The reason that there are so many hard-core off-road riders who will never ride a four-stroke is very basic. It isn’t because they are old-timers, it isn’t because they are stubborn, and it isn’t because they don’t know any better. It’s because bikes like the Beta 300RR X-Pro are just about perfect for trail riding.
We have to be careful when we say “bikes like,” though. They are increasingly hard to find. The 2026 Beta 300 is officially the last European 300cc two-stroke with a mechanical power valve and carburetor. Even though it has received a number of changes in recent years, Beta hasn’t altered the basic formula that became the off-road rider’s go-to decades ago.
ITALIAN ICON
Today’s Beta two-strokes are such icons in the off-road world that it seems odd that they only date back to 2013. Even then, the engineers in Florence recognized it would be foolish to alter the formula that had proven so successful for companies like KTM, Husqvarna and GasGas (all separate back then). The Beta 300 still uses a steel backbone frame that was updated last year with input from the Liqui Moly Pro Supercross team. It got substantial reinforcement in the steering head, backbone and top shock mount. This year that trend continued with a beefed-up rear axle and front brake caliper. The motor also got upsized main bearings and a new second gear. It still has a 38mm Keihin carburetor, electric start and a two-stage mechanical power valve driven by a centrifugal ball-ramp mechanism. It did not get the new dual-sport-plug ignition featured on the Race Edition and the 350RX motocross bike.
Beta now has more full-size two-strokes than anyone in the motorcycle business. The 300RR is just one of 11 models, ranging from the 125RR to the new 350RX. All have different purposes. The RR X-Pro line falls into a slot aimed at experienced trail riders, while racers have the Race Editions and beginners have the Xtrainer. The 300RR X-Pro uses Sachs suspension, whereas the Race Editions have KYB components and the XTrainer uses Olle items. The RR X-Pro also keeps oil injection, while owners of the Race Editions are expected to mix their own oil and gas. The X-Pro is also less expensive than the Race Editions by about $600. The 2026 MSRP is $10,990. That includes the new U.S. tariffs imposed on the EU—something to keep in mind when comparing prices. Almost all other manufacturers put that on a separate line after MSRP.
For this test of the Beta 300RR X-Pro, we broke out of our routine. We went to Challis, Idaho, to ride it in the inaugural Yankee Fork Rendezvous trail ride. Normally, it’s not a great idea to travel to a new place to test a bike. It’s fun, but you don’t get to compare the bike to anything you know. Other factors, like altitude and weather, also mess things up. Challis is at 5000 feet MSL, and the trail went as high as 10,000 feet. In this case, none of that made a difference. We had recently tested the 2025 version of the same bike back in SoCal, and there are very few differences.
TRAIL DUTIES
Saying that the 300RR X-Pro fills a gap between racers and beginners is like saying the Pacific Ocean fills a gap between Indochina and California. It’s a vast space, and it includes the most hardened two-stroke fans. If you had to take all the reasons that off-roaders love two-strokes and boil them down to one single characteristic, it would have to be low-rpm manners; how they refuse to stall no matter how slow you go, and how they respond instantly when it’s time to pick up the pace. The Beta 300RR X-Pro has that particular attribute in spades. It might even be the absolute king of the realm when it comes to having sweet, smooth, low-rpm throttle response. If you want something better, you would have to have a trials bike. Accordingly, the bike is exceptional in tight, trials-like situations. It’s also exceptional at moderate speed on tight, twisty trails.
In outright power, however, the 300RR X-Pro is fairly mild. It isn’t in the same league as Beta’s new 350RX motocross two-stroke or, for that matter, last year’s 300RX. That’s not what this bike is about. Peak power is good enough at sea level for legitimate trail riding and even some tight off-road racing. At Challis, the biggest concern was the altitude. We knew the bike would have perfect jetting at sea level, but unlike fuel-injected four-strokes, it has no means of correcting fuel mixture as air density decreases. We lowered the needle one position beforehand, and as it turned out, that was enough, even when the trail climbed to the 10,000-foot mark. It never missed or sputtered, but it did lose power. At the highest point of the trail ride, it ran like a 200. To be fair, we also had a Beta 480 four-stroke there, and it ran like a 200 at that altitude too. There’s no escaping that issue with normally aspirated engines. The takeaway here is that even without fuel injection, dealing with extreme altitude is fairly easy with the Beta two-stroke.
Another strong point is how easily the bike handles. Nowadays, the weight difference between the 300 and a modern four-stroke is fairly small. Our 2025 test bike was 233 pounds without fuel, and the four-stroke Betas (all four of them) are 10 pounds heavier. But, the 300 two-stroke feels far lighter. That’s an advantage anywhere at any speed. If there’s a weakness anywhere in the Beta’s armor, it’s in the suspension department. The Sachs fork and shock are set up for one thing and one thing only: tight, technical trails at fairly low speeds. As long as you’re in that situation, everything is great. Both ends suck up rock gardens far better than any race bike, and the ride is super comfortable as long as the pace isn’t too fast. Payment comes due on faster trails with whoops. The suspension doesn’t necessarily bottom, but it does dive and seesaw. If you plan on a quick pace, you have to bump up the settings beforehand. The overall setup is still soft no matter what you do with the clickers. You have to remember the trail-riding mission of the X-Pro line. If you want to go racing, look to the Race models.
PURE DIRT
Any Beta owner will tell you that there are certain perks associated with the brand. One is attention to detail. We love the push-button seat removal, oil injection and coolant recovery tank. We also love the fact that the guys who built this bike clearly are riders themselves. You can only know the value of a rescue strap if you had to use it with a buddy to get to the top of a hill. The Beta comes with one stock. So, why doesn’t it come with handguards or a spark arrestor? Doubtlessly to keep the price below a certain target. As we mentioned, Beta has rolled the tariff into the MSRP rather than add another line on the handlebar tag. One advantage of doing it this way is for financing; the amount that many financial institutions will loan is based on the MSRP.
And yes, the Beta 300RR X-Pro is an expensive motorcycle. It has to be. There’s no way around that. But, if you want a traditional two-stroke off-road bike with all the classic strengths they offer, Beta has the market all to itself.