VOL. 55 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY 27, 2018 P87
In a move to drop weight, Beta
eliminated the back-up manual
kickstarter, a decision that might
scare some of you since there
is no longer a back-up system
in case something goes wrong
with the electronics—usually a
dead battery—when you're far
from home. Relax, Beta says it
has updated the starting system
to where it is so reliable now that
they feel the chance of it let-
ting you down on the trail is nil.
However, if you still have your
doubts, you can order your
500 RR-S with a kickstarter,
as well. The engine cases have
not been changed from 2017 to
2018 so it's an easy add-on.
Beta didn't forget about the
chassis, which gets a new and
more rigid frame, new fork slid-
ers that are said to have less stic-
tion and updated shock settings.
Capping things off are stron-
ger turn signals, an updated ther-
mostat and new graphics. Beta's
likes to bounce back and forth
between white and red plastic;
this year it's back to white.
