I have always toyed with the idea of building a modified Beta XTrainer but Mark Davidson beat me to it.Mark Davidson has been riding and racing Rally since before most of us were even thought of. He is proof that age is just a number as he continues to race international Rally well into his 60’s. In between Rally racing Mark regularly trains in all kinds of off-road conditions to keep his skills ticking over. After getting a look at the Beta XTrainer 300 that he built I just had to get a ride on it and luckily Mark was just as keen for me to experience his modified Beta XTrainer as I was.
Before I jumped aboard his trick looking modified Beta XTrainer I got the rundown on what he had done and why. The main upgrade he made is to the suspension as he also felt it was very limited with the standard fork and shock. The standard shock has been replaced with a quality Ohlins unit, which visually is much beefier than the standard unit. Up front the standard 43mm USD fork has also been replaced with a larger 48mm USD closed cartridge ZF kit. This kit includes the larger triple clamps that are required to hold the 48mm fork.
Performance wise Mark was chasing a few extra ponies and some added punch, that’s why he has gone with a Scalvini pipe and Carbon Scalvini muffler. You can see the extra ground clearance this pipe has and the carbon muffler not only gives a 2kg weight saving, it also looks fast.
Seeing as Mark likes to venture into some technical terrain every now and then for slow speed skills training, he has added the following protection to hopefully avoid any crash damage, an AXP Xtreme skid plate/linkage guard for engine and frame protection, Xtreme rear chain glide block for less chance of chain derailment, AXP radiator brace kit to support the radiators against impacts and an Enduropuro carbon pipe guard to avoid dents.
In the cockpit Mark has added a XRC steering damper to take the edge of any nasty front wheel grabs and added a set of ARC composite levers to eliminate the chance of breakages in a tip over. Other modifications on the list are the addition of a 4mm solid rear disc rotor, as Mark wanted to mellow out the bite of the rear brake as well as add some strength. He runs a Goldentyre Fatty front tyre with Nitro Plushie mousse and a Goldentyre Gummy rear tyre with Lucioli 7mm rear tube all for extreme traction and reliability. After learning of all the modifications Mark has made to his modified Beta XTrainer I was keener than ever to give it a run.
Jumping onto Marks modified Beta XTrainer felt normal as it still retains the low 910mm seat height that I like just like a standard model. However, you only have to bounce on the bike a little to feel this up spec suspension package feels a lot firmer than standard. Once out on my test loop that comprises a ten-minute bush loop that has a small mix of everything, sand, clay, rocks, logs, ruts and a man made endurox section, it was easy to feel a huge difference in this suspension.
A standard X-Trainer usually rocks backwards and forwards under acceleration and braking, however Marks X-Trainer sits much more level in these situations. The closed cartridge fork has a reasonably firm feel that still soaks up all the small bumps really well. It also gives the front wheel a very precise feel when turning into corners, and this fork design also makes it more than capable on any big hit or large style bump.
Out the back the Ohlins shock also has a firm feel, and it tracked really well over every obstacle I threw at it. Medium speed terrain and bumps were when this shock felt at its best.
Performance wise the Scalvini exhaust system has definitely changed the overall performance of this engine. Right off the bottom it has slightly more power than standard. The midrange is where this package really comes to life as it builds power in a much stronger manner and continues to build power way past the point that a standard XTrainer normally runs out of steam. This engine combination has also given it a less clunky power delivery as the power delivery feels seamless the whole way through.
I like the feel of the ARC levers, especially the front brake lever as it has a little bit of flex that takes some of the aggressive bite away from Beta’s powerhouse front brake. The XRC steering damper is also a nice addition, I never felt the front-end twitch or do anything unwanted at any point.
So, is it worth making these modifications? The short answer is definitely yes. At the top of the list, I rate the suspension upgrade as the best money spent, as it really opens up this bike to so many more riding situations. With this suspension package no longer do I see big bumps or fast sections ahead and cringe, as it has the ability to take anything your well setup enduro bike can.
Next on my list would be the Scalvini exhaust system. Once I could feel that the suspension was more than capable of the extra speeds, I really enjoyed the extra power punch as it made blasting out of sandy corners easier and lifting the front over logs way more fun. Last on my list would be the additional protection, no doubt it works, however I’d choose the up-spec suspension and power over protection every time. I can totally see the value in what Mark has done with this X-Trainer as it can now be ridden at a decent level on a much wider variety of terrain than what a standard model can.
You may wonder why not just buy a standard enduro 300cc like the RR300 or 300EXC as they basically have all of these features straight off the showroom floor.
Well, there are still some features on this X-Trainer build that puts it in a class of its own. The low seat height is still a huge advantage for different height riders, I don’t class myself as short at 178cm, yet I still find huge benefits in technical terrain and when cornering on this machine. So anyone shorter than myself will definitely love the ability to get their feet on the ground.
Even though I say this engine package has power gains over standard, for a 300cc two-stroke this engine is very docile and smooth in the way it produces power. This power is great for the confidence as you can ride it hard without it biting back. So, providing you are under 180cm, and like to feel like you are telling the engine what to do then this could be the ideal package for you.
For the full feature, check out issue #530 of ADB.
WORDS BEN GRABHAM || PHOTOS MITCH LEES
