Lifestyle News South Africa

What to expect at the upcoming South Africa Bike Festival

The hugely successful South Africa Bike Festival is here, taking place from Friday, 26 May 2017 - Sunday, 28 May 2017 at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and powered by Discovery Channel. The festival returns for its second instalment at the all new Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit. Back by popular demand from industry members and visitors alike the festival returns to electrify fans with motorcycling mayhem! Tickets are on sale for only R200 per person (kids under 10 enter for free), and includes an action packed day out with mountains of 2-wheel action for all ages and sizes.
What to expect at the upcoming South Africa Bike Festival

All 2017 tickets include:

Even bigger leading manufacturer displays and pit garage activations from KTM, Harley-Davidson, Ducati, BMW Motorrad, Suzuki, Yamaha, Honda, Can-Am, Royal Enfield, Aprilia, MV Agusta, Hyosung, CSR, BetaRacing, Polaris, Linhai, Zontes, Husqvarna and Indian Motorcycles.

GAS Sports are gearing up to bring the 1000cc class for a round of the SuperGP Champions Trophy. Visitors can now also look forward to seeing over 30 of SA’s top superbike rider’s battle it out on Gauteng’s most renowned, celebrated and legendary race circuit.

Official energy drink partner, Monster Energy are bringing a spectacle of death defying tricks, jumps and stunts from 3 of the very best Pilot riders with 2 epic night-time performances taking place on the starting grid.

A first for South Africa Bike Festival is the launch of the Ramp Rodeo BMX & Skate invitational fuelled by Monster Energy. Witness South Africa’s top BMX & Skate athletes go head to head in a jam style format competing for hard cash and the chance to take home the “Ramp Champ” and "Best Trick” titles on a custom mini ramp setup with added features for driving progression & creativity.

A firm favourite returns with the RocoMamas Custom Bike Build Championship with international builder & judge, Frank Sander, from Germany, as well as local judges Grant Mc Nicol and Malcolm Powrie from Ink & Iron. Organisers look forward to welcoming over 40 of SA’s best custom builds on the viewing deck, upstairs and inside the Kyalami Pit Building.

Another great addition is the return of the prestigious Pride of Ownership Classic Motorcycle Display. All those with motorcycles dating 1995 and older have by now nominated their classic bikes to be one of thirty exclusively hosted on the top of the Kyalami Pit Roof.

Those who have never been on a motorcycle can also get involved at the Harley-Davidson Jump Start™ machine to get a feel for what it’s like to ride the most iconic motorcycle in the world in a safe and supervised environment. Harley-Davidson isn’t stopping there, as they’re also offering free riding lessons at the event for anyone who signs up at the manufacturer’s stand in the main pit area. And for those who haven’t yet earned their motorcycle license, you can practice your skills with the K53 Training School.

This year the event will be lead and hosted by the very best talent in the motorcycling industry, with famous presenters Greg Moloney from #Fast and Robert Portman from Ride Fast magazine who will be our official MC’s and commentators for the event and Super GP Racing, as well as Pro-Freestyle Mountain Biker “Tricky Nicky”, Nick Clarke from Canada, who will MC the Ramp Rodeo and Monster Energy Flight Night. We are also thrilled to welcome our official brand ambassador, Biker Queen, Seipei Mashugane. Not to mention, this year KTM are also hosting South Africa’s hero from the Dakar Rally, Joey Evans, in their Pit Garage.

New for 2017 is the “The Nearly-New Motorcycle Shop, powered by AutoTrader”, offering pre-owned dealerships the opportunity to sell nearly new, trusted motorcycles as well as to generate leads for potential buyers.

This year the Live Music line-up hails from local Gauteng! Chosen because they are the finest up-and-coming rock, country, indie, blues, jazz and folk bands this side of 2017. A full line-up is available today on the festival website.

There will be some very lucky visitors walking away from this year’s festival as there is over a million rand worth of competitions and giveaways taking place throughout the weekend. All deals and special offers can also be found on the festival website.

Additional Activities:

Visitors will experience the top favourite activity to come out of last year’s festival, the Circuit Test Rides, in association with ZABikers.co.za, which is two laps around the circuit on the latest 2017 models. Prices range between R60 and R160 a test ride and online sales are now closed. Remaining rides are for sale on a first come first serve basis per day and can be bought from the Circuit Test Ride area.

For those adventurous types, there is also the opportunity to test ride a 2km off-road course with ADA Development Training for just R60 a go.

On Sunday, 28 May, the Dunlop Sunday Charity Motorcycle Ride will see thousands of motorcyclists being able to ride their own motorcycles around Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit as the ride finishes with two laps in formation around the circuit. The Charity Ride will have Full road closures leaving Fairland’s Shopping Centre at 8am sharp. 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 all the proceeds going towards Ride for a Reason-Claw and Paws Charity organisation. Every rider will receive a complimentary Dunlop keyring and a ThinkBike sticker!

There will be a ton of 2-wheeled kids activities taking place throughout the weekend, including pocket bikes, as well as a mechanical bull, climbing wall and inflatables galore. Plus Joburg’s favourite food trucks.

Also new for 2017 is a hospitality experience aptly named the Sumting’s Superior Experience for just R495 per person. Back by popular demand, an even more exclusive VIP package returns for those motorcycle enthusiasts, corporate entertainers and industry heads that want a stress-free all-inclusive experience and the much sought after Sky Lounge Experience (R995pp). Sky Loung tickets are now sold out on Saturday, however are still available (online only) for Friday and Sunday’s event.

This and so much more can be expected at this year’s festival! For a full update on the festival and to buy tickets, visit the event’s website.

Follow the event at @SABikeFest #SABikeFestival #FlightNight #RampRodeo #DunlopWinASuzuki #ThisIsYourTime

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