2004 Beta Impressions

[ronm]

I Had a great weekend and thought I would pass along a recap.

I bought a new bike. That is a pretty rare occurrence for me, and a great deal of thought went into the selection. I thought some of it might be useful to others who are considering a new bike. Since 2001, I have been riding a 2000 GasGas TXT 280, which I inherited from my son. He (we) acquired that bike through a partial sponsorship and then lost interest after one season on the bike. The TXT ( now known as the 'Edition") model was and still is a great bike. I ride in the STRA (southeastern US) region and off the top of my head, I would guess that about 45% of the members ride GasGas. Probably 30% ride Sherco, and the remainder ride Montesa, Beta, and Scorpa. We normally have our annual banquet in January and hold a fun ride the next day- normally at the TTC. For last year's fun ride we arranged to have demo bikes from all the manufacturers. Basically, in one day, I would get to ride brand new bikes of all brands. I had been thinking about a new bike at the end of last year and went to the fun ride thinking that I would ride a new GasGas Pro and if it was really nice, I would buy one. I had spent a little time at the NATC meeting talking with Ron Commo Jr. about the '03 Beta. My first 2 trials bikes were Betas, the last being a '96 Techno. Ron had done a convincing job of talking up the Beta, so I was interested in how it would be. I had ridden an '02 Beta and really did not like it as much as my GasGas, so although I was curious, I did not expect to like it.

Summary of the bikes in my humble opinion.

1- GasGas 280 Pro- Very light feeling, as expected. Strong, quick revving engine. Pretty good clutch although pull was heaviest of all the bikes. Nice suspension and quick power would allow the bike to just pop right up smaller steps ( 2-2/2 feet) with no technique at all. Turning was about the same as my older GasGas.

2- Sherco 290- Also very light. Really could not tell much difference to the GG Pro. Clutch was really nice- light pull, smooth predictable engagement. Performance was pretty much the same as the GasGas Pro, including turning.

3- Scorpa - Heavier feeling. Smooth power, but felt noticeably weaker than the GG & Sherco. Nice clutch- better than the GasGas, worse than the Sherco. Turning, braking, etc, about the same as the GasGas and Sherco.

4- Beta 270- Felt heavier than the GasGas and Sherco. Power seemed adequate, but the bike was equipped with a slow throttle tube ( the black one) and the bike was geared lower than the others. First gear on the Pro seemed somewhere between 2nd and 3rd in the Beta. Also the front end seemed heavier. The heavier front end seems to be a Beta trait. The bike did not just get up the same steps. I needed to use proper technique to get there. Hmm I thought, so much for Beta. Then I went to the section that I had been riding to test the turning ability. It was a series of tight turns, followed by a climb that was not really that steep, but was very slippery and littered with rocks. At the crest of the climb was a rock ledge about a foot high. Not bad, but you needed to have some momentum and control to get over it. I had managed to make the turns cleanly on the other bikes about half the time, but never made it up the climb to the top with out coming to a complete wheel spinning stop. First time through on the Beta, to my amazement, I was turning at least a foot and a half inside the line I was riding on the other bikes. This was not even a conscious thing. I just rode into the turn and ended up there. Next came the climb and even more surprising, I just rode all the way to the top and over the ledge. This was totally unexpected. I tried it a few more times with the same result. Bottom line in my opinion was the Beta was not as good on ledges, etc as the GasGas and Sherco, but much better on the approach. For generally tight or slippery stuff, it was the hands down winner.

5- I never got time to ride the 2003 Montesa. There was not a 2003 bike available.

I decided that I wanted to buy a Beta. But with the economy down, and the company I work for having a tough year, I did not get to buy one. Now for the rest of the story. Things changed a little, and I started looking for a new bike again. All year I had been thinking Beta. But every one in the club seemed to be buying new Pros. The 2004 Pro is even lighter than last year and has those nice big Marzocchi forks. I started to think GasGas again. So I made a trip to the TTC on Saturday for some test riding. I can't say enough how cool it is to get to test ride a new bike there. Logs- they're there. Hills, rocks, ledges- they're there. Good advice- it is definitely there. Four of us set out for a few hours of riding. Ray Peters, Charlie Roberts, Dan Brown, and myself. We brought along a new 280 Pro (red one just like I would want) and a new 2004 Beta 270. First off we rode the logs in the parking lot. I started out on the Beta and it felt a lot better than the one I rode last year. The gearing is a little higher ( I think just a sprocket change) and I had Ray trade the slow throttle tube for the faster one that I am used to. These changes made the bike seem much quicker, and completely changed the character of the bike for me. Now, it just popped up there, same as the Pro. We traded bikes and I rode the Pro over the logs. Great ability on the logs, but I had a sort of "nervous feeling" on the bike. Of course both of the bikes were straight out of the box and unscratched. Next, we rode over to the turn section I had used for the earlier test rides. I was still on the Pro. I struggled on the first turns, but rode up the climb and over the ledge ok. After several more times, I switched to the Beta. The turns were much easier, and again, I also rode out the top cleanly. After a few more times, I switched back to the Pro. Again, I made the turns, but felt uneasy, like I was on the verge of something bad. Charlie Roberts was watching me and after a while commented that on the Beta, I seemed relaxed and smooth, but on the GasGas, I seemed to be gripping the bike with my legs and generally looking stiff. That was a good description of how I felt. I think it is a combination of riding position and the tall gearing. So I gave the Pro back, and decided to buy the Beta.

