Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1056041
2019 DUAL-SPORT SHOOTOUT COMPARISON P84 Suspension setup on the Beta is the area where most of our test riders had issues. The bike seems to ride really low in the stroke on the shock and the front end feels loose with big push coming into corners. It's almost like the spring rate is set from the factory for a pre-teen on the shock. We checked it and it was set at a normal adult sag. But the character of the bike just didn't settle on the front wheel that well for our test riders at higher speeds. When dicing through trees or picking through rocks, this wasn't an issue. The suspen- sion is leaning on the soft side, as well, without the hold-up for big bumps that the Honda enjoys. Another complaint came from the fuel range. This bike, like the Honda, has 2.1 gallons of fuel capacity. That's good for about 60 miles before the light comes on the dash telling you to fuel up. Don't push it past 70 or else you could be walking. It also gets the worst mileage of the group, con- sistently 10 mpg fewer than the others from ripping twisty roads to crawling through single-track. It's thirsty. But the engine does like to party, so it makes sense it's consuming more go-juice. Finally, the last complaint on the Beta goes to the license plate bracket and turn signals. Ours didn't fall off in two days of bash- ing around, but they will soon. These components are certainly an afterthought. Without a doubt, this was our test riders' favorite bike in tight single-track or if they just wanted to do drag races with a fun en- gine. The bike's computer is a Trail Tech Voyager unit and its function- ality is far superior to everything else in the test when it comes to navigation with full GPS. It also is the easiest display to read. The Beta has good mirrors, not amazing, but better than KTM and Husqvarna's horrid pieces. You can access the air filter without tools just like a dirt biker should. The bottom line on the Beta 430 RR-S: The Beta is certainly something different. And if that's your bag, pack this one home. It's a great engine in a chassis that just needs some fine-tuning to be usable everywhere we'd ride it. We do really wish it had more range via a larger fuel tank or more fuel-efficient engine. All of our test riders ranked this bike third out of four based mostly on the front-end's lack of stability at speed. Also, your local Beta dealer availability will likely play a role in your buying decision. They're not as plentiful as the other bikes here.