Kit Palmer | June 16, 2023
Don’t let its name fool you. The Xtrainer from Beta is better than you think.
Photos by Kit Palmer
The Xtrainer is modeled after its much-loved RR racing cousin, the Beta 300 RR, but, according to Beta, tweaked for the entry-level rider to make it as easy as possible to ride (but experienced riders will appreciate that, too). Beta started with the 300 RR because who doesn’t like a 300cc two-stroke for off-roading? Almost no one. From there, Beta lowered the seat height by nearly an inch, from 36.6 to 35.8 inches. This was priority number one. Beta mainly accomplished this by taking away some wheel travel, about an inch at both ends. The Xtrainer uses Olle suspension components versus the RR’s higher-end (and pricier) Sach’s or KYB components that come on the RR Race Edition.
Next, power was tamed a bit; it is a 300, so there is plenty of power to work with here. One of the obvious methods Beta uses to harness the Xtrainer’s power is the restrictive exhaust pipe. Just look at that header pipe! It’s noticeably smaller than the RR’s.
2023 Beta Xtrainer | What’s New?
The 2023 Xtrainer isn’t a whole lot different than the ’22. Changes might be few, but all are welcomed. Most apparent is the new red versus white coloring, which might not make it any easier to ride but sure makes it easier to look at.
The lead-acid battery is gone, replaced by a lithium battery, and we all know what that means—lighter weight, smaller size, greater performance and longer life. Just don’t let it sit for too long without use. Lithiums can be finicky when it comes to charging and are expensive to replace. But since you’ll be riding the Xtrainer so much, that won’t be a problem.
The fuel tank holds slightly more this year, 2.32 gallons from 2.25. It’s not a lot more, but we’ll take it. The tank is also translucent now, so you can see how much fuel you don’t have. Another huge bonus.
The new Xtrainer has a larger volume airbox and a new rear subframe to maintain its narrow profile due to the larger airbox. Inside the airbox, the air filter cage is restricted to help mellow the power output. The RR cage will fit but you will likely need to make some jetting changes if you chose to swap that out.
That’s about it as far as changes, except for the price. MSRP went up $300, from $7999 to $8299.
Editor Don Williams and Associate Editor Jess McKinley were fairly hard on the last Beta 200 RR we tested back in 2019. Neither of them was thrilled with the Sachs ZF suspension, and they weren’t shy about it. Well, the 2022 Beta 200 RR is still outfitted with Sachs suspension, but the valving has been reworked at the 
The Beta 200 RR’s two-stroke motor power delivery can be adjusted in two ways—the easy way and the harder way. There’s a switch on the tank, just above the filler cap, that lets you choose between two power modes—Sun and Rain. That’s the easy way, even though it would be even better if it used one of the unused switches on the left handlebar—I’m not adding turn indicators. The more difficult adjustment is to the power valve, which means you’re off the RR and pulling out tools. On-the-fly adjustments are easier and certainly more useful on changing terrain. I made liberal use of this option on the mountain trails.Although the 2022 Beta 200 RR isn’t fuel-injected, the power modes are different enough to make a significant difference. After some experimenting, it was clear when to use each mode—and not really a surprise.When riding on single track, I rely on low-rpm torque rather than high revs to get me down the trail smoothly. The Rain mode makes the most of the 190cc motor’s grunt, such as it is. The power delivery is smooth, allowing me to focus on the terrain rather than managing the power. The six-speed transmission has well-thought-out gear ratios. With the wide spread of power in Rain mode, the motor never falls off the pipe.
The chassis weighs just 229 pounds with the 2.5-gallon