Refining The Red Off-Road Rocket
Photo By Jimmy Lewis
Having choices in the two-stroke off-road market is a good thing. And though Beta may not be a household name for most, true off-road riders are very aware of the brand. The Italian company has been around forever and is most famous for making trials bikes. But since they’ve been back in the full-sized dirt bike market (two-strokes since 2013 model year) with a very conservative approach to bike building the red machines poke at the ever dominant KTM empire in all the right (or wrong) places.
We got a straight out of the crate 300RR and started putting some time on it, mostly for photo shoots so far but that is three tanks of gas in our world. We’ve had the bike in the desert and the woods and have been very impressed with a machine that visually and even on the spec sheet isn’t that much different from the one we tested in 2014 (http://dirtbiketest.com/bike-tests/2014-beta-250-rr/ ).
The big news, actually revolutionary for a company like Beta, is the adaptation of oil injection to the 250 and 300RR two-strokes. Unlike the old days, this is now electronically controlled through the Throttle Position Sensor through the ECU via a small tank in housed in the airbox. It drops the necessary amount of two-stroke injector oil just above the reed valve so you can run straight gas in the gas tank. Put simply it seems to work perfect and is more efficient and clean running than a pre-mix bike especially in slow riding conditions. The oil tank is good for approximately three gas tank loads before needing a refill so far. 
Then the rest of the bike seems all about refinements. And they hit a few home runs in our book. The front fork being one of them. Through small changes in valving and tolerances inside the Sachs unit we were very impressed once the fork broke in and we have not even really stared to fiddle with it yet. The shock has a slightly softer feeling than the front but it also didn’t do anything funny and we experienced no fade when pushing it like we have with the four-strokes Betas in the past.
Then there is the engine which is a high point. Though there are few changes in the package, the revised ECU in combination with the oil injection has the 300 running crisp, clean and strong. It has abundant torque right off the bottom but has more of a 250cc quickness to the pick-up with more overall power than any 250cc. The build of power stays controlled the whole way through the spread but never crosses over to a motocross type of aggression. The powervalve is adjustable and we should see some tuning options available to tailor the power as we play with the 300RR more in the coming days.
Like most first rides on bikes we are very pleased with the Beta 300RR. We are looking to correct a few little quirks like some transmission fluid escaping near the exhaust powervalve cover and checking the float level in the carburetor as it seems a bit too high and leaks a lot of fuel compromising the distance you can get from the small and thin stock tank. We are really expecting to tune the bike to a much higher level–very simply–and will have all that info in our first test very soon.
If you have any questions you’d like us to explore, feel free to use the comments section below and we’ll get you answers.
20 Responses to “2016 Beta 300RR First Test Riding Impression”
Justin Sallows
Jimmy thank you for the review. One of the benefits of the Betas is supposedly their lower seat height. However I have never seen some data on what it actually is measured at, only supplied manufacture data. Can you be the first to actually take the measurement for us please Jimmy as I’m short in stature and would like a concrete number. Can you also note your rear sag and where the forks are positioned in the triple clamps please?
Did the 2015 and 2016 have a better planted front end in the corners relative to the KTM 300 or did the KTM provide a more comfortable feel from the front end? Which requires more bar effort?
Jimmy Lewis
We’ll get you that exact seat height and the settings in the test, maybe sooner…But I will tell you that the seat height feels exactly the same based on riding Betas and KTMs back to back. If anything the PDS KTMs seem to sit a little lower stock to stock.
The Beta seems to have a more rigid and stiffer front end which, most of the time keeps it planted better but it also reacts different when it gets hit. The Beta is more sensitive to fork setting, tire choice and pressure and over and under-steers easier, that from the rider. Beta takes less effort in the bars (likely the reason for the sensitive steering.
Dave Grunklee
Jimmy I am really confused…the PDS bikes are known to be a solid INCH taller than link ktm’s….couple weeks back I compared a 350sxf back to back with a 300rr and the rr was noticeably lower….and that has been a much discussed high point of the Betas since they came out! Am I missing something here?
Jimmy Lewis
Upon your measurement were the bikes set up with the proper sag for a similar weight rider. This can make a lot of difference in the measurement.
Jimmy Lewis
So the actual measurement for the seat height was 36.5 inches measured at the seat directly above the footpeg, where we measure all seat heights from for consistency. A similarly set up PDS KTM was 37.2 inches. which would confirm your information on the measurements. But in riding the bike and needing to dab, there is really little difference and in reality I find the PDS KTM to droop lower in the stroke especially when weight is transferred farther to the back of the bike when dabbing. If it is putting both feel flat on the ground you are referring to, then I’m not the best person to feel this is anything but a showroom sales pitch because we do not ride the bike with our feet on the ground. And in reality you should only be putting one foot at a time on the ground but now my riding instructor hat is coming out so I’ll shut up.
