Monday 6 March 2017

2stroke Era

Admit it, (or just think about it at least) you love 2strokes. The simplicity of the engine, the sound, the smell, the ease of use, the strength, everything around them, reminds you of your youth as a rider, where you started and the first steps in the off road mountain life.
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" Two stroke smoke scent " 
in a perfume bottle
is an idea 
that many enduro riders
would buy
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2stroke engines are coming back and the reason is one and one only. Extreme enduro, means two stroke enduro bike. 
Action night

Who needs the extra kgs and the enormous late power and torque delivering engines of the four strokes on those mud cover slippery rocks anyway?




Boxes everywhere
Who needs the extra efforts, the extended try to balance, lift, and more often start a heavy four stoke enduro motorcycle in a river bed or on a steep uphill, or even an insane downhill?
Riding a two stroke bike, especially the new technology ones provides the rider with a numerous set of benefits that improve the outcome of the ride in most of the cases. 


Full day at the workshop
People sometimes tell me, yes, ok but mixing oil is a pain in the butt. I say not any more folks, Go Beta for the 2stroke bikes are now oil injecting instead of demanding a mix of the oil and fuel in the fuel tank. I can only guess that others will follow with similar ideas, now that technology forces them to R&D EFI on 2strokes. 


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I can only imagine the future 2stroke engine
as a result of this research growth 
among Motorcycle companies 
being a smooth, 
oil and fuel injection engine 
that runs like an electric one, 
delivering torque and power 
out of a minimal and light set of frame and engine.
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So far, with the 4 stroke engines to be in the center of the enduro interest the fleet of North Star was parted  gradually from various models of the very famous Beta RR350s having a single cause, to make the rider not feel threaten by the weight, the power and the stiffness of the tiger four stroke engines (400, 450 and up). 


Friends working on the bikes
Simply inevitable as a fact, we had to proceed in the order of 5 2strokes  (maybe more soon) from Beta this year to cover the needs of our clients. Lately, the demand of 2stroke bikes became more and more often. The fact that Beta, is starting to cause a great interest in the world of enduro with the innovations, the design and the pure enduro orientation of her models, is causing riders to constantly seek 2strokes when they show up here. Especially, the riders that own back home a 2stroke, are those who complain the most of having to use a 4stroke in our demanding rides. The new bikes we have now are 2017 Beta RR 300, 300 racing and Xtrainer. 


2stroke Beauty
How can I describe the diversity of the Xtrainer? For me, this bike is the quintessence of extreme enduro. You have to cary its 99Kgs in the muddy trails and you don't mind, because its 300cc engine can do this in the most easy, technical and balanced way there is. The Xtrainer is here to fill the gap that the average rider, the non pro adventurist, the guy who really wants to enjoy his ride and conquer places a four stroke needs thousands of calories to do, needs to fill. A gap caused, from the crazy horse power delivery of the big engines, of the 120 kg of the bike and of course the fatigue that shows up once you drop your heavy bike and you have to lift it in the trail. Getting an Xtrainer means, you drive it easily, you pick it up from the ground using half the effort, your can control it easier, lift the front like a joke, control and balance it in upholds and dowels like a bicycle, drive on rocks and logs like they don't exist. Don't be tricked, its not designed for an amateur rider, more having it needs less riders skills or knowledge to handle. Its a powerful engine that can cause troubles to the amateur rider like any other bike, especially a 2stroke. Its crazy too. 


A lot of work needed to set it up
The 2017 Beta 300 RR, are enduro porn bikes. We have them in the store and just fall in love with them, from the moments they came out of their box. The gold forks, the new decals and that new red that is not quite red but red ... well anyway, they are simply beautiful. We haven't yet had the chance to ride them in our trails so more words on them will follow. So far, during assembly, we witnessed risen quality, more detail in the construction, improvement in the electrical wiring and placing of plugs and switches. A minus on the total setup is the killswitch. Its placed above the starter with and it extends long enough for the body to accidentally hit it during an extreme ride. This is something a potential buyer should improve to avoid surprises during his rides, a minor detail but still a detail. A plus on the total construction is that every flaw we witness in the older models, they fixed it. Some bad quality screws and holders, some details on the bike stand that was touching the rear wheel base etc. everything is fixed, a fact that means heavy duty R&D of the factory. Respect Beta guys, this one is an awesome work.


Blue details
Finally a few words on the 2017 Beta 300 Racing edition. If this bike was a woman, she would be Miss Universe 2017. Where to start, on the looks? The combination of the blue details on the decals, among the white details of the subframe and the mask, are giving a total of a pure racing looking bike. Improvements on the frame? The foot pegs, solid, grippy, strong, beautiful. The sound? Vintage MX 2stroke engine, sharp and strong. The front fork? Going through rocks and logs is now a piece of cake. This bike just drives. The front fork is a masterpiece, nothing more to say about that. While all the other models this year come with light alloy colour wheels, the racing still comes with black rims, spokes and hubs. The factory is sending in the box sexy red rim recalls which are pleasing the eye effectively once placed. Still, we drove the bike for two days so more words on it soon.


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"a few words on the 2017 Beta 300" 
Racing edition
"If this bike was a woman" 
she would be Miss Universe 2017

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Words from The NS tour manager Thanasis 
during a migraine attack.

6.3.2017







Thank you: Betamotors for your support, The Fuoristrada and Theodoros Antoniadis for your constant and actual support, Sylviu Leron for the ideas and strategy, Wildsprocket for the gear provided.




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North Star is the first Enduro Touring company that operates in Greece. Our philosophy is based on one thing: "We do it because we love Enduro Riding". We organise enduro tours, providing all necessary.

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