Fill in rider Jeff Briggs is getting very wet putting hours on ADB Ed Mitch Lees’ Beta 300 Racing long term test bike.
Another month down and man I’ve really been enjoying the Beta 300 Racing long term test bike! The weather has been against us but I’ve been popping out on the dry days for an hour or two in the Watagans forest up the road and hitting a variety of terrain from mud (mostly) to some hard packed trail sections, steep climbs and the odd sandy section. I think since doing this I’ve actually been more impressed with this bike.
There just isn’t anything it can’t really do and it’s been good to slow down and test it in some conditions its better known for, that hard enduro type riding which I suck at. I’ve taken on logs, rocks and roots and the 300 crawls over all of it. Having a 300 that can use its bottom end to get through difficult terrain is something I love about the carby 300 bikes.
The bike hasn’t needed any major parts yet but the FIM tyres are starting to wear a little so I’ll be up for a new set soon. I’ll be looking at going to probably a Dunlop AT81 rear and MX34 front so stay tuned to see how I go with that option. I’ve also done the first service which only involved changing the oil and going over the bike etc.
The brake pads still have plenty of life and I clean and change the air filter every ride to ensure the bike runs clean as well as improving engine life. I have had to adjust the chain a few times from stretch but it seems to have settled now. The simplicity of servicing a two-stroke is something we take for granted and Beta recommends around 80 hours on a top end these days which is really impressive.
After the service I had to crack it on the motocross track to see how it would handle. I’m currently sitting at 93kgs (Dad Bod) and I have to say since running in the suspension has softened a bit and while it was still capable enough it’s definitely more suited to enduro. I did find it struggled to hold up a little in the stroke on the fork while braking on some big motocross bumps but not much worse than some current motocross bikes. The rear is also quite soft now but perfect for the bush, but in saying that it still handled everything I threw at it. It was still a blast to rip around on and put the motor on song as not much feels or sounds better than a two-stroke singing.
Next month I plan to do some really long rides to see what fuel usage is like and what sort of kilometres I can get per tank before switching to reserve. I’m also going to hit some old test loops I used to train on for some previous AORC events I’ve ridden and see how it compares to my past bikes. I think this might be the all-rounder of its class!
Jeff Briggs
2024 Beta 300 Racing
RRP
$18,395 Ride Away
WARRANTY
Three months, parts only
DISTRIBUTOR
Beta Motor Australia
INTERNET
SO FAR
TOTAL HOURS 15
MODS THIS MONTH: Tighten chain
MODS NEXT MONTH: None