Regular riding just hasn’t been possible due to a bunch of circumstances however, I have enjoyed some quality seat time on this Beta RR390 Racing long term test bike. It’s just been weeks between rides. My first few rides were spent cutting in a new track that snaked up and down small gullies in a paddock. It was a great way to get a few hours on the bike and to let it settle in and loosen up.
The big thing I came to notice is the extra grunt the Beta RR390 Racing long term test bike engine makes over the RR350 that I had last year. The extra cubes really pack a punch and I love it because I am able to hold a higher gear in a lot of situations.
I managed to talk my way into Daniel “Chucky” Sanders letting me ride a track at his place that he called the “grass track.” This track snakes between Chucky’s motocross and supercross tracks on the side of a gentle hill. It’s pretty cool, natural terrain, no jumps but with plenty of corners.
The ground was slippery after some recent rain and I struggled to turn the bike and ride through the ruts. I made use of the rain map which helped a lot and then I eased off the compression and rebound clickers on the fork and shock. This made things better but I felt cornering could be made easier. I slid the forks up through the triple clamps to sharpen the steering and it made a huge difference. I had a great time and was really pleased with the different level of performance from a just a few simple adjustments.
Whilst I love this RR390 engine, I’m not loving my riding fitness at the moment so I have been utilizing the map options by selecting the rain map more often than not. That might sound crazy after stating I love the 390 engine more than the 350, however, even with the rain map selected, the power produced is stronger, it’s just delivered in a very broad manner, making it super-easy to use.
I headed out to PBI Ride Farm for a session on the motocross track and I put in a 10-minute warm-up followed by a 40-minute moto. I rode the entire moto in the rain map and just kept clicking off laps. I had a bloody ball and with the smooth and mild power delivery, I was able to concentrate on my line selection and enjoy a far longer ride than I would have been able to with the bike in the full-power map. I call that a win in my books.
Even on the rougher motocross track, the clicker settings I settled on at Chucky’s worked really well on the PBI track. My next ride was a morning on enduro-style bush trails. It rained on and off but the ground conditions were sweet. It was a mixture of second and third-gear single trail on gravel, clay and sandy soil. I reckon there could be an even better setup to be found when I have some more time to have a play.
I have given the Beta RR390 Racing long term test bike an oil and filter change and she’s sitting there, looking at me in the shed begging to be taken for a spin. It’s pissing rain now that we’re in the guts of winter so I need the weather Gods to go easy on the weekends.
Stephen Tuff
