Places to ride-The Kawasaki Sandpit

We're quite lucky in this part of the world to have several motocross tracks available and several active clubs and charity groups who organize regular trail rides.

We are also really lucky to have the Sandpit where for $25 a throw a man can blast around to his hearts content.

The Kawasaki Sandpit is an offroad motorcycle park based in Woodhill Forest 40 minutes north west of Auckland along state highway 16 towards Hellensville.

There are some 1000 acres of sand based trails winding through the trees in the forest. The trails ranging from tight single track to full throttle return roads provide something for everyone; from the novice rider to expert.

The park also has a couple of motocross practice tracks and a trials area. The best part about the Sandpit is that even when it is pissing down it is always open. In fact the best time to ride at the park is just after heavy rain which compacts the sand and provides awesome traction.

Set in a pine plantation long dry spells increase the fire danger and at these times recreational users of the forest operate under restrictions or can be forced to close temporarily. 

Long dry periods make some of the return tracks quite fluffy and a bit of a challenge for some riders. But there are plenty of tracks to choose from.

The Park is open 5 days a week, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays when the main trails are groomed and open late on Thursdays through the summer.

Contact
The Sandpit

Where?
Woodhill Forest
Molloy Road entrance (off Rimmer Road)
SH16
Helensville

View State Highway 16 diversion in a larger map

Husky WR 250 Ride 2

Day One of the Power Adventures Possum Trapper Maramarua trail ride (Jan 3 2009)

Day one of the Possum Trapper trail ride quickly brought home to me just how different the old GasGas and the new WR are. The GasGas, no doubt belying it's trials bike origins would happily negotiate with some aplomb anything that got in it's way. Point it in the general direction of attack and with a gentle tweak of the throttle it would gently wend it's way up the most gnarly,snotty hill without too much effort. I always had the feeling that there was always a little more power if required for that last sharp steep stretch before chugging over the top.

The WR requires a lot more attention to detail, feathering the clutch on the big snotty up hills to stop the front wheel coming back past the vertical and throwing the rider off when it hooked it. And hook up it did.

The mostly clay based trails in the Maramarua forest should be dry and dusty at this time of the year - it is almost the middle of summer after all. To be honest the tracks were not too bad on our first circuit. They quickly got harder to negotiate once it started to rain. Harder but not impassible, certainly a little daunting for those unused to the conditions or without decent tyres. One of the biggest problems for those with a little confidence like myself was people in the way stuck halfway up hills that had to be negotiated on the blast to the top.

The WR is not content with the more or .less smooth and gentle approach. The pilot needs to suck in a big one and attack. The approach seems to work well. I can't confess to have got up all the nastier hills first time but they all succumbed on on the second go. I just need to get fitter so I can hang onto the bike.

I didn't manage to get any video of the ride, it was just to wet to bother. Mind you the helmet cam would have worked ok on the head or bike of one of the faster riders circulating on the day. The kind of rider that ends the day with a more or less clean bike-nothing like mud encrusted steed that mine was at days end.

The Power Adventures rides are generally pretty rider friendly but with clearly marked more challenging expert sections. I don't know for sure but I assume that Greg sets these rides so that those with lesser ability don't get overwhelmed. Today the weather gods conspired against him to some extent.

I know some people would have found the ride a bit too demanding and would question whether some of the tracks should have been closed or more diversions put in place around the sections that became harder as the day went. But for a large number of riders, those fit enough and with the confidence and technique to blast up wet snotty clay cliffs it was all good clean fun.

Like the good old days.

Not that I am soft or anything-we didn't get to day 2.

Husky WR 250 first ride report

One of the great things about the credit crunch and having some more or less spare cash in the bank is that when someone comes calling offering a pretty good deal-I was in a position to take it.

Out went the GasGas 300 which I thought was the greatest thing since sliced bread and in came the Husky WR250. Now the Husky is a 2007 run out model but when I look at the way the $NZ is going and the likely increased cost of any new bike, let alone any big ticket imported item, the change over deal sounded pretty good to me.

Like most people when they buy any kind of vehicle and I have bought a few over the years I almost always leave the dealer with the nasty thought that I have been screwed some way. Well in this case I can report that I came away feeling pretty good about the deal. I feel even better about it after riding it for the first time yesterday.

Matt at Bikesport had done a pretty good sales job - the Husky is an improvement on the GasGas, I wouldn't notice the difference in power, and it had a better suspension package (out of the box. I haven't touched it) so was much more stable in the rough stuff than the GasGas. If I thought the GasGas was a great bike I would love the Husky.

Suffice to say that he was right on all accounts.

The Husky is a much harder edged bike than the GasGas. The GasGas is a performance machine that is cleverly disguised in a fairly docile package. The GasGas is a great trail bike for the average rider and a highly competitive package in the hands of a good rider.

The Husky has much more snap to it and is also pretty stable-the big whoops on some of the return tracks out at Woodhill are suddenly a bit more fun and easier to negotiate.  The Husky combines straight line snap and stability with agility in the tight tight stuff which on the basis of a few hours of a shakedown ride bodes well for the kind of riding that I generally get into.

The gearing is suited to a sandy place like Woodhill with the bike managing to lug my 95KG plus along in 4th and 5th on the longer return tracks and still accelerate when I have the nerve to twist the throttle a bit more. The bike seems to be a little under geared in some ways so it will be interesting to see how it goes in more open, faster conditions.

There are a few things to get used to. Being the a highly strung piece of Euro competition bike it is not as forgiving at low speeds as the GasGas and stalls relatively easily. More judicious use of the clutch will solve that problem. Being relatively low geared it is not as easy to bump start as the GasGas after stalling while undergoing low speed manoeuvres. The bike is also a surprisingly stubborn  starter. The kick starter itself is a little awkward - it is hard to get a decent swing at it and it will just not start in gear.

Cosmetically it is a good looking bike - it looks as if it is ready to attack anything thrown at it. After years of owning bikes with see through fuel tanks the black fuel tank is an interesting novelty.

I enjoyed my first blast on the Husky and can't wait for the next outing in the new year. After years of riding four strokes I finally realised after testing a GasGas that two strokes suited my style of riding. On the basis of the first ride the Husky brings a new dimension to my riding enjoyment.

Not so long ago I thought a DR400 was the pinnacle of offroad engineering as after throwing my leg over one I thought 'this is built with me in mind'. I thought the same about the GasGas-but the Husky feels even better.