Cahaba

Are you running Rotella-3T on both sides?

[mention=8134]Ben[/mention] - Correct. It is one unit so you install them from different sides just like you did but they are balanced and thus inside the unit in alternating fashion so it spreads the load evenly. The stronger the spring then the higher the RPMs have to be to have the disc create friction and engage. But that also means if too strong then as you approach idle it will free wheel like hitting neutral which you would probably notice more if you went to all blue as you would lose some of the engine braking as your RPMs got into the lower range. At the same time with higher rates those rpms have to come up higher so when it engages it may also appear to hit harder. Like you said they aren’t that hard to change around and play with, just lay the bike over and you don’t lose any oil. But a free opinion, I think you started out right in the sweet spot on your 500. If you do anything I would try the all blue, as these bikes just idle too high for all red to work well (mine idles the same speed yours does from your report earlier). This took me a little time to figure out as the sticker on the frame said idle should be 1450 and I kept thinking something was wrong. They produced those stickers too early and found on these 18’s the idle needed to be higher so they all ended up shipping at higher rates than was was originally spec and what Rekluse originally set these up for on all red springs (or maybe it was red/silver combo, too long ago to remember).

There aren’t really “sides” as much as how they enter the EXP assembly with the twist locks if I recall correctly - you did it correctly if you alternated them and will have balanced pressure. Also here’s the chart on spring strengths and color for those that haven’t seen this.

I think you’ll be happy with red/blue combo. If your 500 is like mine, that’s the best setup I found (tried a variety of combinations). With the speed they idle at this combo gives very me little to almost no drag (all red either gave me too much drag or too much high rpm slip - free play gain was tough to set), doesn’t freewheel too easily like if you use all blue, yet also a decent hit when you need to blip the throttle rather than a smooth roll of it. I use 2nd gear for a lot of technical stuff and it works so well for me, I’m amazed almost every time I ride the stuff I can get through without feet ever leaving the pegs.

I know with mine I can feel the fluid move back and forth a bit. Hard to explain but if I use the LHRB then go to use the foot brake there is a little mush feel. Nothing terrible but I can feel it before it engages, then the opposite if I go back. If I use either one a second time without switching then it is firm and instant, but it is the going back and forth that seems to push a little fluid around and I would agree that it doesn’t feel as efficient. I like having both but just know what to expect and probably use the LHRB 90% of the time and if I know I may be or come to an area where I want the foot brake I’ll tap it first and then I’ll know the next moment it will be spot on to engage. It’s been bled by someone I trust so it just seems to be fluid moving a little between the two spots where the units apply pressure. Kinda like taking up a little bit of slack in a rope. Not much but enough were I feel it for the first couple millimeters of movement when going between them.

I feel like I have way more touch to brake pressure, can still easily lock it up if I need, and can also keep both feet better balanced on the pegs with placement where I don’t have to think about having a decent pivot ability to modulate the foot brake. I just added ankle saver pegs which are a good fit since I can stay a little further back in the pegs now for both sides. Oh and it is much easier to “parking brake” it when parking on a hill with a simple strap as well as for occasional transport.

I absolutely LOVE it on my 500. Amazing how much easier it is to ride more aggressive and yet save a lot of energy. With the engine mass I pretty much never have to put a foot down even when just crawling almost to a stop sharply through stuff as I can rev it a bit in 2nd (or 1st if I need more throttle hit) and it just keeps everything upright and trucking along. That and steg pegz combined probably double how long I can ride before tiring much. Yet full speed stuff is all basically the same clutch work unless I just throttle control clutchless shift. I also really like the brake touch I have with the LHRB but still use the pedal some as well (just can’t always immediately go back and forth with a small amount of mush feel). Biggest adaption you have to be careful/cognizant of is when time to stop and park you aren’t on much of a slope without something to hold the brake (I keep a quick Velcro strap near my LHRB to act as a parking brake if I want to dismount on a hill or slope). If you hop off quick on a hill to help a buddy or something, it is going to roll away on you unless you quick strap something like a LHRB. Took me a bit to dial in the right spring settings, for my taste a mix of red/blue works very well. Red/Silver slipped too much on higher aggressive RPM and all Red still had me worried about a little slipping when I ride fast in supermoto mode. Rekluse sent me packs of all the colors and it was surprising how much of a difference they make in how hard it hits as I changed them out and tried different configurations. Not everyone likes Rekluse but to me it is like DVR for the TV. Now that I’ve ridden with it, probably every bike I ever own in the future for offroad will have it (although I may just never get another bike I enjoy this Beta so much!)

Seat Concepts is basically aftermarket and are definitely more comfortable. I’ve not made updates on here in a while but I settled on a mix of red/blue springs for the Rekluse which work real well for my riding. I was surprised how changing those springs changes how much the initial throttle hits, which took a min to get used to, but I am still totally spoiled on Rekluse. I have yet to stall or flameout in the technical stuff and don’t wear my arm out near as much fanning that clutch lever. Not saying the bike hasn’t hit the ground on occasion, but it didn’t stall while doing it! I’ve also recently swapped to ankle saver pegs for a little extra safety/comfort as I wear Forma Adventure boots which I like for the protection they provide with comfort and flex, but they wouldn’t stop a major ankle rotation if I hit hard. I adopted some saddle bags which hold more and make the ride much better on trails compared to my old top pack since the weight sits lower and is distributed well. Doubt I’ll use that top pack much anymore. While not perfect I also went with a full Tubliss system, a fatty front, and Xtreme Hybrid rear which is a great combination for me. My only gripe is I never could get that rear to 100% seal so I lose about 1 PSI on the low pressure side every couple hours. It is almost like the tire bead doesn’t seal, just super tiny air bubbles all around barely seap when in water even though I slimed it all up pretty good on install. It isn’t enough to warrant me remounting it as I don’t usually ride long enough for it to matter and I keep a tiny emergency airpump on me anyways so I can put some air in within a few sec if I ever need to hit a long stretch of asphalt coming home. My traction just increases anyways offroad as the PSI drops a hair across half a day or so. Couple more pics from a little while back before I swapped the pegs.

