After 10 plus years riding Gas Gas, I'm buying a new 2013 Beta 300 RR two stroke. I'm excited to make a change and have a new unique bike that isn't an orange. Still keeping my 2001 and 2002 Gasser 300 for now. I like to have a stable of different steeds. Not sure if anyone cares, but it is a big deal to me.
I'm buying a Beta 300RR
- Thread starter Hawkeye
- Start date
Just read the tbm review (UK mag). And had a good look at one at a show.
Sound like a good bike.
REVERUP
Gold Level Site Supporter
Here is a link to a DR preliminary test on the 250, 300 smokers, not really much info. Full test in near future.
http://www.dirtrider.com/features/2013-beta-250rr-and-300rr-two-stroke-first-impression/
http://www.dirtrider.com/features/2013-beta-250rr-and-300rr-two-stroke-first-impression/
arminhammer
New member
The Beta 2 stroke is on my short list of bikes to buy this year. Would love to hear some real people reviews.
siaknijustin
New member
+1 on a real person review. I've been very curious about this bike since the first pics came out. If nothing else they're gorgeous! Did you purchase it through the BYOB?
twowheels
New member
Posted on TT by some guy named motoxgiant 
I won't bore anybody with the details of that little old supercross race that went on last night - let's get straight to the bikes. The ride consisted of roughly 3 miles of desert single track up near Anza, and due to the sun, rain, sun, hail, rain, and wind (in that order) we got to evaluate all of the 2013 Beta models in a variety of traction conditions. The decomposing granite/stone that creates the sandy soil up there got slick and greasy in spots later in the day putting a premium on throttle and brake control on the off-camber corners, switchbacks and downhills.
The lines were longest to ride the new 2 strokes and the 350 and 400 four strokes, but there were also 450 RR and 498RR and 450 and 520RS models to sample, along with a passel of trials bikes. If you've never ridden a trials bike you should. You may not like it, but it's definitely a unique experience.
First off, let me saw that the 498RR is likely the fastest off-road bike I have ever ridden. Really fast. Intoxicatingly fast. 'I shouldn't but I really want to' fast. Great ergos, compliant suspension ... did I mention it was fast? Way too much bike for the woods back home, this thing was a rocket. Twist it and go. Slow down to more sane speeds then twist it again - he he!
The 450RR was a slightly tamer version of the 498 - generally the same feel, just less boost. For a bigger guy or more open trail this would be an easy bike to live with. The forks and shock really kept the bike level, the brakes were fantastic, and the layout was very clean. One thing I noticed about the four-strokes was that the peg to seat distance felt shorter than on the 2Ts, with a taller bar sensation. All of the handlebars were in the middle position , but I didn't not if the off-center clamp was biased forward or back.
I didn't ride the 350RR, but other riders said it felt like a big 250X motorwise. Extrapolating then, the 400RR felt like an even bigger 250X. Guys said they were both easier to ride than their bigger/badder brothers, with good traction even in the slop, and a lighter overall feel due to reduced engine gyro. I can attest to that on the 400 - pleasant, and likely fast on a clock, but not as exciting as the larger thumpers or the two-strokes.
And now the news you've been waiting for ...
The new 250 and 300RR 2 strokes are great bikes to ride, but not nearly as different from each other as I would have expected. Apparently the big hit that had been reported on the 300 was evident when the bike was being prepped, but a quick power-valve adjustment took care of that.
The 250 was really fun because you could clutch it and drive out of corners and really twist the throttle - the 300 demanded more respect as it had more juice everywhere, and seemed to move through the rev range quickly. Where the 250 would rail through switchback turns and tight corner ruts the 300 needed slightly more attention when you turned the fun-handle. Jetting on the 250 was spot-on out of the box for the roughly 45F day at 3000 feet of elevation; the 300 started out rich off the bottom but responded well to air screw adjustments and might have done even better with a clip position change or pilot swap. Once adjusted, there were no hitches or big hits in the powerbands and both pulled smoothly from idle into the upper rev-range. A bigger guy or more experienced rider might crave the 300cc power, but the 250 acquitted itself well in volume and feel as well. Very competitive on both counts. Both will definitely haul the mail - the 300 simply more so than the 250.
The two-strokes share all of their body work with the thumpers, so they were easy to move back and forth on, and extremely easy to flick side to side. Nothing caught my boots or pants but I did feel the leading edge of the right side cover (where it clears the shock reservoir) on the back of my calf when standing and gripping the bikes with my legs. The seats are firm with well defined edges to let your butt know how far you've leaned over, and even with Michelin Six Days tires they were able to carve just about any arc I wanted. The seat height and generous steering lock will make this a fantastic tight-woods bike. On the straights they were perhaps less accurate than a modern GasGas as the front ends have a light feel. Overall the 2Ts feel nimble like KTM200s in terms of length and weight without being disjointed front to rear. The latest GasGas' are more planted, seem longer (they are just barely) and have a more "substantial" feel which the scales will agree with.
