The 1st 60-hours (~1500 miles) on my 2011 Beta 520RS.
I bought the Beta last July, after riding a plated 2003 Yamaha WR450F in the dirt for the last 8 years. I'm 57 years old, 5'7" tall, 29" inseam, and weigh ~225 lbs. My short legs have always made fitting modern dirtbikes difficult for me. I’m semi-retired and this new Italian Mistress was quite a financial commitment. The first rides were in the neighborhood, Carnegie SVRA, and Hollister Hills SVRA.
With the top of the forks even with the top of the triple clamps and about 1/2" of static sag in the rear (as delivered), the seat height was ~37.5" The 2011 RRs might have a 36.whatever” seat height, but this RS does not. Riding after dark showed the headlight was positioned well for low beam & high beam. Low beam has a nice wide coverage, but its not very bright. Hmmm... no headlight position adjustments.
I dropped the 14t cs sprocket to 13t, but kept the 45t rear for now. I was told the RS has a chain 2 links shorter than the RR, so the 48t rear won't fit with RS-length chain. I'll re-gear lower when this chain is done.
The motor really does have magic throttle response at low rpms & throttle settings. It feels like a 250cc pussycat up to about 10-15% throttle. Then from say 20% up, it transitions into a very-torquey 500. You can actually open & close the throttle in 1st gear with the clutch fully engaged, while steering through a technical boulder field without losing your balance. On a 500! Absolutely amazing!
I was intrigued by how well it ran at idle & the bottom of the needle, so I stuck my exhaust sniffer in the can. I was pleasantly surprised to find idle CO was ~3.5% and opening to ~1/8 throttle showed ~4%. It was jetted almost PERFECT for racing use at sea level. This would be rich at elevation (2000-6000 ft.) or trying to cruise in dual-sport mode, so I installed the JD Jetting kit. The red (lean) needle in the 4th slot (from the top), 172 main jet, and set the pilot screw 2.5 turns out to get ~3% CO in the exhaust at idle at sea level.
Cruising at 60-65 mph in 6th gear yields 42-45mpg if I'm smooth & patient. Normal riding of Stonyford singletrack yields 28-32mpg. With the 3.8-gallon tank, I easily get 100-110 miles of normal riding, or 120-140 miles if I'm smooth & stay out of the accelerator pump. Oh, the tall oem petcock goes on reserve with 1.0 gallons left in the 3.8-gal. tank. Big reserve.
On the road & on the trail, I was surprised how the front end stayed down when on the throttle. I actually had to bounce the front end briskly to get the front tire off the ground when the throttle was stabbed. Half the time the rear spun up on dirt. Pirelli MT21 rear @ 12psi.
Then I noticed it did not like me moving forward into what I call a sitting attack position; forward on the seat & against the tank, about half my weight on the pegs, when climbing moderately steep hills. If I leaned forward, I was unloading the rear tire & it was spinning up. I had to slide my butt way back & lean back to get enough weight on the rear tire to climb effectively. Hmmm...
Next I noticed that downhills were spooky because the rear brake did almost nothing, even when the 12-psi tire was locked! It has great brake modulation on level ground, but no rear MT21 traction when pointed down steep hills. Naturally the front brake worked great at those times. But it sure didn't feel like there was much weight on the rear tire, even when exaggerating my rearward body shift.
Lastly, at 60mph or faster on the street or fast gravel roads, it wanted to weave slowly if I didn't lay down & completely relax my arms. Any arm tension at all & it weaved.
So my new dirtbike is at least an inch too tall for me, appears to have a nose-heavy weight balance, and a weave-y front end at speed. At most speeds, the front tire stuck like GLUE to the trail when cornering, even when I was sitting towards the back on the seat. I had no idea an MT21 front tire could work that well on any terrain!
The rear needed to drop to balance the weight & slow the steering, but the front needed to drop to get my toes closer to the ground. That’s where I started.
I raised the forks up through the triple clamps until there was 5mm showing below the 3rd line. About 20mm from the top. This was as far as it could go before bottoming the forks had the tire just touching the back of the fender. With the front dropped 20mm, then I needed to drop the rear that much just to keep the weight balance close to the same as before. But I want more sag yet to get more rear weight bias, so I dropped the rear from 0.5” static sag to 1.5” and went testing.
