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/127729
' . . .. lp RIDING IM R S IO 1995 Beta A PES N By Scott Rousseau Photos by Don n Maeda or the off- road rider looking to expand his or her horizons, the sport of observed trials offers unique challenges that are virtually the antithesis of any other form of off-road motorcycling - not the least of which is acquiring th e proper machinery to practice your craft. Oh sure, you can go to most any club eve nt wit h your CR or XR and contest the non -trials bike class, but to tru ly get your feet wet requires a real trials bike. Ergo, the beginning rider has few choices when the time comes to actually purchase a trials motorcycle: 1) You can lay down about $5000 - the same as a modern motocrosser - for a brand new Geoff Aaron specia l or Jordi Tarres wo rld-beater model. That's a fine idea if you 're fuily committed to competing every weekend and thus have plen ty of use for such a purpose-built machine. Just don't plan on doing much else wi th it. 2) You can carefuily wade through ail the obsoletes and one- or two-year-olds on the used bike market and hopefuily find a bike that will still be viable while not hurting you r wailet after the purchase, Keep in mind that you get what you pay for, and weil-maintained used bikes command a premium price. As for poorly maintained or th rashed ones, well, as they say, you can pay now or you can pay later . Either way, you 'll stiil -be faced with the same utility problems that you would with a new bike . But wouldn't it be great if somebody offered a competent entry-level bike that , wil1 allow new recruits to learn balance a n d foc us power like the Karate Kid . while still offe ring versatility and trail ' com pe tence to allow for plenty of play time after the serious practice is over? Finaily, somebody does. With the introduction of the Alp, the folks at Beta - an Italian manufacturer with a long and distinguished history in the sport of observed trials as evidenced by their fruitful association with World Tria ls Champion Jordi Tar res, who brought four World titles to the firm are the first to attempt to offer this third and perhaps most sensible approach to learning the nuances of the game. The idea behind the Alp is simple: Provide the beginning trials rider with a motorcycle that trades the razor-sharp power and handling of the firm's full-blown competition model, the Techno, for the pleasant manners of an all-around trailbike that is still competent enough to handle anything that might be enco untered on ail but the Expert or Championship lines at dub-level trials, And, as if ail this wasn't a tall enough order, make it affordable. To accomplish their goal, the Italians set about marrying a combination of old _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _J j (Left) Don't let the notion that the Beta Alp I Is a good beginn'er bike lull you into thinking that it is incapable of handling Expert maneuvers. In the right hands. the Alp is almost as capable as the top-line Beta Techno. (Below) Beta has s uccessfully grafted some of its older designs with the latest trials hardware to produce an affordable package In the Alp. Suggested retail price ,( j is $3990. (Left) Air-cooled 250Cc motor matches Beta's TR34 top end with Beta Zero cases. W-shaped plate jus t above and betwee n the sprocket and ignition covers caps off the water pump housing for the Zero's Iiquld-cooled cylinder.