The Most Versatile Bike?
Story by Brent Farrell; Photos by Brent Farrell/Trevor Hunter
For 2017, the Beta 430 is back and with some consolidated options. Gone is the off-road focused RR and the street legal RS. The new RR-S combines the two to create the “Streel Legal Off-Road” model. The new bike incorporates a number of chassis and engine refinements that are shared across the line. DBT had an opportunity to put some time on the new 430 RR-S and came away with some answers but also some questions. We’ll be racing the new Beta this weekend at the 24 Hours of Glen Helen so by 10AM Sunday morning when the event concludes, all will be revealed.
We like the idea of a highly versatile off-road bike and we really like the fact that the off-road and dual-sport model are one in the same. Take the blinkers and license plate off and you have a serious off-road bike, or leave them on and explore your local back-roads, trails, or even highways. Some might say it is the ultimate multi-tasker, besting even the most popular do-it-all tools sold on late night TV. Can the Beta RR-S really do it all? Or by not focusing on a specific discipline will it be stuck somewhere in between?
While we only put a few hours on the new Beta, we tried to find a wide variety of conditions, including: pavement, dirt roads, washes, technical trails, and even a little motocross. What we found is that the Beta is certainly a capable machine.
So how does it work? The first adjective that comes to mind is smooth. The motor is strong and linear which makes for a very easy bike to ride. It’s almost a little deceiving, but make no mistake, it is not slow. We suspect replacing the stock muffler/spark arrestor with something more focused on competition would give it a much more aggressive feel, but we aren’t too interested in making it feel like a motocross bike, so we’ll be leaving the stock unit in place, even for the upcoming race.
We found the handling to be very neutral and predictable in most conditions, and everyone was able to quickly feel comfortable. The bike is agile in tight trails and feels very maneuverable, much like you would expect from a smaller displacement machine. On fast roads or even pavement, it will cruise effortlessly thanks to its fairly wide spread 6 speed transmission. Some riders, myself included, felt the suspension was a little on the soft side and caused the bike to squat a bit under acceleration and dive a little under braking. For me, the dampening just feels a little light in both ends, and it moves through the stroke a little quicker than I would like. Of course, that becomes more noticeable the harder you push it.
According to the Beta specifications, the suspension is set up for a rider around 185 pounds and a majority of our riders fit easily into the over 200 pound category which would make sense for how soft it felt. We increased compression on both ends and slowed the rebound a bit which made a noticeable difference, but it really needs a stiffer spring rate on both the Sachs fork and shock to get the heavier riders a little more comfortable. The suspension is definitely the most difficult area to find the perfect compromise. Lean a little too far towards the stiffer settings you would find on a motocross bike and you lose the comfort on the trail. Too soft and riders may not feel like they can be aggressive. Beta appears to be looking for a happy medium and our impression after limited time on the bike is that they got it pretty close.
At the end of our first ride on the bright red Beta 430 RR-S, the opinions were positive. It’s a solid and capable machine in most any environment and everyone is looking forward to the more serious test when we push its limits in the upcoming endurance race. We’ll be posting the full review shortly thereafter so stay tuned!
