Beta is a name which has steadily grown in popularity here in NZ during recent years. The Italian company’ s roots are firmly in trials bikes and it has cemented its name as one of the sport’ s greats. But it’ s only relatively recently that names such as Jonny Walker, Brad Freeman and Steve Holcomb have propelled them onto the mainstream offering a variety of very viable options for enduro and hard enduro.
EXPANDING RANGE The company’ s move to produce motocross bikes came out of the blue and at first it seems like a risky move … but a smart one. The MX market has some long standing and stead fast names, and Beta’ s approach has always been a little different. Rather than heading down the fuel injection route with its two-stroke models, the family-owned company based in Firenze, Italy, has stuck with the tried and tested Keihin carburettors. These are easy to work on, easy to maintain and easy to tune. Changing jetting is a walk in the park and changing plugs is super easy, allowing for the opportunity to grab the bull by the horns and really build a bike that works for you. And … who doesn’ t love a pre-mix two-stroke?
SOMETHING SPECIAL But wait, did you say 350? Surely, you meant 300? No, the RX350 is a 350cc two-stroke. And it’ s a bike that’ s actually hard to nail to just one discipline. With a little work it transforms from
32 KIWI RIDER