Where is the line between Adventure and Dual-Sport / Enduro ? With every new motorcycle unveiled in this sector , the line blurs a little more , particularly with the likes of Pol Tarres and Chris Birch doing almost unimaginable things on the Tenere 700 and KTM 890 Adventure R at the mid-heavier end of the spectrum . I thought I ’ d test the boundaries at the opposite end , and possibly blur them a bit further , by taking my road-legal Beta RR430 ( which many people refuse to believe can be registered for the road ) to a local monthly Adventure ride .
UNLOCK GOD MODE The call went out on my local Adventure riding Facebook page : ‘ Odlins Road , 9am this Sunday ’. It was a shame the Tenere ’ s rego had expired the day before , but my Beta was still legal-tegal . Truth be told , I ’ ve ridden the Tenere at Odlins Road before , and it was an absolute mission — and that was during the Summer , in dry conditions . So , I spent about an hour reinstalling the indicators and replacing the busted tail light , preparing the Beta for battle . Taking a road-legal enduro machine to what ’ s supposed to be an adventure ride is essentially
like entering a cheat code in a video game . Unlock huge grip , unlock massively reduced weight ... basically unlock ‘ God Mode ’.
HARD LINE VS EASY LINE Meeting at the summit of Akatarawa Road around 10am , the conditions were cold , damp , and blustery - classic Wellington weather . We aired down tyres and ventured into Odlins Road . About two minutes in , we encountered our first obstacle : a rather steep rock wall . With enough commitment , you can ride almost anything with decent ground clearance up here , but I ’ d never ridden up this particular challenge before . The one time I have brought a bike up here , we had to manhandle it up . Back then , I was using the Tenere as a daily commuter , and damaging it enough to keep it off the road would have left me stranded for work . This time a different bike and no such worries . The first rider gave the hard line a go on a KTM Six Days . He quickly found out how slippery the clay wall was , losing rear traction and coming off halfway up . Next up was a guy on a Kawasaki Dual-Sport , who took the easier left-hand line and had no issues . Mixed results so far , I thought . I gathered my courage and gave it a crack , first gear , around
KIWI RIDER 75