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/1547330
on the 390 but were very notice- able on the 430. The Rain setting and the traction-control button both mellow out power delivery, and with both on, it's difficult to spin the rear wheel. Depending on your experience and taste, it is nice to have the adjustability. Cycle News editor Kit Palmer, who penned the 390 RS test, noted that finding neutral was sometimes a bit challenging and that the gearing was a little tall for tight trails. We found the same with the 430 but left the stock gearing to maintain decent highway and dirt-road perfor- mance. All four RS models utilize tita- nium intake and exhaust valves, twin oil pumps with separate compartments for the engine and transmission, a six-speed gearbox and a wet diaphragm- style clutch. Another nice touch is the radiator cooling fan, which helps prevent boil-overs. A 42mm throttle body with dual injectors is also found on all four RS variations. Besides the small difference in the motor, the 430 and 390 RS models are essentially identical. Highlights include a molybde- num steel/double-cradle frame, fully adjustable 48mm Sachs open-cartridge forks and an aluminum body shock with high- and low-speed compression, rebound and preload adjust- ability. Nissin brakes are utilized with 260mm front and 240mm rear rotors. For maintenance, a quick-access air filter and O-ring chain are standard. Other nice features on the full Beta RS dual sport line include a Trail Tech Voyager GPS unit, which costs around $700 sepa- rately. The RS models also come with flag-type handguards and foldable mirrors, which are bet- ter than most stock units. Those last two items made the short list for upgrades, as you will see below. For this story, we chose to leave the motor completely stock since we were happy with the performance, but there is more power to be gained if you want to turn this into a focused off-road bike. Almost any engine modifications will likely result in noncompliance with emissions laws, so just be sure that is not an issue for your intended use. We also left the suspension stock for now, as it also per- forms very well for a dual sport bike. The settings are good for spirited trail riding, but aggres- sive riders will want to do some custom tuning. (Left) The stock tires leave room for improvement in the dirt. DOT- legal Mitas Terra Force-EF Super tires (yellow stripe) delivered a noticeable boost in off-road traction. (Right) The stock seat gets the job done off-road, but the Seat Concepts Comfort seat is a welcome improvement on long days. P98 FEATURE I 2026 BETA 430 RS DUAL SPORT PROJECT