COMPARO: BETA 2024 XTRAINER – 250cc vs 300cc

For many years now, Beta’s XTrainer – a lightweight, rider-friendly, detuned and cheaper version of its hardnosed enduro-model cousins – has carved out a unique market niche for itself. And by managing to appeal to a huge cross-section of riders – from the smaller or less experienced to those with a taste for extreme terrain – the Italian manufacturer has sold an absolute motser of the things!

Self-avowed XTrainer fan, Geoff Ballard, has had an XTrainer 300 in the shed for the past four years. And aside from really enjoying the riding experience aboard it, the Aussie enduro icon reckons he’s constantly got a dozen mates lining up to take it off his hands.

But now that Beta has introduced significant upgrades to both the 250cc and 300cc XTrainers for 2024, how does GB think these two XT models compare? And does it make sense that the 250 has always lived in the shadow of its 300cc counterpart? Listen in as one of Australia’s most decorated enduro racers identifies both capacities’ pros and cons, and the type of rider each is likely to best suit…