It will take more time to arrive at a final answer on the suspension because all of the bikes were essentially crate fresh when the day started, but the forks on the 4 strokes were noticeably plusher than those on the two-strokes despite having stiffer spring rates. There was a little of the choppiness noted in the Italian press reports, particularly on downhills with long stretches of braking bumps, and the 2T front ends weren't as settled as those on the 4Ts. We've had success tuning similar behavior out of Sachs forks before, or you could install a an Ohlins TTX kit and call it good, or select a set of 48mm Marzocchi closed chamber forks from the catalog and work from there. More time to adjust clickers, on more familiar terrain, will give me a fuller picture. Nothing really to report on the shocks - a little fine-tuning would be in order once break-in is complete, but traction was excellent and they soaked up all manner of trail irregularities.
E-start is a wonderful thing, even on 2Ts, and I've stopped fighting it. The two-strokes both fire up easily with the button or kick lever, as did the 400 I rode, but the bigger four-strokes would require more time and attention (and leg) than I cared to give ... just push the little button and go! I managed to stall the 450 in the slop and brought it back to life easily with zero drama thanks to good carburetion and my electric friend.
I won't bore anybody with the details of that little old supercross race that went on last night - let's get straight to the bikes. The ride consisted of roughly 3 miles of desert single track up near Anza, and due to the sun, rain, sun, hail, rain, and wind (in that order) we got to evaluate all of the 2013 Beta models in a variety of traction conditions. The decomposing granite/stone that creates the sandy soil up there got slick and greasy in spots later in the day putting a premium on throttle and brake control on the off-camber corners, switchbacks and downhills.
The lines were longest to ride the new 2 strokes and the 350 and 400 four strokes, but there were also 450 RR and 498RR and 450 and 520RS models to sample, along with a passel of trials bikes. If you've never ridden a trials bike you should. You may not like it, but it's definitely a unique experience.
First off, let me saw that the 498RR is likely the fastest off-road bike I have ever ridden. Really fast. Intoxicatingly fast. 'I shouldn't but I really want to' fast. Great ergos, compliant suspension ... did I mention it was fast? Way too much bike for the woods back home, this thing was a rocket. Twist it and go. Slow down to more sane speeds then twist it again - he he!
The 450RR was a slightly tamer version of the 498 - generally the same feel, just less boost. For a bigger guy or more open trail this would be an easy bike to live with. The forks and shock really kept the bike level, the brakes were fantastic, and the layout was very clean. One thing I noticed about the four-strokes was that the peg to seat distance felt shorter than on the 2Ts, with a taller bar sensation. All of the handlebars were in the middle position , but I didn't not if the off-center clamp was biased forward or back.
I didn't ride the 350RR, but other riders said it felt like a big 250X motorwise. Extrapolating then, the 400RR felt like an even bigger 250X. Guys said they were both easier to ride than their bigger/badder brothers, with good traction even in the slop, and a lighter overall feel due to reduced engine gyro. I can attest to that on the 400 - pleasant, and likely fast on a clock, but not as exciting as the larger thumpers or the two-strokes.
And now the news you've been waiting for ...
The new 250 and 300RR 2 strokes are great bikes to ride, but not nearly as different from each other as I would have expected. Apparently the big hit that had been reported on the 300 was evident when the bike was being prepped, but a quick power-valve adjustment took care of that.
The 250 was really fun because you could clutch it and drive out of corners and really twist the throttle - the 300 demanded more respect as it had more juice everywhere, and seemed to move through the rev range quickly. Where the 250 would rail through switchback turns and tight corner ruts the 300 needed slightly more attention when you turned the fun-handle. Jetting on the 250 was spot-on out of the box for the roughly 45F day at 3000 feet of elevation; the 300 started out rich off the bottom but responded well to air screw adjustments and might have done even better with a clip position change or pilot swap. Once adjusted, there were no hitches or big hits in the powerbands and both pulled smoothly from idle into the upper rev-range. A bigger guy or more experienced rider might crave the 300cc power, but the 250 acquitted itself well in volume and feel as well. Very competitive on both counts. Both will definitely haul the mail - the 300 simply more so than the 250.
