First Ride 2016 Beta 350 rr

[Marty Moose]

I've posted this on a few forums I'm on so excuse me if its a repeat. Overall a positive day need to get it on some harder pack ground.

Well I’ve had my first ride now on my new 2016 Beta 350rr I came off what I think was a very well set up offroad 2014 Yz250f. The Beta has a very smooth engine that likes to rev, its tractable and easy to ride. With the road muffler its screaming for a pipe I have a fmf powercore 4 hex on order which I think will bring it to life. The gearing is a little too tall 2nd being a bit high. I have not checked the std gearing but may change it, the standard Michelin 140 tyre also has ample sidewalls this would also add to this feeling.

The fitment and ergonomics are great I felt comfortable straight away, on the Yzf even with the bars all the way forward I felt cramped the Beta on the other hand feels fantastic standing really really good. The transition from sitting to standing is very easy as the bike is spacious, the foot peg to set height is perfect for me I’m not tall at 5’10 but I prefer like a spacious bike.

Beta have tried and trusted controls so no surprises there coming of a bike with nissan brakes. I don’t see all the fuss over a hydraulic clutch it is heavier than my old bikes but does adjust automatically when being worked hard unlike the previous cable clutch. I guess consistent operation is the key here.

The chassis is neutral I would not say it turns really well, must admit I thought it would be sharper but it gets the job done. Forks are flush std and the sag settings are a little out I’ll talk about that later. The feel from the front end is one of the best I’ve ridden you know exactly what the front tyre is doing whether It is gripping or sliding, outstanding feel. This maybe because of the reduced engine braking which I also really enjoyed. Beta have done a great job here. No front end washing on turn in. The seat well it is new but it’s a ROCK.

The suspension is not too bad I must admit I was worried about Sachs and having open chamber forks but they worked ok once I played with the clickers. Sag out back was 100mm loaded and 38 static which I was surprised at as I weigh 180lbs I’ve not checked it since it has bedded in but am sure it’s changed. There maybe some changes to help the bike turn a bit better here in the future.

I don’t know what Beta are thinking with the standard clicker positions front and rear they are just plain off. At first the feeling was harsh so I backed things off a bit thinking its just new however it was worse way worse. Once the clickers were wound in. Rear High speed from 22 out to 12 and same on the low speed the bike tracked much better. The front a bit of handful at first as well rebound went from std 12 clicks out to 6 and front comp down to 8 clicks out the ride was much better. Once set like this it was very nice even for a new bike. I’m sure a shim shuffle will help, I’m hanging to see the mid and base stacks in the forks. I’ve been told by a few people they are a WP open chamber clones so it should not be too hard. I guess the only note here is I was riding on large whoops and deep sand on hard pack these settings may not work.

In summary the bike is great with room for improvement like most bikes. I guess room for improvement really means setting the bike up to suit each individual rider. The Beta is a great starting point and I can see me enjoying racing it for next season. I didn’t mention the electric start J its awesome.

MM

[Mxdave]

Sounds good to me

Interesting you moved from a yzf250 as I've heard the new gen thumper yam is awesome off-road. How do you notice the weight difference?

[Marty Moose]

I didn't notice any weight difference however I was riding deep sand and whoops. At this stage the main difference was turning the Beta was slower and the e leg . Ive reset my sags on the Beta and will ride it again today as I race it Saturday for the first time. I'm border line on the rear spring 100mm loaded and 31mm static.

The Yzf is a good bike and works well off road, if I was to buy another it would be a fx or a wr the yz needs a bit of set up to work.The std suspension is way way to harsh. The engine is aggressive and works better with less ign advance down low and a bit more fuel a ffw would really help it.

[GMP]

For starters the fork should be dropped to the first line. Next, the stock valving likely has too much bleed(based on '14 2stroke experience), why you need the rebound cranked in. With this addressed it should turn much better.

[Marty Moose]

For starters the fork should be dropped to the first line. Next, the stock valving likely has too much bleed(based on '14 2stroke experience), why you need the rebound cranked in. With this addressed it should turn much better.

Forks are std flush atm will move them for sure. Had another ride tonight after resetting the sag as it had bedded in a bit. Bike was much better. I did also back off the rebound a bit as I was on harder pack ground. I was running is in for big (huge) sandy whoops bedding in the suspension the first time with the reb wound in.

These are the stacks out of a 15 390 they are not my data but I'm pretty sure they are correct.
base 18.1 2x25.1 14.1 22.1 2x25.1 23.1 22.1 20.1 18.1 16.15 14.15 12.15

reb 2x delta 16.1 14.1 12.1 10.3

mv 4x20.1 4x11.2 11.35
0,35 float

This the 3 hole rebound piston I think your 14 had 4. I've never used bleed shim as per the base. When I service mine I'll post up what I find. The mid also looks a bit check plate-ish I'd like to try a more tapered stack. Anyway all ideas atm need to pull mine down to see what changes were made for 2016.

Gmp with the bleed shim did you keep it or put on a full size face shim and drill a bleed in the mid piston ?


Cheers for the advice
MM

[GMP]

These forks are from my brother's '14 300RR he picked up in June. Not wanting to get into a revalve project learning curve during prime time ride and race season, we slapped my worn but well set up Zoke 48s on his bike. He lost interest in setting up the Sachs. Seriously though I'll finnish them off during the winter, and they might even end up on an older Husky 250 befere the Beta. What I found explains why the fork feels like a pogo stick, free bleed in every circuit. My timing was perfect as both compression taps had loose nuts (no loctite or peening) and would have came apart in short time. Also, the midvalve face shim was severely cupped, lack of taper no doubt. I'll try it with a different stack first, if harsh I'll drill a bleed hole. One thing to note is the quality of mfg easily exceeds that of the Marzocchi.

[Marty Moose]

Looking forward to this weekends ride

[johnm28]

Looking forward to this weekends ride

How do you like the FMF Power Core vs stock? Which one is it? I have 2014 400 Rs. Did it help bottom end or more mid to High. Thanks

[redrider]

I put the FMF Hex4 on my 350 and pulled it off. LOUD! Really loud. Minus the spark arrester of course. I picked up the powerbomb to go with it and pulled that too. Until I can get back to the dealer to have it set up for FMF exhaust, I'll run the stock. The FMF is definitely less restrictive and the bike didn't like it with the stock program. (2016 350 RR RE)

[johnm28]

I put the FMF Hex4 on my 350 and pulled it off. LOUD! Really loud. Minus the spark arrester of course. I picked up the powerbomb to go with it and pulled that too. Until I can get back to the dealer to have it set up for FMF exhaust, I'll run the stock. The FMF is definitely less restrictive and the bike didn't like it with the stock program. (2016 350 RR RE)

good to know. I will stay stock for now. Its plated to ride dual sport events and they require low noise levels. thanks