trials - Beta USA

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TRIALS
LIFE ON
TRIAL S
he skills of riders like Taddy Blazusiak, Geoff Aaron, David
Knight, Juha Salminen and other extreme off-road guys isn’t
based on pounding laps on a motocross track; it comes from
years on trials bikes. The skills required to pilot a trials bike
over ridiculous objects transfers directly into maneuvering a
full-sized dirt bike in extreme situations. Watching Blazusiak
and Knight work their way up a boulder mountain shows the
years spent mastering trials bikes. Trials riding is much more
popular in Europe, but thanks to extreme enduro racing, riders
everywhere are learning how important it is to cross-train on a
trials bike to learn the techniques that help get a full-sized dirt
bike up and over seemingly impossible terrain.
T
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Here at the Dirt Bike offices, we’ve got the trials bug—
buying and borrowing trials bikes and working on our
slow-speed skills. Just six months of riding trials has
improved our off-road abilities noticeably, and whenever
we have an extra 10 minutes, we idle around on our bikes.
The beauty of a trials bike is that it is quiet and you don’t
need a lot of room to practice.
We begged, pleaded and rolled around on the
ground like a kid pitching a fit until the Beta guys
loaned us a 2011 EVO 250 trials bike. Our current
trials bikes are 12-year-old tattered machines
that serve the purpose, but aren’t nearly as
cool as the EVO 250.
Cody Webb uses his Beta to casually drop off some rocks and lands
smooth as ironed Levis. The things
Cody does are simply amazing on a
trials bike. If Cody Webb’s helmet
looks a little strange, it should; he
was rocking our new Bell Custom
500 Skratch Deluxe LE open-face
lid. It’s not really an off-road helmet
but a sweet-looking street bike lid.
It was shinny and Cody liked it.
AUGUST 2011 / DIRT BIKE 39
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THE
BETA
EVO 250
The ideal second bike
Boothy doing his best Cody Webb
impression on the Beta EVO 250.
40 www.dirtbikemagazine.com
Karel Kramer
TRIALS
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EVO 250
For 2011, the two-stroke engine was moved forward to
provide better climbing, and the new rear brake master
cylinder has a reservoir built in. The rear rim no longer has
a rim strip, saving over a pound of weight. Both the EVO
250 and EVO290 received a stiffer rear shock spring and
larger, 6mm fender-mounting screws for easier service.
Both machines have a redesigned exhaust manifold for
smoother power delivery.
The engine on the EVO 250 is snappy and strong, and
while the clutch pull is easy, it has a very quick engagement,
requiring careful use in slow situations to avoid jumping forward. Experienced riders liked the strong engagement, while
beginners felt it was too quick. The brakes were downright
amazing, requiring very little pressure to nose wheelie or bring
the front end down from a wheelie. The stock suspension
was great for riders up to 180 pounds, but it was too soft for
heavier riders. Overall, we loved the Beta and enjoyed our
time on it. Cody Webb seems to do pretty well on his!
If you are a sit-down rider, riding a trials bike for the first
time will have your legs on fire within five minutes. There
isn’t a seat to be lazy on, and when you ride a trials bike,
you want all your weight on your feet with your hands
relaxed, not leaning on the bars, so even more quad muscle is needed. Just cruising around for 30 minutes is a
great workout, but the best part about trials bikes is that
they are a hoot—plain and simple. ❏
EVO 250
The 250cc two-stroke engine is super torquey and easy to ride.
The clutch engagement is a little quick for the Dirt Bike novice
guys, but experts love it.
If you haven’t seen or ridden a trials
bike, you are missing out on some serious fun. The Beta EVO 250, a trials
bike, is the perfect second bike and
complements the riding you do now—
whether it is motocross, trail or even
street. It’s the ultimate tool for crosstraining and having fun. With high
ground clearance, small brake
rotors and a good skid plate, there
is no object you can’t get over.
The EVO has nice wide footpegs
as well, and it weighs in at under
150 pounds!
Displacement ....................................................................249.7cc
Bore x stroke ..................................................72.5mm x 60.5mm
Compression ratio ................................................................8.9:1
Ignition ..............Electronic...12 volt, 85 watt w/ dual control switch
(aggressive or soft settings), spark plug NGK BR7ES
Carburetion......................................................Keihin PWK 28mm
Lubrication....................................................Premix (synthetic oil)
Clutch..Wet multi-disc w/ cush-drive basket
Transmission..................................................................Six-speed
Frame ............Aluminum beam, single-wave w/ built-in fuel tank
Wheelbase ............................................................................51.4"
Seat height: ..............................................................................26"
Ground clearance..................................................................12.2"
Footpeg height ......................................................................13.7"
Dry weight........................................................................149.9 lb.