The two-strokes share all of their body work with the thumpers, so they were easy to move back and forth on, and extremely easy to flick side to side. Nothing caught my boots or pants but I did feel the leading edge of the right side cover (where it clears the shock reservoir) on the back of my calf when standing and gripping the bikes with my legs. The seats are firm with well defined edges to let your butt know how far you've leaned over, and even with Michelin Six Days tires they were able to carve just about any arc I wanted. The seat height and generous steering lock will make this a fantastic tight-woods bike. On the straights they were perhaps less accurate than a modern GasGas as the front ends have a light feel. Overall the 2Ts feel nimble like KTM200s in terms of length and weight without being disjointed front to rear. The latest GasGas' are more planted, seem longer (they are just barely) and have a more "substantial" feel which the scales will agree with.
It will take more time to arrive at a final answer on the suspension because all of the bikes were essentially crate fresh when the day started, but the forks on the 4 strokes were noticeably plusher than those on the two-strokes despite having stiffer spring rates. There was a little of the choppiness noted in the Italian press reports, particularly on downhills with long stretches of braking bumps, and the 2T front ends weren't as settled as those on the 4Ts. We've had success tuning similar behavior out of Sachs forks before, or you could install a an Ohlins TTX kit and call it good, or select a set of 48mm Marzocchi closed chamber forks from the catalog and work from there. More time to adjust clickers, on more familiar terrain, will give me a fuller picture. Nothing really to report on the shocks - a little fine-tuning would be in order once break-in is complete, but traction was excellent and they soaked up all manner of trail irregularities.
E-start is a wonderful thing, even on 2Ts, and I've stopped fighting it. The two-strokes both fire up easily with the button or kick lever, as did the 400 I rode, but the bigger four-strokes would require more time and attention (and leg) than I cared to give ... just push the little button and go! I managed to stall the 450 in the slop and brought it back to life easily with zero drama thanks to good carburetion and my electric friend.
singletracker
New member
Good report. The latest Beta's definitely have my attention. Especially since there is a good dealer nearby now.
I'm with Jakobi on the tank size though. Two gallons won't cut it.
I'm with Jakobi on the tank size though. Two gallons won't cut it.
Leon_gasgas
New member
Hi!
I received my new Beta RR250 11 days ago. Until now I managed to do a peaceful 1 hour for breaking it in and another 45 minutes (I tried a bit the midrange hit but still staying away from the rev limiter..) on a demanding 5 cm snow rut breaking continuously (temps +1 C) through trees, mainly with 2nd gear. No complains until now, although during the 2nd ride it felt big mainly because of the (too much) torque feeling at very low revs and the wrong front tire for the occasion (I was on 125s for the last 2,5 years... and several GG250s and a YZ250 2T with E-line stator before them). I am still on the factory adjustment on the powervalve which is 2,5 turns in from fully out (6,5 turns total). That means I can smooth out the motor 4 turns or make it more aggressive for 2,5 turns. Power delivery is great. Lots of flywheel effect and torque but wakes up fast and wants to rev. The hit is more noticeable than a GG 250 07 (I don't have experience with the 12 and newer GGs) but still much more controllable than the hit on the YZ250 (it had the additional 12oz E-line weight but still too much in many cases). But I think the easily adjustable powervalve is the huge bonus on this bike. If you want you can adjust quickly before each special test, if you want to...
The bike's build quality is TOP even when compared to aluminium framed YZs. Very easy to work with and actually now I think the empty space under the tank is a + point after you adjust everything in the carb without the need to remove it completely from the clamps. From the beginning I am running a WP cone valve fork (used for a season on a GG250 2011) with a CRF wheel on the stock clamps. Turning is good but still playing a bit with fork height (it's about 1,5 cm taller than the stock Sachs). And also I have to check rear sag very soon. For the moment it feels ok. I just want that the shock is fully broken in. I will report more when I have some more hours on the bike. Today will be the 3rd ride...
Here is a picture when it was still new: http://postimage.org/image/9gaqqs5g5/
Leon
I received my new Beta RR250 11 days ago. Until now I managed to do a peaceful 1 hour for breaking it in and another 45 minutes (I tried a bit the midrange hit but still staying away from the rev limiter..) on a demanding 5 cm snow rut breaking continuously (temps +1 C) through trees, mainly with 2nd gear. No complains until now, although during the 2nd ride it felt big mainly because of the (too much) torque feeling at very low revs and the wrong front tire for the occasion (I was on 125s for the last 2,5 years... and several GG250s and a YZ250 2T with E-line stator before them). I am still on the factory adjustment on the powervalve which is 2,5 turns in from fully out (6,5 turns total). That means I can smooth out the motor 4 turns or make it more aggressive for 2,5 turns. Power delivery is great. Lots of flywheel effect and torque but wakes up fast and wants to rev. The hit is more noticeable than a GG 250 07 (I don't have experience with the 12 and newer GGs) but still much more controllable than the hit on the YZ250 (it had the additional 12oz E-line weight but still too much in many cases). But I think the easily adjustable powervalve is the huge bonus on this bike. If you want you can adjust quickly before each special test, if you want to...
