2016 300 RR - First Ride/Impressions

[BoogieMan84]

So I finally got the Italian mistress out on its maiden voyage yesterday (Saturday) and so far I'm extremely pleased with the bike. I'm just gonna post up some pro's and con's and personal set up changes that I realized after the first ride. A lot of the con section is mostly going to be set ups for me and the area I ride and are certainly not all representative of the bike being a problem. Bear in mind I've been riding a 92 KDX 200 with a 240 kit off and on for the last 5 years. This is also my first serious ride since Memorial Day earlier in the year so I was extremely rusty. The ride was a total of 34 miles, with everything from smooth flowing single track, to hillclimbs, to knarly single track, to fast haul roads, to veritable rock garden hillclimbs and descents. More rocks than I cared to hit with a brand new bike.

Pro's:
- Hydraulic clutches are awesome
- Brakes work extremely well, took some getting used to trying to finesse the front brake.
- The electric start is amazing, first bike with such a luxury and it was a godsend yesterday when attempting some knarly hillclimbs and steep descents. I used it probably close to a dozen times yesterday. It never gave me an issue other than once, I hit the button twice and it didn't start, then I gave it a Lil throttle while I was pushing the button and it fired right up. Should I be doing that every time when the bikes warm or is it bad for the starter?
- I never would've thought having an actual headlight on a Dirtbike that's bright enough to be used at night was possible. This Beta has convinced me otherwise and I'm sure it can improve even more from its factory bulb brightness.
- Power delivery is very controllable but still plenty of it in spades at almost every rpm range, after the ride I have almost 3 hours on the motor so I can open the throttle up to 90% if I want to although don't think I need to. The phrase Torque Monster comes to mind. This motor is just amazing to me so far.
- The bike just straight up feels lighter and balances better than anything I've ever ridden. It gave me lots of confidence in the single track we did and some of the hillclimbs. After having little to no seat time on any bike almost the whole year, I was surprised at some of the things I was able to accomplish.
- The oil injection seems to be working very well and doing its job, I checked the tank after I got home and it went from being right at the top almost spilling out of the cap to just at the bottom of the neck, maybe less than an inch lower than it was if that. Also I can't tell you how satisfying it is to pull up to a gas station and just fuel up without having to mix anything.
- Suspension is definitely stiffer than my KDX but that was almost a given considering the giant leap forward in technology since 1992. So far I have no complaints with it but will need more riding time before I decide if it needs resprung for my weight.
- I let my riding buddy who's on a 99 Gas Gas EC 250 take the bike over at a pit stop at a small but fun play area with a couple single jumps and a berm. He didn't spend more than 5-10mins on it and barely touched the throttle and his first words were how exceptionally light it felt and how well it balanced. I'm sure with a longer trial session he'd be trying to steal it from me.

Cons/Personal Set Up Remedies:
- Tires are way too soft for my riding area, too many jagged rocks, the knobbies are getting eaten alive and are already very chewed up, will try to post a pic later in the week.
- The SEAT IS STIFF AS A ROCK!! I've never had such a sore ass after a day of riding than I do right now. I honesty was trying to stand as often as I could too, it didn't seem to help much. I think Beta does it on purpose cause of they're trials back ground, "seats are for pansies" was probably their thought process. Softer foam is at the top of my list right now.
- After about 2 hours of riding I heard some chain slapping going on, stopped and looked and my chain had stretched a lot. Didn't have the right tools on us so we went back to the trucks quickly and it needed almost 8 turns of adjustment to tighten up again. I've heard it's pretty common on a brand new bike but did any of you guys experience this?
- I could definitely tell my linkage was getting some hits on the rocky sections cause it would send my rear tire almost a foot to the right or left of where I was tracking. I have the Obi guard, just haven't had time to put it on. That's happening sooner than later now.
- The dealer put my map switch next to the combo switch on the left side of the bars. I've found that when going for the factory kill switch and having to sort of reach forward with my pointer finger I kept hitting the map with my thumb changing it from soft to hard without realizing it. I may have to move it to the right side of the bars or angle the map switch down more. Because of this I could never tell if one setting made a difference over the other lol
- Fuel consumption may be a tad on the excessive side but I never saw any massive amounts of fuel leaking from the overflow tubes or puddles left on the ground while bike was sitting engine off so I'm not sure if it's the floats or just an example of how varied the terrain was yesterday. I do remember cruising the haul roads in the middle to the top of 3rd gear right in the band so that might've contributed to it. In 34 miles of extremely mixed riding I basically went through almost 3/4's of a tank. Will require some more seat time and close observation before I go further with a remedy. What do you guys think, is 3/4's of a tank a lot for the mileage and type of riding?

Welp that about covers it I think. Overall I honestly couldn't be happier. Money well spent. Once I get some of the little issues sorted out including the tires and softer seat foam and the rest of the protection equipment installed (i.e. linkage guard) I think I'll fall even more in love with it. Beta really has done a fantastic job with this bike.

[Marty Moose]

double post sorry

[twowheels]

Nice write-up. A couple comments ...

* almost everybody's buddy who has ridden one has tried to steal it
* the seat foam on the 16s is about three shades softer than where they started in 2013
* you should expect about 17mpg+ out of the box, so it sounds abut right. Adjust your float height for best results
* Beta's OE chains stretch as much as any I've seen, at least on the first ride, and then they settle down

Keep posting

[Clearvu1]

Be careful with the oil tank. Some oil will catch in the elbow below the cap and it will look like it's full, but it isn't. Tip the bike in the opposite direction of the side stand and the oil will drain out of the elbow. I'd bet you can get more oil in there than you think.
The chain on my 250RR has stretched some but nowhere close to the amount you suggest. I'm guessing it wasn't correct from the factory or your dealer made an incorrect adjustment to it.
The seat is firm but once you get used to it you'll find you can move around on the bike very easily. I find I tend to get "stuck" in a soft seat and have to work harder to change positions.
This bike is so much fun soon you'll find you have a semi-permanent grin on your face.

[GMP]

Good luck you will love the bike for north NJ. Get armored up ASAP or be eaten alive! Everything. Once thats done its bulletproof, in fact the most bulletproof I've owned yet. 13/51 gearing works well here, keeps you out of first and will climb a wall. Bring it down to the Hammer Run this weekend for some fun in the south NJ woods.

[BoogieMan84]

Thank you Twowheels and Clearvu1 for your kind words and clearing up some things for me. Good info to have.

Good luck you will love the bike for north NJ. Get armored up ASAP or be eaten alive! Everything. Once thats done its bulletproof, in fact the most bulletproof I've owned yet. 13/51 gearing works well here, keeps you out of first and will climb a wall. Bring it down to the Hammer Run this weekend for some fun in the south NJ woods.

Thanks GMP, much appreciated. As far as protection I've got everything but the linkage guard installed, just haven't had a chance to put it on yet. I might have to try he 13/51 gearing when my current chain and sprocket set is ready to be replaced. I'm in North/Central NJ I guess you could call it but I mostly ride out in PA Coal Country on RAC (Reading Anthracite Company) property. The St Clair/Minsersvillle/Pottsville area. Very varied mix of terrain, love it out there and it's only 1hr and 20min drive. South Jersey, atleast Wharton State Forest area, is more like a 2hr ride or more for me. I've lived in Jersey most of my life but still never ridden down south in pine barrens cause I've never had a plated bike til now. The Hammer Run sounds fun, could you give me more info on it? As long as it's a laid back setting I'd be willing to try an actual enduro if I didn't have to the it seriously. Still a long way to go skill level wise.