I had a bit of a play on my brother's brand new '04 Beta yesterday, and although not a complete test by a competent rider heres my thoughts :eek:
We had a trial yesterday at an old favourite venue of grassy banks and some light forrestry with lots of pine needles. It pretty much rained all day so was very slippery, with some of the sections impassable by the last lap - especially as the sections were set out with lots of tight off camber turns which chewed up during the day and became difficult to walk on without falling over in the afternoon.
The bike feels quite tall through the handle bars when first riding it - this is because the front end seems to sit slightly higher than the older models, it may also be because the front suspension hasn't broken in yet, and may lower over time. The front end feels very secure and 'planted' in turns, and an improvement compared to the '03. The bike definitely steers slightly better than the '03, with the feeling of the front wheel staying exactly where you want it to be. Overall the rear suspension is very good, with traction available from the rear end and not really all that different to an '03.
Engine wise more of the same, with the higher first gear compared to my older '00 Rev3. This means that first gear is the gear of choice for most sections in the lower grades with a bit more speed compared to the older pre-'03 models. The running-in jetting didn't show the motor's full potential, however it did seem relatively smooth and slow - ideal for lower traction conditions, and not too much of a handful.
Overall the bike seems like a slightly refined '03 with better more secure steering, so an improvement but not too much of a jump. I enjoyed riding the bike, and after the jetting has been changed will ride it some more and report back.
I am mainly comparing this bike to my '00 Rev3 which is only a 200cc. I have recently upgraded the rear end on my bike to a '04 airbox arrangement and have noticed that my bike runs much better through the rev range. This must be because the airbox is bigger, and seems to have leaned off the jetting slightly all the way through the rev range. We had tried a smaller pilot jet and both a smaller and larger main jet previously - and neither made the sort of difference in performance that the new airbox has.
Now my 200cc bike seems to have more low end and mid range power than a reasonably fresh '99 Techno 250 that I rode recently, its just missing the extra zip right at the top end. I'm well pleased with the improvements, and can highly recommend this upgrade to any '00 or '01 Rev3 owners. The next time your rear mudguard or airfilter needs replacing it is worth the extra money.
We had a trial yesterday at an old favourite venue of grassy banks and some light forrestry with lots of pine needles. It pretty much rained all day so was very slippery, with some of the sections impassable by the last lap - especially as the sections were set out with lots of tight off camber turns which chewed up during the day and became difficult to walk on without falling over in the afternoon.
The bike feels quite tall through the handle bars when first riding it - this is because the front end seems to sit slightly higher than the older models, it may also be because the front suspension hasn't broken in yet, and may lower over time. The front end feels very secure and 'planted' in turns, and an improvement compared to the '03. The bike definitely steers slightly better than the '03, with the feeling of the front wheel staying exactly where you want it to be. Overall the rear suspension is very good, with traction available from the rear end and not really all that different to an '03.
Engine wise more of the same, with the higher first gear compared to my older '00 Rev3. This means that first gear is the gear of choice for most sections in the lower grades with a bit more speed compared to the older pre-'03 models. The running-in jetting didn't show the motor's full potential, however it did seem relatively smooth and slow - ideal for lower traction conditions, and not too much of a handful.
Overall the bike seems like a slightly refined '03 with better more secure steering, so an improvement but not too much of a jump. I enjoyed riding the bike, and after the jetting has been changed will ride it some more and report back.
I am mainly comparing this bike to my '00 Rev3 which is only a 200cc. I have recently upgraded the rear end on my bike to a '04 airbox arrangement and have noticed that my bike runs much better through the rev range. This must be because the airbox is bigger, and seems to have leaned off the jetting slightly all the way through the rev range. We had tried a smaller pilot jet and both a smaller and larger main jet previously - and neither made the sort of difference in performance that the new airbox has.
Now my 200cc bike seems to have more low end and mid range power than a reasonably fresh '99 Techno 250 that I rode recently, its just missing the extra zip right at the top end. I'm well pleased with the improvements, and can highly recommend this upgrade to any '00 or '01 Rev3 owners. The next time your rear mudguard or airfilter needs replacing it is worth the extra money.
