First Ride on 2018 Beta 300rr

[NEGbrap]

2nd week of ownership on my 2018 Beta 300rr and I have to say, so far I am loving this thing. Switched from a 2016 YZ250X which I loved, but this machine is a beast. The power comes on like a freight train and never stops.

Brought bike home - Took what looked like it needed attention off and addressed any lubrication issues. Either my dealer or Beta USA or Beta ITALY did a great job of providing adequate lubrication on all the necessary parts. Linkage, bearings, head, bla bla bla. Didn't have to add anything. However, the white goo I believe either to be silicone or lithium grease the bike was covered in was kind of annoying to clean off. I didn't want to do a full hose, soap, and dry so I opted for a roll of blue shop towel. It came off easy but was in every nook and cranny. Checked all the fittings and bolts and torque specs, which were so kindly stamped on applicable areas like the triples and such. Cool little touch. Everything was good and in spec. Motor had 2 hours on it from the factory/dealer and for whatever reason the pipe to silencer connection was kinda messy? Apparently this is supposed to be cinched closed with zip ties, and as such it kinda sprayed 2 stroke mix on the motor, not a lot but enough to be like "WTF mate......" Cleaned it off, checked the pipe and silencer fit, but not much available room to adjust the connection. Emailed Beta USA and they said to zip tie it, and they would be emailing/calling the dealer as they should have done this. So I will be zip tying this in the future. 1st tank of gas is mixed 100:1 even with the oil injection as "insurance" in case it faults. Set the suspension for 102mm race sag naked and it worked out to be 110mm race sag in gear. Woot. I don't think I need a new rear spring. The "Work Stress Workout Plan" in full effect, 10lbs down. Banged on a aluminum pipe guard, as no 18 products are out, but 2017 Bullet Proof rad guards fit. Threw them on. Installed on some Cycra CRM's that are beat to piss, because I assume this thing is going down once I hit the single track. Checked the skiddy......its like a food tray from McDonald's hahahaha. O well better than nothing. Dropped tires from 35 PSI (what the piss?) to 12 front 10 rear. Michelin FIM spec Enduro tires...... shorter knobs, and less knobs to be gentler on the trails. Save the planet I guess? VE33 110 rear and a M59 front are in the corner of my garage, begging to go on. Have not run a VE33 but hear good things. YZ has had MT16's on the rear and I love them, but alas I have ADHD and like to try new things.

Ride .5 - turned it on, warmed it up, did 2 laps of the house, giggled, and put it away. Neighbors looked confused, GF laughed at me, and asked when the YZ was going......I laughed and asked when she's going..........stern looks exchanged, dogs run out side and interrupt and I chase them for 15 minutes.

Ride 1 - 1 hour-ish Took the bike out on some local rail trail for about 25-30 miles breaking the motor in. First tank was meh, felt lean on the bottom, and a touch rich up top.....sadface. Good on the pipe, just really ring dingy off the bottom, surging. Didn't hammer it, but kept a good 35-40mph clip over sandy rail trail, whoops, and chop. Tracks amazing for a bike designed for the twisty gnarly stuff. Got home changed the transmission oil and saw lots of shiny sparkles......? but not to worry, as I have experienced this with all my bikes on the first ride. The drain plug with the magnetic tip is awesome. Thanks for the free security Beta. Changed the oil, checked the bike over for loose parts and found nothing. Man this kick stand tip is lame, its basically a javelin...... gave her a first clean, silencer was a little spoogey but now shes fresh to death. DAMN BOOTS! The aluminum that rubbed off the YZ on my boots, is now on my sexy Beta. Kill me. But I got it off. All is good in life. Zen. 

Half way through this ride, the display started going on and off. Stopped, got off the bike and diagnosed it as a loose connection on the horn. Fixed it, but had me concerned might take all this street crap off. 

