B eta ’ s 300 XTrainer is something completely different . It ’ s as if the Italian company took its full-on two-stroke Enduro race machine , and left it in the dryer too long and everything has ... umm , shrunk . Seriously though , compared to the enduro rig , the XTrainer has a little less power , a 20mm lower seat height and is 20mm shorter in wheelbase . That ’ s the basics . Let ’ s get into the nitty-gritty .
X-WHAT-NOW ? In essence , the Beta XTrainer is a highly proficient skills trainer , rather than a race bike , but it ’ s basically a ‘ slightly ’ smaller and less extreme dirt bike . The suspension travel has been reduced about an inch at each end offering 270mm front and rear , and the USD forks have slimmed down to 43mm . It is also 5kg lighter at only 99kg dry . Even the engine ’ s compression ratio has been reduced a hair , dropping from 11.9:1 to 11.45:1 . So , I can hear you asking , what is Beta trying to achieve with the XTrainer ? It seems an unusual step now-a-days for a company to offer less ... especially when the world ’ s offroad consumers seem to be clamouring for ever greater performance . Well , I ’ d say the XTrainer is a win for common-sense - it seems Beta understands that not everyone is a world champion . Even elite riders have learnt the ropes on machines that will nurture rather than punish them . For example , no one started their dirt bike career on a CR500 ... the Yamaha Pee Wee 50 has always been a common choice .
42 KIWI RIDER