Beta Evo 290 2009

Hi All,

I scoured this forum for ages looking for opinion on the various bikes to help me decide on/ validate my choice for my next bike. It's not easy to get clear opinion, so we tend to aim in the dark a little. I for one am not great at test riding bikes and know that the real truth will only out once I've ridden a trial.

Well, I purchased a 2009 Evo 290 last week from Paul Nash Motorcycles. For those that know Paul, this bike is his old bike, known affectionately as 'Baby'. It seems that many have ridden and enjoyed her. Missus...

I rode her yesterday at Pebmarsh. Here's my thoughts...

Coming from a 2001 Rev3 250, I was mildly concerned that the bike would be a bit snappy for me. I fitted the flywheel weight as a precaution, but have to say the power is surprisingly gentle. Much the same as my old Rev. It is gentle at the bottom end, but has plenty of mid and top. It certainly isn't aggressive and snappy and whilst I feel I've got a pretty good right hand, it was by no means hard work. It does however have more bottom end 'grunt'. This suits my style of leaving the clutch alone and letting the bike find grip.

The biggest change for me is the front end. I was starting to struggle on steep drop-ins. PArticularly into stream beds where undercut banks can lead into soft silt. I never felt totally in control on the Rev3, and simply put this down to 'Me'. I had changed fork oil several times and had long since stopped blaming the bike. This led to that horrible feeling of just hanging on, hoping I didn't go over the bars, and then trying to reconstruct my line based on whereever I ended up! The Evo is totally different. It simply takes these in it's stride and allows me to keep looking forwards and concentrate on my line.

So overall, I'm extremely happy with my choice. It suits me (a committed Beta-phile) very well and feels like a decent step forward rather than just a different bike. Hopefully, this will reflect in my results!

Thanks again Paul, chuffed to bits.

Graham