Ride 2 - took her out to my local trails, Hopkinton Everett trail system in NH. Cool place managed by the Army Corp of Engineers, they practice flood control etc etc. Trails are maintained by several Dirtbike clubs. Some old dudes on track packers show up and make 12 inch deep double ruts when it rains, this is there version of "Train Maintenance"..........JK! They build bridges all the time, and bring plenty of beers. Cool dudes. Filled the tank up with some freshy fresh 93.....unmixed.......weird. Let the bike warm up, and went and banged out some loops on the double track. Holy crap, this motor is great, first gear is......for walking pace only. After that I took off from a stand still in 2nd for the rest of the day. This motor is just a different beast compared to the YZ. I love the YZ, I love the SSS suspension.....but damn girl, this Italian lady likes the pipe! For a supposedly mellow bike, that's designed to chug this thing can't wait for a fist full of throttle. Spent the rest of the day in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th....with 5th and 6th on the connectors. Did 1 loop of the double track, turns amazing, tracks amazing, but kinda rough on the trail trash and chop. Great pop off of the whoops, which was nice when I wanted to double/triple them. Came back to the staging area and went softer on the front compression and rebound by 4 clicks. Took it back out, more confidence on the bike so I was riding at a nice clip. Noticed a little difference, but didn't want to take away any of the quality handling characteristics. As far as trail trash, roots were still quite unpleasant, will have to dial this in. Have Stillwell on speed dial, They did Max and Cody's endurocross bikes......so they probably are dialed. If anyone has any recommendations for a tuner for Sachs let me know. Got a nice claw hand by the end of the 3rd loop. Probably because I'm not use to the bike ergos, or 300 nut. Slid back on the seat frequently, need more butt grip. Felt like a scrub with the arm pump but I was giggling all day. Tires are great, until you lean into a sandy berm, then they just kinda step out. Side lugs are weak sauce. Probably throwing the new tires on this weekend, but want to try these are the gnarly single gnar. Rock gardens and all. Finished riding and no spooge on the pipe, just a crisp small grey ring no lean surge and no rich fatness. Jetting was perfect, didn't even crack the carb open or touch the air screw.

TLDR - Bike is great. Awesome power. Handles great. Tires are not for me. Suspension rough on small chop/roots. Bars cluttered. No kicker makes me nervous.

Suspension/Handling - 7 right now, shock was probably an 8. FYI I have never ridden a 10 but my KYB SSS was a 8.5. Handles as good, if not better than my YZ. Very confidence inspiring, it does what you want when you want.

Motor/Power - 9.....10? Lean to start made me nervous, but cleaned up on second day. I didn't want to mess with jetting because I wanted to feel it out stock. For what I WANT the bike to do I couldn't ask more. The map switch didn't feel very different? Maybe I need to turn it off and back on in order for it to take effect. Both modes felt the same.

Ergos/Controls - 7-8 I don't like the rear brake. It feels very close to the motor, and I found it harder to hit. Getting into neutral was also a pain, but that is probably a GOOD thing because the YZ250X would go into neutral if a bee sat on it. Probably just me getting use to it. The seat is very narrow, and very hard. Don't sit down. I liked the bend of the bars, I liked the pegs, tank feels WIDER than the YZ but NARROWER than my friends 2017 300XC. Just right. Either my pant was bunching, or the plastics above the pegs was digging into my knee area when squeezing. Need to figure this out. HOLY CRAP I love hydraulic everything, but holy crap the bars are cluttered. Couldn't fit my EE bark busters, because all the stuff. I plated the bike so I can ride connectors/fire roads up north and turkey runs, but I will probably switch to a race loom IF I can keep the speedo/hour meter. E start, kill switch, map and SCREW the rest of the crap. Loved the kill switch. It turns it off and LOCKS it off, so you don't accidentally start it. E start and kill right next to each other is great too.

Looks - 15,000 - I might trade my GF in for a 4 stroke version, so i can start "Three's Company - Italian edition"

ME - 32 - 190 - C class? I don't race, but I chase my A/B rider buddies all day long. They are fast........lol. I want to race next year when schedule allows, So I will rank myself then lol. Don't ride any moto tracks, usually double or single track trails. Gnarly rock gardens, cragy hill climbs, flowing woods tracks with small lips and doubles and such. This is just my opinion as a bottom feeder. So take it for what it is, opinion. 

Spelling/grammar/errors - Dont hate mate 

 

[Piney Woods]

Google LTR---Les Tinius Racing. He is out west(PNW) but has been working with the Sachs stuff for a long time. I recommend calling him and having a chat. Really nice, mature guy who has been doing this for a long time. True professional. No monkey business, you can depend on him.

Edited September 5, 2017 by YHGEORGE

[kawagumby]

Great write-up!  ?

[motoxgiant]

Welcome to the Beta family. Set the sag to a more realistic number (~100mm), get some more time on it, and then PM me about the suspension ?

