What SIZE Engine & Why? with Ray Peters 

Great interview, Beta not only has one of the best bikes overall, but the customer service and rider support is second to none !!!

As someone who rides a Beta 200, I agree with Ray that it is in a sweet spot. I call it my Goldilocks bike. Not too big that it is scary but it will absolutely do everything my 225 (with gear) pounds need it to do in my local Novice/Sportsman levels. I just can't understand how beginners are constantly being steered towards 250 and 300 bikes. No wonder they don't stick with the sport. Last trial I saw a new woman rider on a TRS 300 Gold riding the beginner course... It was a horrible thing to watch, and she'd have been much better served on a 200 or 250.

You can't go wrong on a 250cc.

Because my bike is primarily used for woods riding and secondarily for trials events, I went 300 and don't regret it, it has the power I need to pull steep hills in high gears, but since it has the low compression head and Dellorto carb, it's a little tamer than most of the 300s, so it never feels like it's getting away from me when riding trials sections. For most adults riding trials, a 250 will absolutely do everything they need it to.

Yesterday I just bought a txt 280 2003 for a small buck, because I have always wanted to Trial. Im 23 years old and lets see, how far i can push my limits. That thing is pretty gnarly, but im sure that I can tame it. Your videos are going to help me a lot. Greetings from Germany

I knew nothing about trials and bought a factory 200 and I still know nothing about trials except now I know Ray Peters knows 200 is an ok pick for someone who known nothing about trials.Thanks Ray.

Interesting interview Tom, and lots of good points. 👍I have a 2011 250 Gas Gas and it’s certainly enough bike for me! After replacing a few worn out parts and getting it correctly set up as standard, I am just trying to get used to riding it as it is. As Ray says it’s time on the bike that’s important!

I respect Ray a lot. However, I totally disagree with him on the 250 Factory Beta. I've owned the standard model and 2 of the Factory 250s. I ride Clubman/ Adv Amatuer and I LOVE the 250 Factory engine. I found it very smooth in it's power delivery and it has all the power you'd ever need unless you think you can compete with Pat Smage. That being said, the 250 Standard was very easy to adapt to as well. I ride TRS 250 ONE R now and love it.

Excellent interview. Thanks for getting to the chance to pick Rays thoughts. May have missed his standard comment that it's not the bike but the rider that wins the day as evidenced by his success on an 80cc bike.

keep it in first., and these bikes, no matter what the engine size, are not going anywhere. My 7 year olds e-bicycle can beat my 300cc trials bike in 1st & 2nd & 3rd gear.

This is perfect I purchased a 2023 300 standard beta evo I was thinking I needed the 300 because I am a fatty 270 but I couldn’t have been more wrong at the time the bike straight intimated me fast forward a year I am used to the bike now but I would have been more then ok on a 200 or 250

I'm guessing the newer Beta 80 is very different than our 2006 Beta 80. Our 80 can barely pull me up a hill. If loaded down, the clutch squeals like crazy, and everyone I know says that's normal for that bike - even when my 10 year old kids were on it. But, I know Ray made that newer one work. And I never heard his clutch squeal at the Arizona event.

I ride Beta 250 Evo standard 2023. It is pobably most forgiving trials bike that exists. It was surprising to hear that 250 factory is hardest to ride. Few mates in our club have those. What I like about standart 250 is smooth power delivery. Very predictable clutch engagement. Very easy to start. Cons - plastic front mudguard - brakes quite easily and is expensive. Same goes for the rear tail. 50+ € for the front and 120+€ for the rear. Both break quite easily. Good looking design but bad and expensive for the rider material choice. Air filter gets dirty very quickly.

Great interview! Ray is very knowledgeable. All I've had are 300s mainly due to availability in the resale market. My wife had a 125 Beta evo and I definitely felt it was more work to manage developing the power. (A great skill to develop) Its so true theres a sweet spot for mortals like me. However, Im learning to manage the 300 (now on a TRS) and to me it isn't too difficult to ride in the low RPMs where I spend 90% of my time. Do I use the upper end power? Almost never, it has way more than power I'll ever need but my point is it's still really fun and to me manageable with some clutch and throttle control. Almost opposite of a 125 in a way. I even bought a slow throttle tube but haven't installed it. The TRS is just awesome and electric start saves me a bit if energy. Im super happy with it and to me it feels forgiving and controllable. What does Ray say about electric trials bikes like the EM and the nearly infinite ajustability of mapping all in one machine?

Nice interview, Ray sounds like he really knows his stuff. I'm definitely getting a Beta 200 RR in a year or two, granted its not going to be the Trial's edition but the off-road :P. I'll get a Trials one day for sure though. If he ever has 3D-Printing problems pass him my way, I have plenty professional experience with it, SLA or FDM.

Great subject. I rode a 300 TRS, just from personal choice, I'm a bigger guy, I enjoy the larger spread of power. I used to ride a 300 4T , loved the power, didn't enjoy the extra weight. I've done UK national events on 200's and even a 125, I found the higher standard of sections the extra grunt helped Trials is at many levels more about technique power and speed are secondary

Learn to ride on an old Honda Reflex in my 20s (barely at trials bike). Love your comment "The best trials bike is the one you own and go ride" is a great statement. I've had many bikes since but I was hooked after getting that Reflex.

Great interview I just upgraded to a 2021 vertigo r3 125 and I feel way better on it

I just started on trials a couple months ago, I wanted something forgiving that could help me learn the basic stuff and see if I really liked the sport. I was lucky enough to find a lightly used Sherco Classic YT125 4T, they already had put the 200cc cylinder and the gearing is super tall on it but it is still a 4 stroke so still mellow and really makes you work on the revs to draw any power out of it. Which is great! As Ray said, with a low cc bike I am really learning how to work the clutch and throttle and getting familiar on what revving the engine feels like without the fear of shooting bike away from me. So far I'm not doing any big obstacles, so we'll see how the bike holds up when I get there... but it's definitely gonna take me a while

What about the 4T?