The weight bias was maybe better, but it still felt too nose-heavy to me. Dropped static sag to 2.0” and tested. Better, but not quite there. Dropped static sag to 2.5” & tested. Now it feels close to how I like it. The front end is still stuck to the ground on flat curves, but the hillclimbs & downhills were much better with a neutral body position. Dropped down to 2.75” to see if this helped a little further or went too far. It was too far. The planted front was not as planted. Back to 2.5”
With the oem springs still in it, this new balanced position had all my toes on the ground when needed and it handled well. Only issue was the rear lifting too much on steep downhills. The 2.5” rear static sag should be less than 1” for going down steep hills.
Now the sidestand is getting a little long and the headlight is pointed up into the trees. Pulled the headlight assembly out, loosened the 2 side screws, and then shimmed the bottom screw with 2 thick flat washers to point the headlight lower. 2 washers were a good guess.
More testing at the Renz property singletrack at Hollister was a blast. The weight bias felt great. The high-speed weave was gone. The steering was excellent, but the suspension didn’t seem as happy as I would like with this much sag at both ends from the too-soft springs.
I rode the Beta several months this way. What a confidence-inspiring dirtbike, as long as I didn't over-ride the suspension!
I ordered the heavier springs and installed them before my big desert trip. I also added a 2nd rimlock to each wheel when I spooned on my favorite tires; IRC Vulcanduro, VE33 on the rear & VE35 on the front. I set the rear static sag the same as before & tested. The Beta was slightly taller now because of the heavier springs, but my toes were close. The weight bias was a little nose-heavy again and needed a little more sag in the rear. I went back to the 2.75” I tried with the softer springs. This worked well. The seat height was now ~36.5”.
It was amazing how much better the suspension felt with stock clicker settings & the new springs. The suspension now swallows everything in its path and never deflects! I have had to change part of my riding style because of the incredible front suspension. Bumps or small steps I used to use to help kick the front tire up & over the next obstacle don’t give me a kick up anymore. Like I said, swallowed WHOLE! I have to time a bounce of the front end (or a quick rearward shift of my weight) now to lift the front tire as before.
The next time I’m inside the suspension for an oil change, we are going to take 0.75” out of the front suspension travel, and 2” out of the rear to get rid of the excessive static sags and keep my preferred weight bias.
In technical rocks and singletrack, this bike is so easy to ride. Very confidence inspiring. I’m riding noticeable faster on my favorite Stonyford trails than I ever felt comfortable on the WR.
A week in the Mojave desert gave me a good look at how it does in deep sand washes and endless whoop sections. I was impressed how well it worked in the deep sand. Only two really soft washes had me wishing for a little steering damping at low speeds. It does not need a steering damper at higher speeds or on any other surface.
The Beta front end wanted a couple of clicks more compression damping for the desert whoops, but any more than that brought in some harshness in the rocks that I didn’t want. I have never been a KungFu Whoop-Master. I can carry or skim the front tire over a series of 3-4 whoops, but not the continuous ones. I either slow down or go a different direction. The only other suspension adjustment needed was a little more rebound damping in the rear shock with the heavier spring.
I have the fan kit for the radiator and it works great when needed.
I moved the handlebar clamps to the most rearward position and this helps me with my short arm reach. The standing position fits me well & is quite comfortable. It feels so narrow, even with the large tank, in the standing position. Makes it really easy to move your body around, or move the bike around under you, to maintain balance.
I was surprised how comfortable the stock seat was in a neutral position after it broke in. The front of the seat will never be comfortable with the tank bulge into it and the reduced padding there to fit it. I’d rather have the padding myself than the 0.1 gallons of fuel they might have gotten from the bulge.
I’m also surprised that I’m getting used to this tall gearing. The torque of the motor is so nice & friendly at low rpm, that I am running 2nd & 3rd gears in most tight singletrack with just the occasional clutch modulation to get through a technical spot. The only time I miss a low 1st gear is when I need to clutch the front tire up for a big log, instead of just an off-idle throttle blip.
The motor runs wonderfully. The transmission shifts like a knife thru hot butter. The clutch works great and is easy to modulate. The brakes are excellent. After the springs & weight-bias changes, its the best handling & steering motorcycle I have ever ridden.
I LOVE my new Italian Mistress!
Catfish ...
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Originally Posted by Wildswolfe