[suckbangblow]

Google LTR---Les Tinius Racing. He is out west but has been working with the Sachs stuff for a long time. I recommend calling him and having a chat. Really nice, mature guy who has been doing this for a long time. True professional. No monkey business, you can depend on him.

I second this. Awesome guy, did my 2017 suspension.

[NEGbrap]

Thanks for the input. Love the bike so far, just have to dial in the boingers.

[ged93]

Hi , '18 is a good bike , it has also the possibility to take out from the cylinder the machined flange that connects it with the exhaust , so when it gets worn you can change it , also clutch is better . It's not so good that the kickstarter has gone .

I suggest you to protect asap exhaust , radiators and clutch cover because you will scratch it very quickly , also an aluminium engine cover would be a good thing .

What about your feeling with Sachs forks and rear shock ?

[NEGbrap]

On 9/20/2017 at 5:52 AM, ged93 said:

Hi , '18 is a good bike , it has also the possibility to take out from the cylinder the machined flange that connects it with the exhaust , so when it gets worn you can change it , also clutch is better . It's not so good that the kickstarter has gone .

I suggest you to protect asap exhaust , radiators and clutch cover because you will scratch it very quickly , also an aluminium engine cover would be a good thing .

What about your feeling with Sachs forks and rear shock ?

I like the way the bike feels currently, it really is just the small chop. So roots and rocks at speed feel like garbage. The larger and harder hits are fine, and it cranks hard through the whoops. I am just getting jarred through my teeth through any decently sized set of roots. I need to take a picture of what I'm talking about but I live in NH and ride Clough state park on a regular basis. It has some flowing single track, but is covered in roots and baseball/golfball sized rocks on mildy loose trail. 

Edited September 25, 2017 by NEGbrap

[Unstoppable120s]

