Here is my video to go along with the write up:
traction eRag (http://tractionerag.com) Grizzbait was an absolutely amazing once in a lifetime experience. Just like the “Burns U.P. extreme tour”, I don’t think I can adequately describe in words. I plan on doing another trip with these guys next year if I can, and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes dirtbikes and adventure.
The amazing scenery and adventure attracts riders from around the world, with all sorts of levels of experience, so the camaraderie is excellent. It’s like dirt bike summer camp, where you spend 6-7 days living in a beautiful mountain lodge, riding up incredible alpine terrain, and training with top notch riders. The whole thing is pretty fluid and vague when you sign up and show up, which is done on purpose, as the trip is tailored specifically to each groups abilities. You basically get to the airport, get on the plane, and go with the flow. Even if it was a bit laid back, it was still extremely well organized, with excellent guides and support staff. Pretty much everyone involved is a volunteer, and even though the guides only payment was a few gallons of fuel, they were still very eager to change tubes and push bikes through bogs and snow. Each day started with a 7am breakfast and around 6 hours of riding, with lunch on the trail. Needless to say, this is quite a bit of seat time, but a few of us who were not completely wiped did a little extra riding/training at the end of the day.
The instruction was absolutely superb. With two instructions (Berry Morris - crosstrainingenduro.com and Megan Griffiths), the student to teacher ratio was excellent, and since we were all living and riding together for a week everyone got to know each other pretty well. It’s pretty excellent being able to watch Berry’s technique on getting up that loose rocky hill you’re struggling on, or having Megs help you get your bike out of a bog.
The terrain is simply incredible. No words… there was a videographer there with us, so there should be some amazing footage coming soon.
Thoughts on the Betas…
Most of the bikes were Beta rentals, provided by Beta Canada. I got assigned a 350RR 4 stroke, but got to ride pretty much the entire lineup back to back on mile long test track we had set up, as well as over a bunch of obstacles.
The highlight of the Betas in my opinion is the chassis. The whole lineup feels pretty similar, with very slim bodywork, relatively low seat height, and roomy cockpit.
My favorite of the 4 strokes was the 350RR for sure - the power is incredibly smooth and usable, generally feeling a lot less aggressive than the KTM 350s. It’s a very versatile bike that was very easy to ride both fast and slow. The 430 and 500 are basically big monsters, way too much bike for me. All of the four strokes seemed to be geared a bit too high, so any reasonably technical riding needed 1st and 2nd gear and lots of clutch.
Out of the two strokes, the new 125RR and 300RR were my favorites. The 125 is basically a mountain bike and one of the funnest bikes I’ve ever ridden, very nimble and even on the slippery single track the front grip seemed pretty much unlimited. The 300RR had very smooth usable power, very similar to the KTM 300s. I was excited to try the X-trainer, but came away pretty disappointed as the way it's tuned gives it just a bit too much torque. It may be a matter of playing with the power valve, but I found it pretty difficult to ride as smoothly as the regular 300RR. All of the two strokes except the new 125RR vibrated quite heavily… I’m not sure if the newer engines vibrate less, or if the 125 is just too tiny to vibrate.
The suspension was probably the main drawback. None of the bikes felt plush or confidence inspiring to me, and most deflected quite badly off of rocks or bumps. This has apparently been improving over the years, and some of it may be a question of setup, but the WP stuff on any of the KTMs I’ve ridden felt way better.
The other drawback is the dodgy seeming electronics. Keeping in mind that these bikes have been though a bit of abuse, and most have probably been under water, but about 50% of the dashboards on the rental fleet were functional and the wiring looked like it was an afterthought. That said, the FI system on my 350RR did perform flawlessly with zero flameouts or power issues in a wide range of temperatures and altitudes.
Overall, they are pretty solid trail/enduro bikes, especially if the prices are significantly lower than the KTM/Husky competition.