The KTM 300 two-stroke has held court as the brand’s top-seller for over 20 years. And, while recent upgrades to the MX models have gotten all of the headlines, the orange brigade never gave up on making subtle advances to the 300.
This year, however, the old workhorse got a complete makeover, bringing the chassis up to spec with the rest of the lineup, along with a redesigned motor that is lighter and more vibration free, while retaining all the low-end qualities the bike has become legendary for.
In the case of this particular project build, I had just a little personal interest at stake. I’ve been riding a 300 XC since 2011 and since this was going to be my race bike for this summer and maybe beyond, we went out of our way to work with some of the best aftermarket guys in the off-road biz.
In stock form, the 2017 offers some immediately noticeable changes. The whole feel of the bike is now much more neutral. I’ve always liked the way the 300 handles, especially on the uber tight and technical trails near our northern Minnesota headquarters. The ‘17, however, requires less forward weight bias and even though I’m more of a sit down rider, provides the confidence to stand and really attack corners.
Previous models offered multiple bar clamp mounting points to adjust offset. As a tall guy, I always moved the mounts as far forward as possible but in this case, just rotated the clamps to the forward offset and have been super happy. As part of the vibration reduction effort, the ’17 gets rubber-mounted bar clamps with a one-piece top plate. We’ve tagged plenty of trees and laid the bike down a few times and have only had the bars twist on one really big hit after going OTB into a solid 10-inch oak. But that’s another story.
I personally feel rider comfort is everything in off-road racing, starting with bars and controls. There are some interesting new damping systems that have come along in recent years, but we always start with a set of Fasstco’s Flexx bars in the 12º enduro bend and trim an additional .75” off each end. We’ve had nothing but great luck with these bars and combined with the reduced vibration of the new 300 powerplant, have had zero issue with hand numbness or arm pump in the first couple of races this season.
One area in which the new bike falls short is air induction. KTM switched from a Keihin carburetor to a Mikuni TMX 38 this year and claimed that the new unit was less sensitive to changes in temperature and altitude. In reality, it was a bit of a step backwards. Out of the crate the carb was super finicky to tune and worst off has some sort of machining or design flaw that causes it to overflow fuel non-stop.
We had to resort to outside fuel assistance (water bottle backup) twice at the first race of the season, not being able to complete 30 miles on a 2.6 gallon tank. We were pretty bummed out that KTM has not directly addressed the issue, only offering a suggestion to rotate the carb a few degrees to the right in the boot. And that info came to light only after our local dealer did some serious investigating on our behalf.
After returning from the first race, we purchased a JD jet kit which, combined with their instructions to put a loop in the bowl vent line (fig. 1), made a significant change in performance and fuel economy.
Additionally, there are a couple of things you can do to modify the airbox and plastic under the seat to greatly improve tuning, throttle response and power across the board. The easiest of these is to remove the fin molded into the left side cover at the opening into the airbox (fig. 2). We left just enough of the extrusion to retain some structural rigidity in the side cover (fig. 3).
Additionally, drilling various size holes into the plastic starter battery tray will return airflow back to a similar rate of the previous models (4).
After making the switch to the JD kit, we started with the recommended 420 main jet and 2.5 clip position. The bike was super crisp but had a bit of fast idle/backfire on decel so we ended up turning the air screw in a quarter turn and settling on a 430 main and 3 clip which has been great, even after opening up the airbox.
This is the first model 300 XC to get an air fork, the WP AER 48. The left fork leg is an air only chamber while the right leg controls all compression and rebound damping. The jury is still out on weather or not air forks are here for the long haul but in this case, the AER is a better option than the 4CS model that has been the standard issue on the bike for the past few years.
Except for swapping in a stiffer shock spring, we spent several hours with the bike in stock configuration and were able to dial it in fairly well just working with the clickers. We also played with the air pressure in the forks to accommodate my 225 pound payload but ultimately found they worked best at the recommended 9.6 Bar setting. All which can be adjusted and maintained with the pump/gauge that is included with purchase.
Once we started getting serious, the right fork leg was shipped off to our friend Matt Stavish at Checkpoint Off-Road. Matt is an enduro legend who puts hours and hours into testing and development and had been riding this same model for the past few months. Checkpoint’s revalve was spot on, providing a smoother, more progressive feel that keeps the front end planted and tracking straight in every condition we’ve encountered.
In terms of controls, clutch feel is smoother than ever and braking on this bike is better than any of the models we’ve ridden since 2011.
The stock discs, front and rear are now a wave shaped, vented pattern from Galfer. The new design improves cooling and reduces rotating weight by a combined 90 grams. I am super hard on rear brakes but this setup has been really good, with more feel before total lock up and, knock on wood, no infamous KTM squeal.
A couple other additions to the bike include Fasstco’s Impact Moto pegs which have a thin elastomer pad mounted between the billet aluminum base and top plate to provide big hit protection and a less fatiguing day in the saddle. More importantly, these pegs just have a good feel to them. Not too big, great grip, but not so aggressive that you can’t move around on them.
I’m still not sure if it is the new chassis, clamp offset, pegs or a combination of all that make this bike feel so stable, yet nimble.
We’ve become big fans of the Michelin Starcross 5 tire over the last two seasons. They have a great bite and feel and are about the easiest tires to work with when mounting. Their comfort casing technology provides a bit of extra sidewall cush/control and wear life has been as awesome, especially with the Soft terrain spec.
We’ve burned through several sets of the Medium terrain compound but opted for the Soft terrain model on this bike as almost all of our early testing and racing took place in sandy conditions.
We’re just getting to the start of our local racing season but with a solid 30 hours on the bike, there’s no question it’s a keeper.
Expert Opinion
Nick Swenson – 2016 D23 Off-Road AA Champion, 2016 AMA National Enduro 250 A – 2nd Overall
The 300 was a rocketship when you let it be. That being said, the power delivery was smooth, even if the conditions were wet and slippery. The bike was actually really smooth like a 4-stroke.
Vibration on the 300 2 -stroke was a non issue. Being able to ride a 300 2-stroke without crazy amounts of vibration was awesome!
The suspension was arguably the best part of the bike. I jumped on and immediately was able to ride race pace. The suspension did not kick out at high speeds over loose rocks.
Another advantage of the RideX365 bike is the versatility. We know that the bike is already competitive in the off-road department, but the bike could easily be raced on a motocross track as well. The bike is really an all around blast to ride.
Project 300 ride along from RedPlateMedia on Vimeo.