2nd week of ownership on my 2018 Beta 300rr and I have to say, so far I am loving this thing. Switched from a 2016 YZ250X which I loved, but this machine is a beast. The power comes on like a freight train and never stops.
Brought bike home - Took what looked like it needed attention off and addressed any lubrication issues. Either my dealer or Beta USA or Beta ITALY did a great job of providing adequate lubrication on all the necessary parts. Linkage, bearings, head, bla bla bla. Didn't have to add anything. However, the white goo I believe either to be silicone or lithium grease the bike was covered in was kind of annoying to clean off. I didn't want to do a full hose, soap, and dry so I opted for a roll of blue shop towel. It came off easy but was in every nook and cranny. Checked all the fittings and bolts and torque specs, which were so kindly stamped on applicable areas like the triples and such. Cool little touch. Everything was good and in spec. Motor had 2 hours on it from the factory/dealer and for whatever reason the pipe to silencer connection was kinda messy? Apparently this is supposed to be cinched closed with zip ties, and as such it kinda sprayed 2 stroke mix on the motor, not a lot but enough to be like "WTF mate......" Cleaned it off, checked the pipe and silencer fit, but not much available room to adjust the connection. Emailed Beta USA and they said to zip tie it, and they would be emailing/calling the dealer as they should have done this. So I will be zip tying this in the future. 1st tank of gas is mixed 100:1 even with the oil injection as "insurance" in case it faults. Set the suspension for 102mm race sag naked and it worked out to be 110mm race sag in gear. Woot. I don't think I need a new rear spring. The "Work Stress Workout Plan" in full effect, 10lbs down. Banged on a aluminum pipe guard, as no 18 products are out, but 2017 Bullet Proof rad guards fit. Threw them on. Installed on some Cycra CRM's that are beat to piss, because I assume this thing is going down once I hit the single track. Checked the skiddy......its like a food tray from McDonald's hahahaha. O well better than nothing. Dropped tires from 35 PSI (what the piss?) to 12 front 10 rear. Michelin FIM spec Enduro tires...... shorter knobs, and less knobs to be gentler on the trails. Save the planet I guess? VE33 110 rear and a M59 front are in the corner of my garage, begging to go on. Have not run a VE33 but hear good things. YZ has had MT16's on the rear and I love them, but alas I have ADHD and like to try new things.
Ride .5 - turned it on, warmed it up, did 2 laps of the house, giggled, and put it away. Neighbors looked confused, GF laughed at me, and asked when the YZ was going......I laughed and asked when she's going..........stern looks exchanged, dogs run out side and interrupt and I chase them for 15 minutes.
Ride 1 - 1 hour-ish Took the bike out on some local rail trail for about 25-30 miles breaking the motor in. First tank was meh, felt lean on the bottom, and a touch rich up top.....sadface. Good on the pipe, just really ring dingy off the bottom, surging. Didn't hammer it, but kept a good 35-40mph clip over sandy rail trail, whoops, and chop. Tracks amazing for a bike designed for the twisty gnarly stuff. Got home changed the transmission oil and saw lots of shiny sparkles......? but not to worry, as I have experienced this with all my bikes on the first ride. The drain plug with the magnetic tip is awesome. Thanks for the free security Beta. Changed the oil, checked the bike over for loose parts and found nothing. Man this kick stand tip is lame, its basically a javelin...... gave her a first clean, silencer was a little spoogey but now shes fresh to death. DAMN BOOTS! The aluminum that rubbed off the YZ on my boots, is now on my sexy Beta. Kill me. But I got it off. All is good in life. Zen. 
Half way through this ride, the display started going on and off. Stopped, got off the bike and diagnosed it as a loose connection on the horn. Fixed it, but had me concerned might take all this street crap off. 
Ride 2 - took her out to my local trails, Hopkinton Everett trail system in NH. Cool place managed by the Army Corp of Engineers, they practice flood control etc etc. Trails are maintained by several Dirtbike clubs. Some old dudes on track packers show up and make 12 inch deep double ruts when it rains, this is there version of "Train Maintenance"..........JK! They build bridges all the time, and bring plenty of beers. Cool dudes. Filled the tank up with some freshy fresh 93.....unmixed.......weird. Let the bike warm up, and went and banged out some loops on the double track. Holy crap, this motor is great, first gear is......for walking pace only. After that I took off from a stand still in 2nd for the rest of the day. This motor is just a different beast compared to the YZ. I love the YZ, I love the SSS suspension.....but damn girl, this Italian lady likes the pipe! For a supposedly mellow bike, that's designed to chug this thing can't wait for a fist full of throttle. Spent the rest of the day in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th....with 5th and 6th on the connectors. Did 1 loop of the double track, turns amazing, tracks amazing, but kinda rough on the trail trash and chop. Great pop off of the whoops, which was nice when I wanted to double/triple them. Came back to the staging area and went softer on the front compression and rebound by 4 clicks. Took it back out, more confidence on the bike so I was riding at a nice clip. Noticed a little difference, but didn't want to take away any of the quality handling characteristics. As far as trail trash, roots were still quite unpleasant, will have to dial this in. Have Stillwell on speed dial, They did Max and Cody's endurocross bikes......so they probably are dialed. If anyone has any recommendations for a tuner for Sachs let me know. Got a nice claw hand by the end of the 3rd loop. Probably because I'm not use to the bike ergos, or 300 nut. Slid back on the seat frequently, need more butt grip. Felt like a scrub with the arm pump but I was giggling all day. Tires are great, until you lean into a sandy berm, then they just kinda step out. Side lugs are weak sauce. Probably throwing the new tires on this weekend, but want to try these are the gnarly single gnar. Rock gardens and all. Finished riding and no spooge on the pipe, just a crisp small grey ring no lean surge and no rich fatness. Jetting was perfect, didn't even crack the carb open or touch the air screw.
TLDR - Bike is great. Awesome power. Handles great. Tires are not for me. Suspension rough on small chop/roots. Bars cluttered. No kicker makes me nervous.
Suspension/Handling - 7 right now, shock was probably an 8. FYI I have never ridden a 10 but my KYB SSS was a 8.5. Handles as good, if not better than my YZ. Very confidence inspiring, it does what you want when you want.
Motor/Power - 9.....10? Lean to start made me nervous, but cleaned up on second day. I didn't want to mess with jetting because I wanted to feel it out stock. For what I WANT the bike to do I couldn't ask more. The map switch didn't feel very different? Maybe I need to turn it off and back on in order for it to take effect. Both modes felt the same.
Ergos/Controls - 7-8 I don't like the rear brake. It feels very close to the motor, and I found it harder to hit. Getting into neutral was also a pain, but that is probably a GOOD thing because the YZ250X would go into neutral if a bee sat on it. Probably just me getting use to it. The seat is very narrow, and very hard. Don't sit down. I liked the bend of the bars, I liked the pegs, tank feels WIDER than the YZ but NARROWER than my friends 2017 300XC. Just right. Either my pant was bunching, or the plastics above the pegs was digging into my knee area when squeezing. Need to figure this out. HOLY CRAP I love hydraulic everything, but holy crap the bars are cluttered. Couldn't fit my EE bark busters, because all the stuff. I plated the bike so I can ride connectors/fire roads up north and turkey runs, but I will probably switch to a race loom IF I can keep the speedo/hour meter. E start, kill switch, map and SCREW the rest of the crap. Loved the kill switch. It turns it off and LOCKS it off, so you don't accidentally start it. E start and kill right next to each other is great too.
Looks - 15,000 - I might trade my GF in for a 4 stroke version, so i can start "Three's Company - Italian edition"
ME - 32 - 190 - C class? I don't race, but I chase my A/B rider buddies all day long. They are fast........lol. I want to race next year when schedule allows, So I will rank myself then lol. Don't ride any moto tracks, usually double or single track trails. Gnarly rock gardens, cragy hill climbs, flowing woods tracks with small lips and doubles and such. This is just my opinion as a bottom feeder. So take it for what it is, opinion. 
Spelling/grammar/errors - Dont hate mate 
 

