Beta RR Enduro 2 and 4 Stroke 2018, tightrope walkers of the roar [TEST VIDEO]

Beta Enduro RR 2018 range: Our tester Tomas Del Campo tried them and we told you about them in a first article (link here), but now we have the pleasure of showing them to you in video.

We want to summarize what's new, so as to leave the detail to the previous article, but above all to give more space to opinions from the testing field. In 2018 the Enduro RR range gains very important innovations, but the most striking concerns the weight. In a sector where the gram is slimmed down, an impressive reduction was achieved, amounting to around 5 kg (4,7 for the 2T, 5,3 for the 4). This was achieved with a new chassis, with the transition to a lithium battery and with many other measures, but also by working on the engines not only for performance, with solutions such as the renunciation of Kick Start, which goes precisely in the direction of lightness. 1,7 kg saved, thanks to an electric start that is so reliable and always up to par, even during the race, which allowed us to make this decision.

The other striking news is the arrival of the RR Enduro 125. After years of waiting, the smallest engine entirely produced by Beta arrives, completing the 2T range with the third model, alongside the 250 and 300, while the 4 displacements remain unchanged 4-stroke: 350, 390,430 and 480. The choice that was made for the 125 already makes it at the top, right from its debut. In fact, it was decided to equip it on the one hand with the best components from the Enduro RR range of its bigger sisters, including the suspension, with Sachs fork and monoshock, but at the same time to satisfy the nature of a light and easy to handle motorcycle, with for example, an engine all new and not derived from the 250/300 block, but also a specific frame. It will officially arrive at Eicma 2017, with a price that should remain below 8.000 euros. The 125 will be offered both to those who will participate in dedicated championships, but it is Euro 4 and two-seater approved, so it will also be appreciated by those who want to use it on the road.

Our test

The presence of the 125, an absolute novelty for Beta, has partly obscured the epochal changes that revolutionized the entire range. From weight reduction to a truly marked general refinement, resulting from the racing experience of drivers capable of fighting and winning in world championships. Let's go and discover them with handlebars in hand.

The 2-stroke range: 250 and the best seller 300
Always compact and very easy to handle, the 250 and 300 of 2018 still gain in these two qualities, thanks to the many changes. Excellent braking, powerful, well modulated and not at all sensitive to fatigue. A quality that is more evident on the 2T, due to the reduced engine braking compared to the 4. Notoriously the simplest of Beta's RRs, the 250 is even more so now, but it also gains fuller power delivery, with better acceleration compared to to MY2017. The torque and power are such as to allow you to enter corners in an extra gear without problems, allowing you to avoid managing the gearbox during the most demanding phases, but without losing meters and struggling, on the contrary. The RR Enduro 300 2T is the best-selling of the range, it should also be the most impetuous and demanding in managing the full-bodied power, but in reality it confirms a very fluid and regular motorbike in delivery, even if when you push it it's scary no matter how much can run meters with remarkable speed. The improvements are of great benefit on the physical level of the driver, who is able to manage the exuberance of the single-cylinder 2-stroke without too many difficulties, even when you start to make full use of it. An excellent compromise between performance and driving effort, which continues to make it preferable to the more powerful 4T versions, even by amateurs, who probably choose it without paying attention to racing as its primary purpose.

The 4 strokes: from 350 to 480, passing through 390 and 430, for all lovers of more linear power delivery, up to over 55 horsepower of the top of the range

Here the reduced weight is perhaps even more noticeable than on the 2-strokes, which were already easy to handle and light to ride even in the old versions. The 430, which we have driven for longer and which we know well, having tested it several times in the last 12 months or so, gave us the clear impression of being less demanding. A feeling that is confirmed by a "zero" for crashes at the end of the day, even though the test field was far from easy and the extreme heat certainly doesn't help one to be perfect in riding. There remains a basic adjustment with the front end tending to be soft, to which measurements must be taken, but which ends up being an excellent compromise (in our opinion, but we are fully within the realm of subjectivity and personal taste and driving style, as well as being a factor linked to the size of the pilot). You can easily change all the settings, making the RRs more similar to what you are used to, or what you want, but remember that the setting was defined by the technicians together with the world champion riders, but also with the non-professional user in mind. , so it's certainly not that bad. The testers were able to act on the suspensions, thanks to the expert help of the technicians, but we preferred to concentrate on the test, maintaining the standard configuration for the fork and monoshock. Performance increases on all 4 engine sizes, at any speed. The approach to the changes which are aimed at further improving the balance and linearity of delivery is quite evident right from the start. Better performance, but always along the entire range of delivery, from low to high, with full and full-bodied mids. Where the difference is perhaps most noticeable is on the 350, given that as the displacement increases the power requires more effort to be fully exploited by a non-professional rider. If the initial impact, knowing the clear reduction in weight and the big innovations, is almost disappointing, because the 4-stroke RRs remain similar in riding compared to the past, it is with time that we gradually realize the improvements, which are more evident when the pace increases, therefore when the driver is a more experienced rider, but they are also felt for the amateur, who at the end of the day will be able to go faster than before, but with slightly less physical effort.

