BUSH BOLTERS

It’s an interesting time to be one of the ‘fringe’ brands. With word that KTM isn’t going to compete in the 2018 World Enduro Championships (a fact that blows our tiny minds), and that Husqvarna is following the lead of its big brother, the door is open for the likes of Beta, Gas Gas and Sherco to shine and take a huge leap ahead over the next 12 months.

And it’s somewhat good timing for the three given they are sitting on arguably the best model line-up they’ve yet offered (specifically the EC3000 for Gas Gas, though more is on the way). So, should Beta come away with plenty of chicken dinners in 2018, can it back that up with a quality stock bike range for the rest of us to enjoy?

Beta is offering a good-sized range that includes the 250cc and 300cc two-strokes as well as the X-Trainer 300 and a 350, 390, 430 and 480cc four-strokes. From there you can also go for the Race Edition models which feature a decent amount of small upgrades. Our test day featured the 250RR two-stroke and 390RR four-stroke, which offroad