Big step up, Kato (Husky) raised the bar once again with this new generation 250/300 package. I cant wait to step up for the TX300......looks like 2018 model the way things are going for me. Chassis feels super nice, E starts easier like a Beta! Engine smoothness is instantly noticable, I could podium the thing out of the box in 50A--and yes she is/was abit on the fat side.we were operating at 3500-4000 ft..but Mr.Juha liked his 2 strokes that way and look at his resume'. Thing is race ready out of the box (yes tunable as desired but race ready out of the box). PS Jarvis and Walker are running theirs 95% OEM stock in the powerplant dept.
yes it feels instantly more nimble as well as a smaller chassis feel. but it still retains the open cockpit feel. what I mean is that my TE310 and TXC310 felt cramped for my size the KTM brand machines feel more open. This new gen model just feels smaller than my 2014, but still with plenty of space. the biggest thing is CB shaft.....thats a huge game changer.
I've had a 300xc here in the shop for the last month or so. Haven't gotten the chance to ride it much at all. Mostly sitting here in pieces while we measure up stuff for upcoming products. Anyway, here is my quick summary of the very little time I have gotten to ride it. We have about a mile test loop here at the shop. Half of it is open 2 track where you can build up some speed and the other half is very tight woods, ditches and log crossings. 1st or 2nd gear only stuff. This bike is stock with the exception of a few add on parts and a Slavens Mule Lectron carb. The Pro's This thing feels super light. Just pushing it around the shop it is instantly noticeable. Pushing my Beta 450rr around the same shop feels like trying to push a milk crate full of rocks by comparison. Lifting it on the stand just confirms this. Very easy to lift on the stand, but better hand holds would make it feel lighter. The electric starter works instantly. Just tap it and the engine purrs to life. As Robertaccio said, it is buttery smooth. In comparison to older 300's the engine vibes feel almost electric. Twist the throttle and it goes faster and makes more noise but without the rattling and shaking of the previous 300. Very nice upgrade. Power is pretty non existent way down low but when it does come on the pipe it has a very nice feel to it. Doesn't rev to the moon, but has a very good range where you are in the power. Again, the counter balancer I think helps here. Previous 300's felt like they were gonna shake something loose when they were in the meat of the power. Leading me to always want to shift up for a more comfortable engine feel, but dropping out of the power. This bike is nice and smooth while in the power and I don't feel awkward about leaving it there all day. The suspension is also 100% stock, not even any clicker changes. The aer forks are super plush. I deliberately crashed them into some square stuff at speed and I almost didn't notice. The rear end didn't do anything crazy, but again I didn't really give this bike much of a thrashing so take that for what it's worth. The Con's The ergos for me are just kinda whatever. Not bad, not great. I sit on it and have to think for a few seconds about the feel. Not a deal breaker, but things don't just fall into place like they have on other bikes. While the engine runs nice and smooth I couldn't come to terms with the lack of power down low in the tight trees here. More open, flowing 3-4 gear stuff I think I would have a different opinion of the bike, but I just didn't dig it in the tighter stuff. Maybe with more time on it where I could get feeling more comfortable and thus get more aggressive in the tight stuff things would improve? While the forks were super plush and way better than lots of other forks out there, they did have a dead feeling to them. Nicely setup spring forks seem to be able to soak up trail trash and also transmit a feel for what they are soaking up. They transmit a different feel for square stuff vs a gentle roller. The aer forks soak things up nicely, but don't transmit that feeling of square edge or gentle roller. No Not saying they're bad, just something I noticed. Probably my biggest complaint is the damn torx bolts. Years ago every magazine ragged on KTM for using torx bolts. They finally got away from them, but now that they are on top they have gone back. WTF? Lots of bolts have both a hex head and a torx which I think is kinda cool. Like a backup in case one strips. But, lots of the bolts are just torx. This is a step backward for me. In summary This bike represents the latest and greatest available. It is a big step forward from the older models. But I've just never been a big fan of KTM 300's and this bike hasn't changed my mind. Yes, they are incorporating all the latest tech and improving their product. But all the latest and greatest doesn't come together and work magic for me. I wouldn't turn one down if it was given to me, but I won't be buying my own anytime soon either.
Torx drive (more material removed from the screw heads) to lighten the overall weight of each screw to get that overall hardware parts list (heavy steel) to drop weight. I bet that's a big part of that engineering effort. Im kinda getting used to them, I bought a torx tip set with magnetic adapter socket. Thanks for the write up Clay, I too only had a short blast around a short loop that I know very well and purposely hit rocks to get an idea of the feel and reaction. I did bottom the forks off a rock ramp onto a flat landing (OEM stock). For me its another new toy that would take time to adjust to.
