2018 Beta RR390 and RR250 review

“I’ve got a log down there I might be able to ride off…” Ben Grabham is saying. “Grabbo” is the Beta brand manager and a the former Aussie champion of every bloody thing on two wheels: A4DEs, Finke, the Safari, AORC and dirt track titles. He’s even competed in the Dakar Rally.

The fact he mentioned “might” means it must be a big bugger of a log, but we have the right equipment to tackle it. Well, he does: I won’t be going anywhere near it!

On hand for log riding are two of Beta’s excellent-value machines: the RR390 and two-stroke RR250. The 390 has all the good gear: dual injector EFI, a low seat height, the Beta bike-building heritage which means it’s easy to ride, and that magic capacity trail riders love. The RR250 has oil injection and a torquey engine – part of the reason trailriders are loving 250s again, at the expense of 300s.

Weight loss
Both bikes offer huge weight savings for 2018 – 4.7kg for the two-stroke and 5.3kg for the four-banger. Those are huge claims – it makes for dry weight claims of 99.3kg for the two-stroke (KTM, for instance, claims 103kg for its 250EXC 2T) and just 106.3 for the 390. That’s light! Manufacturers haven’t always been transparent with weight figures though, so as soon as Grabbo has plopped off this log I have a full day of trail riding ahead to see for myself if the bikes feel lighter between the trees.

The log is a meander down some excellent Blue Mountains (NSW) single-track, so I bolt the two-stroke under me and we set off. I am no set of scales, but this bike honestly feels 125-spec. Pushing it into the twists behind a disappearing Grabbo is a featherweight effort, and I’m reminded of pumping my mountainbike through the trees. Without the pedalling…

A 250 two-stroke will always feel light into a corner, but there is so little inertia into each corner on this bike that the corner is over before I know it and I can continue looking for which way Grabbo went. It’s not so much that the bike is above average-quick in the bush; it’s more that it’s really easy to ride. First impressions are great.

Green thumb
We pull up next to an enormous fallen tree and Grabbo is looking at it funny, as in: “I’m gunna ride this sucker”. I can’t even see a way onto the log, but as I wonder what’s going on Grabbo bumps the 390 into place. Beta makes trials bikes, really good ones, and this heritage and experience translates to enduro bikes that love the snot. Their steering, throttle response, clutch action and low-ish seat height (940mm) makes these antics easier than on other brands. Having a million Aussie titles under his belt and experience riding the Wildwood Rock Extreme Enduro help, too…

Easy as you like, Grabbo accelerates, the bike’s innate low-speed prowess helps him pilot the length of the log, before wheelying off the two meter high end, easy as you like.

BETA RR390 SPECS IN BIKE SHOWROOM

“Want to have a go?” he asks. Yeah, no. Just no.

We turn back up another singletrack disappearing up the side of a mountain and take off. I’m blown away by the way this Beta feels in the tight stuff, the lightness is telling, but so is the balance and feel from the suspension and chassis.

Flexi purchase
Technology in this area has really taken off, mainly in how the chassis is put together with the “right” kind of flex engineered into the frames, allowing the suspension to be more effective. Forks and shocks have changed little in recent years, the frames have and Beta is all over this tech.

A two-stroke is difficult to get as compliant as a four-stroke, however the Beta RR250 is pretty mild on the rider, but firm enough to take some big hits. It steers very neutrally, giving me the confidence to really stick it into corners and, despite the rocky and tricky terrain, I still haven’t had a fright after many kilometres of single track.

The RR250 is cheaper than the big-name competition, but the only area the bikes gives away to that competition is the lack of a counter-balancer. The KTM and Husqvarna two-strokes got counter balancers for the 2017 model year and the bikes are buttery-smooth because of it.

The Beta RR250 has vibration, just like all non-counter balanced two-bangers, and at first the vibes through the bars and footpegs is noticeable. Within a few kays, it’s just part of the ride and I am enjoying the chassis feel and lively engine that much, I barely notice. For a buyer, it’s a matter of whether you want to do away with the vibes or not, as to whether you pay more for the KTM ($13,295 versus $11,390 for the Beta).

