Beta XTrainer

[jenconnor]

Hello,

Many thanks to Simon for allowing me in, I have been reading the forum for a while, watched the Edinburgh trial a couple of times and I am building up to doing an MCC event.

Question - does anyone have any set-up advice/tips for my Beta XTrainer?

I've seen at least one XTrainer ridden in the MCC events, just wondering how they perform and if they are the right bike?

Much appreciated
Jen

[Paul K]

The bike looks as though its pretty well set-up straight out of the box.  I'd say the Beta XTrainer is more than capable with a low weight of 98 kg (216 lb), 43 mm forks and 300 cc of 'soft and linear power delivery' as the sales brochure states.

The tank will be more than adequate as the bike does 2978 l/110 km; that's about 94 mpg in old money, I think.  Lighting could be a bit problematic at times, depending on if the bike is running a 35 W or 65/55 W headlamp bulb.

The main modification is to get a route holder and have approved tyres, best are probably Pirelli MT43.  Other items to consider are spare inner tube(s), tools and spare levers if you don't have handguards.

There's some good advice available in a download pdf 'Classic Trials Advice To First Time Motorcyclists' from the MCC website at https://www.themotorcyclingclub.org.uk/membership/downloads/

Hope that helps.

[Tony Bishop]

Looks an interesting bike and would cope quite easily with MCC trials.
However,,,,,,,,,seat height seems quite high as with most modern enduro style bikes and MCC trials require a strange thing called "restarts". These can be placed in the most awkward locations by an 'ornery clerk of the course and unless you have legs like a giraffe might prove "interesting" to say the least.
The other consideration is the tank capacity. MCC regulations state that outside assistance is prohibited so your mate in a layby with a can of fuel is definitely frowned upon. Consequently you should consider if 7 litres before reserve is sufficient, particularly with a two stroke. However if the manufacturer's claim of 3 litres/100 km is anywhere near accurate you should be ok.
If you fancy having a go then just do it, you won't regret it. If you require asssistance or someone to "buddy" you through your first trial then just ask via the forum and you will be amazed at how much help will be forthcoming.

[jenconnor]

Hello,

Thanks for the replies!

I have found the seat height okay, the XTrainer is a bit smaller than the enduro bikes. I am no giraffe but I do struggle to get jeans the right length 

Whilst I have never checked the mpg, I have commuted to work on it and it will do 70-75 miles before it runs dry. The 2T oil tank lasts about 3-4 petrol fill-ups so I would not need to carry much

Tubes, lever, tools - understood, I will work out the route holder thingy, I've seen all-sorts!

Much appreciated
Jen

[Stephen Bailey]

At 70 Miles per tank full you may find it prudent to carry a spare couple of litres on the back of the bike.

Some time ago on the Edinburgh, a fair number of Motorcyclists had to retire near the breakfast halt having run out of fuel, due to a garage not being open.

[Tony Bishop]

Blimey, 70 miles per tank, that sounds extremely thirsty.
If you are to attempt an MCC trial you will definitely need to either carry fuel as per Ratty's comment or check your tank.
According to the Beta spec the tank holds 8.5 litres with 1.5 litres in reserve. 7 litres equates to 1.5 gallons.
The spec suggests a consumption of 3 litres/100 km which is a 94 mpg in old money. Now we all know that the manufacturers have Pinnochio noses when it comes to these claims so lets reduce that by 25% to a more realistic 70 mpg.
So at 1.5 gallons you should be getting around 100 miles before running onto reserve.
All the above of course assumes you don't ride flat out everywhere with the front wheel pawing the air after every corner   

I would suggest draining the main fuel from the tank and then measure how much fuel there actually is in reserve.
It has not been unknown for the reserve tube in the fuel tap to be too long and holding back extra fuel.
If that is OK then drain the tank completely and check you can get 8.5 litres in it.
If that checks out OK then do a more accurate consumption check and if you are still only getting 50mpg I would suggest there might be something else wrong.

I have run older two strokes for years both on the road and in MCC trials and have rarely seen fuel consumption drop below 60 mpg.
I would have hoped that modern technology would have improved that situation somewhat but if your experience so far is correct then I can't see an XTrainer being on my short list despite it's other attractions.

Good luck and please let the forum know if you find any issues.

[jenconnor]

Hello,

Thanks again for the replies, I realise my post was slightly inaccurate - by "run dry" I should have added "to reserve". I've never been brave enough to run the reserve to empty but the manual says it's around 1.5 litres so there is probably another 15 miles or so in there.

A small fuel bottle will be in order.

Much appreciated.
Jen

[Tony Bishop]

Yes, but my figures above are based on "main fuel" only.
Your fuel consumption of 50mpg seems very high to me and I would be checking why.
As I said the manufacturer's consumption figure of 94mpg is unrealistic but to be getting just over 50% of that figure seems unreasonable.
At least if you check how much fuel is in reserve that may help to explain the high consumption figure but it would also give you more confidence of how far you can reasonably expect to travel on reserve.
Nothing worse than a bit of "butt twitching" when you have to select reserve at 4am in the rain when you have no idea where you are !!!

[jenconnor]

Hello,

Thanks Tony, any one of those scenarios (reserve, 4am, rain, lost) could have me twitching!

Thanks Ian, if that is possible some inside information would definitely help.

Much appreciated.
Jen

[Stephen Bailey]

You can get fold up fuel funnels to go with your spare 2 Litre can.

[Tony Bishop]

I could ask that competitor if he makes any special arrangements for fuel if you want? I doubt that you would need to as we try to cater for small fuel tanks. Avoiding getting lost is a great idea though :-)

Ian, perhaps you could ask that competitor what sort of consumption he is getting. The bike sounds interesting and I could be tempted myself as I love "stinkwheels" but not at the sort of consumption figures that Jen is quoting.

[John Kenny]

Hi,

No problems with fuel (or oil) range on my XTrainer, I’ve never clocked the mpg but usually get 80-85 miles before reserve. Plenty for an MCC event as the fuel stops are quite frequent and when I do stop it usually doesn’t take much. Apparently you can get bigger tanks for them but I don’t see the point - I used to carry spare fuel but never needed it...

Great bike for MCC/ACTC events, light and fun to ride, cheap to run and a doddle to work on.

Likely I’ll be on it for the Edinburgh, not the 480 as listed.

[Stephen Bailey]

https://www.johnleemotorcycles.co.uk/buy/IMS-IMS-11-Litre-Fuel-Tank---Beta-X-Trainer--2015-2017/SP11XT16B

[John Kenny]

https://www.johnleemotorcycles.co.uk/buy/IMS-IMS-11-Litre-Fuel-Tank---Beta-X-Trainer--2015-2017/SP11XT16B

Wow, nice but cost-per-litre that’s a pricey way to carry extra fuel!

[jenconnor]

Hello,

Thank you all for the replies, much food for thought.

Good luck to everyone competing, perhaps I will catch you at the start or during the trial?

Much appreciated.
Jen