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2016 Beta RR 250 impressions

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I had an opportunity to ride two 250 two strokes on Monday, courtesy of a friend of mine who works for a motorcycle publication. We went out to McCain Valley for some unofficial trail riding fun with a new Husqvarna TE250, and the Beta RR.

It was easy to pick which bike I wanted to ride first....love.gif
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Sexy red Italian always gets the nod. Sorry Husky.
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I hopped on the Beta and Don Williams piloted the TE. I started to feel at home right away on the RR. Sure, the suspension was set up too stiff, but I felt like the dampening curves of both ends were ideal for trail work, and all I would need was slightly lighter springs to get the job done. Brakes were superbly progressive, and the ergonomics really fit me well with comfortable transitioning between sitting and standing. The only thing that bothered me on the bike was gas tank where it stuck out a bit behind the radiator shrouds. My knees bonked into the corners a few times during the day when I would move forward. The bike feels skinny and very balanced for technical work and tight trails, although I'm not sure if it can rival either of my WRs for cutting a tight corner cleanly. I really loved the electric start, the hydraulic clutch and the smooth, powerful engine. The powerband seemed quite civilized at lower RPMs, then tore flat out on the main jet for plenty of wheel lofting fun in the whoops.

At some point, we switched bikes....but I didn't waste too many miles on the TE. It just didn't suit me...in lots of ways. So I soon switched back to the confidence inspiring ride that the RR had to offer. I only had the rest of one day to ride something truly special, so I might as well spend the remainder of the afternoon on the Beta.

Once we finished our cross country loop, we hit a few spots for a photo shoot, then it was time to load up, hit a burger joint and head home. Day in the life of a non professional bike tester for me. I'd pick the Beta in heartbeat. The new oil injection was something that I could really appreciate also. Barely any oil on the end of the silencer, even after plenty of slow poking around through the rocks and brush
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P.S. I really enjoyed getting some great action shots from a professional photographer.banana.gif

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Nice and OMG actual water at McPain. I love the engineered in oil injection.

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Nice review & pics!...Thanks for posting...Oil injected... :good:

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nice review.

what about the Husky doesn't fit your needs?

The TE had a strangely heavy and nervous feel to it. It just didn't seem to feel as precise at either low or high speeds. Transitioning from sitting to standing seemed to require a lot more effort than the Beta. Rear brake was too touchy. Suspension felt plush but vague early in the stroke, then spiked at midpoint. Engine had a lot more torque right off of idle, but that didn't seem to make it better in loose, technical situations. Engine flattened out a bit at mid range.

Things that I liked about the TE...seat was a little cushier, and there were handguards.

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Wow nice comparison looks like fun, now u need to test out the beta 300 xtrainer for us.

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Wow nice comparison looks like fun, now u need to test out the beta 300 xtrainer for us.

Don wanted it to be a surprise as to what bikes he was bringing down. Since the Xtrainer was recently featured in the Ultimate MotorCycling magazine, I was hoping he still had it, and was going to bring that. We discussed it a bit. I said that I was interested in the machine because of its lower saddle height. He assured me that the RR wasn't so much taller that I would have any problems with it, and he was right. It's likely that I still would have preferred the RR over the Xtrainer, but I would have liked to experience a bit of saddle time with it anyway.

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