LOVING THE TIGHT AND RUTTY Both these machines turn extremely well with a light , planted and very accurate feel . They both love the tight , rutty stuff . The suspension action is clearly designed for lower speed , tight and bumpy enduro work ; rocks and logs and roots and holes etc . The first test area was in a dry and dusty Riverhead forest – I know ! – a dry and dusty Riverhead was a dream that never came true back in the day . Tjebbe Bruin , Riverhead ride-organising legend just laughs when riders comment on dust there ... Riverhead was historically a boggy , rut and root infested soul-destroying , snot hole - and that was on a good day . The 300 initially felt quite a lot softer than the 350 and less stable at speed , definitely on the plush side . Four or five suspension clicks firmer had it feeling similar to the 350 at medium speed , but still less bottom resistant in the fast going . Later on , riding the 300 in Woodhill on sandy whoops proved it was too soft for my svelte 100kg mass and riding slower was the only option , although it was still great on single track . Harder springs are going to be needed for those faster / heavier riders in the open . The 350 on the other hand felt better straight out of the gate ; the suspension offering greater control and confidence , but just as plush and more bottom resistant . It was fine in Riverhead . Moving on to Woodhill ’ s sandy whoops showed that in standard trim the 350 was too soft here as well and harder springs would be needed for anyone with my ‘ muscular ’ build . However , in fairness to both machines Woodhill requires an MX-style setup in the whoops and these are enduro bikes . Both bikes have excellent suspension for enduro riding , unless you ’ re extremely quick or ... umm ... fat / heavy boned . The BRAKTEC components are excellent . Clutch action , feel and engagement are top-drawer , the lever feel is particularly light . Again , the braking feel and power was excellent and I noticed no difference from their stablemates , with theoretically higher spec Brembo / Magura items , for enduro work .
WHICH GETS THE NOD …? So there you have it , two genuinely great bikes for enduro and trail riding . Overall , I ’ d give the nod to the 350 for its greater ease of general use , it ’ s a versatile machine . I believe it ’ s the better machine for the majority of Kiwi riders . However , the margin is slim and two-stroke guys will love the 300 , If you ’ re the hardcore type and love hard enduros , the 300 is the machine for you . It is a little lighter , almost impossible to stall , gets great traction at low revs and makes difficult terrain easy . Both are awesome to ride ... and look great in the new colours .