Fuel tank capacity .................................................0.7 US gallons
Brakes:
Front..185mm rotor w/ four-piston caliper
Rear ....................................160mm rotor w/ twin-piston caliper
Suspension:
Front......................................................38 mm Paioli 6.5" travel
Rear ................Aluminum-bodied, including linkage; 7.1" travel
Gearing ..............................................................11t front; 41t rear
Suggested retail price..........................................................$7199
AUGUST 2011 / DIRT BIKE 41
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TRIALS
BABY STEPS
Cody Webb is our National Trials Champion
Hopping on a trials bike for the first
time is a weird experience, and nearly
every skill that you carry over from riding a full-sized dirt bike is useless. A
trials bike requires precise throttle and
clutch control, and speed is the enemy.
Momentum is not the key; finding traction and balance is! You almost can’t go
slowly enough on a trials bike, and the
engines are nearly impossible to stall.
We spent a day riding trials bikes with
the Beta crew, and Cody Webb came
out to show off the skills that make him
a multi-time National Trials Champion.
We had Cody show us some basic tips.
For beginners, Cody showed us this rock, then proceeded to show us the slow safe line over for trials newbies. Approach with
very little speed and go up the face with smooth throttle, keeping the knees slightly bent. Trials tires offer amazing traction, so
don’t worry about the rear tire spinning out. As you get to the top, go as slow as possible and look where you want to go. Cody
actually turns the front wheel slightly to get a clear view before straightening out and rolling in. Once committed, don’t use any
front brake and keep your weight back way over the rear wheel. As the front wheel touches, you can ease back on the throttle,
but don’t pin it or your rear wheel will slam down hard instead of rolling down the backside of the rock. Keep practicing until
you feel comfortable enough to ride a slow wheelie off the top, and then keep moving up to bigger and better obstacles.
42 www.dirtbikemagazine.com
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TRIALS ON A BUDGET
Boothy’s 1999 Gas Gas 270
Learning to ride trials also means fixing
broken fenders and torn grips.
Adam yanked out $1500 from his moldy checking account and bought this ’99 270
Gas Gas. He loves it!
Finding a used trials bike isn’t as hard as it seems, especially for a first timer who doesn’t need the latest and greatest. Boothy was sick of trying out other people’s trials bikes
for a few minutes at a time and went on the hunt. With $1500
bucks to spend, he found a fairly clean 1999 Gas Gas 270.
The tires were beat and it needed a carb rebuild after sitting
Just like on motocross bikes, the world
has left skinny footpegs behind for
wider, more comfortable pegs.
for a few years, but soon he was up and wheeling for cheap.
Boothy was feeling pretty good about his bike—until Dirt Bike
had the Beta for a few months and the benefits of a brandnew, high-tech machine were thrown in his face. He has since
rebuilt the forks for better action, found some wider footpegs
and purchased some plastic that isn’t old and brittle.
GIRTHY MEN TACKLE THE
PLONK WORLD
By Tom Webb
After almost 30 years in this business, I had finally coaxed
a trials bike out of a manufacturer for longer than a five-day
test. While it’s true that a magazine guy prefers to ride more
than he pounds the keys on a laptop, the reality is that we
spend way more time at the office than most think. When
Beta’s Tim Pilg offered up one of their new EVO 250s, I
snapped it up and then told him not to call me for a month.
My buddy Mental had just bought a 10-year-old Sherco with
stock tires that were brittle but brand new, so the girthy boys
decided to hit the slopes and impress the masses.
First, we rode at my house. I have enough land to lay out
some decent loops, and we learned quickly that trials riding requires core muscles if you’re going to have any fun.
Compared to Mental, I’m an Olympic gymnast, so we
started out by doing tight one-hour motos on the trials
bikes. Incredibly, both of us got better, so we loaded up
and headed out to the desert for some boulder riding. The
one aspect that fits my style was the fact that I’ve always
Bum
Wolf and Mental duke it out
Wolf and Mental playing out in the hills. A trails bike
requires very little terrain; find a rock, cliff or fallen tree and
play for hours.
AUGUST 2011 / DIRT BIKE 43