In the early 2000s, Italian offroad motorcycle brand Beta produced the quirky road / trial / trail / fun Alp 4.0 single. It came with its own unique styling, sported a quirky headlight fairing, trials-styled low front guard over a 21-inch front wheel, standard telescopic forks, 18-inch rear wheel and power courtesy of Suzuki’ s rock-solid DR350 engine. After a long time in the wilderness, it’ s back. Still sporting those quirky design elements and still sporting a 350cc single, although now with a water-cooled, short-stroke, DOHC unit developed with Chinese company, Tayo. I was really quite keen to get my hands on the new Alp 4.0. To me this is the return of the quintessential‘ do-anything’ 350cc trail bike. Ride to work, go to the shops, hit some trails at the weekend. For those of you who’ ve been around a while, think of it as an XL350 for the modern era.
TWO MODEL OPTIONS There are two versions of Alp. The 4.0 has a more off-road focus, wearing knobbly-shod 21-inch and 18-inch wheels, with a more trail-styled headlight and fairing. Then there’ s the more road-focused Alp X, a bit of an urban scrambler. With a round headlight and 19 / 17-inch wheel
set-up and dual sport tyres, it’ s designed for city commuting as well as some gravel backroad weekend adventuring. Beta says the Alp 4.0 is for traditionalists, perhaps linked to the brands offroad universe. The Alp X is to suit a more modern taste, for those who have rediscovered the world of scramblers. Both bikes are built in Italy and fit with Beta’ s concept of‘ RideAbility’, which Beta says enables riders to‘ express their potential and have fun in all situations’. The Alp concept has always been to offer a simple, intuitive and distinctive bike that’ s at complete ease both on and off the road.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS Taking a walk around the Alp 4.0 and there’ s a lot to like. Yeah, the headlight / fairing design is quirky, but that, along with the tank and radiator fairing, suits the bike and gives it a unique‘ Italian-esq-ness’. This is enhanced by the red colour scheme( the Alp 4.0 is also available in White). The bike looks light, nimble and ready for a bit of trail fun. Ah … but then there’ s the awkward-looking, low-mounted registration plate arm thingy. It’ s obviously a requirement for some markets’
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