short call with BETA NZ’ s Ray Heron was more than enough to agree to take claim of BETA’ s new 2025 450 motocross machine for a few months. In fact … he had me at hello. Having tried the BETA enduro range a number of times, I was quite curious about how its new step in moto would look. Benny Bloss and Mitchel Oldenberg race for BETA USA in AMA Supercross and Motocross aboard the 450RX and getting good results all season. This is the second iteration of the bike after its debut in 2024 and. right off the bat, there is no denying it is a stunning looking bike. From its sharp lines, to the choice of colours and fullbike sticker kit, it looks absolutely fantastic. And good looks aren’ t the only things going for the RX. A hydraulic clutch, Nissin brakes and a really nice-looking stainless exhaust with resonator that delivers a beautifully deep, but quiet, note from the BETA Factory muffler. And someone at the factory deserves a raise because we see the disposal of the ZF suspension units in favour of KYB replacements at both ends of the 450RX, which in my opinion is going to be huge factor on how this bike navigates the track and how long into the moto the bike can continue to feel planted and stable. The cockpit is super flat, the bike feels narrow through the legs and there is plenty of room for my 190cm tall frame in the controls department which, from a few laps around the home track, feels very comfortable. There are a couple of things I am going to change straight away. Firstly, the grips. The stock BETA grips are rock hard and potential blistermakers. I haven’ t felt grips this hard in a long time, so those will be the first to get the chop. The next little annoyance is the gas tank hole is small – certainly too small for my quick fill, so I need to get a funnel to save myself from spilling gas everywhere. And finally, from my first eye impressions, as cool as the bike looks, the decals are just that – stickers. And a few of them are starting to peel off from the friction of my boots gripping the bike while riding. These are all small things that can be easily addressed, which will make my first proper outing set for success. Stay tuned for next month when we report on our first throttle twist in anger aboard the 2025 BETA 450RX.

54 KIWI RIDER