The bike's build quality is TOP even when compared to aluminium framed YZs. Very easy to work with and actually now I think the empty space under the tank is a + point after you adjust everything in the carb without the need to remove it completely from the clamps. From the beginning I am running a WP cone valve fork (used for a season on a GG250 2011) with a CRF wheel on the stock clamps. Turning is good but still playing a bit with fork height (it's about 1,5 cm taller than the stock Sachs). And also I have to check rear sag very soon. For the moment it feels ok. I just want that the shock is fully broken in. I will report more when I have some more hours on the bike. Today will be the 3rd ride...
Here is a picture when it was still new: http://postimage.org/image/9gaqqs5g5/
Leon
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erniebearskin
New member
Wow, thats a nice looking bike. Bike Porn.
Leon_gasgas
New member
Thanks guys! I have to tell that live is even more beautiful than any picture on the net. I bought the fork for cheap in April and it was just waiting in my garage to be used when I would change my EC125 '08 to a new EC250 2013. I think I wrote it here earlier that I went to the shop to order the basic version gasgas but the final offer for the beta was just 200 euros more than the EC including beta enduro clothing. I could not skip this offer and I haven't regretted it yet even though I have no seat time on a 12 or newer EC. I thought if I like how the cone valve fork works then the new Sachs fork and wheel can stay new to help the sale of the bike whenever I change it.
Yesterday was the first real good practice. We traveled 50 km to find some more snow and it worked out nicely. 20 cm snow rut with faster whoops and some twisting through trees. Now I can tell that I am excited about how the whole bike works and especially the engine. It needed some additional air screw adjustment but then it ripped and the torque was excellent. It pulled great some turn exits with 3rd and minimum clutch use. The delivery of this motor is just about perfect. I think from tomorrow morning I can test the powervalve adjustment. At the end a friend helped me to measure sag. Free sag was 4cm and with my weight (87kg geared up) 12cm. It felt a bit uncomfortable in the faster whoop section at the back and now I know the reason. I am really excited already for tomorrow's practice after I adjust the sag tonight. Balance, turning and fork action will be even better.
Leon
Yesterday was the first real good practice. We traveled 50 km to find some more snow and it worked out nicely. 20 cm snow rut with faster whoops and some twisting through trees. Now I can tell that I am excited about how the whole bike works and especially the engine. It needed some additional air screw adjustment but then it ripped and the torque was excellent. It pulled great some turn exits with 3rd and minimum clutch use. The delivery of this motor is just about perfect. I think from tomorrow morning I can test the powervalve adjustment. At the end a friend helped me to measure sag. Free sag was 4cm and with my weight (87kg geared up) 12cm. It felt a bit uncomfortable in the faster whoop section at the back and now I know the reason. I am really excited already for tomorrow's practice after I adjust the sag tonight. Balance, turning and fork action will be even better.
Leon
Leon_gasgas
New member
Just to add that the stock Sachs fork works well. I have test driven the 300RR. Also the first review from dirtrider.com was positive.
Leon
Leon
I'll be interested in seeing how the Sachs fork compares to my revalved WP's or my Kayabas on my Yamahas. Sounds like their might have been improvements over the past year. Gas tank, yes, I'm prepared to have to get a larger one as soon as they are available. I can do a two hour hare-scrambles on my GG300's with fuel remaining, but I think those stock tanks are 2.6 or 2.8 gal. (can't remember).
I did not do the BYOB program, but am buying a stock 300RR from Hicklin Power Sports, by Des Moines, Iowa's only Beta dealer. I think the owner, Bart Hicklin is as excited as I am about the new Betas.
I did not do the BYOB program, but am buying a stock 300RR from Hicklin Power Sports, by Des Moines, Iowa's only Beta dealer. I think the owner, Bart Hicklin is as excited as I am about the new Betas.
siaknijustin
New member
The only CC option I see on the BYOB suspension page is the Ohlins TTX inserts. It would be nice if they offered a more cost effective alternative like the Marzocchi 48 CC.
Still... that bike is beautiful and I think the BYOB program would be hard to pass on if I were in the financial position to do so.
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