Over the years, I've been fascinated by the idea of a light weight adventure motorbike,
that can also double up as an enduro motorbike.
While motorbikes like the DRZ400 are one possible boring heavy and underpowered
solution, it led me to experimenting with motorbikes like the WR450F.
And especially the Husaberg FE570.
Sadly, they no longer make the big Husaberg.
So out of all the enduro motorbikes currently on
the market, I was keen to see how the Beta RR390 and RR480 would shape up.
Why the Beta? Most modern four stroke enduro motorbikes can serve as a good platform.
But a few things that stand out with the Betas are the lower seat height,
very user-friendly engine and handling characteristics, and a wide ratio gearbox
where the stock gearing can suit both dirt riding and loping along the highway easily.
The double overhead cam engine makes it a lot smoother on the road than most.
The fuel injection means she will run sweetly no matter what the altitude or temperature.
And the dual engine and transmission oil compartments provide a higher overall capacity.
A big plus, long term reliability for the engine and gearbox is great.
I've been checking various forums and chatting with long term owners
and mechanics and there are no outstanding issues with the Beta.
What's not to like about the Betas for dual sport or adventure riding?
It's the usual problems faced with any enduro motorbike.
An uncomfortable seat, the fuel tank is way too small, the rear subframe
is too weak to carry a lot of luggage, the headlight is too weak for night riding and
the RR480 engine will probably still be a bit too responsive for many riders...
whereas the RR390's long stroke engine
is a delight for both cruising and hitting the throttle hard.
Fuel tank options.
We ordered the 11.7L (3 gallon) tank from IMS.
This was only US$290 and should extends the
fuel range to around 300km or 190 miles with easy adventure riding.
Apparently IMS now have a 4 gallon tank which is great for anyone wanting even more range.
An interesting idea is this Behego rally tank, which could be good if like to
keep a low centre of gravity when adventure riding, and just take it off for dirt riding.
Seat and ergos.
What about that hard seat that causes arse-puckering?
Apparently Seat Concepts is the most popular choice for
Beta riders but they wouldn't answer my emails.
In the end I gave up because I stand most of the time anyway.
A fun budget option to try is buy a block of medium density
foam and cut your own comfy seat and staple some vinyl over the top.
Ugly, but mighty comfortable if you get it right.
Enduro motorbikes have quite small footpegs.
The Beta is no exception.
It might be worth looking at the Fastway pegs which provide a bigger platform.
These can also be dropped down and back to give you more leg room on the motorbike.
The engine.
Both engines are superb, with the RR480 or RS500 perfect for anyone
who wants a motorbike that will fly along if you crack that throttle.
Like most big fuel injected thumpers, the throttle response is snappy from idle.
I highly recommend the G2 Throttle Tamer for only US$70,
it transforms it into a pussy cat at small throttle openings.
See our review.
The RR390 has a long stroke engine that loves to lug and has an even
more user-friendly nature than the RR480...
if you don't need ridiculous amounts of top end performance this motorbike is the one.
The benefits of fuel injection are clear.
Better fuel economy and automatic adjustment to elevation changes.
However, it could be worth fitting a fuel filter sock in your tank for
adventure riding in case you got dirty fuel in remote locations.
While many debate the usefulness of dual engine and transmission oil chambers,
it does mean a higher capacity of 1.5 litres overall, and on a very
long adventure ride you only need to carry 750ml to do the engine oil at 30 hours,
as the lack of clutch slipping should mean the transmission oil will be fine for a lot longer.
Logic would suggest you could extend that 30 hour oil change if you aren't pushing the engine hard.
But by how much?
I'll leave that up to you.
Even 30 hours should get you 2000km of dual sport riding before an engine oil change.
The only real drawback with the Beta four stroke engine is the plastic oil pump gears.
These should be replaced every 100 hours,
most riders are putting the metal gears from Boano in and then they can forget about them.
Tyres.
A huge range of options here, starting with the cheap Dunlop D606 and Pirelli
MT21 to all sorts of hybrid and adventure tyres.
I was very keen to try Goldentyre's new adventure rear but it's not in Australia yet.
On his around the world tour, Lyndon Poskitt has been reporting
an incredible 7000km lifespan even with a lot of high speed road work.
Instead I opted for Shinko's hybrid rear tyre, the 505 Cheater.
Great grip on the road with it's soft compound and close set knob pattern,
and seems to be wearing well too. See our Shinko review.
One thing I would highly recommend on the front is a high profile front tyre.
I'm running the Goldentyre GT216 Fatty which
adds to already excellent inline stability of the Beta at speed.
A lot of guys fit steering dampers to enduro motorbikes for dual sport
riding but I think this tyre is an excellent alternative.
For any highway riding, always get your tyres balanced properly,
or those rim locks will have you shaking your way down the road.
In the USA, TUbliss are not approved for road use.
But personally I hate punctures... the TUbliss setup lets you continue riding if you want,
or simply pull out your TUbliss repair kit and plug that hole.
Two minutes later you are on the road again.
Lovely.
Luggage is always tricky on enduro motorbikes.
That weak rear subframe means you can't hang a lot off the rear.
And you don't want to anyway, these motorbikes are
so light they handle very strangely if you don't keep the weight centred.
The budget option?
I used to to just strap dry bags to the side
of the FE570 which centred the weight nicely and kept it low.
Next budget option is something like this Third Gear luggage bag which is
only AUD$75 here in Australia and works great on enduro motorbikes.
Then you get into the good stuff, Kriega, Wolfman, Giant Loop, Nomad Rider.
You can spend a lot on soft panniers, tank bags, fender bags.
The key is keeping that weight centred and ideally, down low.
A handy aspect of the Beta is those rear grab rails under
the seat which make excellent mounting points for luggage.
Electrics.
Good news here, the stator is relatively strong for an enduro motorbike with 200W at
6000rpm so can run things like heated grips without draining the battery.
That weak headlight?
By enduro standards it is actually quite good,
but if you plan on riding at night it will pay to upgrade.
The LED lights have finally come of age, and personally I think it's worth bypassing
the HID lights and skip to something the like the Cyclops LED headlight...
only US$65 and a ridiculously bright 3600 lumens on high beam that only draws 40W.
And you can almost double that for an extra $10. LED light bars have also
dropped dramatically in price and could be worth looking at.
Do you need a cush drive hub?
There are cases of KTM enduro motorbikes eventually wearing the countershaft splines
with extended road riding, and by extension the Husaberg FE570s...
even with a cush drive hub my FE570 countershaft was looking quite worn by 12000km.
I've checked around and there are no known issues with adventurised Betas in this respect...
but if you plan on a lot of road miles I would still consider a cush drive hub.
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That's it to date.
So far the RR480 or RS500 is proving to be a pile of fun as a light weight adventure motorbike.
If anyone has further tips please add them in the comments section and share the love!