New 2020 Beta 250/300 rr release: 2 stroke counterbalance with a carb! But where the heck is the kickstart?

The Italian company, Beta just launched their 2020 2 stroke line with claims that they have made “enormous advances” for 2020.

One advancement that they did not make is going to fuel injection! I think many of us are happy about this one. However, it does have an oil injection that they released in the previous year, hopefully some beta guys can comment on the reliability of this.

The biggest advancement Beta mentions about the 2020 two strokes are the fact that the motor is counterbalanced. We saw this move with the KTM’s in 2017 and it was a huge improvement for the feel of the bike as there was much less vibrations as well as the motor became tamer and easier to handle. 

Motor

So it has a carb! ✅ And a great one at that, the keihin. KTM ran Keihin’s for years up until switching in 2017 which caused us all to go buy expensive lectron smart carbs because it was so hard to get the jetting right on them. 

All KTM/husky's in 2020 have gone to fuel injected efi/tpi. But, not everyone is sold on this move so it's great to see Beta is offering a carb option. 

Oil injected

This could be a point of failure and scare people away like KTM’s efi. However tthe 2019 Beta's were also oil injected, my buddy @enduronv has a oil injected beta and rides some hard enduro, it seems to be working for him. 

Read somewhere that the race edition (not released) may not be oil injected? We'll have to wait and see

Counterbalanced

A counterbalance in the motor reduces vibration by increasing inertia. This improves the power delivery throughout the rpm range.

Again, we saw a counterbalance upgrade to the the KTM’s in 2017 and it really helped the bike become tammer with much less vibration. I think this is what really helped the 2 stroke become so popular again. They are no longer as crazy as the older 2 strokes making them easier to ride and take advantage of all the great things about 2 strokes like the lightness, ability to get really hot, start super easy even when hot/flipped upside down ect..

Cylinder Head

The cylinder head was redesigned (250 cc only) to improve torque at low rpm. This is good for 250 lovers like myself, the shorter stroke of the motor makes the bike feel lighter in the handling than a 300 so having this low torque improvement is great for hard enduro where you want that 300 lug.

Transmission 

6-speed.

No Kickstarter

Like KTM the Beta’s do not come with a kickstart, only E-start. It is said that a kick start upgrade is available though.

Beta dropped the kickstart in the 2018 race edition. But I know us hard enduro guys end up relying on the kickstart once the fan kills the battery on those long hard days in the boulder fields so this upgrade would be necessary. 

Frame

Cooling hoses goes through the frame.

Frame is now more rigid and lighter.

Suspension 

Improved fork design with new inner cartridge which lowers the center of gravity to improve plushness and reaction particularly the action over square-edge bumps. 

@Dirtbikechannel has been running the 2019 390 beta and raving about how much he likes the suspension. Check out some of his recent videos on that.

Ergonomics 

Larger fuel tank: 2.55 gal

Wider bars 

It doesn’t appear to come with an hour meter as I see it offered as an extra.

Mapping Switch

New location for MAP switch on the gas tank/frame which seems really odd, I change mapping switches semi frequently depending on terrain. 

Seat Height

Seat Height: 36.6” (200/250/300rr)

They said that you can order any RR or RR-S model straight from the factory with a 2″ lower seat height over the stock models. These “lowboy” models have parts installed inside the front fork and rear shock to lower the seat height.

Weight

Dry Weight: 228 lbs. (wet weight, no fuel) (250/300rr)

Dry Weight: 213.8 lbs. (wet weight, no fuel) (200 rr)

Bodywork

Completely new superstructure (front cowl, front and rear fenders, ducts and fairings) which improve ergonomics and the operation of all related parts retaining the Italian design Beta is known for.

Bit strange that the side number plate’s dont cover the exhaust at all 

Front fender has variable thickness geometry which reduces weight and increases rigidity. This is good for running Trailbound straps and holding gear like your jacket/extra gas. 

The bike doesn’t appear to have the handles built into the seat area like the previous models. I think I saw a push button looking thing in one of the videos meaning that you should still have tool-less seat removal like the past betas

Skid Plate

A skid plate is included but it doesn’t have a linkage guard, not sure if you can bolt one in, you may have to buy the bullet proof aluminum one or just buy a whole TMD skid plate/linkage guard kit.

BYOB: Build Your Own Bike

This is Beta USA’s popular program that allows riders to custom build their own Beta to fit their style/needs

There's over 400 accessories to choose from ranging from tires/ tubliss/ moose/ suspesion/ handguards/ pipe / hour meter/ ect 

Warranty

From what I've heard talking to Beta owners they have a really great warranty and if you go through proper channels you can sometimes get things covered even outside of warranty. SKF had some bad crank bearings for 5% of their 2019's but Beta replaced and rebuilt them outside of warranty which is really cool.

Parts Availability? 

So Rocky Mountain MC doesn't carry Beta parts which is a huge bummer as man of us break stuff on the weekend and use the free 2-3 day shipping to get the part in time for riding next weekend. The Beta riders I've talked to said it hasn't been a problem though as the Dealer stocks a ton of parts and they usually get 2 deliveries a week from Italy so if he doesn't have it in stock its usually there by Tuesday/Thursday. Many dealers will also ship parts to you. 

Price

200 RR: $8699.00
250 RR: $8799.00
300 RR: $9199.00
*prices do not include sales tax, license, destination or other dealer fees.

Availability

September 2nd (RR 2 stroke)

They haven’t released the race edition yet which is usually blue and red, heard it possibly will not have the oil injection?

More Info

Full Feature Press Release: 2020 Beta RR Feature List

Trailbound Instagram Thread: 2020 Beta @trailboundco Instagram

Looking forward to hearing your guys thoughts on these 2020 Beta's in the comments on the @trailboundco instagram! Would you get one of these over a 2020 KTM/Husky tpi?

Cheers,
-Trailbound Chris

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