Beta Motor

A 2000 Beta Rev 3

Beta is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorcycles. Beta are best known for their popular trials bikes. In 2005, they launched a range of enduro motorcylces using KTM engines.

History

Betamotor has always been connected with the history and evolution of life on two wheels. The company was founded in Florence in 1904 under the name "Società Giuseppe Bianchi", for building handmade bicycles. At the end of the 1940s, with the changes that had taken place in Italian society and the development of motorised transport, the company switched to motorcycle production. The simple expedient of attaching an engine with a roller transmission to one of its bicycles, a typical example of Italian creativity, resulted in the first motorbike produced by the Tuscan firm.

The two men who ran the company, Enzo Bianchi and Arrigo Tosi, joined their initials to form the brand-name Beta, and the company’s bikes have been sold under this name ever since.

The CERVO 48 was the first model to be put on the market. It featured transmission by a rubberised roller acting directly on the rear tyre, alongside a chain for starting and final drive. In 1948, the company launched the CIGNO, which was powered by a single-cylinder 48cc motor. Its double cradle frame, telescopic forks and shock absorbers gave it a very sporty look.

In 1950, Beta entered the more demanding 125cc class with the production of the ITAL-JAP 125, fitted with pressed-steel girder forks and telescopic rear shocks.

Another model launched in the ’50s was the M.T. 175: derived from competition bikes, the M.T. used a two-stroke single-cylinder engine capable of reaching 81 mph. A touring version was subsequently developed, the S.V 175.

A wide range of road bikes was produced in this period, with a tendency towards sportiness. The ASTRO 98, MERCURIO 150, FOLGORE 175 and ORIONE 200 are only some of the models fitted with single-cylinder four-stroke pushrod engines, delivering quite a respectable performance for the time. In the 1960s, Beta began in-house production of the motors which from then on would be fitted across the range. The development of new models went hand in hand with a commitment to competition: the ’50s saw Beta’s first successes in Hillclimbing, Motogiro and in the Milan-Taranto race, with its 175cc models.

In the ’70s, with the emergence of the off-road sector, Beta began to specialise more and more in the production of off-road vehicles. This specialisation has always been accompanied by a matching commitment in the area of competition, the test-bench for excellence in the production of Beta motorcycles - initially in motocross and enduro and later in trials, during the early ‘80s. Beta’s close involvement with motorcycle sport has been marked over the years by a series of successes. There were the early victories in motocross in the late ’70s and early ‘80s, followed more recently by the four World Trials Championships won by Jordi Tarres and the three consecutive world titles awarded to Dougie Lampkin (1997-9). Then there were the six Indoor World Championships, including the one which Albert Cabestany won in 2002, and finally five European titles.

In 2004, the Beta marque returned to four-stroke enduro with a major investment both in product development and in its presence on the competition track. In this new field, Beta remains faithful to its mission, that is to inspire in motorcyclists a natural and instinctive riding style. Highly technical and sports-oriented the DNA of its bikes may be, but they still need to transmit optimum feel and deliver maximum fun.

Alongside its specialisation in enduro, Beta is increasing its presence in trials, a field with which the marque has become synonymous. 2006 saw the launch of the first four-stroke engine created for and dedicated specifically to this sport: the four-stroke trials motors on offer from the competition are in fact adaptations of lumps designed for other applications, principally motocross.

Since 1972, the production plant has been located at Rignano Sull’Arno near the Italian city of Florence, where it occupies an area of 116,000 square metres, 15,000 of which are covered, and it employs 111 people. With an annual production of around seventeen thousand vehicles and fifteen thousand engines, Betamotor S.p.A. has a turnover of 44,5 million euros. Out of every 100 bikes manufactured, over 70 are distributed abroad and the remaining 30 in Italy. The marketing network runs direct sales operations in Italy, France, Germany and Benelux, and works through importers in the rest of the world. Source

See also

• Motorcycle
• List of scooters
• Scooter (motorcycle)
• List of scooter manufacturers

External links

• Beta Official site.
• Beta Racing UK Uk based Beta Trials site.