I've had a few of them. They haven't changed too much over the years, As ever, condition is paramount. Go for the 300, as the 250 is a little underpowered. Lovely to ride between sections too. The 300 Factory has a bit more aggressive power delivery, but this can be smoothed out by using the standard tailpipe. I,ve never had any trouble with any of mine. Check that the seller has changed the oil regularly & knows where all of the filters are. Worth trying a 9 tooth front sprocket if you find it runs on a bit in bottom gear. Middle box needs a bit of a heat shield fitting, as its easy to scorch your riding gear / leg . Run with a highish idle, as they are very occasionally prone to the 4 stroke "cough". Some people report hot start problems, but I've never experienced this personally.
UK suppled bikes are SS spec. Clearly, they are a touch livelier than 250, but grip is phenomenal, & easy to ride in tricky going. They will pull away from nothing & not stall. Check it still has flywheel weight, slow throttle & consider dropping a tooth at front if you want to slow it down a bit . As ever with a used bike. Condition / maintenance is paramount. I was a 250 fan, & am now a 300 convert.
Not an easy one to answer, as most folks left the motor well alone. You might want to try Bill Pye. The 212 Motor is one of the best twinshock trials motors ever. The whole bike was a game changer I don't recall anyone ever needing to modify the barrel / piston. Power delivery was instant, a forerunner of modern engines & riding styles. It was considered a bit lively back in the day for the old guard, who used to fit a power killing silencer to soften the power. Lots of 240's fitted with 245 motors these days
Both 240 & 300 Swingarms & frames are completely different. Having said that, the alloy swingarms from later models can be made to fit, but not a job for beginners, as a fair amount of engineering required, i.e dural parts to machine on lathe, & lots of alloy welding required. Got a 240 with a 245 alloy swingarm. Have also seen a 300 with a 245 swingarm fitted.
240 / 300 foot peg lowering / relocation is a good mod.
240 fork angle mod also worth doing, as is beefing up headstock area plating, as its prone to flexing.
Hello there, I'm from deepest North Yorkshire, so we are fairly well set up for all trials related stuff.
I once had a problem trying to get the special clutch cover o ring seal to sit right & seal properly. I'd had the cover powder coated, which might have been a factor. So I had to try one of those well known Saturday night fixes. (Most of our trials start on a Sunday morning at 10:30, so quite a few folks are busy on Saturday nights))
1. Thoroughly clean & degrease outer cover O ring groove & case face.
2. I used a small black silicon Instant gasket RTV tube dispenser (Wynns or similar, available from car parts shops)
3. Have a practice go at running a small bead on a test piece.
4, Work out the best start / stop point to ensure optimum continuity, then run a very small bead of sealant into the groove around the entire circumference. (Ensure continuity & it must look "right"). If you have to start using your fingers, you are heading towards a "fail".
5. Allow to cure. You are essentially creating a new, slightly larger compressible O ring out of the RTV (don fit it yet)
6. Once cured, re fit cover, oil her up & away you go.
HRC build quality top drawer & the 315 is generally perceived as a desirable, emerging classic. Loads of folks spend their hard earned sprucing them up. Later models command higher prices, but even the old ones do well if in good order & have been updated. A good one will last forever.
As with most off roaders, there are hounds out there, largely due to owners lack of maintenance skills.
Many parts shared with the 4RT, & clutch plates same as CR 250. Plenty of fancy front pipes out there. Tailpipes too, but not middle box, which is no biggie.
Most bearings off the shelf of your local bearing shop. Clutch cover O ring seal is a PITA. Just use RTV instead
Early Dellorto's troublesome, but a nice PWK 28 sorts out that problem, Pistons used to be hard to find, but S3 now doing them.
Plastics, & all manner of "dee cal" kits out there. 4RT items can be made to fit. Side stands rubbish, same as 4RT. Air boxes not brilliant either.
Cut tiller still mounts off, dress & polish original area, & then re weld posts to a modern (ish) location by a competent alloy welder. Brings bars forward. A bit better riding position.
Other mods to think about are :
Fork angle remains a bit "chopper" style, so that would need to be tightened up & is easily achievable by a competent fabricator.
Drop the pegs while you have the TIG set out, & the swingarm pivot point can be also brought closer to the output sprocket to improve grip / chain run. (Swingarm needs lengthening a bit).
If you discount the 200, then 250 EVO is very likely the next best option. Far more around, as it must be one of the top sellers. You can always drop a tooth at the front if you find it a bit lively. Buy the best example you can. Prices have firmed up during recent events. Some opportunistic pricing by some vendors, & bargains are a bit thin on the ground.