I spent about six hours on the Beta this weekend, and also rode my old GasGas just for comparison. There are some basic things that I figured out.

First- The reason I feel relaxed on the Beta is that it just fits me better. I am 6'-2'' 175 lb and am built top heavy. After riding the Beta for a while, I felt cramped when I went back to my old GasGas. Also, the Beta is geared about the same as my old GasGas but significantly lower than the Pro. Club level trials in the southeastern U.S. have a lot of tight turns, and slippery stuff. On the Pro, a rider is going about half the speed that the bike would want to go with the clutch out. This means that he is dealing with the clutch as well as the turn and throttle, and body position, etc. On the Beta, he will have to slip the clutch in the really slow portions, but not as often as on a Pro. For my build, the layout of the Beta is more conducive to to a loose relaxed riding style. I can drive the bike with my feet instead of my arms. The Beta seems to make traction better than the other bikes. This alone is a huge advantage. The front end on the Beta feels heavier than on the GasGas, especially the Pro. This is not a problem. It takes a little more effort to hop the front wheel, but it is still easier than on my old GasGas. It also takes a litle more thought to keep the front wheel up when doing double steps, etc. But again, this is not a real problem. It is just an adjustment in style. Rear wheel hops are really easy, either rolling or stopped. The Beta clutch has a light pull and the action is really really good. It is sooo smooth both releasing and engaging that you can combine it with the great traction and just flow through the tightest uphill camber turns. It is possible to shift the bike into neutral while stopped with the engine running. As we all know, this should not even be worth mentioning, but most bikes will not. The shifting is nicer compared with the old GasGas and much nicer than on the Pro. I actually like the left side kick start on the Beta. Some people hate it, but like everything in trials, it is a matter of technique. Brakes are super good. The rear disk is considerably larger than on my old GasGas. This is a problem if you get sloppy coming down slippery hills, but a huge help when hopping the front wheel.

Before we went out to test ride the bikes, Charlie and I compared the weight of the Beta and Pro. We filled both fuel tanks. The scale was a decent quality bathroom scale. The GasGas was out of the box. The Beta had the light wiring removed. This was around a half pound or less. The results were interesting.

GasGas Pro 280 - Front 79.5lbs Rear 79lbs Total 158.5lbs

Beta 270 Front 82.5lbs Rear 84lbs Total 166.5lbs

____________

Difference 8 lbs. (neglecting the light wiring)

I think both tanks hold around 3 liters.

Another thing we did was to hold the 2 bikes side by side with the front wheels against the rear end of a trailer. We compared rake angles, peg position, swingarm position, etc. Interestingly, the Beta (which felt the roomiest) had the pega and swingarm pivot about a half inch closer to the front axle. This might explain the heavier feeling front end. Charlie and I did this years ago with by Techno and his '96 Fantic. You could not find any appreciable differences, but the 2 bikes rode completely differently. I am sure there are some differences, but they are too small to be checked with tape rules and eyeballs. I also got to ride Ray Peter's national bike. It has been ported and has a V-Force reedvalve. I usually did better on my Beta than on his.

This is about all I can think to tell you right now. I have the only 2004 Beta in the STRA. There are only 4 or 5 other Rev3s in the club, and a sprinkling of Technos. I can think of a couple of dozen Pro riders, especially in the middle and lower classes who should have given the Beta a try. I think it is a better bike for southeastern terrain. But our first event comes up Jan. 11. That will be the proof. BTW, I think Dan Brown is keeping that red Pro for himself. He has been riding a Pro since 2002, and felt quite comfortable on it. His comments were something like he could ride either one and each has it's strengths. For those of you from other areas, and to give a point of reference to these opinions- Dan Brown and I ride in the STRA Advanced class and usually place around the middle out or 15 to 20 riders. Our Advanced class is roughly equivalent to the national support class lines. Ray did his best to make us feel inadequate by riding the lines on which we were struggling with one hand and a smile.

I owe a big thanks to Ray Peters, Charlie Roberts, and of course Dan Brown for helping me find the bike for me.

