2024 BETA 390RR RACE EDITION: FULL REVIEW

Motocross guys, listen up: Beta (pronounced “Bay-Tah”) didn’t just pop out of the womb when it announced a Supercross team. The company has been building off-road bikes longer than any of us have been alive. One of the most intriguing is this bike, the 390RR Race Edition. It’s a special edition that’s every bit as sophisticated as the new 450MX bike tested in this issue. The company actually has four different off-road four-strokes built on the same platform: the 350RR, 390RR, 430RR and 480RR. All of those models are available in three different configurations: standard, Race Edition and dual-sport. So, there are 12 different off-road four-strokes that have different missions. Beta is a company that knows how to divide the market and serve microsegments without reinventing any wheels.

Beta 390RR Race Edition
BETA BACKSTORY

In the early 2000s, Beta was strictly making trials bikes and small two-strokes for the domestic EU market. The first off-road models of the modern era arrived in 2005 and actually had KTM motors, but by 2010, Beta was making their own motors. That first model evolved directly to what we have now; there were no complete remakes or changes in direction anywhere on the evolutionary line. Externally, you can’t tell the current four-stroke off-road motors apart. They have mix-and-match cranks and cylinders that result in the different displacements. The 350 and the 390 have the same bore, but the 390 has a stroke that’s 6mm longer (63.4mm). That’s longer than anything else in the lineup, including the 480. They also have different mapping. All have double overhead cams, 6-speed gearboxes, dual engine-oil compartments and diaphragm clutches. The clutch master cylinders are Brembo, while the brakes are Nissin.

Special Editions are the way of the motorcycle world these days. For Beta, the Race Editions offer quite a bit more than graphics. The key upgrade is in the suspension department. The standard models have Sachs suspension, while the Race Editions have closed-cartridge KYB forks and fully adjustable KYB shocks. For 2024, the Race Editions also have the newest-generation frame, which has increased rigidity. That frame will very likely come on the standard editions next time around. Then the bling starts. They have a bucketful of anodized parts; a front axle grab-handle; aluminum footpegs; a two-tone seat cover with a score-card holder; and a red, white and blue color scheme. It’s very striking.

BIG LITTLE BIKE OR LITTLE BIG BIKE

We always struggle with the “which Beta?” dilemma. The 390 is currently in the lead because it’s the one that we have right now. The reason starts with the fact that it’s the Race Edition. We have a like/hate relationship with the Sachs suspension components of the standard version (it never gets better than “like”). This KYB fork is essentially the same one that comes on the new RX, just set up much more softly for off-road riding. That alone is worth the extra $500. It’s soft, certainly, but that makes sense for this bike much more than some others. The 390 is all about tight, rocky, technical trails. Soft suspension makes perfect sense when you’re in a twisty canyon cluttered with rocks and debris.

Beta has four different-sized motors that share the same basic design. The 390 has slightly lower primary gearing than the 430 and 480.
The 390 seems to always end up on those kinds of rides. The motor is lively and powerful. It has excellent low-end response and great top-end over-rev. Its strongest point, though, is how well it works way down low. The 390 is perfectly happy to run at speeds just above idle. It won’t stall or flame out. This is a zone where virtually all four-strokes struggle, which is why extreme enduro riders are still drawn to two-strokes. The 390 is one of the very few four-strokes that doesn’t make you feel like you’re on the brink of disaster any time the rpm drops down into the basement. We almost want to call it an honorary two-stroke—almost. It does get hot and boil if conditions are too tight for too long. There’s a radiator fan in the Beta accessory book. It would have been a nice upgrade for the Race Edition.

The Beta 390RR Race Edition sells for $11,099.
When you get into more wide-open spaces, the 390 has plenty of power, but it doesn’t have a big motocross hit. When you want to go faster, you just rev it higher. Even at speed, it’s a very light-feeling, agile bike. Smallish four-stroke motors (meaning under 450cc) have a way of feeling much lighter and more agile than they really are. In reality, it’s not especially light; 245 pounds without fuel. We blinked our eyes and weighed it twice. Part of the issue is probably the gyroscopic effects of more crank mass, but more is probably due to your brain’s tendency to associate revvy power with super-light weight. Whatever the reason, the 390 feels like a 250F, but has more low end and a much longer range of usable power.

THE ITALIAN TOUCH

Did we say this is a sexy-looking bike? It is. Italy knows how to do that. It’s also very well put together and easy to take apart. You can have the filter out in 15 seconds. You can have the seat off in one second. Even the fuel tank and all the plastic parts come off effortlessly with easy connectors and a distinct lack of hidden fasteners. There are, however, a few mysteries here and there. The kickstand is oddly short, and the seat is painfully hard. There’s a nonfunctional turn-signal switch that drifted over from the dual-sport bike. It has a horn and high-beam switches, too, but they actually work.

Overall, the 390 is our leading candidate for the perfect-sized off-road bike. We will stick to that until we have a 350, 430 or 480 to replace it. Will we ever have the opportunity for a wheel-to-wheel comparison of all four? Stay tuned, because we’re working on it.