Dirt & Trail RIDES the 2025 BETA Two-strokes
Chaps! Why don’t you invite a few riders and meet us to ride the ‘25 range of BETA Motorcycles and have a chinwag about the brand’s plans for SA? Great idea! We’ve always liked the BETA brand. It took about four seconds to round up a very experienced posse, and we convened at the Blue Groove facility for a day in the saddle.
120 years. That’s how long BETA has been building two-wheeled machines. Beta was founded in 1905 as a bicycle manufacturing company named “Società Giuseppe Bianchi”. The name Beta comes from the initials of Bianchi, Enzo, and Tosi, Arrigo who ran the company at that time. Currently, the company is run by Lapo Bianchi, great-grandson of Giuseppe Bianchi, the company founder.
That’s pretty cool heritag,e and now you know!
Beta trials bikes have always been in SA under the curatorship of Graham Harris, with the enduro models switching importers a few times. After an absence of a couple of years, It’s ‘Rock Steady Distributors’ who have taken over the reins with massive plans for the historic Italian Marque.
They are taking things pretty seriously. Bikes have been given to some of our top enduro riders who have been instructed to “Ride them to destruction”, and a serious parts and accessory program is in place. You can watch this little interview to see what the plans are:
But we digress. You’d like to hear about the bikes, right?
At the end of this, we’ll put together a video of what our riders thought, but read this first. There’s a test.
On the day of the ride, we arrived to a sea of red 250’s and 300’s – all factory-like with flags, gazebos and a gleaming row of Italian enduro machines just waiting to be ridden. After a coffee from the very cool little Blue Groove restaurant, it was down to business, discussing the latest range of bikes on offer.
Wade Steele Smith was the MC for the day. He talked us through the bikes, told us about all of the available options, and then took the team out to showcase the bikes on a very cool pre-planned route.
In a nutshell:
There are three two-stroke engine capacities available: 200, 250, and 300. There are two derivatives in each capacity, the RRX-Pro, which is designed for riders like you and I – and then the higher spec RR Race which boasts bits like KYB suspension and is better suited to the hardcore riders out there. There’s also the very unique XTrainer 300 – which, they tell us, is their best seller across the globe. And we know why.
All of the two-stroke enduro models come standard with a mapping switch for wet or dry conditions. They all come standard with a front rescue strap. Cooling fans are an optional extra, however, the bikes do have a coolant bottle. It has an electric start, of course, with an optional kickstarter available. Lightweight lithium Batteries. Headlight and taillight with a meter that includes hours of use, trip meter, speed, and more. Translucent fuel tanks make it simple to check your fuel levels. All models come standard with a plastic skid plate.
Electronic Oil Injection on the X-Pro and X-Trainer:
The bikes are carbureted but have an oil tank under the seat, which is removed at the touch of a button.
This does away with the need for the oil-fuel premix. In standard trim, the bikes come with tubes and Maxxis rubber, but each of these bikes had different tyre/mousse combos, so traction varied from climb to climb. If a four-stroke tickles your fancy, you can order one. Beta builds a 350, 390, and a 430, but there were none of those to ride on this day.
Protective gear:
Disk guards, Radiator braces, exhaust guards and, and, and…
The bikes that we rode were littered with aftermarket protective goods, many from local manufacturers like PSP, Carbontek, Enduro Engineering, and Hyde Products, so there’s already a pile of world-class stuff available for the new Betas.
Riding the bikes:
There was a lot to do, so we all rode, swapped, rode some more, fell over, hugged rocks, some chickened out here and there, we laughed a lot and had a proper good time. A tight, twisty, sandy MX track. A trials section. Rocky gorges, steep hills and descents, and a rather large mountain. Blue Groove has a lot to offer enduro enthusiasts for sure! The rain had stopped just the day before, and it was what felt like forty degrees in the shade, and a very tired but happy bunch eventually wound their way to the start-finish point to swap war stories.
The bikes on the day:
The X-Trainer gets a special mention: We have ridden this bike’s predecessor and we remembered how much fun that was.
Now in its eleventh year of production, the X-Trainer features grey bodywork to complement the Italian red frame. The new look distinguishes the bike from its cousins, the RR X-Pro and RR Race Edition models. Still a full-size motorcycle, its small, light (only 98kgs), softly sprung, and, whether you are a novice or a seasoned rider, it’s seriously easy and not intimidating to ride. The X Trainer delivers great gobs of torque (No, seriously) for climbing and all sorts and still offers decent ground clearance.
Do you get the gist of this bike?
The smaller chassis, low seat height, and overall weight make it ideal for entry-level enduro. The power from the liquid-cooled engine is almost electric and delivers seamless power. So, small, softly sprung, lightweight, and easy to ride… What’s not to like?
With the correct amount of cash in the bank, one of these would be in our garage, along with a more traditional dirtbike.
S
ome Features:
Hydraulic Clutch: “Easy-Pull” diaphragm clutch with three different settings that allow the rider to adjust the lever feel and progression to his or her liking.
A lighter, more compact package compared to a full-size Enduro bike, the Xtrainer is designed for riders of all skill levels.
Lower seat height.
Brakes: Same brake package as the RR models, Nissin, with discs measuring 260 mm at the front and 240 mm at the rear.
Lithium Battery.
R16V suspension with 43mm tubes up front and a shock with linkage at the rear. The front fork offers adjustable spring preload and overall rebound dampening. The rear shock has adjustments for spring preload, compression, and rebound damping.
