VOL. 52 ISSUE 44 NOVEMBER 3, 2015 P67
when the trail gets ugly. Overall,
the clutch seems to be strong
and held up well to any abuse
we gave it.
The motor is mated to a six-
speed transmission, which is
geared well to the RR's power
delivery. First gear is low enough
to be usable at walking speeds
without constant clutch use,
and the other five pick up right
where the last one left off as you
gain speed; there are no gaps
or weird transitions from first
through sixth. Top gear is plenty
tall for when things flatten out
and you want to get to point B
in a hurry. The overall gear ratio
works well for both low- and
high-speed riding.
Shifting action is a little notchy
and finding neutral with the
engine still running is a bitch, but
missed shifts in motion are rare.
We suspect that the notchy feel
will go away over time, after a
couple of oil changes and after
the tranny gets fully broken in.
With the Beta, engine oil and
transmission oil are stored in
separate chambers—to minimize
oil contamination—and both have
their own filters. This dual-cham-
ber system helps makes the
motor live longer.
The Beta has electric starting
and a manual kick as a back up.
The starter is strong and works
well, but there is some clutch
drag when using the button while
still in gear. However, the motor
will almost always lite before you
stop rolling if you do experience
a flameout on the trail.
Luckily, the 350 RR has the
suspension and chassis to keep
up with its motor. Beta's enduro
models are fitted with German-
made Sachs suspension compo-
nents. Like the motorcycle they
are attached to, Sachs is also a
seemingly obscure brand in the
off-road suspension world but has
in reality been pumping out de-
cent components for a while now.
The latest-generation, gold-
colored Sachs fork is fitted to
the Beta 350 RR. It's a fairly
sophisticated 48mm oil/spring
fork that offers adjustable com-
pression and rebound damp-
ing, and right off the showroom
floor, feels surprisingly good
on the trail. It's set up a tick on
the soft side for anyone push-
ing 190 pounds, but it soaks up
pretty much everything thrown
in its way nicely and without
harsh bottoming. And it didn't
deflect on the rocks as much as
we remembered with the past
(Far left) Suspension
is handled by Sachs
components and
they're quite good.
(Left) The 350 RR was
Beta's first off-road
bike with fuel injection.
Now all of Beta's off-
roaders feature FI.
Adding to the fun is the Beta's
great bottom end and midrange
power for technical riding. It's
even fast on top for when the
trails open up.
