A big part of the rebound from Covid has been the push for demo rides amongst bike makers. All the big firms are running massive national tours, supporting dealers with extra fleets of test bikes and special events. Suzuki is no exception – and it’s got plenty of work to do with two major new models to sell and a perceived decline in its commitment to two-wheels of late.
The GSX-8S and V-Strom 800DE will grab most folk’s attention on the Suzuki Summer Test Ride Roadshow, of course. Both bikes feature the all-new parallel twin 800 engine launched this year, and have been praised by press road testers. But Suzuki is also keen to push its other bikes, including the mighty GSX1300R Hayabusa hyperbike, the V-Strom 1050 adventure tourer, and its popular GSX-S1000 GT sport tourer. Potential buyers can pre-book rides via their dealer, and Suzuki is bringing extra staff to deal with customer queries.
The roadshow has 13 dates over the season. It started with five events in April at Mo-Tech Suzuki in Newcastle, McCrum’s Motorcycles in Portadown, St Neots Motorcycles, Bridgend’s Thunder Road Motorcycles and Bulldog Suzuki in Wokingham.
Suzuki GB’s head of motorcycle marketing, Ian Bland, said, “The test ride roadshows have become a staple part of our summer events calendar. We’re looking forward to getting them underway again in 2023. Potential customers can try a rich variety of Suzuki machinery on the day. It is also a great opportunity for us to spend time talking with existing and potential customers to understand their motorcycling needs and habits better. We’re travelling the length and breadth of the country, and it’s set to be another busy summer of motorcycling.”
Demo dates
Roadshows continue in May and run into September:
Dates are as follows:
- 13-14 May Crescent Motorcycles, Bournemouth
- 27 May Groombridge Motorcycles, Heathfield, East Sussex
- 3 June Two Wheel Nation, Barnsley
- 22 July Bill Smith Motors, Chester
- 12-13 Aug Two-Wheel Centre, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire
- 19 Aug Powerslide Motorcycles, Stoke-on-Trent
- 3 Sept Orwells Motorcycles, Ipswich
- 9-10 Sept Fowlers Suzuki, Bristol