Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

or me, the past few months have been full of fun, thanks mostly to my newly acq uired interest in trials. At this point in my trials "career," every afternoon that I spen d aboard a trial s bike cou nts , as I, learn so me thi ng new with each and every ride. I thorou ghly enjoy ed the lime I spent aboard the Beta Tech no . Tho ugh man y frie nds had wa rned me th at last yea r' s Techno was hard to ride, I found the '95 bike to be quile user-friend ly. Th e b ike h a s a s moot h , t r a ct abl e powerband, an d bar none, the easiest clutch pull I have ever felt . Though I was se n t plowin g un co n t ro ll ab ly throu gh my pils when I cold-started the b ike in gea r, I felt that the clutch h ad good, easy-to-contro l action. In comparison to other trials bikes tha t I have ridden, the Beta was perhaps the easiest to balance on . No t that I can mai n tain a s tan d-still for an ex ten ded period of time - the Beta w as simp ly easier to go 's lo w on , and I did n ' t n eed momen tu m to retain my balance. The co m b in a tio n of the tra ct able motor and plush , p redi ctabl e sus pe nsion allowed me to conq uer man y previousl y imp os s ibl e (fo r m e ) sec t io ns . Needless to say, the Tech no bro ught a smile to my face. Donn Maeda He ight/we ight: 5'10", 168 Ibs. Specialty: Motocross Ridi ng ability: In termedia te MJ(J Intermed iate tria ls F (Above) The s ma ll rad iato r is tuck ed in and well-protected. The exhaust pipe is also up and o ut of the way. (Right) The Beta Techno has an extremely stab le feel, making it qu ite easy to balance. A ·Bits .and]~ieces . to part company with the onlever, just as. the rider's weight came down it. The res ult wet conditions, the small rubber pad decided .steet Because a USFS-approved s park arrester is required to ride in the Golden State, our Beta came equippe d ·with an Obse rve d Trials Products spark arrester. The clean-looking aluminum unit fits well,and - acCording to OTP - doesn't hinder the bike's power output; One may be obtained for $150. OTP can be reached at 619/561 -8452 . . . . - -. .. was not' pretty. Later in' the week, the lever kicked bac k and lell another test er with a verY sore' arch. Kudos to Beta for supplying the Techno with a flexible rear fender. The.Iarge blue piece of plastic can be bent, twisted and folded without s howing even the slightes t sign of wear. . The Beta's fue l ce ll is actually the hollow in the fra me - there 's no.actua l "tank." Li ke Be sure' to check mesubrrame and silencer most trials.bikes, it's difficult to te ll exactly bolts freq uen~y. Ounng au! second day of ridwhen you need to stop.filling the bike with ' in g, we lost two subframe bolts an d our gas . Expect to ove rfill the bike until you ' .' silencer decided.to partcompany with the bike. .' acquire the "touch." . . .. The braided-steel hydraulic brake lines are Two small pieces of black team grace each . protected tiy a Clear plastic sheath up front, side of the bike's frame. We're not sure IT the . and a red PI~stic coilout back. Good idea, pads are intended to provide impact protection or extra style, but our tester who wears Craftsmans hip on the Techno rivals. that of two knee braces rubbed holes in them in a many Japanese motocross bikes. High·quality faste ners abound on the bike, and every- . matter of minutes. thing a ppea rs' well-des igned and well-con. A bicyCle-type computer is mounted .in the ' structed. ·fuel tank area: Among the functions it boasts are a Clock, stopwatch , speedometer a nd . 'The Beta Techno comes stockwith'a cross~ · odo mete r. Maxlrnu m spe ed .a nd .aviHa ge bar pa~ : .spee ds ca n also be obtained from ' the bat- . . .... . The Allen-head b olts that affix the beefy alutery-powered unit. " . . . minum s kid plate to the rest of the frame are The ·lell·s·ide kick s ta rte r proved to bring .count ers unk; which .should kee p them from about a lot of.misery amongst our testers. In being mashed by rocks and such. bou t a year ago, I bo ugh t a used ' 93 Gas Gas JT25 to play around on, mostly because Gu y Cooper told me how fun trials bikes are. In compa riso n to my bike, I tho ug ht that the Beta Techn o had a v~ry snappy powerba nd . Extra p ow er w as always ava ila ble, an d th rottl e re s po ns e wa s goo d . The clut ch had a light pull, bu t in comparison to my Gas Gas' clut ch, it felt a little grabby. The Techno has a more stretched out feel tha n m y b ike - I no ticed th at th e foo tpe gs feel like th ey are po s itio ned fu rther ba ck. The mo re relaxed riding positi on makes it easier to lift the front end up to clear obstacles. I lik~d the Beta' s sus pens ion a lot. It felt p lu sh, and the forks hand led th e sharp jolts much bet ter than the forks on my bike. Da mon Huffman Heigh t/weight: 6'1", 150 lbs, Specialty: Mot ocross, sup ercross Rid in g ability: Western Regi on al 125cc Supercross Cha mpion Editor's note: For those not in tile know, Huffman is a member of tilefactory Suzuki M X team, and is arguably one of today's most naturally talented riders. Huffman recently attended a trials school hosted by Championship rider Lonny Hallsted, and was oneof tile class' quickest learners. Hal/stedfelt that H lIffrnan could easily compete in - and be competitive in - tile Intermediate class. his is my first year as a member of t h e Cos m o po li ta n Mo tors Beta team . I chose to jo in th e team after taking a test ride aboard the new Techn o. After only one ride, I was q u i te im p re s se d wit h th e b ike a s a whole. My initial impression of the Techno is that it is incredibly stable. The suspe nsion d oesn 't throw you everywhere, and it d oes a good job of soaking up the hits. In com pa rison to bikes that I have com- T peted on in the past, the Techno is really easy to ride . The bike is very forgiving, and it is easy to recuperate from a mistake and get back on line. The bike feels solid, and gives you the imp ression that it is work ing with y o u , rather than against you. Working on the bike is also easy. Thi s is the only bike ava ilable that I know of th at a llows yo u to w ra p y ou r h and s com pletely around the cylinde r and carbu re tor .- th er e's ac tually room in sid e the fra me. The bo lts are mad e of highqu ality s tee l, and so fa r - I h a ven 't stripped or cross -threaded any of them. The bike is a little hard to start, but it will usu ally fire u p on the first or second kick. Once you get used to the left-side kick star ter, it gets a bit easier. Lonny Hallsted Height/weight: 6', 170 lbs , Specialty: Tria ls Ridi ng ability: 6th, 1995 National Ch ampions hip Trials Se ries Beta Techno 250 Specifications ---::= us! Price $5390 Displacement 247.5cc Uquid-cooled single-cylinder . Engine type two-stroke Borex stroke 72.5 x 60mm Compression ratio 13.0:1 Carburetion 26mm Dell'Orlo Ignition Electronic Transmission speeds 6 Starting system K ick Fuel capacity 1.1 6 gal. Wheelbase ' 52.5 in. Seat height 26.5 in. Fronttire 2.75x 21 Reartire .4.00 x 18 Disc Front brake Rear brake Disc Final drive Chain Claimeddry weight 179.6 Ibs. 13

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