Honda at ABR Festival 2023
The world’s largest adventure motorcycle festival was once again blessed with perfect weather as over 12,000 bikers headed to Ragley Hall, in Warwickshire, for the Adventure Bike Rider Festival over the weekend of 23rd -25th June. This year Honda was also fortunate to have in attendance 23 Isle of Man TT winner and motorbike legend John McGuinness MBE.
Enthusiasts flocked to the show from Thursday onwards, with many heading directly to the Honda stand, to see and test ride some of the exciting new models for 2023. Following a ten-year absence, the Transalp made its comeback, with the new parallel twin powered Transalp XL750, which attracted a huge amount of attention as ABR festival-goers put their name forward for test rides, both on and off-road.
But it wasn’t just the Transalp attracting attention, Honda’s new CB750 Hornet was equally as popular, fully booked throughout the weekend for test rides.
Honda had multiple test rides available each day, and every slot was fully booked, which meant a total of 700 test rides were completed over the festival weekend. The wide range of models available to test included the new Rebel range, CMX1100T, new A2 license-compliant CMX500 and the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade 30th Anniversary model.
The 12km off-road route also proved hugely popular, with nearly 100 test rides being completed each day, led by multiple former World Champion Dave Thorpe and his Honda Off-Road Centre team. A total of 15 bikes were available ranging from the CRF125F and CRF300 Rally, to the much in demand, new for 2023 Transalp. Some lucky attendees managed to test-ride the new Transalp both on and off-road.
Saturday kicked off with a ladies-only ride out, of 20 bikes, led by @Rubyrides on the new Transalp. Rubyrides didn’t stop there, riding off-road on the CRF300L, followed by a spin on an Anniversary CBR1000RR-R Firebalde before riding home on an Africa Twin Adventure Sport. She added:
‘Had an ABSOLUTE blast with @adamchadchild and @dave_thorpe_honda_off_road on the adventure trail which was EVENTFUL to say the least’.
Jack Challoner was on hand showcasing what the CRF1100L Africa Twin is capable of in the right hands in the Kriega Display Area.
Craig, who is more associated with trials riding from Craigs Motorcycles in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, put on an impressive display in tricky conditions.
Jack’s trials background came to the forefront with an impressive display of BIKE control, including near-vertical wheelies, on a standard load Africa Twin from the Dave Thorpe off-road school
King of the Mountain John McGuinness MBE was an ABR virgin and as he took to the Bridgestone stage on Saturday evening to a sea of excited fans, he was blown away by the size of the UKs largest motorcycle festival. John is obviously synonymous with road racing, but is also a keen off-road rider, regularly taking in the spectacular trails in the Lake District. John revelled in the audience participation – the Q+A session could have rolled late into the night as the stories, jokes and beer flowed.
The relaxed feel of the Adventure Bike Rider Festival was further highlighted as McGuinness left the stage and continued to sign autographs for the next hour, then moved towards the main stage, merged into the crowd and enjoyed the music from the main stage – just like every other festival reveller.
The ABR Festival is a mini Glastonbury for bikers, with 10 acts over two nights on the main stage, plus inspirational speakers, masterclass talks, and adventure films on a further two additional stages. Dave Thorpe and John McGuinness MBE weren’t the only biking celebrities popping in and out all weekend, as everyone from WSBK riders to Dakar champions appeared at the ABR Festival. From tent demonstrations to axe throwing, the popular show had it all, not forgetting the numerous quality food outlets – the busiest people on the site were the ice cream vendors as the festival was blessed with perfect weather.
There was no holding McGuinness back, on Sunday John returned to the show to simply enjoy the festival and take on the 30km of off-road trails winding its way through the stunning grounds of Ragley Hall Estate.
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