The test of the RR 125 2T MY 2018

After trying it, Alex Salvini, in addition to saying he felt as if he were a kid again (the displacement is that of the races at the beginning of his career), finds it splendid, with a spectacular engine in the "gear change", when the two-stroke engine explodes, delivering the Better. Best of all, after a while away from the 125 field, he finds it easy and simple to ride, but so much fun that he never wants to get off again. We can only agree with him, it is a different bike from the rest of the range and in this sense Beta's choice to create the RR 125 2T MY 2018 with top-of-the-line components very much in common with its bigger sisters pays off (positively). but to avoid making it a 250 with "only" 34 horsepower (this is the power it should deliver based on the first rumors). Thus, for example, we find a completely new block, which is much more compact than that of the 250 and 300, just as all the choices have been in the direction of making the 125 very light (96 kg the official figure) and easy to handle, so to take advantage of the strait, where it is possible to do things that are impossible for larger displacements. However, it remains stable even on fast speeds, but the differences in terms of suspension settings are evident, despite being the same as the top of the range RR in terms of hardware, fully adjustable Sachs. It is difficult to understand that this is the first time for Beta in this engine size, to the point of being immediately on the level of the best competition, even ahead in some aspects. The smallest of the engines produced by Beta obviously lacks reach compared to the larger displacements, but shows an unexpected back in the medium range, where it offers the possibility of taking advantage of an extra gear from the excellent 6-speed gearbox, without remaining stationary mid-corner, On the contrary! As mentioned, unlike the other MY2018 RRs, which give up the kick crank for a purely electric ignition, the 125 has no battery or motor, but starts the old-fashioned way. As for the price, even if it is just an indiscretion, the eighth-litre Beta should align itself with the competition, remaining under the 8 thousand euro mark. Euro 4 approved and two seats, as well as the dream of those who want to embark on a competitive journey, we are sure that I will be able to fulfill the dream of many sixteen-year-olds who will be able to show it off with friends (and girlfriends) and enjoy using it on the road. Without forgetting, however, that, as we were able to see during our test, comparing ourselves with our journalist colleagues and the official Beta drivers, as well as being fun, the 125 is a perfect school, even for those who are no longer 16 and perhaps have a great deal of experience. : making 100% use of this bike means knowing how to ride any other Enduro well. We could even recommend it to the more experienced, precisely with the aim of training and improving technique. As for the colors and graphics, they are the same as the rest of the RR my 2018 range.

Conclusion and prices

Beta's Enduro RR range which was therefore completed with the arrival of the 125, but which gains performance and features a step above the MY 2017 RRs, with unchanged prices and usability. All this allows us to predict a head-to-head (more than deserved) with KTM in sales for the second part of 2017 and for 2018. Don't read between the lines that our "biased" lineup is, but for bikes that are all "made" in Italy”, we are not at all sorry to see that the products are top-notch, with characteristics that are sometimes unique and superior to the best competition. Overall, in addition to performance, we continue to like the Beta approach, aimed at reconciling performance for the professional driver with usability for everyone, including the less experienced and trained. All RRs are in fact very fast, but easy and not at all demanding, including the larger displacements. Obviously, the 250 2T and 350 4T are the best to start with, with the novelty of the 125 which, as already indicated, is also a perfect alternative for approaching the sector, even for those who are no longer 16 years old. As for prices, Beta has managed to keep prices unchanged compared to the previous version, despite all these important innovations having been introduced. The new bikes are already available from mid-June. They range from 8.190 euros for the RR Enduro 250 2T to a thousand more for the 480 4T, while the 125, which has not yet been included in the price list, will have a price of less than 8 euros.

Test clothing:
Shirt, trousers and gloves: Alpinestars Techstar Venom
Knee Pads: Alpinestars Vapor Pro
Boots: TCX
Helmet: Bell Moto-9

Tester: Tomas Del Campo