a 300 for ultratight woods?

[Nevada Sixx]

If i understood right, someone on here said a 300 would "put around" better than a 200. How can that be? Wouldnt a 300 stall easier? Are 300's ok for super tight woods?
I know my kx250 wouldnt lug very well up a slow/low rpm hill.

thanks...

The woods i ride in are so tight, i can barely get out of first/second gear on my 125. Its almost like riding inside your house, the 125 works ok except for when i want to wheelie or shoot forward suddenly for a hillclimb.

 

[Mully]

I am on my second 300. First one was a Gas Gas and now I have KTM. I have never wished for a smaller bike again since I switched. I couldn't really feel any difference between them and my old 250/200's, other then more boost. I do like the added benefit of the 300, especially when I start to get tired, I just up shift an extra gear and lug the motor.

Mully

 

[BadMotoWeazal]

Most people I know that have KTM 300's love them....We ride/race enduro style trails about 36"-48" wide with a lot of off camber & dead start uphills. 300's don't weight anymore than most 250's & with the large flywheel weight they have lugging it around in the tight woods is easy...throw on a Recluse Auto Clutch, and it's almost cheating :)

 

[76GMC1500]

I have noticed that the pro enduro riders often choose the bigger bikes, even on the most technical trails. They usually ride a 300 or a 525.

 

[OldTimer]

Where ya riding these ultra tight woods? Westpoint?
My Husky 360 putts around like a big ole baby if I keep it two gears high! :nod:

 

[Bruce]

LUV THE 300.

I also ride a lot of tight woods. As an older rider, I too like the fact that I can lug the engine when I'm tired.

And when I'm really in my groove and full of energy, I often ride tight woods by blipping my throttle a lot. Kind of like you do when holding up a wheelie (not that I'm great at that) or if you've seen Randy Hawkins ride (first Time To Ride video).

 

[katoom 300 rider]

Are 300's ok for super tight woods?
I know my kx250 wouldnt lug very well up a slow/low rpm hill.

thanks...

The woods i ride in are so tight, i can barely get out of first/second gear on my 125. Its almost like riding inside your house, the 125 works ok except for when i want to wheelie or shoot forward suddenly for a hillclimb.

Sounds just like our trails!
2nd gear slam on the brakes slide around the tree, 180 degree turn hit the gas, slide between the trees, hit the brakes, around the tree, 20 foot aproach to a HUGE rutted out hill gas it, 180 at the top back down the hill.
Fun stuff :laugh:
Anyway I have a KTM 300 XCW and it's amazing, light nimble, puttable, easy to start, and plenty of power when you need it, fan the clutch and it'll light up instantly.
2 of our other riders have the GAS GAS 300's, and love them.

 

[Brian]

I would think something like a 300 would be suited better for the tighter stuff like you mention. You'd be shifting more to get power out of a smaller bike where the 300 has enough juice to roll on the throttle without much shifting even if your in the wrong gear.

 

[ggurney]

Anybody want to talk me into getting a 300 over a wr please do so. im still undecided, and pro green sticker. The real reason I loged on was for a freind with a kx 250 in search of a flywheel weight. We saw three different weights and want to know witch is best for non other than tight trails!

 

[DougRoost]

It seems backwards at first but it works. I'm only 5'8" and 170lbs, so on paper you'd think I was the perfect 200cc guy. But the torque of the 300 is addicting. I've ridden every year KTM 200 since 1998 and like them, but am slower on them due to more shifting. Shifting is the key. You get a 6 speed on a 200 vs. a 5 speed on the 250/300, and you end up doing lots more shifting down then back up in the woods on the 200, vs. just staying in gear and maybe fanning the clutch a bit on the 300. Don't get me wrong, the 200s are fun and you can wheelie them over the littlest bumps, but the 300 is almost a 3 stroke.

Doug

 

[BrianVT]

You get a 6 speed on a 200 vs. a 5 speed on the 250/300

The GG have a 6 speed. I'm 5'9, 160 lbs. C-rider. I love the 300. "3-stroke" is an accurate description. You can lug or scream.

 

[TPbeMe]

Another vote here for the 300. I've been on a Gas Gas 300 since '03 and haven't looked back.

The ability to lug it; the on-demand torque; the "flickability;" and, the fact that it doesn't have any of the four-stroke's nasty habits like hot start issues, makes the 300 a dream.

Do yourself a favor and try one; either the Gas Gas or the KTM will put a big smile on your face.

