There are bikes that have forever marked an era, and one of them is the Beta Techno. The 90s were very special for the discipline of trial, with the consolidation of the Beta Zero and the development of a Techno as a weapon to unseat Jordi Tarrés in his best years with GasGas.
And this is without forgetting the arrival of HRC with the Cota 314R, which would lay the foundations of the spectacular Cota 315R saga.
On this occasion we wanted to delve deeply into the Beta Techno, a motorcycle that is partly little known, but with merits that we will unravel in this report to consolidate itself as a historical reference. To do this, we analysed together with three owners of a Techno and great connoisseurs of the brand, the most outstanding sections of the evolution of the model.
1992: The proto-"beta techno" begins to take shape
With the Beta Zero at its peak, Beta begins to draw the lines of a completely groundbreaking prototype. Very little time had passed since the birth of the Zero, but the technical evolution of the sector favored betting on a new impulse. Jordi Tarrés, then a Beta driver, had the opportunity to see the prototype, but he assessed that there was still a long way to go to be competitive, so he opted to move to GasGas.
On the contrary, Marc Colomer, Montesa rider, sees in this prototype of the Techno an opportunity to aspire to the world title. For this reason, he decided to sign with the Italian brand and debut in 1993 with the Beta Zero Gara while the Techno project continued its maturation process.
GP FROM ITALY, FOPPOLO. ALL OR NOTHING.
Mid-season of the 1993 Trial World Championship. The prototype is already capable of debuting, although there is still a long way to go to reach the production bike. Beta tells Marc Colomer, “decide if you want to race with her in Italy.” And Marc agrees. “I just started it a few hours before the race, and with hardly any experience at the controls, I decided to run that race… And I almost won.” This second position, which could have ended in victory if it were not for a claim by GasGas, gave wings to the project.
The season would end with five podiums, two of which climbing to the top of the podium, which were well worth a world runner-up finish.
The Techno series was born in 1994
The 1994 Beta Techno represents something that hasn’t happened again in Beta: completely remaking the bike, both in terms of chassis and mechanics.
It starts with a spectacular Verlicchi aluminium frame 20mm lower than on the Zero, with integrated tank, repositioned footpegs and new engine mounts. The subframe is made of aluminum and in one piece. The fork is upside-down Paioli and the rear shock absorber is entrusted to Boge. The engine is completely new, with direct crankcase intake and AJP hydraulic clutch. The exhaust is also completely new, both at the manifold and silent level.
The bodywork is also revolutionary and receives a central “bicycle computer” display with speed, distance and mileage information. Above the tank, direct access to the fuel and coolant tank.
The price of the Beta Techno 1994 was 661,250 pesetas, it weighed 83.9 kilos in running order and gave a power of 17.8hp at 4,870 rpm, although it stretched beyond 8,000 rpm.
Beta Techno Highlights
- It cost 661,250 pesetas
- It weighs 83.9 kilos in running order
- Its engine produces 17.8hp of power
- 250cc 2T Engine
The Techno saga continues
In 1995 the yellow color was changed to silver and blue, in what would be the worst season of the Beta Techno, since it did not achieve any victory. Here Marc Colomer is already in Montesa and the spearhead of the team is Dougie Lampkin, although accompanied by a large group of great riders, such as Camozzi, Bilbao, Justribó, Kuroyama, Narita or Bosis.
In 1996 the “orange” arrived and a spectacular Paioli conventional fork was finally mounted. A new ignition and the Mikuni carburetor (formerly Dell’Orto) also arrives. From a sporting point of view, Colomer won the title, but Beta achieved an important promotion with Lampkin and they signed the runner-up position in the world championship, with two victories to their credit.
In 1997 the colour purple was chosen. And this is where Lampkin’s dominance really begins, who would win the title this season, also renewing it in 1998 and 1999, the last year of the Techno saga’s life.
Beta Techno Monograph
Thanks to Manolo Torralbo, Carlos Zorzo and Jorge de Lorenzo, we brought together the first three editions under the spotlight of Trialworld, with the great opportunity to comment on the particularities of the time, the current situation of the model and current purchase opportunities.
I hope you enjoy the talk as much as we enjoyed making this fabulous meeting.