Good review! Last year I sold my 07 CR250 2 smoke and bought a 17 beta 300 "race". I'm still a bit confused by Beta's marketing. Are all 300's the same now? Did you buy the "race" version? Since I'm far from a Beta dealer I don't know. I DM'd Steve Halcolm and his answer confused me even more.
I really like my 17 300 Beta. Very strong motor, jetting is good, throttle response is great, ergo's are great. I'm gonna remove the thermostat with a hose kit, 180.00..[emoji107] my buddy's KTM 250XC seems to turn better but everything else on beta is better including suspension. Yes, I'm a trail hack but I've raced moto and scrambles. With 35 years of riding I hope I know a little bit about it. I'm loving my beta. Only thing better would be a 2018 beta!

[NEGbrap]

10 minutes ago, Unstoppable120s said:

Good review! Last year I sold my 07 CR250 2 smoke and bought a 17 beta 300 "race". I'm still a bit confused by Beta's marketing. Are all 300's the same now? Did you buy the "race" version? Since I'm far from a Beta dealer I don't know. I DM'd Steve Halcolm and his answer confused me even more.
I really like my 17 300 Beta. Very strong motor, jetting is good, throttle response is great, ergo's are great. I'm gonna remove the thermostat with a hose kit, 180.00.. my buddy's KTM 250XC seems to turn better but everything else on beta is better including suspension. Yes, I'm a trail hack but I've raced moto and scrambles. With 35 years of riding I hope I know a little bit about it. I'm loving my beta. Only thing better would be a 2018 beta!

Yea hopefully I can get the suspension sorted.

[NEGbrap]

Update -

Brought the forks up to the second line, about 8mm in the triples. Dropped the sag to 100mm. Much better feel all around, but did feel less stable at speed. Went soft on compression and rebound on the fork, 4 in from full soft. Went slightly softer from stock on the shock. Rode it around for about 3 hours last Saturday, handles the bumps decently well now, turns a little quicker.

My question now is, when I was working on my bike and was testing out the compression and rebound settings I found what I believe to be PART of the problem of roughness in the stroke on small chop

When I have the bike standing up, depress the brake and start to compress the forks there is a MASSIVE amount of stiction before the forks compress. I thought it was me, so I had my brother try. He get's up, holds the break and starts to lean weight on the forks, then it finally starts to compress.

For comparison I go over to my YZ250x and do the same thing. The second I start leaning on the YZ it starts to compresses, no delay, no sticking, just a smooth stroke. In my mind this MUST be contributing to the suspension feel.

What could be casuing this? Suspension gurus I need your help!

[GP]

First make sure alignment is correct, use the Motion Pro tool. Second, not sure about the newer Sachs but the ones I had apart have a massive amount of preload on the springs. Last, that fork is not and never will be in the same league as the fork on the YZX.

 

[BENriding]

I would also recommend going through alignment procedure on the front end, loosen triple pinch bolts be sure tubes can move a bit then retighten top ones to spec (10NM?) do not over tighten or you will have issues. Loosen axel pinch bolts make sure axel is free, compress front end a few times retighten lower triple pinch bolts. then side opposite brake axel pinch bolts slowly starting on brake side to spec. There are much more detailed descriptions of the process out there.

Haven't used the Motion Pro Tool- I looked it up- might get one of those.

