Beta's new Alp 4.0 and Alp X dual sport models are officially coming to the New Zealand market.
Road bikes aren’t something we tend to think of here in New Zealand when it comes to Beta Motorcycles, with the brand far more known for making high-end dirt weapons than back road blasters. But that could be about to change with the announcement that Beta’s new Alp 4.0 and Alp X are heading to our shores.
Now the Alp platform isn’t a high-performance dual-sport machine, but rather an approachable road-legal mountain goat designed to bring lightweight adventures to the the dual sport market Japanese manufacturers seem to have abandoned.
Offered in two guises, the Alp 4.0 offers a more off-road focused build with wheels in 21 and 18” respectively, while the Alp X goes for a road bias with its 19 and 17” wheel sizing. While the chassis setup is largely the same, the two Alp variants differ mainly in their styling with the X offering a traditional circular headlight to the sculpted unit of the 4.0.
At the centre of both is a 348cc DOHC single-cylinder developed in partnership between Beta and Tayo Motorcycles. Developed specifically for the Alp, the new engine can supply up to 35 horsepower at 9500 rpm according to Beta and is backed by a 6-speed gearbox.
With a claimed fuel economy of 3.51 litres per 100km, the 11-litre fuel tank should offer a range of over 300km. Beta has further differentiated the two models by giving each its own tailored mapping to make the most of the engine’s performance for each model’s riding focus.
Pulling both the Alps to a stop of is a setup consisting of a 290 mm disc at the front and 220 mm at the rear, with Nissin supplying both the brake cylinder and calipers.
With these being road-legal bikes, ABS is of course a part of the standard equipment with BOSCH the curator of choice for Beta. For those taking the road less travelled, the ABS can be disengaged in the Offroad map, but like most systems is re-enabled automatically whenever the bike is restarted to avoid the danger of forgetting to reactivate it.
Keeping the rider informed is a TFT dash with all the expected information easily displayed front and centre.
While pricing is yet to be confirmed by Beta Motorcycles New Zealand, the Alp twins are expected to arrive in Kiwi dealers in Q4 of this year.
