Cross Training Enduro

Beta RR200 X-pro long term review ︱Cross Training Enduro

Our long-term review of the Beta RR200 X-pro. 200cc two-strokes like the Kawasaki KDX200 and KTM 200EXC were very popular years ago. Today? There is Rieju offers a pair of 200cc models that are too heavy and that's probably why no one seems to buy them. And Beta created the RR200 in 2019 and the newly announced Beta Xtrainer 200. Need hard enduro training? Work through our video lists. Hard enduro techniques are covered in our training vids. A quick history. It's had various tweaks over the years. Substantial changes? Apparently the easy fix is to just buy a billet alloy guard. How does the Beta RR200 X-pro compare to the competition? In 2020 it got a longer swingarm and a revised frame. Although these are quite old motorbikes now, they feel very similar to the Beta RR200 and provide a great alternative if you are on a budget. See our review. In 2022 a Race edition was also brought out with KYB suspension, a modified cylinder head, and using pre-mix instead of oil injection. 2026 had an upgraded transmission. We are reviewing the base model RR200. Let's explore the pros and the cons. Into enduro and dirt bikes? Check out our dirt bike videos. Extreme enduro training vids are our focus. The good stuff? It's light. It's around three to five kg lighter than most 250 and 300 models. It uses the RR125 frame. The RR125 engine was substantially modified and is lighter than its bigger cousins. And it still has a carburetor. An unfortunate aspect of TPI and TBI models in other brands is that it adds around 3kg in weight. Combined with the light weight is less rotational mass. It makes the Beta RR200 X-pro very easy to flick around in the dirt. Power delivery? For everyday riders there's more than enough power to scoot along well. If you enjoy riding a two-stroke in the power band it is a lot of fun if you find the top-end power of 250 and 300 models intimidating. The grunt? Surprisingly good. Of course it falls well short of bigger two-strokes but in gnarly terrain all of our riders could quickly adapt and just slipped the clutch a bit more. The ZF suspension. It's soft. But given it's intended market it feels about right. For everyday riding our crew found it plush and very acceptable for rider weights between 80 to 90kg. If you did want to ride more aggressively then there's the Race model with firmer KYB suspension. Ergonomics? Beta speedos have had a pretty hard failure rate in the past. I have spoken with dealers who were given boxes of them to hand out free of charge to owners. Some good news. It feels a bit smaller than the RR250 and RR300. The wheelbase is a bit shorter. The foot pegs are a bit higher. And the soft suspension has more sag. All our riders felt comfortable until their height was past 190cm. Then it did feel a bit more cramped. If you are enduro riding get into our enduro training vids. Our dirt riding tips are great for developing your hard enduro skills. Reliability. The 2027 models are being upgraded to Trailtech speedos. Some owners say the clutch slave cylinder is vulnerable and easily damaged. We have not experienced this with our RR200. Many riders will remember Beta's main bearing failures with the RR250 and RR300 a few years ago. As mentioned, the only current competition comes from Rieju with its MR200 and Ranger models. But unfortunately they simply used the 300 model which created a relatively heavy under-powered enduro model. We think the real competition comes from the KTM 200EXC. Thankfully the 125 and 200 engines never suffered from this. It's proven to be a rock solid design. Will the Beta RR200 suit you? We think heavy riders will probably be better off on the bigger models. However it does fall prey to typical Beta problems. So let's look at the potential issues. Beta's oil injection system. This only fails in a small number of cases. But of course the resulting damage can be extensive. We have spoken to a number of Beta mechanics who suggest it's a good idea to delete the system once your warranty is over. There's a lot of debate about this. If you want extreme enduro training see our playlists of enduro skills to learn. Try our training vids for working on your extreme enduro techniques. See this video to explore the topic. Beta's electrical systems have never been great. Like the oil injection system, the majority of owners probably won't hit problems. But a significant minority do. Wiring harnesses can fail for various reasons. The wiring around the head stem can 'crimp'. The pins in the main connector to the ECU can corrode and fail quite quickly (ask me how I know). It's a very good idea to regularly put dielectric grease on all connectors, zip tie any loose wiring, and make sure connectors aren't angled in a way that can collect moisture. INDEX 0:33 A quick RR200 history 1:04 The good stuff 3:24 Potential issues 4:59 The competition? 5:42 Will the RR200 suit you? #crosstrainingenduro #enduro #hardenduro #extremeenduro