Edited October 9, 2017 by BENriding

[hawaiidirtrider]

On 10/5/2017 at 3:55 AM, NEGbrap said:

Update -

Brought the forks up to the second line, about 8mm in the triples. Dropped the sag to 100mm. Much better feel all around, but did feel less stable at speed. Went soft on compression and rebound on the fork, 4 in from full soft. Went slightly softer from stock on the shock. Rode it around for about 3 hours last Saturday, handles the bumps decently well now, turns a little quicker.

My question now is, when I was working on my bike and was testing out the compression and rebound settings I found what I believe to be PART of the problem of roughness in the stroke on small chop

When I have the bike standing up, depress the brake and start to compress the forks there is a MASSIVE amount of stiction before the forks compress. I thought it was me, so I had my brother try. He get's up, holds the break and starts to lean weight on the forks, then it finally starts to compress.

For comparison I go over to my YZ250x and do the same thing. The second I start leaning on the YZ it starts to compresses, no delay, no sticking, just a smooth stroke. In my mind this MUST be contributing to the suspension feel.

What could be casuing this? Suspension gurus I need your help!

There's some break in time too before going too deep into changing up your suspension . It's loosened up on my bikes then you can start doing some adjusting.. That's one factor to add on to the overall picture at least. You can put up a search on this topic for Beta in past threads and find some similarity even though for 18 forks are supposed to be stiffer this year. I remember when I got my 15' 300rr the forks came with a little stiffer springs than the 13' 300rr I had before. They've been consistently refining. You'll get some of the regular brand new bike first riding view of suspension on some old threads just to compare notes.

https://www.google.com/search?q=beta+300+rr+suspension+&oq=beta+300+rr+suspension+&gs_l=psy-ab.12..35i39k1j0j0i22i30k1l2.35823.35823.0.38319.1.1.0.0.0.0.286.286.2-1.1.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.1.270....0.pAaeQ23ZNkU

Edited October 10, 2017 by hawaiidirtrider

[hawaiidirtrider]

On 10/8/2017 at 7:06 PM, BENriding said:

I would also recommend going through alignment procedure on the front end, loosen triple pinch bolts be sure tubes can move a bit then retighten top ones to spec (10NM?) do not over tighten or you will have issues. Loosen axel pinch bolts make sure axel is free, compress front end a few times retighten lower triple pinch bolts. then side opposite brake axel pinch bolts slowly starting on brake side to spec. There are much more detailed descriptions of the process out there.

Haven't used the Motion Pro Tool- I looked it up- might get one of those.

got one of those motion pro tools.. It's good but not needed.. but more tools don't hurt and if you want to be sure this is the tool. I've used it on my honda more in the past. I haven't changed my fork position much in my Beta. My dealer looked at it and thought of it more in the concept of a product for sale and thought.. why didn't I think of that and sell sort of thing.. just in conversation.

Edited October 10, 2017 by hawaiidirtrider

[hawaiidirtrider]

On 10/8/2017 at 4:09 AM, GP said:

First make sure alignment is correct, use the Motion Pro tool. Second, not sure about the newer Sachs but the ones I had apart have a massive amount of preload on the springs. Last, that fork is not and never will be in the same league as the fork on the YZX.

 

http://www.motosport.com/product/?adpos=1o1&cc=us&creative=188670675742&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw3_HOBRBaEiwAvLBboqme3np_82iY2vXk7-EJYaN52zHiwg1ek2CN7ULKaXRzNBXZATwSlRoCrE0QAvD_BwE&key=Motion-Pro-Fork-Alignment-Tool&matchtype=&mrkgadid=3192761621&mrkgcl=500&network=g&product_id=MP-TOOL-113&psreferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&pssource=true&rkg_id=h-f4fc4b85ccd306ea070687ad3b1b366d_t-1507673639&segment=badger

  

here's the tool GP is talking about if you haven't seen it before. I thought I paid closer to 40 bucks a while back.. but then my life sucks paying way more for shipping for everything where I live.

Edited October 10, 2017 by hawaiidirtrider

[GP]

It's a great tool. Some forks align correct naturally, some when checked with the tool are way off. We checked several bikes (Betas, GG, Huskys) where owners thought they aligned correctly the old school way, only one was close.

[jviz1]

Another quick '18 300rr review.