TP
'03 EC 300

 

[motorhead434]

The ability to tourque difficult sections with little or no effort from the 300 gas gas powerplant IS an unfair advantage when youre tired!When I'm gasping for air the last thing I want to do is PIN,FAN,AND ROW!

 

[b-rocker]

Most people think 2-stroke means zing. My KTM 250EXC could be chugged like a
four stroke and my buddies 300 is even better.Throttle control is easy on these
bikes,and when you turn it hard, they rip like a hi-perf 2-stroke should.Short shift
and enjoy.

 

[macko00xj]

i have a 95 ktm 300 exc, and we ride Wayne National forest in Ohio, and Allegany nation forest in PA. like most of the guys/girls who ride the 300, we love it. i have power in any gear, and can put all day long. where we ride there are a lot of dead start hills, and the bike has plenty of power, even to much at times. other than that i love my bike and would never trade it. repairs are minor, just broken levers from falling, it is very reliable.

 

[2 strokes for life]

I have a comparison of old bikes. One is my 79 Yamaha IT175 and my uncles 77 Yamaha IT400.

When we go ridding i always find myself flying past him on the open sections and taking him in the corners. But i will not stan a chance if i am in the wrong gear or not in the powerband. Where as my uncle pulls me on the hills and the tight sections with less effort then i put into riding.

So to sum it up, the bigger bore 2 stroke seams to do things just as well as a smaller bore but with less effort and skill. Now i do not know if this is comparable to the 2 bikes you are comparing but i would think it is the same kind of comparison but with different bikes. Just my 2 cents.

 

[lawman]

I'm on my 2d KTM 300, & I've had 4 of their 250s & 2 of the 200s ( + some others). IMO, the 300 can be a big handful in tight woods when you are tired--there's a lot of snap right off the bottom. I switched to a PC pipe & the G-2 throttle, & jetted it for smooth power. now it's just right, even w/o having to chug around at super-low RPMs a gear or 2 high.

 

[headbanger]

I think my 300 GasGas is way easier to ride in the tight stuff than a 200 with a light switch power band! Just ride it a gear high and when you get to that BIG hill that catches you off guard just chug right up it!
Good Luck!

 

[motorhead434]

gas gas smooth trials heritage shines in the rough

From what I've been told the gasser is much smoother,putting the power to the ground without the tiring "hit" that can spell t r o u b l e .

 

[jlk_250]

My experience has been that the GG 300 is smoother than the KTM 300. I like the KTM 250 and the GG 300 best of all for smoothness (lack of hit). No two bikes are the same of course and rider preference varies. It's good to have options available for what you buy and how you set them up. I like my "three stroke".

Jon
'01 XC300

 

[Hevster1]

Personally if i was still racing ECEA enduro's I would own a 200. They don't wear you out as much as a 250, 300 or 400/450 4 stroke. Now I used to own a 95 KTM300 and I loved the motor but in a long, tight NJ or PA enduro I wanted the 200.

 

[DougRoost]

On paper I'm a 200 guy but in the real world I find myself shifting a 200 twice as much as a 300, so I'm actually slower on it in tight woods. But I love the feeling and it's a very fun bike to ride, turning the smallest bump into a wheelie.

 

[crrod]

My 300 has wicked wheelie power and lugs about like a 4 stroke. I own both a 125 and 300, I like my 125 on fast large turns, but other than that, the 300 is my bike 99% of the time. Plus it has a kick stand:)

 

[eprovenzano]

I just purchased a new to me 00 KTM 300 EXC. I'm had a 125 and 250, but the 300 is by far the better woods bike.

First I have the EXC version, the enduro version. The suspension is softer than am MX bike which I like The power delivery can easily adjusted to suit your riding style from a 4 stroke like power to a light switch pull your arms out of your shoulders power, by adjusting and changing the spring rate in the power valves. Set it to your preference.

The 300's are heavier than 200's no doubt, but they live up to the 3 stroke nickname. It is happy being lugged around, and is just as happy ripping down a road or track as fast as your willing to go...

With the smaller bikes you need to be on your game when riding the woods. You need to be looking ahead making sure you are in the proper gear, are carrying enough speed, and are in the proper RPM range. The 300 allows you to be lazy, the bike has so much torque you can make a mistake, and just roll on the throttle and it will take you where you need to go. :cool:

Just my $.02 worth.

 

[goatman21]

So are none of you guys with the 300s having problems with fouling plugs when you lug them around all day? The last two stroke I had was a YZ 125 and unless you were on it all the time it would foul plugs and it really put a damper on woods riding.