New Ride

[ktm033]

Saturday afternoon I picked up my '04 300 MXC from Lansing Cycle. I had the suspension sprung and valved by the guys in the back at Enduro Engineering. Also had all the EE goodies installed including, skid plate, bark busters, clutch guard, easy pull clutch lever, chain guide, rear disc guard, pro taper woods bend bars and a GPR steering damper. I also packed the trusty '02 400 MXC for the HS at Portland on Sunday. I really wanted to ride the 300, ended up racing the 400 on Sunday. Tonight I plan on letting the 300 out of the cage. The bike looks and feels awesome. Just lifting it onto the stand the weight difference from the thumper is blatantly obvious. The bike also feels quite a bit thinner than my old one. I will post a ride report after I have a couple of hours on it.

 

[70 marlin]

Congrats on the new ride!

 

[ktm033]

Last night I got out and rode the new bike for about 45 minutes. It was about 38 degrees with a little sleet snow mix coming down. The bike fired up on the first kick. As I slung my leg over it the first thing I noticed was that it definitely sits a little higher than my '02 400. After I had it warm a little pulled the silky smooth hydraulic clutch in and snapped it into first gear. Engagement into gear was smoother than my '02, as I eased the clutch out the first thing that struck me was how much slimmer the bike felt than my RFS. Having never rode a 300 before and not sure exactly how I would like it I was very pleasantly surprised. The bike on my brief ride through the woods exceeded my high expectations for it. The bike delivered awesome, linear power. It felt much faster than my EE big bore kitted 450. It had plenty of low end grunt. Even though I had thought my thumper had handled pretty well the new 300 handled much better. It soaked up everything that I threw at it, braking bumps, whoops, jumps and was magic in the tight woods sections on my practice track. The bike turns like it is on rails, something I could never get my '02 to do despite suspension work, new triple clamps, etc....I found myself feeling more comfortable after 45 minutes on the 300 than I did ever 2 years on my '02. The only thing that stopped the fun was the sun going down. As I loaded the bike into my trailer in the dark I found myself smiling from ear to ear wondering if I can find a new home for a slightly used '02 RFS.