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Beta 4t Maiden Voyage..


feetup
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So I had my Beta 4T out for in the woods of CT (usa) today for it's first solid ride, and my verdict is, this thing is SWEET! I'm spredin' the word that this machine is serious fun, and will be competitive with anything out there.

Here's my detailed opinion after a day's riding:

Looks / Details:

I have to say, this is probably the coolest looking bike I've seen.. pictures don't do it justice. I'm surprised that Beta released the first few pics as they did, they were way off with the color. The bright red-orange details combined with the black is a great combination, and the decal set is pretty rad.. The black rims are killer, the new handlebar is great, I don't know why they took so long to go with a taper design. Love the 3 bolt triple tree. The peg brackets are a new design, and look much higher quality.. too bad they haven't ante-d up with a decent footpeg yet, that's still a weak spot. The motor looks beautiful in the frame, and is more finished looking than the 07 1/2 machines which have a sand-casted surface finish. Overall fit and finish is very high quality. It looks like a little Ferrari of a trials machine.

Sound:

It's soooo quiet! it purrs like a kitten, but it bites hard when you get on it. It definitely doesn't have that obnoxious BRAAP that the montesa does, your neighbors won't know you're riding in your back yard with this thing.. You never feel the weight of the motor, and the power is definitely there for anything I'd ever want to use it for at my level (advanced). No question at all, this machine is competitive.. more on this later...

Carb/Throttle action:

If my machine carburetes as well in the warm weather as it did today, which was a relatively cold day, I won't ever need to touch the carb on this bike... Not sure I'd want to anyway, unless you can access it from the removable piece at the front of the airbox cover... The throttle action is just fine, I don't need a fast throttle... I was worried about this, because I prefer the fast throttle on the 2T, but this machine has a completely different throttle assembly, probably due to the CV carb or electronic fuel pump I'm guessing, the whole assembly is different, and they probably don't make a fast tube for it yet, but I don't think I'll need it.

Engine braking:

Very minimal, but it will be something to learn to get used to, as you must be very aware that there could be some slight hesitation if you chop the throttle even a little, as you approach a precision move, i.e. setting up for a floater, or are aiming your front wheel at just the right place on an undercut rock for a zap, etc.

Power:

The motor responds sharply and quickly when you whack the throttle.. much more than I ever expected. It's a lively bike.. It may not be the most powerful thing out there, but this is not a bad thing.. you feel like you can really control and use the power everywhere. You won't have trouble on expert level obstacles with this machine either. It's a soft delivery in the beginning, which is probably a good thing to help me ride smoother, but when you crack the throttle, it puts power to the ground with authority, almost feeling like it put's more weight on the back tire than the 2T. Aside from the engine braking, I don't think there is going to be much time needed to adapt from riding the 2T at all...

Weight:

Light! the front feels a tad heavier from the motor when you are pushing the bike in the lot, but you don't feel it while riding at all. I guess the rear pegs are moved backwards to compensate for this. It feels almost a bit lighter than my last bike, which was an 06 beta, particularly the back end.. The bike feels so light in the back, it almost feels like a gas-gas in the back...

Suspension..

Wow. How does Beta manage to make such a marked improvement every year? I didn't own the 07, but 04, to 05, to 06, were all significant, and the 08 is incredible. The bike is so incredibly plush, I can't get over it.

Starting:

The bike starts extremely easy, and will start 1st or 2nd kick while in gear, AS LONG as the little black thingy switch on the CV pump is in the down (I think) position... QUESTION: Anybody know what that lever does????? There are no manuals in the USA yet.. I had some trouble getting the bike started after I had stalled it, while riding, tried the hot-start, the choke, no luck. As soon as I switched that black whatever-it-is, bingo.. It would start 1st or 2nd kick every single time, and even while in gear. Whatever that lever is, it doesn't seem to make any difference while riding, but it does make a big difference while starting...

Transmission:

1st through 3rd are great competition gears, 1st feels longer than the previous 2T motors, which is nice, and it makes it much more usable. Maybe closer to the Montesa there. I found myself executing sections in 1st gear today, that I would have normally used 2nd for on the 2T. Only one small gripe, there is a *enormous* gap between 3rd and 4th gear... on the long trail, you almost need to wind 3rd out before switching to 4th, because the engine will just about bog down otherwise. I can't imagine ever using 5th gear on any loop, it's that tall...

Overall:

The bike is fantastic.. The fit and finish is everything you expect from a beta... I washed it, oiled the chain, checked the bolts (none loose) and put it in the garage. It's ready to ride or race!

