The Real Scoop on 2015 Race Editions

[Calgarytrev]

i don't think any company can be ground breaking every year. i too think its an incredible value for the addition of the forks alone. i love the extra bling too. i think its funny that so many people think that its a waste of money? i love riding a bike that looks great and i keep all my rides looking like that. it might not be worth it to some but obviously its worth it to the rest of us that cause them to be sold out every year so heres a vote for cool forks and i guy that like billet and bling!

[Hubert Carpet]

There's nothing new on the bike that improves it over last year. If you think it's so wonderful you can buy a floating disk for your 2014 model and save yourself the cost of the new bike. Beta are not encouraging you to upgrade because they aren't offering one, especially if you already own a 2014 race edition. Perhaps that's why they are only offering small production runs. In the UK the price difference is $1200.

[Knox Enduro]

If you have a 2014 Race Edition, you probably don't need a 2015, not many guys buy new bikes every year anyway. If you have an older bike, or your bike does not say Beta on it, a 2015 Race Edition is a great choice. The 300 Race Edition is really good, so it is hard to make major improvements every year. Beta has clearly put recent resources into the new 4 stroke engine and whatever the new mystery model that is coming.
Alan Stillwell who runs the Beta Factory team and great suspension guy says those Marzocchi forks are worth every penny, whether you race or just trail ride. He also says the the Sachs rear shock is pretty much the same as a KYB.
Ty Davis told me a few years ago that those forks are as close to a "works" fork as your going to get.

[GMP]

I like that "If your bike doesn't say Beta on it " part. Really, the bike was a brand new design just two years ago. I think it should be expected that changes at this point be evolutionary not revolutionary. The only thing I'll add is that if the standard model came with different forks, like a basic set of KYBs or Showa CCs, it would eliminate the one negative in the eye of the potential customer. When comparing the bikes, almost everyone says "I like the bike best but not sure about the Sachs forks". Not saying the forks are bad for most, but the perception is that they are a grade down from the competition. Change this single component and there will be no reason to not buy one. The shock is fine, in fact the quality is outstanding from what I have seen at service time. Learn to tune or pick a good tuner, I hear there is guy near Detroit that has done a few. . A shock is only as good as the valving, and stock valving means nothing to a serious rider. Worst suspension I ever rode was Ohlins on both ends valved by ProAction. You don't NEED Fox or TTX.

[ks9mm]

so...Steve,

what's the trade in value of my 14 300RR ?? lets say 25 hours on it ?

[Hammer]

A fast Vet A buddy of mine just bought a standard Beta 250. He is a long time Yamaha guy and probably has 10 sets of SSS forks laying around and after hearing all the crying about the Sachs front forks figured he would just throw the KYB on. He rode it about 20hrs with the Sachs and has no idea what all the bitching is about.

[GMP]

Thats the point, perception and reality are two different things. Its perception that makes or breaks the sale of a bike though. The shock thing especially cracks me up. A top pro runs a Fox, his tuner sells them, now people think the Sachs must suck and they need a Fox. Marketing genius on Stillwell's part.

[Calgarytrev]

There's two sides to that coin, few people saying the sachs works great and is all i need makes me laugh! How would anyone know what I need except me??? Just because some local pros say the sachs is good enough for anyone is no different that a few saying ttx or fox is better. I'll ride the sachs for a while and make that decision for myself because on the forums and at races you have to sift through all the talk and see what feels better too you! A lot of the time people will offer advice or say something is crap and they've never even ridden it(either at all or for a very limited time)

[Hammer]

This is the bike winning Vet A. Must be that Ohlins.

[GMP]

Nice old bike Armin, I had the TE510 of that vintage.

Trevor,

No one is saying anything is crap, quite the opposite. And yes, sure the Zokes are better than the Sachs, but not absolutely needed by everyone. As far as the shock goes, probably the same thing, but even less of a need. All you have to do is look what is being ridden and works on bikes in your series, on your terrain, by riders of equal or beter ability and that tells the truth on where you should start. What works is good setup on stock shocks by knowledgable tuners. What really gets me is when people buy into the marketing hype and think these shocks are some kind of magic shit that are immune to valving and work perfect everywhere. Guess again. Its just another platform to start from with some different features, and with a limited knowledge base at that. But hey, its all good, just have to distinguish between NEED and WANT.