KIWI RIDER 11 2019 VOL2 | Page 50

2ND OPINION: THE RACER The Beta 125 was the first bike I rode of the new Beta range. My first impression when I first hopped on the bike was that the footpeg position felt unusual and I didn’t really feel comfortable. I also noticed how flat the seat was and it how firm it was, which I liked and found it easy to side forward and get over the front of the bike when needed, compared to a seat with a dip in it like most other manufacturers. I felt the gearbox was quite stiff, but that’s understandable with the bike not even being an hour into its life. I soon got used to it and didn’t find it a problem after I completed a lap. The 125 really loves to be ridden on the pipe and you really have to be on the money when approaching a hill with a good amount of forward moment and revs… it didn’t leave much room for error as the bike would bog and feel it like its coming to a stop if the revs were too low. I liked that about the bike though as it gave gave me a challenge and made me think about what gear I was in and to work at keeping the revs up. It was quite a lot of work that might be considered tiring for others, but I found it was a blast. Next was the 200. When hitting the track the 200 felt so light and nimble, even more so than 125, which I put down to the extra power on tap. It sort of felt like a very fast mountain bike to ride. All the bikes were running the same tyres but the 50 KIWI RIDER