This month we welcome to the ADB Garage, direct from Italy and appearing live, a Beta Xtrainer 300 and I’m the lucky bugger looking after it. For those who didn’t see it in the ‘Extreme Choice’ feature last month, it’s an unusual bike that’s loosely based on Beta’s 300RR two-stroke enduro but is smaller, lighter and more docile than the enduro weapon.
We decided to go about things a bit different with the handover and organised to meet Beta’s new spanner man/brand and promotions manager/technical adviser/social media mogul Ben Grabham in the middle of the bush with the Xtrainer still in a box and put it together for a video, which you can see HERE.
Although torrential rain engulfed us for most of the day we assembled the Xtrainer and she fired on the first press of the button, but not before Grabbo tried to convince me the factory specifies you must kick it over the first time. I felt around for a while looking for a lever until Grabbo cracked a smile and I knew I’d been had – there is no kickstarter.
If you don’t know much about the Xtrainer it comes with a 43mm USD fork, a detuned version of the 300RR engine, 30mm lower seat than the RR and 5kg less flab. It tips the scales at 98kg dry despite still having the two-stroke-oil injection, electric start and map switch of the RR.
PRAYING MANTIS
It is a physically small bike, you can’t deny that and, although Grabbo reckons I look like a praying mantis on it, the ergos didn’t make me feel cramped. Sitting on the firm, flat seat it doesn’t feel too different to a full-sized enduro bike.
The handlebar-to-footpeg relationship is good and doesn’t make you feel like you’ve got your knees under your chin. It’s the same story when you’re standing. I was surprised how well I fitted the Xtrainer.
The ADB Yamaha WR450F long-termer is in its final month with us so jumping on the Xtrainer while still looking after the WR-F is a drastic change. You’ll struggle to find two more different enduro/trailbikes to ride back-to-back. That’s what gets me keen to ride this Xtrainer.
I’ll be able to see how the X performs over the same terrain as the super steady WR-F. I expect the Xtrainer to be less stable at high-speed and struggle more on open stuff. After just a short blast through some singletrack the day we put it together, the Beta’s forte looks like being tight, technical riding.
The Xtrainer’s engine is more docile than the RR’s but the huge amount of torque 300cc two-stroke riders would be familiar with is still there. What makes it different is the way the top-end power is delivered – it doesn’t have the top-end whack of a 300cc enduro, and it’s not meant to.
However, the beauty of the Xtrainer is that all things are adjustable and some parts are interchangeable with the RR. A map switch on the ’bar has two modes and changes the power delivery from smooth to aggressive, I use the term aggressive loosely.
The power valve also can be adjusted. Winding the adjuster in or out with a hex key changes the tension of the power-valve spring which alters how easily the valve opens. We wound the adjuster most of the way out and the power hit sooner and stronger – I liked it.
I can see there are endless adjustments that can be made to the Xtrainer and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can make this little mountain goat do. But first things first, I’ll be looking for a set of handguards to protect my delicate fingers.
Digital Editor Olly Malone
