2023 Beta 300 RR Race Edition Review

We have tested several generations of the Beta 300 RR two-stroke off-roader over the years, and we’ve always found it to be a solid ride that is best suited for aggressive trail riding. Oh, sure, you can race it, too, but you’ll quickly realize that a suspension upgrade is in your future. The RR's Sachs suspension package is fine for casual—or even some stimulating—trail riding, but it comes up short for hard-core racing. If racing is your thing, you’ll be more interested in Beta's Race Edition of the two 300cc RRs.

Just as it sounds, the Race Edition is designed for—racing. That means it gets some important upgrades to get you to the finish line a little easier and quicker. The main upgrade here is suspension.

The Beta 300 RR Race Edition comes standard with higher-end KYB forks and shock, and a few other cool items. The suspension change alone is a game-changer. Yes, you’ll pay more, about $500 more, for the KYBs and other special parts found only on the Race Edition, but it's well worth it.

The Race Edition sells for $10,399 versus $9899 for the standard RR. Besides the KYB suspension, the Race Edition comes standard with billet-aluminum footpegs, gripper seat cover, quick-release front axle, aluminum/steel rear sprocket, anodized brake/shift levers, handguards, and florescent-red-with-blue plastics and graphics versus the deep red/black plastics. The Race Edition models also use a slightly different cylinder, cylinder head and power valve, resulting in more compression and power. The Race Edition two-stroke models don't use oil-injection systems but rely on premix. Oil injection is eliminated on the Race Edition in favor of reduced weight, but some will argue the tradeoff isn't worth it. (Luckily for these people, Beta offers an oil-injection add-on kit for an additional $350).

So, what is new for the 2023 Beta 300 RR Race Edition from 2022? Most notable is the KYB C46 shock, along with the KYB forks. Before 2023, a Sachs rear shock was standard. All the 2023 Beta RR and RR Race Edition models also got updated radiator shrouds that are narrower and designed to improve rider movement on the bike.

Other carry-over highlights on the Beta 300 RR and RR Race Edition models are an electric start with optional kickstart backup, a diaphragm clutch with hydraulic actuation, adjustable power value, a two-position map switch, a 2.5-gallon translucent fuel tank, headlight, taillight, 18-inch rear wheel and enduro meter. And unlike the Austrian off-road models, the Betas still use a 36mm Keihin carburetor rather than fuel injection.

Seat height is 36.6 inches, and the bike weighs in at 245 pounds with a full fuel tank on our scales, which is within a few pounds of any other headlight-equipped off-road two-strokes on the market.

Beta fitted its bikes with Michelin Enduro tires for several years but they now come with Metzeler Six Days Off-Road tires. However, we tested the bike with Dunlop MX33 tires because, at the moment, Beta can't get Metzeler tires due to supply-chain issues.

So how do all those specs translate to real-world performance on the trails? In short, very well. One of our test riders said that the Beta 300 RR Race Edition is the closest thing to an MX bike with a headlight due to the amazing bark of the motor, especially compared to the TPI fuel-injected Austrian bikes that deliver an almost electric powerband without the thrill factor. Not everybody will appreciate that bark, but if you like a bike that is really snappy and playful, you will probably love this motor. And unlike an MX bike converted for off-road use, the 300 RR Race Edition has amazing tractability off the bottom, making it equally good for technical trails.

Fuel injection is arguably better for changes in altitude, but the stock carburetor jetting was just about perfect on our test bike, and it ran well at sea level and up to 5000 feet of elevation. The two ignition maps, which are easily changed via a button in front of the fuel tank, offers a more aggressive option (depicted by an image of the sun), and a mellower map (selectable with the rain-cloud icon) does not make much of a noticeable change to the power. And we didn't need to adjust the power valve since all our test riders loved how the bike performed, but we know that some riders like to fine-tune this.

We blew steam out of the radiator in a couple of very slow, technical sections, so we suggest adding an optional cooling fan (available from Beta for $210) if you like to tackle the really tough stuff. (None of the Austrian 300cc two-strokes come with a cooling fan either, but Shercos do.)

The Beta 300 RR has a counter-balancer, which dramatically reduces the vibration compared to the previous-generation models, but it is not quite as smooth as the KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas bikes that set the smoothness standard in the class. You won't likely notice this unless you ride the Beta back-to-back with one of the Austrian bikes.

The 2.5-gallon tank delivers a similar range to any other bike in this class, although the fuel pickup tube is relatively tall, resulting in the need to switch to reserve when there is a lot of fuel/range left in the tank. So it gives you an early warning to look for fuel, and if you are racing, you would be wise to run it on reserve, so you don't "run out" at an inopportune time.

The Beta's motor is what really differentiates it from the KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas TPI bikes, but the KYB suspension is a big difference from the standard RR models we’ve tested in the past. As we noted earlier, the KYB shock and fork are a significant improvement over the Sachs units on the standard Beta RR models. Most of our test riders loved the KYB's factory settings that work well in just about any trail condition. The suspension has excellent compliance on the small stuff but also allows you to push the pace without blowing through the travel. On previous Beta RR 300 tests, we said we loved the motor, and with the 300 RR Race Edition, we can also say we love the suspension, too.

The chassis performs well at speed with confidence-inspiring stability. The 300 RR works well in slow technical terrain, as well, but a few test riders that race hard-enduro events noticed that the turning radius is a little less than other bikes and requires some modification to the radiators to provide more clearance if you remove the steering stop bolts.

As we said in previous Beta 300 RR tests, the Brembo hydraulically controlled clutch has a light pull, and the overall clutch performance is good in almost all conditions. The same can be said for the Nissin brakes, which have plenty of power and are predictable.

The ergonomics on the Beta were comfortable for all the test riders, but a few mentioned that the seat does not provide a lot of cushion.

Working on the Beta is easy. There is nothing strange about the hardware or how things are put together. The tool-less seat removal and easy-access air filter are appreciated.

Regarding looks, just about everyone agreed that the Betas are lookers, although some prefer the more basic coloring of the dark red/black standard RR combo.

If you follow off-road racing, you have probably noticed that Beta has had a lot of success in recent years, with Jonny Walker winning the 2022 AMA EnduroCross Championship on a 300 RR Race Edition to go along with Beta championships in World Enduro, Hare & Hound and other disciplines. All of this backs up the performance and reliability we found over the course of a couple of months of use and abuse on the 300 RR Race Edition. The great motor and now equally great suspension on the Race Edition are well worth the extra $500 compared to the standard RR model and puts this bike in the discussion for the best 300 two-stroke off-road bike on the market. CN