Adam Booth | October 7, 2016
Working hard to provide a dual-sport suited for everyone, Beta has introduced the 125 RR-S to the American market. At $4999, it isn’t exactly in the play-bike price range, but it is priced well under what a full-blown dual-sport costs and it provides a lot of bang for a 125cc four-stroke. Plus, it is street legal!
You really don’t need mega power to have fun on the trail. The new Beta 125 RR-S is proof of that.
Let’s Do It
The heart of this little dual-sport is an Italian built, four-valve, liquid-cooled 125cc four-stroke engine. A Mikuni 26mm carburetor feeds an engine best described as surprisingly peppy. With decent torque and a bit of flywheel weight, the 125 RR-S lugs down impressively low, pulling full-sized adults up steep technical trails. If the terrain has some incline, the 125 RR-S likes to stay in first gear and work its way to the top at a casual pace. If you, the rider, tip the scale below 130 pounds, it will feel even more powerful.
What the 125 RR-S won’t do is blast up any sandy or loose hills, it has its limits and prefers harder-packed terrain that doesn’t suck all the power out of it.
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Photography by Adam Booth
The Mikuni carb is great about ignoring altitude changes. We rode all the way up to 5000 feet without any issues in performance. Above that we can’t guarantee perfect response without some adjustment.
A temperature-controlled fan does a great job of keeping the little powerplant from overheating during slow riding while abusing the clutch. Speaking of abusing the clutch, it can actually handle it quite well and the lever pull is ultra easy, which is great new for the beginning rider.
Crazy quiet is the only way to describe the exhaust note. We pulled out the muffler insert just for kicks and it added a little boost and more noise. We put it back in to complete testing in stock form and to keep Johnny Law happy. Beta will no doubt have products to help up the overall power and add more excitement to the engine for those who just can’t leave their motorcycles stock.
The six-speed gearbox provides riders with the best choice of gearing for most conditions and the use of a 428 size chain helps reduce mechanical loss when compared to a bigger 520 chain. A bike like this doesn’t need to turn a big 520 chain and will never break a 420 chain under normal usage. If you don’t care about extended periods of humming down the road at 60 mph, dropping a tooth on the counter-shaft sprocket will tighten up the gaps between gears and allow the use of second gear in the slower single track.
We put a few hundred miles on the 125 RR-S and even under full acceleration the rear tire hardly showed signs of wear thanks to the lack of brute power. Beta’s choice to equip the 125 RR-S with a 21-inch front and an 18-inch rear tire really boost its off-road prowess.
Further increasing the cool factor is it comes with Michelin Enduro Competition rubber. The bigger wheels and a chassis that is only a little smaller than a full-sized enduro bike help the 125 RR-S handle more like true dirt-bike rather than a play bike. For hard-core single-track shredders and those looking for ultimate traction, using a trials tire would boost the fun factor even further.
The 1.6-gallon gas tank provides plenty of fuel under moderate riding conditions and will easily go 70 miles. If you ride aggressive and keep the throttle tapped, which is not a hard thing to do on the little 125, gas mileage drops a bit.
Beta knows how to make an entry-level off-road bike look very cool.
The suspension is simple, the forks use a singe spring, and other than the shock preload, the suspension is non-adjustable. Overall, the settings are great for the size and speed of the 125 RR-S. We spent significant time on technical single track, littered with rocks and roots. The valving was great for this type of terrain, especially in first and second gear.
The 125 RR-S floats across trail hack and soaks up decent sized hits. Jumping and hammering whoops isn’t what this bike is designed for, especially if you are more than 130 pounds. Our scale says the 125 RR-S weighs 249 with a full tank of gas, but, thanks to the larger wheels and balanced ergos, it doesn’t feel like an anchor on the trail. With a real-world seat height of 35 inches, it is about an inch lower than a full-sized bike, helping those vertically challenged to feel more confident when coming to a stop or placing their feet on uneven ground.
The 125 RR-S seems to be tuned just right for riders right around the 130-pound mark.
We found the top speed to hover around 65 mph on a flat smooth road. Any incline drops that to around 60 mph and a downhill (very steep downhill) allowed us 68 mph. This little bike will do 65 mph, but that doesn’t mean you should get on the freeway: you’ll get run over and, besides, it’s illegal to ride a bike under 150cc on the interstate. Cruising around town and ripping down two-lane roads is no problem and we logged tons of miles humming along at 60 mph.
The vibration from the little 125 is almost zero and the Beta 125 RR is actually pleasant to ride for extended periods. If you’re heavier than 140 pounds, the front half of the seat doesn’t provide much padding; that’s where the gas tank is. Our solution was to slide back when logging longer miles.
It might be small but the 124.5cc Beta still gets electric starting, which easily ignites its spunky-for-its size engine.
The front brake leaves a lot to be desired. It is pretty weak, and, even after a hundred miles of hard use, it never improved. Another thing we discovered is in rocky downhills, where the front wheel is stressed side to side and the front brake is constantly on, the brake lever will slowly pull all the way to the grip unless you let off and give it a couple quick pumps.
The small front axle and single-sided spring fork allow a lot of front-wheel flex that in turn allows the disc to push back against the pads and caliper. We didn’t experience this problem unless the terrain was really rocky. Out back, the rear brake is opposite than the front; it has a tendency to grab and lock when you want to feather it. This is not a great attribute for beginners trying to learn controlled use of the rear brake.
(Left) Being street legal opens many doors for the 125 RR-S, and no one can complain about noise when you ride by on this bike. (Right) Braking department needs to be tweaked from the factory. It’s too soft up front and too grabby in the back.
Impressive Little Bike!
After some decent amount of time cruising town and exploring different types of off-road terrain, the idea of a smaller-than-average dual-sport has grown on us. The 125 RR-S is a great reminder that enjoying riding off-road doesn’t have to involve big power. This is also a great gateway drug into serious dual-sport riding for a beginner or smaller-sized rider. As a bonus, the Beta 125 RR-S would look pretty sweet decorating the front or back of an RV. CN
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SPECIFICATIONS: 2017 Beta 125 RR-S
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Engine Type:
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124.5cc liquid-cooled, 4-valve, 4-stroke, single
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Bore x Stroke:
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52.0mm x 58.6mm
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Compression Ratio:
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11.2:1
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Fuel Delivery:
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Mikuni 26 mm carburetor
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Ignition:
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CDI (TCI)
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Transmission:
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6-speed multi-plate wet clutch
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Final Drive:
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428 Chain
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Final Gearing:
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14/63
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Front Suspension:
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41 mm USD fork
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Rear Suspension:
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Steel body shock w/adjustable spring preload
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Front Wheel Travel:
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10.3 in.
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Rear Wheel Travel:
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10.6 in.
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Front Brake:
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260mm
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Rear Brake:
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220mm
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Front Wheel:
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21 in.
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Rear Wheel:
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18 in.
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Tires:
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Michelin Enduro Competition (DOT Approved)
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Seat Height:
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35 in.
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Wheelbase:
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56.7 in.
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Ground Clearance:
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13.0 in.
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Fuel Capacity:
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1.6 gal.
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Claimed Wet Weight
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219 lbs. (without gas)
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Actual Weight:
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249 lbs. (full gas)
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MSRP:
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$4,999
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