VOL. 50 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 29, 2013
(Left) The now-red Beta
300 RR is a lot of bike for a
comparatively reasonable price.
(Above) The well-refined
electric-start two-stroke motor
works wonders on the tight and
technical trails.
gallons, which did nothing but
make the off-road crowd angry.
The tank is also translucent now,
making it much easier to monitor
fuel levels.
Beta says the frame is new
but its dimensions are the same.
Gusseting, however, has been
reworked to reduce frame stress
in key areas.
The Beta is again fitted with
Sachs suspension components,
front and rear. To improve performance over rocks and square
edges, modifications were made
to the fork's internal cartridge,
as well as valving, and to make
damping adjustments and servicing easier, the fork caps have
been redesigned.
A new bleed-hole diameter
with a tapered adjuster is said to
allow for more precise rebound
adjustment for the shock, which
also gets a stiffer 5.2 kg/mm
spring.
The 300's 293.1cc two-stroke
motor, which features a 72mm x
72mm bore and stroke configuration and Beta's Progressive Valve
(BPV) case-reed-induction sys-
P53
tem with Moto Tassinari reeds
is unchanged for 2014. Though
it did get an oil-level plug on the
clutch cover. Except for the button on the right handlebar, you'd
never know that the Beta has
electric starting - that's because
the starter motor is hidden inside the engine cases, which is
a pretty cool design. In case it or
the battery fails, however, there
is a kick back up. Transmission
is a six-speed, and the clutch is
hydraulically operated.
FMF supplies the 300 with its
exhaust system. A spark arrestor, however, has been omitted.
Of course, the Beta 300 RR is
considered a closed-course machine and is not EPA legal.
Fueling is handled by a 36mm
PXK Keihin carburetor.
Trail Rated
We found out right away that the
Beta 300 RR is both a fantastic
trail bike and worthy racer. For
the casual trail rider, the 300 is
