The time has arrived for Honda South Africa to showcase the Africa Twin adventure bike as the Honda Quest True Adventure event kicks off with Road to Quest promotional events at Honda dealerships around the country.
In previous years, Honda has taken a very low-key approach to the Quest event in terms of exposure to the wider public but, for 2023, the company is determined to start making a bit more noise about it and the Road to Quest events are the first step.
Both Honda and non-Honda riders are invited to head to their nearest Honda dealer in order to sample the Africa Twin and encourage people to apply for inclusion in the event. A list of dealers and the dates of when the Quest team will be there is at the bottom of this story.
Honda will ship four fully-equipped Africa Twin bikes to each dealership which will be available to test ride throughout the week. Honda will also arrange advanced sessions at various training locations around the country, such as at ADA Training and Outdoor Centre near Johannesburg.
Quest is an adventure challenge designed to test both rider and motorcycle. Anyone can apply to take part and Honda then whittles the applications – they arrive in their thousands – down to 30 entries. These men and women then spend a weekend at what Honda calls a Boot Camp, which is, by all accounts, run on the lines of a military training camp, designed to test people to their limits to find out how they operate at those limits.
A further culling brings the number of entrants to 14 and these riders will then go on to the Quest event itself, which takes place over 8 – 10 days at some point yet to be determined in 2023.
Riaan Fourie, Head of Motorcycles at Honda SA, said: “Quest is not a race or a rally; it is an adventure to self-discovery, designed to test human endurance and adaptability. You need not be a hardened adventure motorcycle enthusiast to participate.”
This is a very important point: Quest is not solely for Roof of Africa or Dakar-quality riders. At previous events, there have been participants who have barely ever ridden an adventure bike, let alone ridden one off-road. The successful applicant is someone who exhibits a willingness to push him or herself to the limits and beyond and work as part of a team.
“We are looking for people who prefer to take the road less travelled. Those who are resourceful, independent, yet mindful of their fellow human beings – Honda Quest is for you,” continued Riaan.
Of course, the people are only half of the story. The other half – some might say the most important part – is the bike itself: the Honda Africa Twin. Honda supplies all participants with a brand new Africa Twin, in DCT form, and the event tests the bike’s abilities as much as it does the participants.
Riaan Fourie again: “It’s not often that the chance to ride a Honda Africa Twin in its ideal environment comes along, and with Honda Road to Quest, we will be bringing true adventure riding to a town near you.” Also present will be past Quest participants to share their experiences and fire up your enthusiasm.
Keep an eye on www.zabikers.co.za for the announcement that registration for Honda Quest 2023 has opened and all other news leading up to the moment when all the teams are flagged away at the start and updates throughout the event.
The following is a list of the remaining Road to Quest events taking place around the country. Having attended the event at Centurion Honda, we can recommend that you take a couple of hours out of your Saturday and get to the one nearest you. Booking is essential. For more information, keep an eye on Honda Wing SA on Facebook.
Upcoming Road To Quest Events:
20/09-25/09 | Honda Menlyn
24/09-25/09 | Honda Quest Event at ADA
27/09-02/10 | Honda Vaal
04/10-09/10 | Honda East Rand Mall
13/10-23/10 | Cape Dealers
15/10-16/10 | Honda Quest Event in Cape Town
25/10-30/10 | Honda George
02/11-06/11 | Honda Port Elizabeth
09/11-13/11 | Honda East London
16/11-20/11 | Honda Bloemfontein
23/11-27/11 | Honda KwaZulu-Natal
26/11-27/11 | Honda Quest Event in KwaZulu-Natal
30/11-04/12 | Honda Brits
