Words: Jock McLauchlan
Photos: Geoff Osborne
KTM's transfer port injection 300 might
just be the best enduro bike we've ridden.
M
y opening gambit is that KTM’s fuel-injected 300 EXC
has the best 300cc two stroke enduro engine I have
ever had the pleasure to use. I’m even going to go as
far as to say it might just be the best enduro machine
I have ever ridden. Yes, I know... those are some mighty big
claims.
Ok, so casting my mind back into the dark mists of time, I’ve
ridden and raced some real gems over the last 40 years, but
there were also some absolute dogs. What I’ve learnt along
the way is that there are two types of ‘fast’. Firstly, there is the
machine which FEELS fast, and secondly there is the machine
that covers ground quickly.
Bike number one is the machine most people think is the
fastest way to race. The second bike usually feels slower
to ride but requires substantially less effort. Bike one is a
rock spitting death-wish on wheels that often has the A&E
department as the end result, and has your forearms feeling
like granite in seconds. Of course, I’d be the first to agree that
bike one is the most fun to ride – initially. Very soon however,
reality sets in and you know that backing off the throttle or a
new ACC account are the predictable and only options.
>
KIWI RIDER 39