Jimmy Lewis
Forks are roughly 3mm (I believe there is a line on the fork, I don’t have bike here to be exact) up in clamp (as delivered stock) and we set the bike at 100mm rider sag for my 185 lb and cranked it in one turn later in testing for some heavier riders. I didn’t want any more spring preload so I actually went in on high-speed compression to get the bike to ride a little higher when in motion and it really worked well.
Justin Sallows
Thank you for the response. Sad to hear the seat height difference between the ktm and Beta is not as pronounced as I was hoping. This means the only other factor I like about the Beta is the starter location.
Jimmy Lewis
I did not ride the ’15 Beta 250RR so I can’t say for sure but in 2014 the Beta’s engine was a little more “spicy” than the KTM. Not as smooth but it had its areas where it really shined. On the KTM’s the XC, not the XC-W would compare more similar in the engine character.
Jimmy Lewis
The Beta feels like it revs out farther (2014 250RR and even this 300RR) but I suspect if you saw the actual RPM it would be very similar. With the powervalve tuned properly the Beta has an excellent overrev character.
Frank Nascimento
I have the 250RR-2015 Race Edition. Been riding it every weekend in intermediate and advance single track around Tahoe. 2 of my buddies with KTM’s (250XCW’s) are selling their bikes to go Beta. It is one phenomenal machine! So agile and nimble it’s not funny. I put the Rekluse Core EXP3.0 on it and now it’s just silly easy to rip and never stall. No other mods. Unlike KTM’s you don’t have to add $2,000 to improve suspension etc. The seat height is 1.25″ less than KTM’s. The power band on this machine is as good as any machine I or my buddies have ridden. Beta is here to stay, watch out pumpkins!
Jimmy Lewis
More than a KTM 300 XC-W through the pegs and bars, less in the seat at most RPMs. And my experience is that it really ca be differet from bike to bike based on how well the crank is balanced. And 300 a bit more than 250, of course. Interestingly though the Beta seems to vibrate less then the KTM at really high RPMs.
motorambler
Hey Jimmy,
Thank you very much for taking the time to review this bike. I would love to hear your thoughts on this bike vs the Sherco 300 2-stroke. Any chance you can also test the French bike?
Jimmy Lewis
We can test anything! But we have not been approached by Sherco just yet. Since I have not ridden the Sherco I can’t say, unlike some other magazines and people.
Aaron Bizarro
Hey jimmy,
I just ordered a 2016 300rr. Just wondering if I should ask the dealer to address the leaking fuel from the carb and the leaking tranny fluid before I pick the bike up?
Jimmy Lewis
I’m not sure if the carb float level is common or one-off, but it is a simple fix if it is. The tranny fluid leak out of the powervalve cover is a simple swipe of silicone along the seal and is a known issue. Any good dealer would know about this stuff and do it for you.
Johnny Depp
I’m curious to hear what you think of the OC vs. the soon to be released Race Editions with CC forks.
Is the power valve drooling exhaust, or trans oil?
Jimmy Lewis
We’ll have to wait to ride the closed cartridge fork to answer that. The transmission fluid is what is leaking out of the powervalve cover. There is very little if any oily exhaust leakage even out of the muffler junction after trail riding even.
Jimmy Lewis
At $1500 I’d have a long and hard think about it. For most I’d say it isn’t worth it and I’d bet you could find someone who is going to take it off willing to trade out. As long as they don’t go back to the older ignition system since the new bikes performance in the ignition mapping is also a plus.
You’d be hard pressed to go 200+ miles unless you have close to six gallons and on the roads the bike will be using roughly 100cc per gallon of oil so it will run through the oil tank faster than you’d think.
I would not do TOI on a two-stroke. Any two-stroke.
Chet Mainwaring Sr.
Quick update. T1 in the books. Although I didn’t get a complete finish, happy to report that the 300 made it through just fine. Electron carb made the difference,getting an overall average of 45ish mpg. 4.2 Clarke tank and a 1 gallon fuel bladder from Giantloop gave me more then enough for a couple 200 plus mile range.
Landon Hillyard
I have the same thoughts. I love the 2 stroke power and reliability. The TOI would be a lot of fund if you can sort out all the details. Let me know how it all turns out.