December 2016 17
stroke models for several weeks of Trail Rider tes ng. A 250 and 300RR (race-ready) were on the way to the
East Coast. To say we were excited would be an understatement!
Trail Rider took delivery of the bikes at the Ammonoosuc River Turkey Run on the border of New Hampshire
and Vermont. I would be pilo ng the 300RR; Trail Rider contribu ng journalist Bill Pa erson fl ew up from
Tennessee to ride the 250RR. I'll be honest; as much as I was excited to ride the new 300RR, as a guy who's
been riding "orange" for a very long me, I was also more than a li le concerned about throwing a leg of
an unknown (to me) bike. You see these bikes were fresh out of the crate. They were carefully set up by
New Hampshire's Beta dealer, Nault's Powersports and delivered to the event for review. Other than hand
guards, these bikes were box stock.
Upon throwing a leg over the 300RR for the fi rst me, what was immediately apparent was the low seat
height. The Beta's sit about an inch and a half lower than the compe on. As a shorter-legged rider, the
low seat height was much appreciated in the highly technical terrain. As for weight, it's a light-feeling bike;
in fact, it feels about 15 pounds lighter than it actually is. With the starter motor located directly under the
gearbox, the Beta's carry their weight lower than other brands.
December 2016 17
