalami as the ride finishes with TWO laps in formation around the circuit. According to organisers: “The Charity Ride will have FULL road closures leaving Fairland’s Shopping Centre at 8am. The public will have key viewing points from one of the bridges over the highway: Malibongwe Dr, William Nicol or Bowling Ave.”  The cost to participate is a “R40 Top Up” on your South Africa Bike Festival ticket, with proceeds going towards Ride for a Reason-Claw and Paws Charity organisation. 

Good news for families – Children under 10 can attend free of charge. 

*All brands except for Yamaha, will require circuit test riders to hold a valid learners or full drivers licence. Yamaha require a full licence for their test ride models. All riders will be breathaylsed before riding, compliments of the team at AlcoSafe.

  

About AutoTrader 
Search over 1700 used bikes on AutoTrader. For more information, please visit http://bikes.autotrader.co.za/used-motorcycles


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