Picked up a used 2018 300rr with 2hours/30mi to replace my 2015 300rr.   For comparison, on my '15 300rr, i run .44/5.4 springs, G2-400 throttle, 2.5 turns power valve, Lectron carb, 51 tooth rear to avoid false neutrals between 2-1, pretty much never used 1st.   The new bike is totally stock at moment, .42/.52 springs, 49 tooth, 2.5 turns PV, set sag to 100, fork to second line.   Did first ride this weekend.

Observations:

Never hit neutral between 2-1 -- this is great, i like ability to use first.  Will leave 49T on, have wider gearing for higher speed transfer sections.   

Suspension with the lighter springs felt stiffer than 2015, dampening is much greater -- worked great in faster or whooped terrian.  In slow terrian/rock gardens, even with fork comp/reb backed all the way out, felt a little harsh.  Rear shock worked fine everywhere, didn't really notice it.  Did align the forks with MP tool mentioned above, they were right on, stiction does seem greater than '15, but want to get 15+ hours on it before making changes to fork.

Power wise, it's hard to directly compare, because I've mellowed power on the '15 with G2 and lectron.   The power on '18 was abrupt off idle, felt way torquier just off idle. Really fun in whooped terrian, way easier to loft front, gave bike a light playful feel.  But, did seem a little on/off at low RPM in tightest single track.  I'm going to add the G2, test it, may forgo the Lectron on '18. 

[NEGbrap]

25 minutes ago, jviz1 said:

Another quick '18 300rr review.

Picked up a used 2018 300rr with 2hours/30mi to replace my 2015 300rr.   For comparison, on my '15 300rr, i run .44/5.4 springs, G2-400 throttle, 2.5 turns power valve, Lectron carb, 51 tooth rear to avoid false neutrals between 2-1, pretty much never used 1st.   The new bike is totally stock at moment, .42/.52 springs, 49 tooth, 2.5 turns PV, set sag to 100, fork to second line.   Did first ride this weekend.

Observations:

Never hit neutral between 2-1 -- this is great, i like ability to use first.  Will leave 49T on, have wider gearing for higher speed transfer sections.   

Suspension with the lighter springs felt stiffer than 2015, dampening is much greater -- worked great in faster or whooped terrian.  In slow terrian/rock gardens, even with fork comp/reb backed all the way out, felt a little harsh.  Rear shock worked fine everywhere, didn't really notice it.  Did align the forks with MP tool mentioned above, they were right on, stiction does seem greater than '15, but want to get 15+ hours on it before making changes to fork.

Power wise, it's hard to directly compare, because I've mellowed power on the '15 with G2 and lectron.   The power on '18 was abrupt off idle, felt way torquier just off idle. Really fun in whooped terrian, way easier to loft front, gave bike a light playful feel.  But, did seem a little on/off at low RPM in tightest single track.  I'm going to add the G2, test it, may forgo the Lectron on '18. 

Great update. The motor is phenomenal. I also appreciate the no neutral hits, I would hit neutral frequently on YZ250X.

I pulled both wheels, and installed tubliss on the rear, went to install tubliss on the front and the red liner would not seal. Dealing with that today. First failure on a tubliss for me, so Im calling there tech support. Any who, slapped a HD tube on the front and the M59 and IRC VE33 rear with the tubliss on the rear. The VE33 is new to me but have heard good things. Love the M59.

After doing the tires, lubing the front and rear bearings and checking lube on the linkage, I realigned the front forks. Stiction is almost completely gone, to the point where it is barely noticeable...........I should have done this in the beginning. I had only retorqued the triples, but never redid the axle. Not that I can remember? Didn't get a chance to take it for a rip, but I feel I should reset the comp and rebound to stock, because it will be like riding a new bike. I should have bought the damn thing in a crate like I wanted to. I don't trust ANY dealership when it comes to "Freight and Setup" It's mostly bullshit. The bike comes with a warranty, I should have insisted on the bike unassembeld in crate. Wish I could find a good reliable mechanic for "oh sh!t" moments but I can do almost all the work I should ever need on this bike myself.

Thanks for the input.

[redhurricane]

5 hours ago, NEGbrap said:

Any who, slapped a HD tube on the front and the M59 and IRC VE33 rear with the tubliss on the rear. The VE33 is new to me but have heard good things. Love the M59.

I am a fan of the ve33/ve35- for Colorado terrain that changes from loamy decomposed granite to slick wet roots, they perform well. I run 12psi with heavy duty tubes and they give good feel. I don't chunk knobs like I used to on Maxxis and Dunlop products.