The 2024 Beta 300 Racing gets loads of changes including a second spark plug. ADB's Chief Tester Ben Grabham tests one!
2013 saw the introduction of the Beta 300cc two-stroke enduro bike and now we have a 2024 Beta 300 Racing but since 2013 it has been flexing its muscles in off-road racing all over the world. American hard enduro star Cody Webb was the first rider to show what the bike was really capable of when he rode it to the 2014 AMA Endurocross Championship, by defeating hard enduro legend Taddy Blazusiak. It wasn’t much longer before Beta and their 300 two-stroke started to dominate the big bore E3 World Enduro Championship.
2016 to 2019 Factory Beta rider Steve Holcombe was all but unbeatable on the 300 Racing machine, winning 4 consecutive World Enduro titles and then in 2020 Brad Freeman jumped on the winning machine and proceeded to dominate the next four World Enduro E3 championships. Locally this bike is also kicking goals at national level, with Beta Australia team rider Ruben Chadwick rode his 300 Racing to the 2023 Australian Hard Enduro Championship.
On paper the new 2024 Beta 300 Racing is not that far different from the first Beta 300 in 2013. Both are 300cc carburettor fed models with similar specifications. However once you start digging a bit deeper into all the finer details of this models history you can see that Beta have never sat still on this bike continuously updating and massaging it to perfection as the years have ticked over. Some of the major updates over time are in 2020 it received a new frame, ergonomics and KYB closed cartridge fork, the engine received a counter-balancer for 2021and in 2023 they introduced a KYB rear shock.
Even with their hefty list of Championships all over the World, Beta have not sat still as the 2024 model has received a significant list of updates and added features. The frame is completely new, the steering tube spars larger section than in the past (10mm) introduced in order to provide greater rigidity to the bike and reduce overall flex. In addition the foot peg mounts and rear brake cylinder mounts are now narrower at the bottom, to prevent the possibility of ground contact when riding in deep ruts. The new frame is now able to house a new higher-performance Nissin rear brake cylinder.
Lighter and tougher radiators, featuring shaped reservoirs in the upper section now allow the bike to achieve a greater steering angle, and reinforced hand guards offer protection in rough off-road use. Of all the updates and added features the one I reckon will catch people’s attention the most is that Beta have introduced a new cylinder head with a dual spark plug system. They claim it is to further improve the power delivery and make it more linear, and claim overall maximum power is increased too.
The two spark plugs offer improved distribution of the fuel ignition points in the combustion chamber, providing less fuel consumption, making the system more efficient and achieving a significantly lower residue level, thanks to the greater carburation stability at all engine speeds. The two spark plugs are managed by a completely separate electrical system, so if one plug should foul the engine will still be able to run although with less efficiency, allowing a race to be completed.
Now if you plan on purchasing one of these weapons don’t go thinking you are going to blend into a crowd of bikes as the Italians certainly know how to make a bike catch your eye. This models blue and red colour scheme sure stands out, combined with the red and black anodised bling and it is one colourful machine. Unfortunately this Beta was not going to stay looking good for very long as the test compound on the Central Coast that we were using was your typical mud fest that you would expect to see at a World Enduro round.
Jumping on it was impossible not to notice that Beta have stuck with their firm borderline hard seats that they are quite well known for. Firing this 300 into life happens very quickly as this new dual plug engine starts faster than any electric start two-stroke I have experienced. This model has a map switch for rain and sun power modes, so to kick things off I started in the rain mode. First though I had to smash out some pictures for this feature before moving into the fun part of logging laps and learning what makes this bike tick.
After a few hours of ripping around in the muddy bush this is what I found.
Braking: Both ends of the brakes are very powerful Nissin components, the rear is what you would expect from any high level rear brake as it has more than enough power and feel in every situation. The front brake on the other hand is quite a different beast and has the potential to throw you on your face very fast. It has an aggressive nature if you tend to grab a fistful of lever. On the positive side, once you get a feel for this front brake you don’t need much strength in any braking situation.
Ergonomics: On this bike are they’re quite neutral, the seating arrangement is smooth and quite flat making for easy movement in every direction and the seat, foot peg, handlebar triangle is quite roomy. I am 178cm and feel very comfortable on this machine and could also see it working for much larger riders than myself. Just keep in mind I feel this ergonomic cockpit configuration is a very racy one that provides a very firm rock solid feel.
Frame: Beta have gone with a frame that gives very nice feedback and comfort through the foot peg area. It also tracks nice and straight over messy terrain and makes turning into corners confidence inspiring as it has a very calm planted feel.
Up front the high end KYB fork rewards being pushed, but if you just trail ride around this fork feels quite firm and beats the arms up a bit. Once you up the speed and start charging into obstacles it comes into its own and starts performing like the race fork it is.
Out the back the KYB linkage shock is a little more forgiving and I found it gave plenty of comfort at both low and high speeds as well as providing plenty of traction at all times.
Engine: I started in the rain/wet power mode to get a feel for this engine, straight away it was clear that the new dual spark plug configuration has smoothed things out even more. I have ridden a few Beta 300s during the last few years and since they introduced the counter balancer it has always been a very smooth and strong engine but now with the extra spark plug, Beta have managed to make the power delivery even more seamless. Keen to experience this engine in full power I switched over to the sun/dry map mode, which definitely produces more power and really brings this engine to life.
Even though it has the potential to get you into trouble a lot faster or break traction easier I preferred the sun map. I like the feel of having plenty of power on tap at any point of the rev range. In sun mode this engine produces some impressive power and I cannot see many people needing any more in any situation.
What I like best about this engine is that it has a very free feel that makes picking up revs feel effortless, yet providing you have a smooth throttle hand it can gradually build revs in a very controlled manner. I can see this engine having the ability to be very capable in so many different kinds of terrain and riding situations. There is not much to say about the gearbox or clutch as both had a very direct positive feel that worked faultlessly.
Overall Beta has done a fantastic job at refining what was already an impressive bike into an even more capable race weapon. It is not often that motorcycle engineers manage to make improvements with everything they update but Beta has nailed it with this model.
MY THOUGHTS
It wasn’t that long ago that I got to test all four of the 300cc two-stroke off-road models that Beta currently make. Back then I was a massive fan of the RX 300 as it had the strongest engine and better feeling chassis to me. The 300 Racing was good but it lacked some overall engine performance and didn’t have that pin point accuracy in the handling department either. Fast forward to this new Racing 300 and it would be great to do that comparison again, as I feel this new stronger more powerful engine and updated chassis has the potential to be my new favourite of the Beta 300 Range.
20214 Beta 300 Racing
ENGINE
Type Single cylinder two-stroke
Displacement 292.6cc
Bore & Stroke 73mm x 69.9mm
Compression ratio 11:4.1
Fuel metering Keihin PWK 36 Carburettor
Tank capacity 9.5 L
Transmission Six gears
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase 1484mm
Seat height 930mm
Ground clearance 320mm
Claimed Weight 103.5kg (dry)
SUSPENSION
FRONT Hydraulic KYB USD 48mm 295mm travel
REAR Monoshock KYB with progressive compound lever 290mm travel
BRAKES
Front 260mm Wave disc twin piston
Rear 240mm Wave disc single piston
RUNNING GEAR
Front tyre Maxxis Enduro 90/90-21
Rear tyre Maxxis Enduro 140/80-18
PRICE & CONTACTS
RRP $16,895
BROWSER www.betamotor.com.au
BLOWER 07 35184000
Warranty Six months and labour
WORDS BEN GRABHAM
PHOTOS MITCH LEES