liviob

Yesterday I was able to ride a 2011 290evo for a day. It seems the new clutch has a lighter pull at the lever and the clutch engaged very smoothly like my DW modded 09 clutch does but with the lever pulled to the bar it still drags at a stop and at times wouldnt allow the transmission to shift while at a stop with the motor running. Without being able to open the clutch and have a look at the fiber plates I cant say if Beta changed them from 09 spec clutch plates. I think the clutch drag is oil related. I have tried several different oils in my 09 transmission and after modding the fiber plates to allow more oil to pass thru the grooves I found the GM Autotrac2 to offer the least clutch drag. My 09 has no clutch drag while using this oil. While riding the 2011 I also noticed that while rolling the transmission does change gears slightly easeyer than my 09evo. I think Beta did a very nice job updating the evo suspension to it's current state. It's a nice looking machine too. You will have fun with this bike betarick.

Its true if you love trials its the best you can spend your fifty Bills on!!!

Thanks Paul. Turns out that the two slotted gasket ports go to the rear if i go by the small circular marks stained onto the head from the old gasket.

I removed the topend of my 01 Rev3 250 and didnt think to consider the head gasket having to be indexed. The water jacket ports in the head gasket are all round except for two. They are shaped like the water jacket ports. I think that the two slotted holes in the head gasket would index over the exhaust port but their is only one water jacket port between the bolts directly over the exhaust port. Assuming that the slotted ports go to the front. Which side of the exhaust do i place the other slotted port to the water pump side or to the ignition side? Thanks Livio

My 2009 was just as you say your 2011 is when it was new. It worked fine. Then It slowly deteriorated to what most everyone has complained about after about six months use.

The Dan Williams clutch mod is a must and i also use GM autotrac 2 transmission oil set at 425cc's. I think stock oil volume is 480cc's. The clutch engagement is much much better than stock, and If you set the clutch lever in the right spot you will get full disengagment of the clutch when the lever is pulled to your fingers, and your shifting at a standstill with the motor running will be very easy as it should be. I also added 3mm thick washers under each clutch spring retainer. I had to remove the crosshatch bracing on the inside of the clutch cover to acomadate the higher spring. This mod reduced the spring preload enough that the clutch pull is now very light. After almost a year of using this setup I have had no slipping problems yet. I ride Intermideiate skill level.

Is there a very small hole in the shock body near the seal head.

Someone did you a huge favor when they had that installed. Your shock is now rebuildable. No need to Be concerned with it until your shock needs to be serviced again. If you ride often change the oil in the shock at least once a year. 150 PSI nitrogen gas should work fine. Make sure the cap is tight so it will not vibrate loose.

Thats interesting that your muffler rubs on the shock spring. I have an 09 290 and there is alot of clearance for all. Ill have to look closely next time i clean the air filter.

I attended one of his schools a while back. It was very informative and alot of fun. I wish he could come to colorado and teach a class. I'm ready to train with him again.

I had a Scorpa sy250 and switched to the 09-290EVO. It's motor is very easy to manage, very smooth and tractable power.I was told by my local Beta dealer that the 290 has more torque than the 270 and spools up smoother.

The o-rings that seal the two exhaust pipe sections together are probobly leaking. Unbolt the rear pipe section and slowly remove it to see if the o-rings are still set properly.

Have you checked the reeds. Cracked or chipped reeds will cause hard starting and poor bottom end responce. If you have alot of time on the motor the rings could be worn. This will cause the bottom end to be soft and the rich condition you mentioned.

After the clutch on my 290 EVO became more and more grabby I performed the pinned clutch mod to the fiber plates and noticed a very large difference in clutch engagement smoothness. I also added 3mm thick hex key bolt washers to the clutch spring bolts. I had to remove the cross hatch from inside the clutch cover so the bolts would clear. I also lowered the oil level to 425cc's using GM auto trac 2 transmission oil. The clutch feel is now superb. The only issue i have with the clutch now is that the engagement throw has become longer. I orderd a beta red clutch slave cylinder to shorten the engagement throw.

The only thing you might need after doing the pinned clutch mod is to shorten the throw of the lever. I have the red clutch slave cylinder on order Ill let you know how it works out.

Probobly not unless you can find a used kicker on ebay.

Yes it can be repaired. If it is not possible to smooth the ding with a diamond hone install a new fork stanction tube.

Your welcome. Glad to hear everything was ok. If you want a little easyer shifting try the clutch mod pinned at the top of the page. You will be amazed by the difference in clutch feel.

Paul, In lbs. what do you weigh?

Thanks for the info Nigel. Several months ago I Modified my Beta's clutch as described in the pinned section above. This seeminly minor mod made the clutch much more useful. It removed all of the grabbyness and really transformed the bike. I have been using the clutch to control traction more frequently and with much more control. Looking back most of the struggles that I was having around the time i wrote the original post were really caused by me not using the clutch as much as I should have because of it's poor carictoristics. I have noticed the RPM over run that you spoke of with just the stock flywheel weight.

Are you saying that you feel that you dont frrl the need to slow the motor with the added weight in slippery conditions?

I think the Techno motor is the same basic design as the Evo. If that is true You will find a drain plug in the bottom of the motor while looking through a hole in the motor skid plate. The filler hole will be to the right of the water pump. Use 240 cc or fill to halfway point in the sight glass under the water pump. If you have no sight glass and are not sure use 1/2 quart. Belray, Maxima, Type F automatic transmission fluid etc. for transmission oil. If not Just make sure It's designed for use with a wet clutch.

Thanks for the replys. I have seen the weight that beta offers. I have gotten used to the power of the 290 motor and I'm not sure if i need a flywheel weight now. The motor setup I have now is very good for a 250lb. rider riding at high altidude in dry conditions. I must admit that when the rocks are slippery my traction finding skills are weak, also I think the motor is too robust for slippery conditions, even on the low power ignition setting. Also It's not too often that I ride in slippery conditions. Well.... now that i think about it I did ride most every weekend last winter. Maybe I should try a flywheel weight and remove the Boyeson powerwing from the carb for winter riding to see if i can get better traction on the wet rocks and logs. What do you think? Do you fellas have a high traction motor setup and a low traction motor setup. Or do you just rely on the clutch and high low ignition switch and continue polishing your technique? Do you fellas who ride wet terrain use a flywheel weight?

No. I used Google to find vortex.

I'll let Cody decide his future. If it's his hearts desire to be the next world champion I'll cheer him on.