Cycle News Staff | February 22, 2019
The 2019 Beta 200 RR review is here. This bike is all about having fun—and you will have fun on it. You have to give kudos to Beta. The Italian manufacturer from Tuscan has, without a doubt, stepped up its game the past few years. Their motorcycles have been getting better and better with each new model year, they still put a lot of emphasis on two-strokes, which we love to see, and they do a great job of filling niches that need to be filled. Case in point, the 200cc class.
This has been a category void of off-road motorcycles in the U.S. market ever since KTM stopped production of its 200 XC-W after the 2016 model year. Beta saw this as an opportunity to step in and build a 200 of its own and here it is, a bike we welcome with open arms.
What’s the 2019 Beta 200 RR Made Of?
The 200 RR is closely based on the company’s 125 RR that was introduced last year. The 200 shares the same small-bore-specific frame as the 125 and a big chunk of the engine, one of the biggest differences the bore and stroke. The 125’s 54mm x 54mm square-bore configuration has been bumped up for the 200 to a near square-bore configuration of 63mm x 64mm, yielding a larger displacement of 190.2cc, and a lower compression ratio of 13.5:1, versus the 125’s significantly higher compression ratio of 15:1.
The 125 and 200 are both are fitted with a 36mm PWK Keihin carburetor and a V-Force reed-valve induction system. Beta builds its own exhaust pipes—in this case one specifically designed for the 200 RR—but the muffler is supplied by FMF, a Turbine Core 2.1 muffler.
FMF provides the muffling.
Another major difference between the 125 RR and the 200 RR is their lubrication systems—premix for the 125 and oil-injection for the 200. Beta veered off the beaten path and started offering oil-injection with some of its 250 and 300 RR two-stroke models a few years ago, which in our opinion, was a brilliant idea, and it’s found its way onto the 200 RR, too. Oil-injection, which uses a separate oil canister and an oil-pump to lube the engine, means not having to deal with the hassle of premixing oil with fuel when filling up the 200’s 2.25-gallon gas tank. The 200’s oil tank holds a generous 650cc (22 oz.).
The 200 RR tank holds a generous 2.25 gallons.
Another big difference between the 125 and 200 are their starting systems: kick for the 125 and push-button for the 200. You won’t see a kick-start lever on the 200; it’s all electric. However, a back-up kickstarter is available as an accessory from Beta.
Like the 125 RR, the 200 RR is fitted with a six-speed gearbox and a cable-operated clutch, using an actuator system that is integrated into the outer cover for lighter weight and compactness.
The 200 RR has a lot to offer, such as electric starting, oil-injection, light weight and a spunky engine. All for $8399.
Beta didn’t cut any corners when it comes to the 200 RR’s suspension. It gets the latest ZF Sachs shock and fork components, and both are fully adjustable. With the new 48mm Sachs fork, you can adjust compression and rebound damping and spring preload via new adjusters on the upper fork caps that can be reached from sitting on the bike and operated without any tools. The shock spring is lighter than the 125’s.
Nissin has been assigned braking duties for the 200 RR. It is the same braking system as used on all of Beta’s larger premium off-road bikes, with a single 260mm disc up front and a 240mm disc in the back.
The off-road rider will welcome the Beta’s 18-inch rear wheel, O-ring chain, headlight, enduro meter, kickstand, and engine guard. Unfortunately, Beta forgot to install handguards at the factory.
Want the light weight and pep of a 125 but the torque of a 250? The Beta 200 RR might be the way to go.
Riding the 2019 Beta 200 RR
Everything about the 200 RR feels very much like a 125—at first. Loading it in and out of the truck is a breeze, because it’s so damn light! Beta says it weighs 215 pounds without fuel; we calculate that out to be about 229.2 pounds with a full tank—still, that’s pretty light.
It also sounds a lot like a 125 as you warm it up, but when you bang through the gearbox for the first time, you quickly realize this is no 125 because 125s just don’t have this kind of torque. For its displacement and size, the 200 RR has tons of it, and it’s plenty fast, too. It might not have the top-end speed of a full-on 125cc motocrosser, but it still rips pretty well.
Everything about the 200 RR translates into good fun on the trail. Its light weight and torquey engine, which is nearly impossible to stall, makes it just about the perfect choice for tackling extremely technical and really nasty trails. The Beta’s light-pull clutch that has good and consistent feel helps out here, as well. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that the 200 RR hardly vibrates at all.
The 200cc two-stroke class is back with the introduction of the Beta 200 RR. Sure is pretty!
When the trails open up, the 200 RR has plenty of speed to keep up with your 250 and 450cc riding buddies; in fact, they’ll be annoyed that you can easily keep up with them 99-percent of the time. Yeah, they might pull on you down the long sand washes, but so what, you’ll have the last laugh in the technical stuff that they’re scared of and will do anything to avoid. You’ll be seeking those trails out on the 200 RR.
