Big news in the two-stroke camp
is the addition of a counter
balancer in the 250 and 300
easy removal to access the no-tool removable
air filter. Yeah, KTM has been doing this for
a long while, but it’s good to see it elsewhere
(Japanese manufacturers take note!). settings have all been tweaked to allow for
the new frames. The shock has a new top-
out system, longer shock bumper and new
valving to suit the frame.
PLUSHER SUSPENSION BIG TANKS
Beta’s suspension was my particular bugbear
at the 2019 model launch. Ridden at this
very same venue (Hell’s Gate, near Pisa in
Northern Italy) – a terrain that’s festooned
with rocks – the ’19 suspension initially
felt harsh, to the point it was tearing my
palms. Backing off the adjusters softened it
considerably, making it more comfortable,
but maybe at the expense of being too soft
for experts to crack a fast time. That was
my interpretation, others might have theirs,
and dependent on where you ride that
suspension might be awesome or awful.
So for 2020 we have new units, still from ZF
by Sachs. The forks now feature a shorter oil
cartridge and an optimised air chamber for
better absorption of big impacts, while the Meanwhile, long distance riders will be happy
to hear that the fuel tanks (translucent) are
now each 9.5-litres (the four-strokes just
a smidge less as the fuel pumps sit within
the tank). Add leaner mapping on the four-
strokes and they’ll go further than ever
before each refuel.
SMOOTHER ENGINES
Big news in the two-stroke camp is the
addition of the counter-balancer to the 250
and 300cc two-strokes, which smoothes
out the power delivery and reduces engine
vibrations significantly. Now Beta had actually
built-in the capability of fitting a counter
balancer into their two-strokes in 2013,
but between being cautious of the weight
KIWI RIDER 33