Electric Start.
Beta Progressive Valve: the Beta progressive exhaust valve can be adjusted externally by the rider, allowing the engine’s performance to be altered depending on riding conditions.
Ignition Map switch with handlebar button: Two positions, (Sun or Rain) which adjusts the engine power as needed. Sun mode is the quicker engine map. The rain mode slows down the engine by roughly 20% for improved traction and control in wet conditions.
8.7-litre fuel capacity.
Oil Injection
Cooling Fan: A cooling fan is mounted as standard.
The RR X-Pro Models
The X-Pro models offer riders a cool range of features for trail riding and feature the new ZF single spring front fork and rear monoshock, elastomeric (Try saying that early in the morning!) handlebar mounts, a coolant overflow reservoir, and a rescue strap on the front fender.
The RR models are aimed at the casual rider looking for performance without the harshness of the race bike feel.
They are fitted with an all-new ZF SHC front fork, designed using one spring on the right-side tube. That side includes a preload adjuster with all of the fork compression and rebound dampening handled on the left side. Complementing the front forks are the Isoelastic handlebar mounts from XTrig. These mounts reduce vibration and help to prevent rider fatigue. The rear shock is also new with updated valve settings that match the new front forks.
The frame is adopted from the RR Race Edition and RX models. A new Nissin rear brake master cylinder has been added, which holds a larger volume of fluid to help with cooling.
An electric start is standard, of course, along with a hydraulic clutch and a Lithium battery.
The RR X-Pro models are really pretty and boast a newly designed front headlight cluster, tank panels, and a new rear fender. We do like the red and white…
The Beta RR Race Models:
The other bikes to talk about are the KYB-suspended RR Race models. RR gets straight to the point: they say, A-game performance, and just the name makes it clear that these bikes are for racing, while the X-Pro is better suited as an all-rounder.
The Race-Ready versions are fitted with a catalogue of bits across the range that make them more performance-focused and are littered with very trick-looking anodised components.
Suspension: High-end 48 mm Kayaba AOS closed cartridge fork with anodised internals and reduced friction surface coatings, adjustable compression,and rebound damping. Adjustable for preload, compression (high and low-speed,) and rebound
Cylinder Head: After debuting on the 2024 300 Race model, the RR’s now incorporate a new cylinder head with a dual-spark plug, which they say makes the power character more linear and, despite the increase in maximum power, becomes “more docile in character.” “Cleaner-burning ignition and improved fuel consumption,” says Beta, and a broader power delivery under all grip conditions. The engine’s range of use also grows with more torque and more power. A really cool feature is the fact that the two spark plugs are managed with a completely separated electrical system. This means that if one of the spark plugs should burn out or fail, the engine will still be able to run, although with less efficiency, allowing the race ride to be completed. Cool huh! The RR Race 25 models are also fitted with Ergal racing footpegs with interchangeable steel pins. These are narrower than in the past to facilitate movement of feet, but better in terms of grip. The new Nissin caliper also appears on the new Race models. You also get a quick-release front axle and a set of brush guards.
This ride was an introduction to the new bikes – and we’d like to say that we put them through some proper terrain.
A few happy hours were spent blasting… No, that’s not quite right! Often creeping along the Blue Groove trails. Each rider chopped and changed between each of the models – and every rider came away very happy with what they had seen and felt.
Each bike has its own character, but you cannot fault them on build quality, componentry or enduro ability. The chassis are agile, the controls are good and ergonomics spot-on. They have light clutch levers, excellent brakes and very flexible engines that deliver crisp, usable power for all kinds of terrain. With the smooth and torquey engines, consistent, light clutch, good feel from the Nissin brakes and a low seat height, in the correct hands these bikes lapped up the technical stuff…
The 300’s are exactly what you’d expect, fast when you open up and torquey when you want to creep.
The 200’s are that great blend of easy to ride torque in a small chassis. They just require a bit more body english when it comes to the big climbs. They are an outstanding amount of easy fun to ride.
We guess that a 250 would be a blend of the two – and you can bet that the moment a bike becomes available, you’ll be reading all about it right here.
The setup felt a bit different from bike to bike – and that’s quite normal, so for example, one of the 200’s felt better in terms of torque than the other one. One of the 300RR’s felt better in terms of suspension than the other… and on that note, we have to talk about the new ZF suspension setup on the X-Pro range.
Nobody could fault it. The new forks, with separate leg internals – spring one side and an open cartridge damping unit the other is fully adjustable with some fork top hand clickers. The new set-up is quite unusual in enduro, although in trials, where Beta has its origins it’s quite common. Weight is reduced by over 250 grams. The new suspension feels agile with excellent control and damping. It does feel plush, but we did not notice any bottoming out. Once again, there were no complaints from any of our riders. It seems and feels like they’ve got it right.
The RR’s are stiffer and tuned to the more aggressive rider. KYB, we know is good, so you’ll do well to set the bikes up with someone who knows what they are up to if you opt to choose this brand.
Beta has a great spread of bikes for riders of different skill levels.
So far in SA, they have three dealerships. In Gauteng, Russell Campbell Racing looks after the brand like they have for a number of years. A second Gauteng dealer is about to be appointed, more news on that soon. Natal is being serviced by the outfit from Ride Motorsport with Droomers taking care of The Fairest Cape.
They are in the throes of developing websites and all sorts of things, but they assure us that parts and backup for the bikes are firmly in place, with a lot happening in the background.