Beta 4t also probably worth a look for beginners, as soft power, especially the rarer 250
The Beta EVO was light years ahead of the rest. The design was / is class leading, but has become the annual victim of worthwhile minor tweaks & the usual sticker/ "decal" job. It's sales speaks for itself. However, the rest have now caught up a bit, & use nice shiny Techy things to attract the punters, quite a lot of which doesn't always work.
Here's a few easy upgrades that would improve an already very good bike for the better. (Just my opinion).
1. Fit a proper alloy front mudguard stay. BOSI anyone ?
2. Replace the stupid petrol filler cap. CSP anyone ?
3. Rear mudguard re design. One piece set up costly to replace. Make it a 2 piece item.
4. Swingarm / sidestand set up not the best. A new look set up would freshen the model up considerably & a comparatively straightforward bolt on. (Gas Gas use it to good effect !!)
5. A decent set of footpegs as standard.
6. Frame protectors to be a standard fit. Beta do quite nice ones on their Enduro models, so why not on their trlals models . OEM Stickers don't do much a job as frame protectors, & aftermarket covers look a bit "aftermarket".
7. Stickers are an integral part of the annual revamp. Always rather a lot of them, which soon start to look tired. Sometimes less is more.
I suppose the Tech Forks & Ohlins / Reiger shock upgrade would be starting to push the boundaries a little.
There you have it. That's the 2025 model sorted.
FWIW I 've owned at least 10 Betas in various guises. I know how to look after them. I have never once been let down. Ever.
Have owned a few EVO 250 / 300 4t's & 4RT's. 250 EVO is a bit lacking in the power dept. Standard EVO 300 4t is spot on. (Factory models considerably livelier). All quieter than 4RT & grip better. Very good build quality, but not quite HRC. Airboxes better, & exhausts can melt your pants.
4RT great to own & ride. Peerless build quality, a bit noisy, or not. Depends how you look at it. They do have a bit of a weight disadvantage & not too great in the grip department when conditions are muddy. Airbox not exactly the best in class.
If not an expert rider, all benefit from a slight lowering of gearing, so worth going down a tooth on the front if you find them running on a bit in tricky turns..
Condition is paramount if buying a used bike, so whatever you model you go for, walk away from any tired examples.
If you want a four stroke, for me, it would have to be an EVO 300 for rideability or 4RT for the wonderful sound & HRC engineering.
FWIW , a 300 Beta 2t with all of the Supersmooth tweaks is a wonderful clubman bike.
Motoplat can be problematic, they were like that back in the day. As a teenager in the 70's I vividly recall the eye watering cost of saving up for a new coil. Your MAR is fast approaching is 50th birthday, so your electrics haven't done too bad.
Kill buttons usually work on the "switch to earth" principle, so easy to take out of the loop for testing. I'd check / clean up connectors & then try a coil substitution in the first instance. Check the routing of the wires from the generator, as I have heard that this can be modified for the better.
Steve Sell is the "go to" man for OSSA, so you should be able to receive some good advice.
Its a fairly common situation across all makes, largely based on riders own personal preferences. I use 9 tooth front sprocket to make a 300 Beta easier to ride.
To lower the gearing, a general guidance is : drop a tooth on front sprocket, (you will get a similar result by going up 4 teeth on the rear).
Front sprocket cheaper & quicker option. (less likely to have to mess around with your chain length).
You will notice a difference, & 2nd gets used a bit more often.
Cut it 50:50 with V Power or similar. That's what I was told to do by another experienced "user". I've never had any bother, but I only use it on classic scramblers. Nobody is going to ask what you have in the tank .
Advice on 4T evo. Great difference in riding 2017 - 2018 or later
in Beta
Posted
I've had a few of them. They haven't changed too much over the years, As ever, condition is paramount. Go for the 300, as the 250 is a little underpowered. Lovely to ride between sections too. The 300 Factory has a bit more aggressive power delivery, but this can be smoothed out by using the standard tailpipe. I,ve never had any trouble with any of mine. Check that the seller has changed the oil regularly & knows where all of the filters are. Worth trying a 9 tooth front sprocket if you find it runs on a bit in bottom gear. Middle box needs a bit of a heat shield fitting, as its easy to scorch your riding gear / leg . Run with a highish idle, as they are very occasionally prone to the 4 stroke "cough". Some people report hot start problems, but I've never experienced this personally.
Good bikes, well made.