The title explains a lot when it comes to what question I get asked the most when I test ride a factory rider’s machine. What does it feel like compared to a stock bike? So with that question in mind I took out a stock 2026 Beta 450RX the week before I headed to Jack Chambers facility to meet up with Zach Osborne in Florida and rode it a couple days to get familiar with the Italian brand again. Here are some thoughts when comparing the two machines.
Side Note: You can get a Zach-O replica suspension setting if you go with Beta’s BYOB (Build Your Own Bike) over at betabyob.com. You can customize your suspension as well as hard parts with the BYOB program which, is a very unique feature when it comes to new dirt bike purchases from a manufacturer.
Engine: The stock 450RX engine builds smooth/linear power and prefers to be short shifted. The stock engine and its Maxx ECU is a little rich feeling which can make the stock 450RX run a little dirty at lower RPMs. Zacho’s race machine is similar in the fact that it builds smooth/linear power but there is more torque involved when rolling out deep corners like the track in Florida provided. First gear is also more usable on Zach’s machine than the stock bike and yes Zach is on a stock primary transmission but the power that the race engine makes, provided it with a wider window of power unlike the stock bike. What I mean by “wider window of power” is that Zach’s race engine gives the rider more freedom to shift early, shift late or maybe not shift at all. This engine is exactly what I want out of a 450. The character it has is great for a rider who doesn’t want your arms to be ripped off yet has enough torque/excitement down low that you’re able to get playful with the bumps out on the track.
The team uses a Maxx ECU which I am not very familiar with my time testing off-road bikes. I have heard Maxx ECU’s are big in the drift car world and with ADV bikes. However the team spec Maxx ECU is much cleaner and more responsive than the stock 450RX Dual-Map Kokusan ECU. There was a little de-cel popping with the Maxx ECU/race engine but it wasn’t that noticeable and only happened when the engine got hot. It was also in the mid 90’s and humid on the day of the test. The race engine also has a manual chain tensioner which can also contribute to more low end as most race teams go with a manual tensioner for that reason.
I do think that this factory Beta race engine spec is one of the more friendliest that I have tried which leaves me to believe that their factory SX riders would want more. For a 36 year old Zach Osborne and this 50 year old test rider, this engine was a very enjoyable compared to some of the other violent 450 race machines that I have ridden. I am also very picky when it comes to vibration and the race spec Beta has a lot less vibration than the standard 450RX.
Matthes Take: I was talking to the Beta guys at SMX and Muto (Zach’s mechanic) was offended when I said how easy the #16’s motor was to ride. It was, to use my words, “vet friendly” and sounds like Kris agrees. Muto was losing it. Bloss and McElrath’s motors are a bit different than Zacho’s also so calm down Muto. The bike was easy to ride, it was a bit “soft” as far as the hit but it sure was easy. I liked it, it was probably the most tame “fast guy” motor I’ve ever ridden. And also, Zacho got holeshots at LL’s (yes against a lot of 250’s but some 450’s) on this thing so it’s fine.
Chassis: I am a fan of the stock 450RX chassis as it is a very stable predictable chassis. I don’t like the high CG feel of the chassis when leaning into corners but I do love a stable bike and in the day and age of stiffer chassis’, the Beta has a nice blend of comfort and stability that I enjoy.
Zach’s machine has frame gussets near the head tube and on the down tubes to help with stiffness for a factory rider’s speed so I was leery on if that would hinder the parts of the RX450 that I love. Well, good news! It didn’t! In fact, it helped the way that the bike cornered as well as helped made the bike feel planted slightly when coming into corners. The race machine also felt less tall than the production bike which helped tip in leading into corners. The front end traction was improved (maybe because of the Bridgestone M59 front tire) but the race machine felt lighter under a lean than the production Beta. There wasn’t a ton of bumps on Jack’s outdoor track but if it wasn’t for Zach’s soft fork I think the race machine would have been even more stable through the sand rollers.
It is also interesting that Zach is on 21mm X-Trig offset with a 610mm swingarm length. He was on a 13/48 gearing set up as he preferred that gearing so he could use second gear a little longer.
Matthes Take: Loved the way the bike turned, it really carved up the sand and you could make it change direction with the slightest bit of body english really. This was the best part of the bike, it’s seriously a great handling bike.
Suspension: The stock KYB suspension on the standard Beta 450RX is soft. It feels like it needs more damping quality on any track with medium sized jumps but does have comfort. On Zach’s bike the fork is very soft/fast for my 185 pound frame (yet Zach is around 190 pounds) but the shock had more of a dead/slow feel to it. It was a very unique feeling because on the track the ride attitude of the bike was balanced and the fork didn’t dive “too much” leading into corners but when I missed a landing (under or over shoot) the fork would bottom pretty hard. Even when I did grease a landing, the fork felt like it was a little empty near the end of the stroke. I was shocked on how soft the fork was for how aggressive Zach rides the bike. The comfort of the KYB AOS fork however was really nice and didn’t give me any inklings of a harsh feel. I feel like I would have really liked Zach’s fork setting at Glen Helen. Softer yet fast so the small chop would get picked up well.
