This is mainly because it feels lighter to ride than the 350 , and has exceptional tractability at low revs . I say lighter feel because , as I mentioned earlier , the EC350F is only 0.6kg heavier . At 106.2kg and 106.8kg dry weight respectively , neither is especially light ; back in the day a Honda CR250 kitted for enduro was some 10kg lighter and every bit as fast too , but with less torque and certainly less ease of use . In fairness though , the 300 feels considerably lighter to ride than the 350 , particularly in muddy going . Conversely , the 350 feels easier to ride when the terrain opens up , especially in the dry . To my mind this makes the fourstroke 350 the better machine for the trail rider and for more open events .
ALL ABOUT ENGINE RESPONSE Obviously , for those who have been around a while , the main difference is down to power delivery and , to a lesser degree , centre of gravity and weight distribution . The four-stroke 350 engine carries more weight higher up in the chassis . The 300 is particularly smooth and torquey from just above idle until about two thirds throttle , from there it gets a power surge before going a little flat right up at the top of the revs , feeling a tad rich . I only rode with the standard settings and didn ’ t mess around with power valve springs or tension , so there may be some extra zing to come with a bit of time fiddling . However , I think it ’ s fair to say
42 KIWI RIDER