New Bike! '08 KTM 300 XC

[rockreligious]

looks like a blast, Id love to ride that trail sometime too!, Im sure you will love the 300, I might concider a "Kost The Most"when I wear out my KX.

 

[anderson750]

There will probably be some engine mods coming to improve the bottom-end in the near future.

I highly recommend shaving .002 (I think that is 20 thousands ) off the head. I haven put about 5 hours on my new 300 and have it tore down to do it this week before the race. I can really tell a difference in the bottom to mid torque that I had with my 08 and the motors are virtually identical.

 

[Cascadia]

I highly recommend shaving .002 (I think that is 20 thousands ) off the head.

When doing this is there anything else that needs to happen or other parts involved? Or do you just shave the head and bolt it back together?

 

[Greg]

Count me in for that ride.

Sucks to have that in your back yard I bet. ha ha ha

Yeah, it's all of 15-20 min away... even worse is the North Fruita Desert singletrack and 21 Road. That's less than 10 min away!

looks like a blast, Id love to ride that trail sometime too!, Im sure you will love the 300, I might concider a "Kost The Most"when I wear out my KX.

Sounds like we ought to plan a Western CO ride then! I don't think you'd be disappointed with the 300, I'm not.

I highly recommend shaving .002 (I think that is 20 thousands ) off the head. I haven put about 5 hours on my new 300 and have it tore down to do it this week before the race. I can really tell a difference in the bottom to mid torque that I had with my 08 and the motors are virtually identical.

This is what I plan on purchasing, the Slavens Mule SXS head. $150 and a good gain in power and torque! - http://www.slavensracing.com/shop/slavens-mule-ktm-husaberg-250300-high-compression-cylinder-heads

 

[Greg]

Well, some changes to the KTM 300....

The front tire that was on the bike was pretty bad, it washed out easy and often. It was a Bridgestone 51M, which was swapped out for a Pirelli Scorpion Pro F.I.M. and I also got rid of the tube in exchange for a Michelin Bib Mousse. No more front flats!! The bib has a different feel to it, almost like a tube with too much pressure. Apparently it will soften over time and will have more give to it. That said, the new Scorpion Pro F.I.M. is amazing, it's confidence inspiring! Before the bike was very squirrelly, now that front-end tracks like it should and even when things get a bit out of control, the front tire allows you to recover easily.

I also swapped out the Acerbis skidplate for a Hyde Racing skidplate/pipe guard. It's UGLY, but it will keep the pipe dent-free. I plan to ride this bike pretty hard and it's probably going to get dropped. The factory pipe isn't very thick and is in need of protection. Unfortunately the Hyde Racing skidplate/pipe guard only works with the factory pipe, so no FMF Gnarly pipe with this pipe-guard.

Last week I rode out in the Fruita desert and up 21 Road... it was pretty rough. At the end of the ride, I saw that the end-cap on the factory silencer fell off! I had no idea where it fell, so a FMF Q-Stealth Silencer w/ spark arrestor was ordered and bolted on.

I needed a way to track my mileage and speed, decided on a Trail Tech Endurance II Speedometer. It's simple and works well, really fits the bike.

Lastly, I was missing my Grip Donuts... added them to an order with RMATV and fitted them up! Went with the Misfits-Skulls theme again.

Pics of the changes to come tomorrow, after I clean the bike up. :greg:

 

[MattL]

So... it sounds like you like the 300?

 

[Greg]

So... it sounds like you like the 300?

I love it, it's simply an impressive bike. When I really start pushing the bike in the rough stuff, like whoops, the bike shines. It's hard to describe how well the suspension works, but it's great. I can ride as hard as I dare and the bike soaks it up.

The power from the engine is good, I wish it had more of a hit off the bottom-end but I can work on that. The Rekluse is a God-send... seriously. I rode up some huge ledges today that I probably couldn't have made without it.

The size and weight of the bike is ideal for me, not too big or small and the weight is easy to handle. After 3 rides now, I've only dropped it once... and these rides haven't been easy.

I still need to move the bars up a little taller... working on that next.

 

[anderson750]

The power from the engine is good, I wish it had more of a hit off the bottom-end but I can work on that. The Rekluse is a God-send... seriously. I rode up some huge ledges today that I probably couldn't have made without it.

.

Lets plan a trip for you to come up here for a ride and I can have Scott shave the head. We could have the bike tore down, shaved and put back together in just 2-3 hours.

 

[Greg]

Lets plan a trip for you to come up here for a ride and I can have Scott shave the head. We could have the bike tore down, shaved and put back together in just 2-3 hours.

I'm always up for a ride Paul! Lets plan one when you've got a free weekend.

I've got an SXS head on order from Slavens Racing, but I appreciate the offer for the headwork!

 

[Caleb]

I've got an SXS head on order from Slavens Racing, but I appreciate the offer for the headwork!

i'm excited to see what you think of that head

 

[Greg]

i'm excited to see what you think of that head

Me too! I've heard nothing but good about it, should provide a nice boost of bottom end power!

You'll have to take it for a spin once the heads on!

 

[Caleb]

Me too! I've heard nothing but good about it, should provide a nice boost of bottom end power!

You'll have to take it for a spin once the heads on!

I'd love to swap bikes for a little. Although, I'm loving the 500, it rides a lot like the 300 with more power :greg:

 

[Greg]

I'd love to swap bikes for a little. Although, I'm loving the 500, it rides a lot like the 300 with more power :greg:

That is awesome, I sometimes miss the linear power of the 4 stroke.

 

[anderson750]

That is awesome, I sometimes miss the linear power of the 4 stroke.

You'll forget about the 4T after you put the Slavens head on.

 

[jentzschman]

You'll forget about the 4T after you put the Slavens head on.

Dang. My next bike is going to be a ktm for sure. I have heard great things about slavens products. I am very interested to hear back on how you like this bike after you get that head.

 

[Greg]

You'll forget about the 4T after you put the Slavens head on.

Awesome!

 

[Greg]

I promised some pics, but hadn't had a chance to wash the bike after the last ride... until today. So here's the pics of the recent changes/additions. -


Hyde Racing skidplate/pipe guard-

FMF Pipe -

Trail Tech Endurance II Speedometer & Misfits Grip Donuts -

Pirelli Scorpion Pro F.I.M front tire -

 

[rholbrook]

Greg, when we stopped on dead cow, two guys pulled up on 300s, they were waiting for a buddy to show up. One of those guys had that same pipe guard

 

[Greg]

Greg, when we stopped on dead cow, two guys pulled up on 300s, they were waiting for a buddy to show up. One of those guys had that same pipe guard

Yep! I was paying attention to the 300's....

 

[Gravy]

what the heck is that thing growing from the front of your bike?

It looks like an evil venus fly trap.