Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

The TR34 also received a new kickstart pedal. Theair box was modified toeliminate four fastening sa-ews found on the TR33. A rubber band secures the access in the side of the box. Air intake was also increased. Beta installed new fork bushings to red uce friction. They al 0 elected new Tomaselli cross-braced aluminum handlebars which are slightly lower than the TR33's. Adjustable turn stops are new on the TR34. So are the fenders and body work. And the tool compartment is gone. The buyer now receives a tool belt. The first Beta imported here, the TR32, was not a world-beater, but the monoshock (the second to reach the U.S. after Yamaha) showed promise. Retired, five-time National Champion Marland Whaley Dirted with the .idea of coming out of retirement on a Beta. Morgan Kavanaugh rode the bike for TMI, the original Beta importer. Then distribution rights were shifted to Cosmopolitan Motors, the Montesa importer. According to TMI, the two Italian factories - Fantic and Beta - were concerned about the same importer handling both brands. Cosmopolitan asked SCOll Head, who had won the 1984 National Championship for them riding a Montesa 242, to switch to their new brand. Head, on an updated TR32, responded by winning all nine 1985 Nationals. In upgrading the TR32 (without changing model designation) Beta made the following changes in the bike Head rode to the '85 title: a larger 25mm Dell'Orto carburetor, the addi tion of a rubber cushion between the engine and skid plates, repositioning of the pegs and handlebar mounts, a longer swingarm, a rebalanced a-ankshaft, and the addition of Michelin X-I tires. TheTR33 which Head and Young finished one-two on in 1986 included the following changes: a Grimeca front disc brake and caliper with Brembo mastercyclinder, new engine porting, a larger 26mm Dell'Orto carburetor, a switch from a singlestage to dual-stage Boyensen reed, shock modifications, a strengthened swingarm, increased airbox intake, a new tank/seat piece to lower fuel on A new chrome-moly frame design gives the TR34 an unbelievably low seat height. the bike, the addition of a head brace, and weight reduction to a claimed . 187 pounds. In just two steps up the model evolution ladder, Beta has demonstrated the ability to develop a bike at least comparable to anything available currently. Scott Head's personal bike was used for testing. His unit sported a white seat which has since been switched to blue. His bike arrived without a sidestand or taillight, two items that will appear on bikes sold by Cosmopolitan. After several practice sessions plus a weekend of competition, Head enthusiastically endorsed his new mount: "I've never ridden a bike with better stability, feel, or comfort. The suspension complements the. handling beautifully. It responds to the subtlestinputs. It's so forgiving. "I noticed the lower ground clearance in the rocks, taking a few more hits. but where I thought it would matter, on big logs or steps - no A Grimeca front disc brake and caliper with a Brembo master cylinder .provide the stopping power for the TR34. way. Because of the new suspension, the TR34 is superior attacking any obstacle. The new suspension is beautiful on steps. 1 just motor over the smaller ones. And for larger teps, there's more upward/forward thrust. With the TR34, all my big steps are turned into medium steps so now I'm looking for new big steps. "The tradeoff of gmund clearance for a lower center of gravity is a good one With the increased stability, 1 can ride slower and place the rear wheel more precisely. And the bike feels stable when 1 lay it over in a turn. "The new suspension, combined with ligher weight, especially in the rear of the bike, allows me to consciously adjust my line with !TIy back wheel because it unloads so nicely. And you don't have to give near,ly as much input to unload up something. Now, if a line isn't good, 1 can move the back end over sideways to put it down on a good traction patch. Lateral, two-whe,el hops are much easier now. 1 can even do them in succession, on flat ground. Mostly, it's the weight reduction, but the lower seat height helps too. You can lean the bike more to initiate hops. "When you consider they moved the pegs and motor forward more than an inch, it's remarkable the front end still has, basically, Ule same touch. It's just a tad harder to lift. It used to be easier to get a pivot going, but harder to finish it off. Now, that's swappedarounp because the rear end is so light. With the motor forward, the frontend doesn't come upon you so easily on a climb. And the steeper the climb, the better the traction. There's definitely improved grip on loose climbs. You just stand and motor up, it really hooks up well. "I like tbe improved leverage in the clutch lever. The new setup pulls as easy as a TR33 after it's been worked on. "With the new tubeless tire I've gone about 20 percent less on air pressure with no noticeable loss of stability. Beta says you can drop it up to about 30 percenL "The rear disc didn't work so well the first time out in the wet, but after that outing it worked great. 1 guess it just had to break in. 1 like the shorter control range. There is a friction groan in water, but it's not that maddening screech the old Spanish drum brakes used to make. "1 noticed the lower bars right away. Even though it wasn't much, 1 felt a bit hunched over on the bike. ''I'm really impressed. It's like I got a better trick bike, yet a much more stable motorcycle at the same time -which really doesn't make sense ... but 1 got it." Ryan Young, the Beta team rider who snapped Head's winning streak at 16 last summer, had this to say about the new TR34: "It's so smootll and stable. The suspension is awesome. The rear wheel sticks to the ground. The adjustable rebound damping is a great benefit, if you know what you're doing. You can make it do exactly what you want it to in different terrain. Like the first section iil Austria last year: You had to hop from rock top to rock top. It would have been so nice to adj ust the shock so 1could hop and then dial in more damping for the next section. "The bigger motor is really smooth and more powerful on the low end, but there's still no wheelspin when you slingshot. 1 can go slower, compared to the TR33 motor. "The rear disc o££ers a couple of benefits. First, it's maintenance-free. Second, it won 'dade on you. There's a progressive feel in the brake pedal. It takes a fair amount of pressure to activate. It's definitely not an on/o££ brake. "The new frame lets the whole bike go underneath your body umil you can't stretch out any farther. I can hold a dab three times farther than before with the TR33. With the old bike I could only go a couple of feet before the seat and fender pushed against my butt. You can also lean the new bike much more comfortably. "I didn't have any problems witll the ground clearance once I realized I had to lift tile front end a lillIe higher to compensate. "1 noticed the front end felt a little heavier right away. The new bike goes up over things really nice because more of the weight is already over the top and the light rear end follows it up and over, it's a good hillclimber. The front end doesn't come back on you and the longer swingarm gives you stability. 1 fine tuned the front of my bike by dropping the fork tubes a 16th of an inch in the triple clamps, using 3/8-inch spacers to preload the fork springs, and using five weight oil. 1

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