Australasian Dirt Bike — January 2018

was the little things Olly noted that

madeallthedifference,stating“It’s

thebiggestrevhoundand,onceyou

getyourheadaroundthat,it’safun

andfastbiketoride”and“Nowthe

top-end power is crisper and pulls

harder thanks to the extra nozzle”.

Whatever, Olly! That doesn’t sound

liketheBetasIknowandlove.

UnconvincedbyOlly’sassessment,

becauseI’mfasterthanhimandan

eternalpessimist,Iwasnotgoingtolet

thislanky,pre-pubescentpunkmake

upmymindforme.WasIjealousof

his thick head of hair? Yes. But I

needed to feel these mind-blowing

modifications for myself.

So when the 2018 Beta RRs landed

ENDURO COMPARO | 2016 BETA 350RR V 2017 350RR

The power is more akin

to a KTM 350X-F than the

2017 Beta 350RR

UPPER CUT

The power the 350RR now produces is like getting

an upper cut to the face. So much more!

IN TUNE

The exhaust hasn’t really changed for 2018 and

there’s no need to. It still sounds and breathes.

NOT SHOCKED

With a stiffer frame, Beta has improved the

suspension by adapting the settings to suit

HOLD ON

In short, yes. The most notable

upgrade for 2018 to the four-stroke

engine is the addition of a second

injector. Beta has positioned the

second one to kick in higher in the rev

range with the initial injector, located

closer to the intake valves, taking care

of your power just off idle. I expected a

punchy top-end powerband-style hit,

but what I got was doses and doses of

midrange torque and response. In fact,

so strong was the power from the

minute I opened the throttle I raced

back into the pits to question Grabbo

over his sceptical bike set-up.

“You’ve definitely done something

on Aussie shores I made sure I was the

first to ride the new range.

I wanted the most racey of the lot,

which is the 350RR, so I put in a

special order. But I wasn’t satisfied

with just testing the 2018 350RR on its

lonesome.

I needed a benchmark from which I

could gauge Olly’s bullshit-o-meter, so

Beta Australia’s Ben Grabham also

brought a 2017 model along.

And to really show off the 2018

performance gains, he brought along

the 2017 up-spec. racing model!

So, is this dual-injected, weight-

shaved, stiffened 2018 Beta 350RR

really that much better than the 2017

Racing model?

78 | JANUARY 2018 http://www.adbmag.com.au