2020 HUSQVARNA TE 300i VS. 2020 BETA 300 RR
P94
COMPARISON
COMMON DENOMINATOR
The European brands of KTM, Husqvarna,
Beta, Sherco and GasGas (which was re-
cently purchased by the KTM Group) have
continued the development of two-stroke
off-road bikes which continue to dominate
the extreme off-road racing scene both in the U.S.
and abroad. Like most of the other brands/mod-
els, the Husqvarna and Beta include electric start
with no kickstarter backup. Each bike contains
two different ignition maps (one more aggres-
sive and one mellower option for low traction or
technical conditions). Both bikes feature traditional
spring forks (rather than air-spring forks found on
the more race-oriented TX 300i). And in the rear,
both the Husqvarna and Beta include linkage style
suspension systems. Headlights/taillights are
standard on both bikes, and we were grateful to
have those as we ended up finishing more than
one ride after dark. Both bikes are too much fun to
stop riding just because the sun sets.
Unlike two-strokes of the past, both bikes
do not require mixing oil in the gas as they
have oil-injection systems. You fill a sepa-
rate tank with your two-stroke oil, and that
will last for several tanks of fuel. This seems
like a small thing, but it is nice to share gas
cans with your four-stroke riding buddies or fill up
at a gas station as we did in Moab without needing
to carry oil. Speaking of fuel, the stock tank on the
Husqvarna holds 2.2 gallons while the Beta holds
2.5 gallons.
For the sake of this test, we installed fresh
Dunlop AT81 tires on both bikes. In fact, we went
through two sets of tires on each bike. We spent
a total of seven days testing on the two bikes in
diverse terrain that included two days in Moab,
Utah, a day at the Motoventures training grounds
in Anza, California, and four days in the desert with
varying conditions.
The 2020
Husqvarna
TE300i (left)
and Beta 300
RR in their
element.
