PRODUCT REVIEW
When we picked up the Beta RR430 , it came with a really nice set of Maxxis Enduro tyres . These gave amazing traction in sand and on the rocks , but were wearing out rather quickly . I managed around five hours on those OEM tyres before they were looking around 50 % worn . So , I put the call out to Forbes & Davies , NZ ’ s Metzeler distributor , and they came through with some new boots . The Beta is now running on a Metzeler MC360 R front and a Metzeler Karoo Extreme on the rear .
HARD WEARING The Metzeler MC360 R is known as a very hardwearing tyre . Made completely from Carbon Black , it ’ s solid and will take some abuse . As it ’ s got no silica content , it does lack a bit of traction on cold blacktop . Silica is what gives tyres their cold and wet weather grip on the seal . It ’ s a bit of a sliding scale , to put it simply , the more silica you have , the more grip you have from cold , but the quicker your tyre will wear out when it warms up ( this isn ’ t always the case , but it ’ s a good rule of thumb - Ed ). The more carbon black , the harder wearing your tyre is and the more resistant it will be to damage when riding on rocks , etc , but you sacrifice your tar seal grip from cold . The rear tyre is a Metzeler Karoo Extreme , with tread arranged in three big blocks across the tyre , giving a good contact patch on the ground , and large gaps between them , a bit like a paddle , promising great traction in loose terrain such as sand .
ROAD LEGAL As the Beta RR430 is road legal , I had a spin around the block on them before leaving home , and felt the MC360 R was a little sketchy on the tar seal , as the specs of the tyre would
42 KIWI RIDER