The shock picked up large hits well and sat lower in the stroke (even though I was at around 103mm of sag) which I knew is something Zach liked with his bikes. He prefers a lower in the rear setting for his rear steering style but he said his Beta suspension set up is less rear wheel biased than any other factory bike he’s been on.
For how different each end of this bike felt, it actually worked well but it would have to be something I would have to get used to.
Matthes Take: Like the 2027 Honda, I’m outside the weight range for this bike so it def felt soft for me. I didn’t feel comfy hitting really any jumps at all with it and the fork felt really soft. First thing I said after the first ride to Kris was “Does the fork feel soft for you?” because for me, it was WAY soft. But that helped make it turn good in the flat turns. I was talking to the Beta guys at SMX and they said yeah Zach’s fork was soft but that’s because he’s way back on the bike and sort of “surfs” his way around a track. I’m not gonna judge it too harshly because at 230lbs, I’m simply too fat for these settings.
Rider Triangle: The stock RX450 feels spread out and big, maybe because of the tall feeling handlebars. I never got along with the stock Beta handlebar dimensions so that made it hard for me to corner at times. The footage to seat height was great but the bars needed to be a little lower with less sweep for my liking.
Being that Zach is around 5’6 I was expecting a small cockpit but that was silly not the case. I jumped on the bike first thing in the morning and didn’t even touch the bars or levers all day. It is a very neutral cockpit set up. Stock offset on the pegs, neutral bar placement and flatter style lever position. He does still run his custom handlebars with smaller sized bar ends (grip area). The full diamond grip set up is very small in diameter so that part of the bike took a little bit to get used to but I got passed that quite quickly. Zach prefers a crossbar and likes to be able to wrap his small sized hands around his grip because he hates nothing more than a fat feeling handlebar/grip area. Zach also runs a seat bump near the back of the bike and that was even in a nice spot for my 6’0 frame. Usually seat bumps are smack dab in the middle of the seat and I can’t stand that but Zach runs his a little further back which I found useful for my size.
Matthes Take: Again, this was very easy to get used to and I adjusted absolutely nothing. I didn’t like Zacho’s tiny bars and grips but whatever, it wasn’t that bad. Everything felt great, the tank is pretty wide at the front but that didn’t affect me at all while riding. Bar position, levers, etc every rider friendly.
Other Tidbits: Zach is using an older style Honda front brake master cylinder set up and I loved it. The older style Honda master cylinder gives you a firm lever feel yet not grabby like the new style system does. Very progressive yet firm and I like that Zach loves his front brake to hit ASAP.
For how small Zach’s hands are the levers are out quite far which I found interesting. I also noticed while he was riding on the day of the test that he is a “full hand on the grip” type of rider. He rarely has his finger on the clutch unless he is going through a corner which maybe could explain the lever reach? I don’t know man. He didn’t know either!
Overall Experience: Zach’s bike felt like an enhanced 450RX to me. THIS IS A GOOD THING! I liked the stock 450RX engine character and Zach’s bike just added more pulling power, a cleaner ECU tuning feel yet kept that linear/easy to ride character that makes riding a 450 fast, very important! You can actually RIDE ZACH’s BIKE HARD if you wanted/needed to! I wish I could of had more time on it because I was somewhat of a big pussy early on because of the new track and steeper style jump landings. I think if I rode Zach’s bike for more than a day I feel like I could have rode it well.
The chassis had more stability and an easier to corner feel to it. I could move around on the track easier with Zach’s bike and trusted what it was going to do.
The suspension was the most unique part of this test and that is what I love about testing factory riders bikes. When you ride THEIR set up you can understand the rider more when you watch them ride. Zach rides his Beta more on the rear of the bike and that is why his shock is slower and stiffer than his fork set up. It works for him!
I wasn’t completely caught off guard with Zach’s Beta though. I have heard some of you say that the Beta brand is a step down compared to some Japanese or Austrian models but the minute I saw Zach ride at Loretta’s this year, I knew I needed to get to Florida ASAP because his bike looked that good! I am glad my naked eye test was confirmed on this day as it’s nice not to be let down as a test rider. Sure the Japanese and Austrian brands have more race testing and time on their bikes but Zach’s Beta 450RX is one of the easiest factory bikes to ride that I have ridden.
With more testing time and races under the team’s belt this Beta race machine is only going to get better over time. I would love to revisit the factory Beta 450RX after a couple more years to see how far it has come. Cough. Cough. Ehhhhhh. Hey Beta, can we set a date at the end of 2028 for another test? Orrrrrr can you build me a Zach Osborne replica with a stiffer fork so I can race the Vet Nationals on it? Thanks for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Kris Keefer
185 Pound Old Guy
