chewy Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Just read this lot a day late ..it all seems like a storm in a teacup but is of great interest to me as I run two of em! It can be so so annoying to be let down by the bike There was a guy last year at SSDT (no names or pack drill) who got through everything up untill last 30 miles on the Saturday when his Beta stator packed up. The gist of all the comments it appears, is that it is a reliability problem (probably due to efforts to keep manufacturing costs down) which in circumstances as above is simply unforgivable . But these sort of problems are not unique to Beta and we generally do give these poor little bikes some pretty extreme parameters (i.e cost nothing suffer any abuse for several years) Other interesting bits were is it moisture related??? Who is the guy in Bradford who will rewind it to bulletproof spec? Surely Beta must be aware of the details of the problem and able to resolve it and offer some gesture of recompense in order to keep thier market position/ reputation so clearly demonstrated by riders choices for SSDT. Just in case it happens to me or the Missus does anybody have that repair contact detail? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinell Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 There was a guy last year at SSDT (no names or pack drill) who got through everything up untill last 30 miles on the Saturday when his Beta stator packed up. Was he Spanish? If yes, it could be the same fella that had a kill switch go faulty - the bike fired up after the Beta mechanic blew the **** out with an airline... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinell Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Compare to the finish numbers? PROPER finish numbers would be hard to get, as some folk retire due to injury, timing out or worse still - can't be botheredness! Actual bike failures are fairly rare considering the stick they get at the SSDT - I've no idea about the Beta 2-strokes but 3 out of 4 Beta 4-strokes finished last year. The bike that didn't finish was due to rider injury... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razor Posted April 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 Who is the guy in Bradford who will rewind it to bulletproof spec? . Just in case it happens to me or the Missus does anybody have that repair contact detail? im not sure? there is a company called bradford ignition services, which will do it for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asc Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 firstly i'm nothing to do with beta,but my last 06 has probably being my most reliable bike yet,yes the carb does leak if it's tipped over,but with just a little general maintanence it has being no trouble and i will be very sad to see it go.the only fault is brittle plastics in the cold(front mudguard),i for one if it was'nt for the fact i facy a change i'd have another.what more can you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 The Beta Stator topic has been goin on for a long time. There are two modes of failure. Firstly, the thing just packs up for whatever reason, the bike will not run at all, or will run intermittently. This issue seems to have been sorted out. The second mode of failure is when the triggers get corroded and fail, the bike runs poorly and won't rev out. From what I have heard this problem can be in most cases avoided by keeping the flywheel area dry between trials (it does mention this in the handbook I believe) and drilling a hole in the flywheel cover if you fancy that too. Other than these two problems, and the unlucky few with the dodgy casings the beta is a really solidly build and well designed bike. CDI units pack up on all bikes, just with vibration apparently. I have been riding my 06 250 Beta for over a year now, and the only parts I have needed to buy for it were grips and fork seals, and the bike is still in mint condition. One of the beautiful things about the beta is that if you take a little time to maintain it, it is so easy to maintain, any part can be easily removed within 15 mins if you know what you are doing, other branks can be much harder work since everything is concealed, or dome headed studs are used which round off easily etc. Sorry if I have ranted, but as far as I can see, the only fault with the beta is the electrics, which is a serious fault, but one worth putting up with and it easily managed. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betabonkers Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 My 08 stator packed in, ok it was replaced for free but its not the point, it was 2 months old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 My 08 stator packed in, ok it was replaced for free but its not the point, it was 2 months old. I have heard a theory on the stators which came up recently on another TC discussion about Beta stators. Dan Williams suggested it may be how the kill switch is wired ? Now this may seem easy to dismiss for some but on that topic I mentioned a mates 03 bike which had numerous stators replaced until he gave up and bought a Scorpa. I had an 03 Beta at the same time and when I sold it after 10 months including the completing the ssdt it was still on the same stator. My 04 Beta never had a stator either and when I think about this now in those days I dont think I used to fit a kill switch... Coincidence ? I'm not particularly loyal to any brand and I'm not trying to defend Beta in any way but wouldn't it be ridiculous if the problem is that simple to resolve and its caused this much fuss for this length of time. So has anybody had a stator fail who hasnt fitted a kill switch to the bike ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgshannon Posted April 22, 2008 Report Share Posted April 22, 2008 I'd just had mine a few weeks when I had to spend time/effort replacing the inner clutch housing because of corrosion. Not a new bike, when you got it, I presume. I seriously doubt you had a corrosion problem on a bike that was only "a few weeks" old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 The results of my investigation into the wiring fault on my bike. http://www.newenglandtrials.org/Beta_wiring.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonsurge Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 (edited) I concur completely with Dan Williams' assessment. The standard beta switchgear is total crap (and that's being charitable) and the wiring is.... well, Italian. My brand new 06 Rev3 died one lap into its very first trial. After a lot of sweating and swearing I discovered that the kill switch had broken and was stuck "on". Managed to repair it only to have the bike die again the next time out. Yep, failed stator. When the new stator arrived (and total credit to JLI for their "no questions asked" service) I took the opportunity to also remove the standard lighting loom and install a Yamaha-style kill button grounded to frame. The bike hasn't missed a beat since despite being crashed repeatedly, dunked in the river and generally abused by an overweight and totally inept rider. So the cure for virtually all Beta electrical woes seems to be: (a) Chuck the standard switchgear in the bin; ( NEVER ground through the headstock. Edited April 23, 2008 by neonsurge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davross Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Yes, I'd discourage people from buying a Beta. I'd just had mine a few weeks when I had to spend time/effort replacing the inner clutch housing because of corrosion. My stator hasn't gone yet but it probably will. Next bike will be a Scorpa. SNAP ! and the rear subframe which had snapped! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan williams Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 I don't want to give the wrong impression. Yes I steer people towards buying a Beta because of the good experience I've had with all of mine but there is a problem here and I'd rather do a service for my fellow riders (and in the long run a service for Beta) by admitting something is not quite right, finding a solution and presenting it. All bikes have weaknesses. The most recent I have experienced with other brands being the GasGas kickers and the Sherco shocks. GasGas USA went through considerable effort to fix my friend's Raga and finally get it sorted. I've got a lot of respect for that. As for the Sherco shocks I'd still like to see Sherco step up to the plate and at least offer a discount on a new shock or some formal acknowledgement of the issue. On the flip side of the coin we have to acknowledge that these are racing machines on the edge of technology with a very slim profit margin built by companies scratching just to survive. And we are a fickle bunch asking for super light weight then whining about reliability. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jse Posted April 23, 2008 Report Share Posted April 23, 2008 Anybody that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baldilocks Posted April 26, 2008 Report Share Posted April 26, 2008 Does the Rev 4T use the same manufacturer of ignition systems ? havent heard of any 4T failures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.