Not that long ago the 300cc two-stroke dirtbike was dying a slow death in the market-place. They were often hard to start thanks to no electric leg, the power was aggressive, they bucked like a bronco and most riders got arm pump with just the thought of riding one. But, thanks to the introduction of electric start, optional dual ignition curves, counter-balancers and advances in cylinder porting the current crop of 300cc two-stroke dirtbikes are more popular than ever.
Italian manufacturer Beta are leading the way in this class with four different models. In no particular order here is the current range they offer: the XTrainer 300, RX300, RR300 and RR300 Racing. This is great, however it can be confusing to work out what model will suit you best without riding them all. We at ADB got hold of all four bikes on the same day to see how they perform on a mix of different tracks and terrain with five totally different riders of mixed sizes and ability.
MOTORS, SUSPENSION AND CHASSIS
The XTrainer, RR and RR Racing are all trail/enduro bikes that are ADR compliant. The RX is a motocross bike and not ADR compliant. The XTrainer comes in with a seat height of 910mm, the RR and RR Racing 930mm, while the RX measures 939mm. The RX and XTrainer weigh 99kg, RR and RR Racing both weigh 103.5kg. The X-Trainer, RR and RR Racing bore and stroke is 73mm × 69.9mm while the RX is 72mm × 72mm.
In the fuel/oil mixing department both the XTrainer and RR use an electric pump for oil, while the RR Racing and
