I did a Beta Demo Day, and rode the 350 and 390 back to back. Everyone who rode in the woods liked the 350 better, less choppy engine breaking and smoother revvy engine. The 390 felt like my DRZ. Its why more people like it for dual sport cuz it has more low end grunt.
I’ve heard other folks also say the 390 reminds them of a DRZ. If I stay in 350 class, it will be almost impossible for me to leave the KTM family. It’s just so sweet in the tight single track & smooth on the street. I wanted to do Beta demo day in’23, I just couldn’t make it.
I went to a Beta demo hosted by Firstbike motorsports in PA last year. It was muddy and kind of an open course but I was impressed. The 390 and the 350 were my favorite but I thought the 350 I rode handled better. At the time I didn’t even know the race editions had kyb forks and the non race editions did not but I noticed. I’ve seen everyone online say the non race editions are better out of the box because the kyb is “stiff” but I disagree. I’m 200lbs and the kyb felt amazing. My buddy has a Ktm 350 excf that I’ve ridden a good bit and it’s awesome as well but I still think about those beta’s. Something about the geometry of those things makes me feel super planted and confident immediately. There’s a few videos from the demo on my channel. Check out a demo if you’d like to ride one, I had a great experience doing that.
I purchased my 2022 Beta 390 RRs from Kissell Motorsports. Great prices with no BS fees. Once you remove the evap canister and green rubber piece from the tank cap it runs great.
I've been thinking about buying a GAS GAS EX350F. My problem is, I'll read about certain models, and watch videos, then I ride them and I'm completely underwhelmed. I bought a 2022 KLX300R mostly as a "play bike" because that seems to be the catagory that everyone puts them in, but after shaving weight from it (it weighs 266lbs on my scale)and doing some power mods it really seems like a great all around bike. I've ridden it back to back with a KTM 350EXCF and I actually preferred my KLX, it has such good grunt off the bottom. If I were to try to race it in a harescramble or cross country race, it would certainly require more shifting than a KTM 350 since the power signs off at 9k, but other than that, it seems like they are greatly undervalued. I've spent 20 years riding a 2001 CR250 that's setup for woods, and it's a great bike to race with, but quite a beating when the show down... the 5 speed is also limiting. That's my pointless rambling.
I'm tempted to sell my 2019 450 EXC-F. It's hard to justify 3 bikes at the moment. I'm kind of thinking a bit different about my riding styles after breaking my wrist last May.
Hi In europe we do not have all the emissions crap on the KTM,s that can make them run poorly.I found the 350 exc easy to ride,smooth but a little "cramped" To get the most out of bikes like this(like my 450/ 500 four strokes) you need to "command them aggressively" a bit like a wild horse.A trail bike is a better all rounder for many. I have one for long trips. In a direct comparison my enduro bikes handle much better and power you across the terrain much faster.Even if you mod everything on a crf300 for example there is still a big difference.My crf 300L relaxes you,the enduro bikes challenge you. I enjoyed your video and i,m sure you will find your"sweet spot "Cheers from Greece
I've not ridden a KTM 350, so I have no basis for comparison to that specific bike. I've ridden a friend's Beta 390 Race Edition. I can say that it has a nice, smooth power delivery. The 390 was a very good 4-stroke woods bike. It has very linear power and is much easier to ride in tight stuff than the Honda CRF250RX I was riding at the time. I also have a well sorted out CRF450L, and I'd say that 390 had just about equal pull, but in a much lighter bike that was more linear and much easier to ride. Me and a lot of my riding friends have made a switch to Beta from other brands, including KTM, GasGas, Husqvarna, Yamaha, and Honda. So far, I know of only one who had a negative experience with his Beta. He went from a KTM Erzburgh Rodeo edition 300 XC-W to a Beta XTrainer. He went back to a GasGas EC300, just the red color KTM 300 XC-W. I went with a Beta XTrainer because I liked the lower weight and 15% overall size reduction for gnarly stuff, but of all the bikes I tried whenever I was looking, to include that Beta 390RE, the 200RE, 300RE, XTrainer, and 2023 Husqvarna TE300, the Husqvarna had my favorite suspension, like a magic carpet ride. All the Betas I rode were Race Editions with KYB suspension, except the XTrainer. I never tried a regular RR or RS with Sachs suspension. I liked the WP of KTM/Husqvarna/GasGas over the KYB, but that's just me. If you get a chance, get to a demo. If you can get the Race Edition plated in PA, you have options.
My local Beta dealer said they can plate any of the off-road bikes for an extra $350. After 10yrs. On the KTM’s , they’ve been relatively problem free. The 350 is so sweet on single track, I’ve even ridden the 300xcw’s back to back with my 350 on single track & I still prefer the 350 over the 2 stroke. If I would ever go 2stroke I would go X-trainer.
I haven’t, it’s on my list every year, but I never get up there, I’d prefer to hook up with someone that knows the best sections, so that I don’t waste a day just try to find good sections.
@@kcoutside7143 I haven’t really had any bad sections, you seem like a pretty good rider, I’m sure you’d have fun on all of it. Anywho, you’ve convinced me to ditch my drz for a crf 300. Maybe we’ll bump into each other up there sometime
Have you thought about trying out the KTM 500? I bet it's a powerhouse beast but for the small difference in price between the 350 and 500 I'd definitely go for the 500.