The 200 RR is fun because you can actually hold the throttle open for longer periods of time, opposed to many bigger bikes (i.e. 450s) that you’re constantly blipping the throttle on and off because there is so much power on tap; the 200 RR likes to have the throttle pinned on the more open and flowing trails, or on soft, sandy trails, which really pegs the fun-factor needle. And if you do find yourself flying into whoops or a sudden rough section a little too hot, the suspension soaks everything up quite nicely. And if the bike does get a little sideways on you, not to worry; Its light weight means you can easily muscle it back to where you want it—at least most of the time—without having to chop the throttle big time, disrupting your momentum.
Beta does categorize the 200 RR as a trail bike, so the suspension is a little on the soft side for real aggressive riding, or for anyone over about 170 pounds. But damping-wise, right out of the crate, both the shock and fork are tuned quite well, which means you have plenty of tuning options right from the get-go.
The Beta handles well, too. It doesn’t do anything “weird” or un-nerving at speed; instead it generally goes where it’s pointed and does so without any hesitation. It’s a quick-steering bike that absolutely loves to be on the switchback trails.
No problem. The Beta 200 RR is easy to handle.
Brakes are super strong—almost too strong, at least in the back. Ours was touchy and grabby and had the tendency to lock up if you weren’t careful. However, it got less so as we put more time on the bike.
Even though it’s a small-bore two-stroke, we loved the 200’s electric starter. It’s a convenience that we just can’t live without on pretty much any bike these days. It worked flawlessly during our time with the bike and the battery never lost a charge, but we still like the piece of mind of having a back-up kickstarter and would seriously look into the option of fitting one on it if we owned one. Just in case.
Tapered aluminum handlebars have good feel.
Oil-injection is another nice convenience. Compared to most two-strokes, it’s wonderful not having to worry about pre-mixing gas with oil, and not having to worry about accidentally pouring in the wrong (straight) gas when you’re spending the weekend riding with your buddies, who most likely are all aboard four-strokes. Instead, you just have to keep an eye on the oil-tank level, which hardly budged during our time with the bike, which were about three tanks of gas of mostly single-track and technical trail riding. If you forget to check and you do let the oil level get low, though, a light on the meter will come on and remind you. But, like gas, the harder you ride the bike, the more oil you will consume.
The tighter the trails, the more you’ll appreciate the 2019 Beta 200 RR’s torquey engine and light weight.
2019 Beta 200 RR Review Final Thoughts
Even though Beta markets the 200 RR primarily as a trail bike, we would not hesitate at all to enter an enduro, or even a hare scramble, on it, if we knew it was going to be tight and technical, that is. Heck, we would go out of our way to ride one in an extreme enduro because of its light weight, torquey (yet still powerful) engine and solid suspension. Just stiffen up the suspension a bit, slap on some handguards and we’d be good to go.
The bottom line is that we ride motorcycles for fun and the Beta 200 RR is nothing but pure fun, because it’s light and plenty fast, has a torquey engine and excellent suspension. Wrap it all up with an electric starter and oil-injection, and you have a motorcycle we would absolutely love to have in our garage—permanently. CN
2019 Beta 200 RR Specs
| MSRP |
$8399 |
| ENGINE: |
Liquid-cooled, 2-stroke, single |
| BORE & STROKE: |
62mm x 63mm |
| DISPLACEMENT: |
190.2cc |
| COMPRESSION RATIO: |
13.5:1 |
| EXHAUST VALVE: |
Beta Progressive Valve (BPV) |
| IGNITION: |
AC-CDI Kokusan |
| LUBRICATION: |
Electronic Oil Injection |
| OIL TANK CAPACITY: |
650cc |
| FUELING: |
Keihin PWK 36m carburetor |
| CLUTCH: |
Wet multi-disc |
| TRANSMISSION: |
6-speed |
| STARTING SYSTEM: |
Electric |
| FINAL DRIVE: |
O-ring chain |
| FRAME: |
Molybdenum steel/double cradle w/quick access air filter |
| FRONT SUSPENSION: |
Sachs, 48mm, USD, fully adjustable |
| REAR SUSPENSION: |
ZF Sachs, single shock, fully adjustable |
| FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: |
11.6 in. |
| REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: |
11.4 in. |
| FRONT BRAKE: |
Nissin, Single disc, 260mm rotor |
| REAR BRAKE: |
Nissin, Single disc, 240mm rotor |
| FRONT WHEEL: |
21 in. |
| REAR WHEEL: |
18 in. |
| WHEELBASE: |
58.1 in. |
| SEAT HEIGHT: |
36.6 in. |
| GROUND CLEARANCE: |
12.8 in. |
| DRY WEIGHT (Claimed): |
215 lbs. |
| FUEL CAPACITY: |
2.25 gal. |
| COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: |
Italy |
WARRANTY:
|
6 month, limited |
