Suzuki set for inaugural adventure bike rider festival

Suzuki will showcase its adventure and off-road ranges at the inaugural Adventure Bike Rider Festival, which takes place from 12-14 July at the Ragley Hall Estate in Warwickshire, with visitors also able to enjoy test rides on many of the models on display.

The range-topping V-Strom 1000XT – which features a 1037cc V-twin engine packed with low-down torque and a broad midrange, plus a two-mode traction control system and intelligent cornering ABS – will be displayed alongside the standard V-Strom 1000. The cult-favourite V-Strom 650 will also be on display, side-by-side with the more off-road-focussed V-Strom 650XT, which swaps cast wheels for lightweight spoked options, and gets hand guards and lower cowling as standard. Both models use Suzuki’s characterful and famed 645cc V-twin engine, and get traction control and low RPM assist.

Demonstrating the V-Strom’s adventure-potential is the Bike to Japan V-Strom 1000, which was ridden from the UK all the way back to the Suzuki factory in Hamamatsu, Japan in 2014.

Proving big adventures can come in small packages is the V-Strom 250. The A2 licence-friendly machine uses a flexible parallel twin engine, and includes full luggage among its range of accessories, and will be on display along with its larger capacity siblings.

Further highlighting the Japanese brand’s off-road prowess is the RM-Z450 motocross machine and KingQuad 750 ATV, both of which will be present on the Suzuki stand, while the head-turning new KATANA will nod to the firm’s street bike range.

Visitors to the festival can also sample the entire V-Strom range for themselves, with test rides available over the course of the event. The KATANA – an evolution of the iconic 1981 machine that uses a 150hp version of the legendary GSX-R1000 K5 engine, housed in a lightweight aluminium chassis and tamed with a three-mode traction control system – will also be available for demo rides.

For more information on Suzuki’s adventure range, click here. To find out more about the new KATANA, click here.