The bike’s fully featured, otherwise, including grab handles you can actually lift the bike with and, some of the new bits for 2018 include a more rigid frame, re-valved suspension to suit the lighter weight of the bike, a lithium battery (part of the weight saving equation – the rest was done with the frame and suspension revisions) and black Takasago rims.

Engine-wise, there is a new clutch action, which is certainly smoother and lighter, but wasn’t bad to begin with. There’s also a new power valve, cylinder, crankshaft con-rod and cylinder head. The engine makes beautiful power, with more torque than older 250s and is a light and lively engine to punch between the trees. It can rev, but importantly it can handle short shifting, too, keeping it in the tamer power band.

I notice Grabbo pulled over ahead and come to a rest next to him. I follow his gaze and there’s a large plume of smoke not too far away, with a bevvy of choppers fussing around it, dumping water.

“Is your car insured?” he asks. Ummmm… The wind and smoke is blowing in the direction of where we left the cars, so we cut back to them, load up and head off for a less bushfirery location – luckily the Lithgow area has a million of places to ride!

We drive in full riding gear – sans helmet – and this time I have the RR390 to play with. It’s also had the new frame/suspension treatment for 2018, as well as the clutch and wheels, but has also added dual fuel injectors aimed as smoother throttle response and I can’t wait to feel that for myself.

BETA RR250 SPECS IN BIKE SHOWROOM

Same jerry
I freak out as Grabbo tops the bikes up, just pouring straight fuel from the same jerry can into both two- and four-stroke, then remember the RR250 has oil injection – no need to pre-mix for this puppy!

We are in pine forest now, well away from the fires, and as Grabbo worries about where we are actually going while up ahead, I am loving the 390. It doesn’t feel much heavier than the two-stroke and the way it makes its power makes the snot we are riding easier than it should be.

Because Grabbo is leading, we are soon in technical singletrail, and the Beta loves it. It is predictable at the chassis and at the wheels, the low-ish seat height means taking a foot dab is actually a good way out of trouble.

The 390 is predictably plusher than the two-stroke, but I am surprised at how plush it really is, yet I am not bottoming out or wanting more support from the springs. This is the new chassis design at work, allowing flex up and down, but not side-to-side, making the suspension more efficient.

I understand better how Grabbo made the log look easy, too, with the throttle response capable of detailed throttle movements, as well as just really big ones. The combination of the throttle and really light chassis means it goads you into doing things you might otherwise take a different trail to avoid. It’s not quite enough to allow me the gonads to tackle that log, though…

On the open firetrail the bike is stable enough and the engine will comfortably pull the bike along with minimal gearshifts and lots of feel as you power out of flat turns. A firetrail is a waste of the Beta’s tight stuff prowess, though – these bikes love singletrack and make it easier to enjoy than many others.

Don’t be deceived
Don’t take this “easy to ride” mantra as meaning the bike can’t be fast, though and that goes for both models. The sum total of both bike’s chassis improvements – and they are major – isn’t just that they make better trailbikes, but that they are also more than capable of hauling butt through the bush faster than most riders can push them.

Value for money, they are superb, at $11,390 and $13,150 (plus on roads) for the 2T and 4T respectively, and in an era where we are seeing $15k (ride away) dirtbikes, which will spend a life bouncing off trees, being immersed in mud and rubbed on the ground. The Betas have most of the features of the bigger manufacturers, with the two-stroke still being more than relevant in the face of competitor 2Ts with EFI and counter balanced engines. The EFI KTMs and Husqvarnas promise much, however they will also be more expensive, so what value that tech holds for you will be the deciding choice.

The KTM 300EXC TPI retails at $13,295, a $2K difference is nothing to sneeze at. No doubt the orange Austrian will be a good rig, but is it $2k better? Each rider will make their own choice there.

In the meantime, you can test ride a Beta March 17-18 in Greta (NSW) – there are more dates and locations hitting their website soon. Riding one may surprise you, particularly if you haven’t changed brands for a while.

If you want value, ease of riding and a bike that makes technical snot easier than it perhaps should be, Beta has a bike for you. Ride one and tell me I’m wrong.