It is pliable so it easily bends/snaps in place with the molded lip that is contiguous around the outside. I grabbed a white and black one a while back, and think I like the look of black better with the white Baja light inside of it. Got tested Sat with some decent mud puddles and it sure helped keep some splashing from getting back in behind the light. Doesn’t seal the opening, but it fills in the gap well for the $.

Thought I’d relay an update to this thread as it pertains to the Rekluse CX item. Essentially the 2018’s (at least the 500 series for sure) idle higher than the spec sheet and the early “sample” bike that Rekluse built their 2018 series clutch from. Factory spec sticker on the frame says 1450, but proper idle from Beta USA technical is ~1850 (mine seems closer to 1900 if the voyager tach is accurate). Rekluse continues to fuel their great reputation as they have been super responsive the whole time and immediately sent me additional stronger springs that will help tune mine to the right setup (when I get around to swapping them out) They appear to have already updated Beta on this from similar issues that were reported, have created and given Beta a new chart of what springs to use going forward on BYOB, and probably won’t hesitate to help anyone else out that got one of the first ones off the line and is in the same boat. I will say while it currently surges/drags aggressively when trying to stop, it doesn’t ever stall. Even using brakes to hold it still and ignoring the clutch lever. I also can crawl through slow technical stuff with really little to zero throttle! Though I will probably swap the springs soon so it is better tuned. These really are outstanding machines.

After trying and failing for a while to get mine to snap onto that rear frame using the hooks, I finally shaved a bit of the (brake side) hook back with a razor. Now it fits better up in there and snaps on tightly with a firm shove - only takes a min to get on/off. I’m not using the forward facing hook, doesn’t seem needed to me.

A lot of batteries, lithium being the worst offender, struggle in the extreme cold. Something simple I’ve thought about, but never tested, was taking a hot hands packet or two (or maybe one of the slightly bigger ‘body’ size) and setting it in that small space up against the battery side maybe late the night before or early in the morning for a while before trying to E-start. Boxes of those things are fairly inexpensive and that open space against the battery almost seems like the perfect size. With the seat back on it should keep the warmed air pocket somewhat contained (theory only at this point) Just a crazy idea that may be worth testing for those of you that frequently deal with extremely colder temps than I.

I got a couple hours of trail riding in today. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Goodness. Wife is already calling my Beta the other woman. Nothing too crazy as I was alone, many times without cell coverage, and learning a new bike, but climbing a couple rocky trails that have occasionally given me trouble in the past were a total breeze. Probably a combination of the clutch cheat letting me focus more on other items, maybe the Flexx bars and the steering dampener helping to control rock deflection. While the idle still has to be figured out so I can stop without it pulling bad, I’m already getting spoiled by this clutch in the technical stuff. Never owned a bike with Flexx bars or steering dampener, so it is a little harder for me to specifically always tell what parts are contributing when ... but I swear climbing up and through some areas on this bike felt like I breezed up a nice smooth trail, yet I know otherwise as my handguards were tested harshly a few times in those spots on other bikes. Yet this all performs nicely if I need to snap the clutch/throttle to lighten the front end as I bounce it to get over obstacles or short gulleys. Been playing with the clickers some too as I had it fairly stiff while doing supermoto riding on initial break in. I’m getting addicted to this smooth power delivery, but am very pleased with how much flexibility there is to also control it for front lightening power snaps when needed, low end torque on climbing technical stuff, or trying to see if I can blow the visor off my helmet as it jumps to 50-60mph almost instantly if the terrain is safe enough to yank that throttle past halfway. I am really enjoying the LHRB, but have noticed that when I use it much, then my foot brake seems mushy and I have to push it further to engage reasonably or pump it first. If I use the foot brake some, then the handle brake is mushy until I give it a quick pump. I sort can feel the fluid push back and forth (push down on the pedal and I feel the LHRB handle move out some). Not a deal breaker or major disappointment if this is just the way it is as I’m really quickly learning and picking up the LHRB use and have flipped back and forth between it and the clutch lever very quickly - and dare I say naturally with only a few hours ride time on this setup. Anyone know if this is typical/normal type behavior - or do I need to try and give it all a good bleeding? Pushed it on some soft jumps (just a couple feet of air) to see if the kickstand wanted to come down at all and it never did that I noticed, as well as bouncing through some rocky areas. I used the safety strap most of the day, why not as it only takes a sec, but I did want to test those springs out to see how they did and was pleased with the results. Today was a good day. Here’s a quick pic earlier into the ride from one of the gas lines where I can really play with the power. She was still pretty clean at this point!

What about a WR450 that is street legal? Not as common but might give you the Yamaha tiny maintenance requirement but with the power you are looking for and decent for dual purpose. Agree on using non-ethanol fuel if at all possible. I keep a 15Gal caddy of it in the garage where I add a little fuel stabilizer, seafoam, and octane booster whenever I refill it. It could take me a year to go through it and I never have a hiccup in anything I use it in (bikes, generator, power equipment, etc) I just built a Beta 500 for both trail and supermoto riding as I’m now too addicted to both, but wife won’t let me have 2 bikes in the garage. With the engine and transmission oil being in separate sections I’m expecting tremendous life and reliability. I did 80mph during initial break in with the moto’s on it and the bike wasn’t even trying. Almost couldn’t believe it. https://thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/1249190-my-new-decked-out-500-rrs-thoughts-impressions-learnings-many-pics/