Long before we opened our store in Victoria, we spent our summers building something much bigger than a shop: a motorcycle festival. It started as MaxlRIDE in 2023, and in 2026 it became RIDE – The Moto Festival in Ruhpolding. In 2027, it is back.
2023: MaxlRIDE is born
Together with our friends Silke and Roel from the adventure gear maker Mosko Moto, we launched the MaxlRIDE Motofestival on the grounds of Schlossbrauerei Maxlrain, a castle brewery in the Rosenheim district of Bavaria. The first edition took place from August 25 to 27, 2023, on a site of more than 60,000 m², built around adventure, enduro and custom bikes:
- More than 3,000 riders from 20 countries
- More than 50 exhibitors, a stage, bars and food trucks
- More than 800 test rides and guided tours
- About 50 talks and workshops, plus two off-road courses
The weather tested us from the start: we built the site in more than 35°C, and on Saturday a gust of up to 130 km/h forced us to pause the festival for an hour. A four-person organizing team and more than 80 volunteers kept it all running.
2024: Maxlrain or shine — we ride!
The second edition, from August 23 to 25, 2024, grew to about 5,000 riders from across Europe on a 92,000 m² site. Rain during setup, intense heat on Friday and Saturday, rain again on Sunday — hence the motto.
- More than 1,500 test rides, including four off-road courses
- 35 workshops and travel talks
- 40 guided tours through the Bavarian foothills, all fully booked
- 72 brands in the exhibitor area — the founder of Trip Machine Company even flew in from India
- A women-only off-road training, a kids' trial course and a new Makers Camp for artists, designers and tattoo artists
Behind the scenes
Planning for 2024 started just four weeks after the first festival ended. Setup took about ten days: 2.8 km of construction fencing, 500 m of barriers, 150 pallets and four off-road courses built from wood, tires and straw bales. Heavy rain turned the campsite into mud, so we moved it to a drier field at short notice. The temporary WiFi failed the night before opening, and on Saturday morning our traffic marshals had to find new overflow parking every 30 minutes.
None of it would have worked without 110 volunteers. They ran the gates, the bars, the parking, the campsite, the track and the guided tours — and many of them took vacation days to do it, travelling from as far as Berlin and Barcelona.
2026: RIDE – The Moto Festival moves to Ruhpolding
In 2026, the festival got a new name and a new home. As RIDE – The Moto Festival, its third edition took place from July 24 to 26, 2026, in Ruhpolding in the Chiemgau Alps — with about 4,000 visitors and 40 exhibitors. The festival moved right into town and spread across three zones — the Kurpark, the main street and the former speedway stadium:
- A dealer mile on the main street with brands, manufacturers and retailers
- A custom bike show in the Kurpark, with talks, workshops and a live stage
- An off-road course in the former speedway stadium, run by professional instructors
- Guided tours through the Chiemgau Alps and test rides on current models
- Camping, live music, street food and campfire evenings
Our motto: 3 Days – 2 Wheels – 1 Love – Where custom meets adventure.
2027: RIDE is back
RIDE – The Moto Festival returns from July 23 to 25, 2027, in Ruhpolding. If you are planning a riding trip to Europe, put the Alps on your list — we would love to see riders from Vancouver Island there. Tickets and details at ridemotofestival.com.
What it means for Victoria
Organizing a festival taught us that riders don't just want gear. They want a place to meet, ride together, learn something and share stories. That is the idea behind the events at our store at 508 Herald Street — on a smaller scale, but with the same spirit.
MaxlRIDE editions 2023 and 2024 first published on badandbold.com.