I wasn't sure I hadn't completely gone mad shelling out such a high dollar figure on this machine, especially not having ridden the thing, and with relatively few first hand opinions of the performance, particularly at the advanced-expert level. I wasn't really sure if this bike was ever intended to be as competitive as the 250/270, and frankly was afraid I was buying the 4T equivalent of the 2T 200 based on all the comments about how 'soft' the bike is. Having owned both 250's and 270's the past 4 years, I can tell you this thing does not disappoint. It shouldn't raise any doubts by national expert riders in my view, (not that I compete at that level...), but it's easy to see that the bike would be capable there, just look at Ray Peter's results for 07. It feels to me like the power may come on a little softer than the Montesa, but the motor feels equally competitive, and the bike as a whole feels noticeably smaller and lighter. By induction, I'd have to guess that if someone really wanted to ride the pro class on one of these, it probably would do no worse than Brent Le-Riche does with his stock Montesa, because I don't see the Beta making any less power than that bike. I'm sure if the bike had a bit more displacement, it would be more advantageous at times, but I don't think people are winning on the sherco 3.2 because it has another 70cc over the montesa, etc..

Well that's it.. if someone can answer my question on the little do-hicky on the fuel pump, I'd be grateful. Other than that, I can't wait to ride it again! Here's a post wash pic of the little philly after the first day out.

Rob_Beta_4T_sm.jpg

Edited by feetup
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The bike starts extremely easy, and will start 1st or 2nd kick while in gear, AS LONG as the little black thingy switch on the CV pump is in the down (I think) position... QUESTION: Anybody know what that lever does????? There are no manuals in the USA yet.. I had some trouble getting the bike started after I had stalled it, while riding, tried the hot-start, the choke, no luck. As soon as I switched that black whatever-it-is, bingo.. It would start 1st or 2nd kick every single time, and even while in gear. Whatever that lever is, it doesn't seem to make any difference while riding, but it does make a big difference while starting...

I have the 07 bike which has a different 'little black thingy switch' on the carb'. I'm pretty sure that the 08 does the same thing as the 07 although it has been updated so I'll try and explain what it does.

The 'proper' fuel tap is a knurled wheel hidden under the tank on the left hand side, this is left in the 'on' position ALL the time. Fuel flows freely from the tap to the electric pump/switch thingy. If the plunger is in the down position (on mine), fuel will only flow to the carb if the engine is running. If you dump the bike on it's side or upside down and the engine dies, then the fuel stops flowing. If the plunger is in the 'up' position, fuel flows constantly whether the bike is running or not.

The 07 bike has a pull down/push up plunger, which can accidently be pushed up with the right leg (especially when dabbing like a centipede!) It's not something that matters whilst the bike is running but it can flood the engine if the bike is leaned over on a bank. I hope that helps?

By the way, spot on review of the Beta 4T - nice and soft when low down but very strong when needed. Your thoughts on the gearing surprised me though as I thought 3rd and 4th were ok with a huge jump to 5th. I could ride it in 4th most of the time on the Scottish moors, often down to walking pace andit would still pull away nicely. I had a weird conversation with Jordi Pasquet one night in the pub where he said "I ride top gear on the moors, it pulls from walking pace no problem" :(

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Feet up, I had one of the 2 07's imported in the USA last year, fantastic bike, my '08 is sitting in the garage, can't be happier with it! On the Carb/Throttle, yes it is differant it is faster (1/4 turn) than the white throttle tube (3/8 turn) you are used to. If you want to slow it down you can with a little work put a domino throttle assembly with the white throttle tube on it.

If you have any questions you can call your importer he will be happy to answer any questions you have. If you are looking for info in print you can go to the Beta

factory web site and down load two differant manuals for the 4-stroke. I down loaded and printed the manual on the motor so it on the work bench for reference if needed.

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Feet up, I had one of the 2 07's imported in the USA last year, fantastic bike, my '08 is sitting in the garage, can't be happier with it! On the Carb/Throttle, yes it is differant it is faster (1/4 turn) than the white throttle tube (3/8 turn) you are used to. If you want to slow it down you can with a little work put a domino throttle assembly with the white throttle tube on it.

If you have any questions you can call your importer he will be happy to answer any questions you have. If you are looking for info in print you can go to the Beta

factory web site and down load two differant manuals for the 4-stroke. I down loaded and printed the manual on the motor so it on the work bench for reference if needed.

The manual on the factory web site is for the 07 model. Changes made to the 08 are not identified in it.

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