Beta has a reputation as one of the premier Italian motorcycle manufacturers, thanks in part to its line of trials bikes and the competitors who choose to ride them. Since 2009, the brands’ EVO model has taken numerous factory riders to victory in the FIM Trial World Championship, along with riders competing in different classes and at different skill levels around the world.
But Beta is retiring the EVO line. Thankfully, it's being replaced, as the company is introducing the Sincro, a new generation of trial motorcycles that represent years of development. According to Beta’s recent press release, “The new Sincro was born with an ambitious goal: to create the perfect SINCROny between rider and bike, a human-machine bond never experienced before, so deep as to transform every gesture into a pure expression of control and smoothness.”
For those unfamiliar with trials riding or how much impact it can have for riders competing at the highest levels of off-road racing, look no further than the podium of an FIM Hard Enduro World Championship round. There you’ll find former trials riders etching their name into hard enduro history thanks to a background in trials competitions. Manuel Lettenbichler, Mario Roman and Billy Bolt all have a history of competing and training on trials bikes. The skills you develop on a bike with no seat seem to help people compete at the hardest levels of enduro racing, focusing your attention on bike placement, balance, clutch control and the ability to overcome obstacles – and also bounce between boulders like a mad man.
In developing their new Sincro line, Beta asked its top-level riders to work with engineers in creating an all-new platform for the brand. Engineers updated the aluminum backbone frame to improve its handling, centralizing its weight to create a connection between the bike and the inputs of the rider. The engine has been updated as well, improving its handling at low speeds and overall performance. The engine design is completely new, the only things retained by Factory Racing Beta Department engineers being the bore and stroke measurements. The first thing I noticed when looking at the new Sincro was the fact that the kick starter is now on the right side of the motorcycle, and the chain drive on the left.
Beta engineers focused on moving rotating masses toward the center to improve the Sincro’s handling. To achieve this, the flywheel diameter, weight, and inertia have been reduced, while those of the crankshaft have been increased. The cylinder is also new, both externally and in regard to the internal transfer port geometry. It’s still a 300cc two-stroke, though, so expect the same level of snappy response when overcoming obstacles, only now, according to Beta, the Sincro enables riders to “become more “at one” with the bike and the traction that is needed.”
An optional electric start on the Sincro 300 models means that riders looking to get into trials riding don’t have to worry about kick starting their bike in tricky conditions. Additionally, there’s an all-new clutch assembly that Beta claims “maintains an optimal behavior under stress, keeping the drive control softer, tiring the rider considerably less.” This is music to the ears of anyone that’s suffered from arm pump while learning the ins-and-outs of trials.
The Sincro is an all-new platform for Beta, built from the ground up with help from their factory racing team. From the outside, the new Sincro line looks eerily similar to the outgoing EVO models, however a redistribution and reduction of weight, updated engine performance focused on connecting the rider to the bike, along with an optional electric start and a clutch that reduces fatigue, mean that this new trials model might set the standard for what we expect from other manufacturers moving forward.
The Sincro 300 2-Stroke will be available at dealerships starting in December of 2025.
