Hello there KaTooMr!
Well, to be a morning morning, I just wanna share what I found a very instructive piece of mechanical knowledge from a friend over Facebook, Ryan Hackney… about 2 stroke KTMs…
Ryan’s Comment…
“…To me, a 300 is not that barely legal, hot little number of a filly like a 125, or her older, leaner party girl sister with the great ass called the 250. The 300 is the smoking hot babe in the corner that you know will take you for a ride if you are not careful. She likes the longer strokes, so don’t short dick her.
Not being a “know it all”, but I have been a 2t rider for years and own a 300 myself. The 300 has a bit or torque that a 250 would not have, and thus, you do not need to keep the rpms up as high throughout the gears as you would with a 250. However, it does not have the torque of a 4t bike, which I assume you are used to, either. The best way I know to ride a 300 is to keep a few fingers on the clutch, as with any 2t bike, but you fan it less. Keep the power regulated through the clutch, and with my XC-W, 3rd gear is your best friend. She is lighter than a 450 and in a flat out drag you will lose a little on a 450, but she will slay a 450 in the tight rush and turns if you get your ass off the seat a bit and power through with your hips, keeping the balls of your feet on the pegs working the shifter and rear brake with your toes. Here in Florida, and in hilly terrain like I used to ride in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia, is where a 300 really shines.
I had a 13/54 gearing on 300 when I bought it from the original owner, and quickly geared it to a 13/50, which helped 1st gear some as I had to shift immediately after takeoff before, and it gave me a bit more room in the power band. However, I think I may like a 13/51 or 13/52 better, but I have yet to change it up any. Here in Florida, I also need to put the Maxxis sand/mud tires on it like my buddy has (M7307 Maxxcross SM Front/M7308 Maxxcross SM Rear) due to the hook up and traction he gets. I can tractor through anything using half throttle from 1st thru 3rd, but if I break the throttle open past that she screams and gets on top of herself quick, and how. She lacks a touch of “keep up” from gear to gear at times (mine is a 2006), but a buddy out in Montana said that a tweaked JD Jetting kit fixes that like a champ. So, that is on my list as well to buy for my 300. The only other mod I have done, and this is due to my 6’2”+ frame, is that I added bar risers (30mm) to get the bars a bit higher for me. I liked the bend of the stock bars (Nikken), but the height was wrong for me when standing, so I raised them. The bike looks a bit odd in the lines now, but she fits me much better now.
Lastly, and this comes from owners and a few wrenches that own 300s, one being a KTM factory mechanic, the XC is the “middle 300” as in it was built for trail and track. Without the added transmission specs, the 300 SX (via the actual make or a 250 with the conversion kit) hits harder and has a quicker power band used for the track where the XC-W is trail minded and has a smoother hit off throttle and is more of a high strung mule. The XC is right in between with its mapping and ignition lay out coupled with the head design. It hits harder than the “W”, but less than the “SX”, yet has a bit more bite in the torque area over the “SX”, but again, less than the “W”. However, she is no less a champ where ever you ride her at. She is at home in the scrub or on the track seeing as she weighs in the same as the 250 SX and will bite in the corners with more traction due to her square (72×72) engine. I run a 40:1 ratio and at 117 hours on her the top end looks fresh as hell and well within spec from the factory. Matter of fact, that buddy I have in Montana just changed a top end on his after 300+ hours and he can still use the old piston and rings if he wanted. I saw pictures of the micrometer and piston, as well as the feeler gauge and end gap, or I would have scoffed at it. In my opinion, you have the best bike made right now and you will love what she will do for you when it is all said and done. Great buy, great video, and thanks for sharing. I hope I gave you some good info and that it helps you out a bit. ”
Well, hope you like it, I want so bad a 300XC-W, but learning 2 strokes is not as easy as the 4 strokes bikes… so every time something like this come in handy, I will share!
Thanks Ryan for the opportunity
Kubano Out!
