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/127711
1995 Beta Techno 250 By Don n Maeda h e 1994 U.S . National Trial s Championship Series saw Geoff Aaron finally dethrone perennial champ Ryan Young. It was a feat that many had expected him to accom pli sh sooner in his career, but still - the taste of victory was sweet. Though natural talent, hard work and dedication played the biggest roles in Aa ron's success, th e hard -w orkin g Connecticut rider attributed much of his accomplishment to his Beta Techno. But while Championship-level riders lik e Aaron found the Techno to their liking, many average-skilled riders felt that the '94 Techno wa s too advanced. A hardhitting powerband and temperamental clutch left many lesser riders with both feet on the ground . This yea r, Beta has produced an allnew Techno. Though it looks the sa me on the ou tside, much has been changed internally. T IN THE PITS The m ost ob vious ch ange is the b ike's co lo r. Cone are the yello w and black fenders , and in their pla ce are sty lish red and blu e p iec es. But th e re ' s much more tha n meets the eye - es pecially in the eng ine dep artment. An allnew cylinde r and cylinde r-hea d combination' that boasts' a lower comp ress ion rati o is d esign ed to d eliver a smoo ther type o f pow er th an last ye ar's powerplant. A heav ier flywheel, solid crankshaft and a new exhaust system round out the e ng ine ch a nges . The 26mm Dell'Orto carburetor is still th e same, but it has been rejetted to accommodate the new cylinde r and head. ' Addressing last year's clutch complaints are a new set of so fter clutch plates, and a larger piston in the clutch's slave cylind er. The primary-drive gear is now ca se -harden ed and bo ast s straight tee th for smoother po wer delivery . Inside the gearbox, third gear ha s b e en lowered , cl o sin g up the g a p bet ween second and third . While the peri me ter fra me was left basically unchan ged , the swingarm now un der goes a new heat trea tment process that Beta claims increases stiffness. The 12 skid plate is made of a harder-grade aluminum and has a new sha pe. A th ick rubber pla te absorbs the shock tran smit ted thr ough the skid plate to the engi ne. Th e rea r s ho ck h a s been revalved for qu icker rebound, in orde r to react m ore qui ckl y on large steps. BETWEEN THE TAP ES .The first thing that new Beta riders will need to adapt to is the left -s id e ki ck s ta rter . While longtime Beta enthusias ts will have li ttle or no trouble taking a slap at the sho rt lever, most ride rs will find it quite a w kw a rd . A h e althy s ta b b r in g s th e 247.5cc engi ne to life, and th an ks to the heavy-d u ty ru bber cu shi ons bet w een the mot or and skid plate, very li t tle vi bration is delivered up to the rider's a rms . We sus pect tha t in addition to being efficiently mounted in the pe rimeter frame, the engine itself is a smooth runner . O ur bike can-e jetted a bit on the fat side d own low, but the bi k e n e v er fo u led p lu gs or fa iled to clean ou t whe n the throttle was wicked open. Clutch pull on the new Beta is su rp risingly light, and th e h y dr a u li c unit deliv ers e xce ll e n t feel. Crabby clutch action wa s a problem with last year's Tec h n o, but n o s uch glitches are .apparent with thi s year' s ve rs io n . Th e clut ch doe s, h ow e v er, (Right) National Championsh ip Series co ntender lonny Hallsted helped with our Cycle News tes t. (Below) The '95 Tech no may look the sa me, but it's actua lly quite Improved. Th e Beta p uts ou t a strong, ste ady s u rge of pow er that has no su dde n, unrul y hits. Ins tea d , a strong - yet easy to manage flux of low-end power pulls s moo th ly into a h ealth y midrange. Last year, some riders complained tha t the Techno was too hard a hitter. Th is year, those com- ยท plainers should be silenced, as the Beta's powerband can be su m me d up in a sing le word: smooth. Thanks to th e u serfriendly po werband, trac tion was eas y to maintain aboard the Techno. Even inga good-s ize rock to thump the front wheel against. Th e Beta ' s b rake s a re ex tre mely s trong, and requi re less break-in tim e than some of its competitors' . Locking the front wh eel requi red only on e finger on the lever, and the rear ped al is easy to find even in the most panic-inducing situations. All in all, our two -week stint with the Beta Tech no wa s very pleasurable. Not only did the bike inspire newfound confidence in our testers, it allowed them to successfully negotiate several previou sly unconqu ered sect ions as well. Beta motorcycle s are imported int o the u.s. by Cosm gpolitan Motors . The y may be reached at 301 Jacksonville Rd., Hatboro, PAl 9040, 800/ 523-2522. l~