Words & photos : Ray Heron

it cool . I completed the ride , but needed to roll the bike down the hills with no engine and stop a few times on the up hills to let her cool down . Because of my overheating issues on this ride , I decided to order a Beta factory radiator fan kit and some upgraded coolant .

RIDE TWO - SAND COUNTRY RUN This ride , run by the Horowhenua Motorcycle Club , was based at Lewis Farm , just north of Levin on SH1 . The Sand Country Run is a 60km loop through around five different farms . Mainly open and fast going , with a few pretty easy forest sections , and some really nice flowing twisties through the sand dunes . The Metzeler Karoo Extreme rear tyre showed what it was made of offering ample grip in these conditions . This would have to be one of the most enjoyable rides I ’ ve had off-road - ever . The Beta didn ’ t have a chance to overheat , given we were belting through wide-open flat paddocks at between 50-80km / h . Lucky , because I hadn ’ t had time to install the fan kit before the ride . The Sand Country Run cost just $ 40 per rider , and lunch

KIWI RIDER 53