ON THE TRAIL TESTING- 2021 BETA 250RR RACE EDITION- 1200 MILES LATER

 

BETA 250 RR RACE EDITION- 1200 MILES DOWN THE TRAIL

By Ryan Koch

 

I spent a good amount of time riding a Beta 300RR last year- so I know the ins and outs of the Beta 2-stroke pretty well. Two strokes make me want to ride and this year I have been putting in plenty of seat time on the 2021 Beta 250RR Race Edition. Here’s a quick update after 1200 miles and 60 hours of ride time.

It’s no surprise that the Beta thrives in a tight, technical environment. It pampers the rider with excellent low end, a well-spaced gearbox, and a superb hydraulic clutch. The electric starter has performed marvelously, and the bike always fires immediately. After 60 hours we have zero complaints about any of the components on the machine. The jetting remains spot on and crisp at most of our Southern California altitudes, while fuel mileage can vary depending on our workload. Wide open hill climbs will result in a short fuel span of 30-40 miles per tank until you hit reserve. On our technical loops we can squeeze more like 65 miles before reserve. The handguards and skid plate are not heavy duty ‘extreme’ racer armor but have held up nicely. The exhaust pipe is a bit dented; the brake pads are getting thin out back and incredibly the O-ring chain hasn’t stretched and looks strong. This is a benefit of California riding where its rarely muddy, so sprocket and chain life are extended.

Maintenance has been just the basics- filter changes and transmission oil the main duties. The headlight is a welcome addition for myself as my rides can go a bit long especially when leaving from the garage. Still loving the KYB fork on this model and don’t feel like any changes need to be made for our terrain. The stab and go push button starting is a huge highlight. Handling wise the turning radius isn’t quite as tight as we’d like, the saddle is hard and narrow (uncomfortable) and the chain guide is a bit thin and will be changed for a TM Designworks unit when it’s time for new sprockets.

 

Overall, we’re still very pumped over the Beta 250RR Race Edition. It’s equipped with a strong power character; vibration is less than its 300 brother and the mid to top is very strong. And equally important is care and feeding of the machine has been painless. Stay tuned as we plan to plug in some mods to the machine to see how it responds to some minor changes.