DBT 24 Hours of Glen Helen Sr. Team Update

Beta 430 RR-S Race Test at the 24-Hours of Glen Helen

Story by Brent Farrell; Photos by Brent Farrell/Trevor Hunter

After DBT received a call from Beta asking us to put their 430 RR-S through a hardcore test, we knew we have the perfect opportunity coming up to do it. Similarly, we knew of a team looking for a possible race bike for the upcoming 24 Hours of Glen Helen and they ended up being the perfect group of test riders for this grueling test.

Every year in mid-October, Glen Helen Raceway in San Bernardino, CA hosts a 24-hour endurance race that attracts off-road motorcycle racers looking to challenge and abuse themselves and their equipment. It’s a test of riders, machines, preparation, and perseverance. At the end of the race it’s not uncommon to hear exhausted and sleep deprived riders commenting that they’re glad they did it, but they’re not coming back…except they always do.

This year Dirt Bike Test has two teams participating. One is made up of bullet-fast kids riding a Yamaha YZ250FX. We’re referring to them as the Junior Team. You can follow their story here: Update 1 Update 2  The other team, of which I am apart of, is the Senior Team. The kids are faster, more talented and in far better shape, but luckily for us, they’ll be riding the 250 Expert class while we’ll be in the 40+ Expert class. Still, I have high hopes that we’ll be able to at least stay close to them for a while and who knows, maybe the old adage of the tortoise and the hare will hold true, and experience will outweigh talent.

You need two things to properly take on this type of event: a hand full of like-minded riders and a great motorcycle. Our roster consists of Jason Trubey, Jeff Kawell, Robert Baehr, Craig Hunter, Scott Perkins, and myself, Brent Farrell. All of whom are experienced riders in their 40’s that enjoy the challenges of endurance racing, or possibly have just forgotten how sore they were after last year’s event. For the bike we need something that is fast but reliable, strong but forgiving, and aggressive but easy to ride. Basically we need a bike so versatile that it could be ridden to the race, abused for 24 straight hours of competition, and then ridden home, legally. We believe that bike may exist, so that’s what we intend to do.

Enter the 2017 Beta 430RR-S.

Can this bike really do it all? Our friends at Beta think so, and after taking it out to do some testing the team was impressed. We’ll know a lot more after the race, but so far everyone was able to feel comfortable right away on the bike, and all we had to do was make some minor clicker adjustments to the suspension. After we ride to the race Friday afternoon, we’ll put on some comfort items like the Flexx Bars from Fasst Company and a GPR steering stabilizer to help us hang on as the course gets rougher throughout the event. Likewise, Maxxis is providing the tires for both the Sr. and Jr. teams for the race. We matched the Maxxcross SI tires front and rear on both bikes along with some heavy duty tubes. Also, we will remove the blinkers and the license plate just to be on the safe side so we don’t have to worry about losing them in a crash or being torn off by the branches. After the race, we’ll add them back onto the bike and we’ll be on our way home.

Once the sun goes down, we’ll be relying on some of the latest LED lights from KC Hilites. We put together a set for each team that includes a 10” Flex Array on the bottom and three 3” LZR Cubes across the top. Together, they provide a great combination of flood and spot patterns and left every rider on both teams looking forward to their night rotations this Saturday. Additionally, MSR Hard Parts is providing us with some FunnelWeb Air Filters, a Hi-Jack Stand, hand guards, and some heavy duty tubes. 

The course includes steep hills, fast ridge trails, tight canyons, enduro-cross, and of course the national MX track. That makes for a challenging course for any rider and any bike. Add the fact that half the event takes place in the dark and you have quite a unique race, and for us an opportunity to test a bike in almost every condition imaginable. Is the new Beta equal to the task? We’ll find out in a few days and then of course, follow up with a full report on the bike and the race itself.