Edited December 22, 2003 by RonM

[amiller]

If more people had the opportunity to test the bikes like you had I think a lot more people would switch to Beta. I love the Revs. Have not even concidered changing since my 00. I have not had a chance to ride my 04 yet but it looks good in the Garage.

For Christmas have someone call Bottle Run Xtreme and get you a set of Jpegs for the Beta. They will move your position back about a half inch and also lower slightly. You will also love the feel of a wider pege to stand on.

Good Luck with the new bike. I know you will love it.

Aaron

[charliechitlins]

I was around one this weekend.

Loud!

Ran very clean, though...even after lugging around. Something that is, in my experience, not always the case with Beta.

[sagsag]

RonM--

Thanks for taking the time to write that! You have done a great service for mankind.

SagSag

[brian r]

Good for you, Ron. I know you've been waiting for what must have seemed like forever.

[olly g]

That is a really useful account of the beta!!!! Lot of respect for you to have put it together. I ride a 01 gasgas, and live in England, but I have never rode the Beta. By the sounds of things it is the perfect bike for me, as I am 6 foot 2 as well. I have ridden the 04 sherco, and it is an awesome bike, but i will have to ride a beta, just to get the idea of one.

what did you think of your old gasgas compared to the beta???

cheers from olly

:santawink:

Merry christmas

[telecat]

My Son has tried both the 125 Beta and Sherco and found the Beta's power delivery "Soft" and the bike generally heavy. Pesonally I prefer the build and detailing of the Beta but for an 11-year old it doesn't ride as well as the Sherco.

[ronm]

Olly,

In regards to the new Beta compared to the 2000 TXT 270-

I rode a '96 Techno for several years before switching to the GasGas. The GasGas is better in many ways than the Techno. But I always had a problem making traction on the GasGas. After I rode the Beta Rev3 last year, I really started thinking about how to make the GasGas more like it. I modified my footpegs by cutting them apart, welding in a steel plate (on edge) between the foot rest part and the pivot part. I was a little worried about welding on the cast stainless steel Hebo pegs that come on the GasGas. But I had no problems whatsoever. I basically moved the footrests rearward about 7/8 of an inch. The result was like getting a new bike. The thing made traction like nothing else. I have nearly 20 hours on the new Beta now. The other day, I rode after a rain shower. Here in Georgia we have a red clay that is super slippery when wet and quickly fills up your tires. I rode some of the same banks and short hill climbs that I regularly rode on the GasGas. I was disappointed to find that the new Beta does not get the traction that my old GasGas does. I put my modified pegs on the Beta and there was a pretty fair improvement, but still not as good as the GasGas in the traction department. After riding a very tricky off camber turn around a tree with about a 6 inch fully exposed angled root in the middle of it, I realized why. The Beta was not as good as the GasGas when riding over the root. The reason is that over the years as the rear spring has weakened on the GasGas, I have resisted the urge to increase the preload. So the rear end on the GasGas is much softer than the Beta. That is what is hurting my traction. BUT, the stiffer rear works much better in other situations such as drop offs, zaps, and splatters. So I think I will leave it alone and see how much it softens up in the next couple of months. Besides the difference can probably be made up by improving my technique. The modified pegs do not seem to adversely affect any other aspect of the bike so I will leave them on. The more time I spend on the bike the more I love it. Now that I have gotten use to it, my confidence in those situations where you feel the need for a chicken dab is much better. Give one a try. You won't be disappointed.

Happy New Year,

Ron

[marky g]

Like the REV 3, Might get one next year, a toos up between a Beat or a Montesa......both seem to have great quality (I think the Mont just might have to edge)

Hey Ron M, your first post is the biggest I've seen keep up the good work

[munch]

i had an extended test on my mates 270 , after the trial on new years day.riding 5 or 6 sections a couple of times. it was very slippery .i was very impresed with the grip it had . soft useable power was very linear . but it did feel very heavy and my last bike was a mont i thought it might be that i was tired, but getting back onto my sherco felt so good .i rode a couple of sections again. nice, with quality build but no thanks .

[brian r]

Just to bring this back up to the top.

[doogle]

I had an 03 250 pro and have just got an 04 beta.

The beta does feel heavier, but is a lot more sure footed than the pro.

The riding position seems more suited and it seems to go where i point it.

The pro tended to go where it wanted and I followed. It was a good bike to ride though.

The build quality on the beta is much better to.

[bigfoot]

First of all well done Ron great article well written. Andy should think about putting it one the site as a bike test article.

I rode an 04 Rev3 late last year and loved it. I ride a 2001 TXT 280 at the moment but not for much longer. I've always loved the Gasser but did own a Techno for a while and enjoyed it too. Great quality, never missed a beat and I did very little to it.