Thinking of getting a enduro to work on my off-road skills to transfer over to the bigger bikes, Was looking at a beta xtrainer or another smaller 2 stroke. wondering what everyone’s opinion on the beta xtrainer or a ktm 300 or similar bike. New to Colorado so want to know what the best option for the trails and roads out here. most likely will trailer the bike anyway.
A plated 4T will be more multi-purpose and better on pavement between trails and will be a 90% solution for anything you’d want to ride
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I had a 2019 XTrainer for 3-4 years. Great bike, except the suspension. I ended up putting factory Beta suspension on it (new shock and 48mm forks). I also did the mods to get more power (Gnarly pipe, power valve mod, airbox mod, etc). In hindsight I probably should’ve gotten a 300RR and lowered it since that was my main motivation for getting the XTrainer - I"m short. Folks on forums always say just get a RR and now I kinda get it.
Anyway, I loved that bike and wish I’d never sold it.
Now I have Beta 390 as my DS rig. Nice bike, but I miss a 2T for more challenging trails.
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I had the Xtrainer/300RR debate with myself. As a noob, if left to my own devices I would have chosen the X. @MotoJason said, “Just get the RR”, so I did. The KYB stuff is great. Tho I did ride a Honda 450X, and the stock Showa kit on that bike felt so good I almost went out and bought the A kit for the Beta…
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I suppose the important bit here is that the suspension quality and tune really matters. Whether you shop the bike for it or intend to upgrade or tune after purchase, plan around it. With that said the KTM 6 Days will give you a better platform to set up or tune from in this regard than the X Trainer.
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The 6 days looks to have all the bits already and appears to be quite clean. Depending on how it is tuned and your level of experience it may be a little intimidating at first, but it will have much broader performance envelope that you can grow into. The power valve adjustment, and different pipes can change the power delivery significantly.
If you are planning to do more than slow, very technical riding, or moderately paced play riding on the trails you would likely out pace the X trainer unless the suspension and tuning are heavily modified.
The x trainer is in an odd niche IMO. It’s either a great approachable novice entry level bike in stock form, or a gateway Hard Enduro machine for experts.
I also agree with Rich. A 350 4-stroke might be the best choice overall. A Husky/Gas Gas or Beta 350 might suit you best.
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I’m extremely partial to the 500 vs 350. My '17 has almost 13k miles on it, bulletproof and can do pretty much anything.
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What are the biggest differences between the xtrainer and the 390ds you have seen?
I want something small enough to throw around and practice log hopping and other slow off-road techniques (clutch work, balance, etc) but big enough to do some road connecting and have enough fuel to have fun.
I do like the idea of a 2 stroke more than a 4 stroke, Just for the fun factor and simple maintenance. But if it’s not a huge disadvantage to go 4 stroke I could be swayed.
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The 390 is a bigger heavier feeling bike. It’s not quite a 450, but in that realm. Also the 390 is a full size frame, whereas the XTrainer is an 8/10 size frame or something like that. Two completely different bikes. From you describe a 2T would probably be the better call.
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I agree with Rich and I love my 500 as well. But your title mentioned “enduro” and you also mentioned you’d probably trailer it. My friends with 300 XC-W’s would rather die than give theirs up. And a lot of them came from 350 or 500’s.
I don’t have any hard enduro skills or aspirations, but I got to switch back and forth on a Moab trip this year between a 500 4t and a 300XC-W. That two stroke is amazing, even with a weak pilot. It’s probably only 20 pounds lighter than the 500, but it feels like 50 pounds less. And feels SO powerful, even compared to an uncorked 60hp 500cc 4 stroke.
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Your comment @BillMcGee about perceived versus actual weight difference is important. I’ve learned that a given change in the weight of engine rotating mass can in fact feel like a 3x - 5x change in static bike weight. It’s wild.
At a Beta demo a couple of years ago I switched from the 350 to the 430 and was shocked at how much heavier and harder to turn the 430 was. I looked up the actual bike weights and the difference was nominal. I didn’t understand until @MotoJason shined his motowisdom upon me yet again and explained the phenomenon.
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It really depends on your trail focus. If you see yourself getting into a lot of single track, a 300 (2-stroke) anything is a cheat code for about anything in Colorado. Beta’s have went through minor changes over the years and have been oil injected (RR’s and XT) for a long time. I have well over 300 hours on the factory injection pump with zero issues. The 2-strokes will all be carb’ed but a swap to a Suzuki needle and jets will be a good all around bike.
If you are doing 2-track, forest road, desert, a 350 Will get you there.
I’ve been a Beta person for a while and have had great luck. I’ve had both XT’s and a 300RR. Love them both. The XT suspension is good enough for 95% of the people that ride.
Personally, I’d stay away from 4-strokes for the following reasons: heat (all bikes will overheat, 4-stroke just do it faster), weight distribution (2-strokes have more weight lower), maintenance (air filters and oil are all 2 strokes need regularly). Why compromise with a 4-stroke if you are going to have three bikes?
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As the would famous Cher once said: If I could turn back time… (ha, that’s now in your head). If i did it all over again, I would not have gotten my T7 first and would have gone straight to a trail bike (2 or 4 stroke). 300T or 350F is perfect for CO. Way more nimble and a good step up transition from big hit MTBs I am used to to really learn the fine skills of bike driving, throttle/clutch/brake control, power sliding, obstacle maneuvering (including front wheel ‘pops’, etc.). And to be honest, I sold my T7 because the dirt bikes were SO much more fun. The trails you can maneuver on the dirt bikes are where you (at least I) want to be. Tight twisties, some challenging features (climbs and drops) … nothing I’d be interested in doing on an ADV. So, my advice is to hit the buy now button on a great trail bike and really get out there and practice.
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