2021 BETA 200 RR
R I D E R E V I E W
P80
power, and the 200 RR is just plain
fast–really fast. It has tons of top-end.
And, from top to bottom, it's all usable,
too.
Indeed, the 200 is not a hard bike
to ride thanks to its relatively broad
powerband and impressive torque; you
don't have to clutch it like you do a 125.
It can chug just fine up a rocky and
technical climb and it rarely threatens
to stall. Throw in an extremely light-
pull clutch that offers a good feel and
seems to dish out abuse well, and you
have a bike that gives you the confi-
dence to tackle "extreme" trails that you
might not otherwise attempt on more
powerful and heavier dirt bikes. The
200 makes you think you can conquer
anything, and you pretty much can.
The 200 has two power modes
controlled by a switch attached to the
frame by the steering head that alters
the ignition curve, even on the fly. The
two positions are depicted by a sun (for
optimal conditions) and a raining cloud
(for wet conditions), and you can quick-
ly feel the difference between the two,
and both are indeed useful in many
situations. In sun mode, things get
exciting. The engine spools up quickly
and revs to the moon, making the bike
feel like a 125 on steroids. Rain mode
is excellent when you want to chill a
little bit and don't want that two-stroke
head-jerk every time you crack the
throttle while at slow/cruising speeds.
It definitely calms that down a bit and
makes the bike feel less hyper overall
while still getting the job at hand done.
It still feels plenty fast in rain mode but
far tamer and less revvy on top.
Fueling is excellent; jetting seemed
spot on. There are no glitches, bogs or
hiccups at any rpm that we could detect,
and we didn't experience any detona-
tion. And the oil injection system, which
(Left) The Beta
200 RR comes
fitted with a fully
adjustable 48mm
open-cartridge
Sachs fork (the
Racing models
comes with KYB
forks and a higher
price tag).(Right)
The 200 isn't a lazy-
man's motorcycle,
but that's why we
like it so much. It's
exciting!
