Australasian Dirt Bike — September 2017

B

etahasgoneinafew

differentdirectionsoverthe

last seven years in the

pursuitofprogressandthe

small Italian motorcycle

manufacturerisn’tshowinganysigns

of slowing down. In 2012 Beta released

apairoftwo-strokeenduros,then

three years ago it downsized the

capacities of the entire four-stroke

rangeinthepursuitofrideability.

For2018,theRRrangeiscontinuing

onarelentlesspathofrideability.

4.7kg has been shaved from the

two-strokesand5.3kgfromfour-

bangers. Beta’s mantra of “easy to ride”

isaliveandwellinitslatestofferings

andit’sawelcomechangefromthe

ready-to-race vibes coming from its

JapaneseandEuropeancompetitors.

ThecapacitiesBetaoffersare

unchangedbutwithonenewmember

addedtothefamily.Four-strokeriders

havethechoiceoftheRR350,390,430

and480whilesmokershavethe250,

300and,waitforit,anewRR125!

In typical Italian fashion, Beta put

onashowforthe2018RRlaunchand

naturally,theybookedacastleinthe

Tuscan hills, 20 minutes outside of

Florence.35-hoursoftransitlaterI

wasridingshotgunonthewaytoour

accommodation while our Italian

driver simultaneously played Candy

Crush, took his heart medication and

thread his 10-seater minibus through

thecongestedItalianmotorwayat

150km/h. Apparently, this is normal

Italian behaviour.

TECH TIME

Betahasredesigneditsframesforthe

2018 range. The steering stem and

front-endofthechrome-moly,double-

cradle frame has been redesigned and

is now 10% stiffer. This gives the bike

sharper handling and a more precise

feel, a benefit for riding tight terrain.

Significant time and energy has

beenputintodevelopingtheengines.

As well as increasing performance

Beta shaved 1.7kg off its four-stroke

andtwo-strokeengines,largelyby

removing the kickstarters.

Acrosstheboardanew,lighter

clutch has been used and a new gear

selector mechanism installed to

improve shift feel.

Specifictothetwo-strokes,thereare

ahostofnewparts,includinganew

cylinder, crankshaft, connecting rod

and power-valve centrifuge with more

mass. The 250 gets a new combustion

chambershapewhilethe300receives

anewroundedpistonpairedwitha

matching combustion chamber.

Thefour-strokeenginesnow

featuretwinfuelinjectors,similarto

thesystemintroducedonthe2012

Kawasaki KX250F. Twin injectors

OLLY HEADS TO TUSCANY FOR A BETA LIFE

http://www.adbmag.com.au SEPTEMBER 2017 | 59

Beta

Lghter,

FASTER,

Beta has made the 300 super smooth

White with red highlights for 2018

Looking for grip on the dry, loose test loop

WORDS // OLLY MALONE PHOTOS // BETA