Kiwi Rider March Vol.2 2023 | Page 54

on , which indicates a slight fuel leanness at idle . Not a big deal on a medium capacity 300 as they don ’ t fire and push you into the turn like a 500cc two-stroke does , and that leanness definitely helps promote crisp acceleration from low revs . Craig suggested a 1 / 8th turn of the metering screw would perfect the fuelling , but I never actually got around to it - I was having too much fun .
SUSPENSION This KTM sits up extra tall in the suspension stroke . Craig is a tall , solid man of similar proportions to myself i . e . well into the 100kg club when all suited up . So , the forks have been
changed to WP twin chamber items with 4.8N springs and the WP PDS shock ( with a K-Tech compression bladder ) has a manly spring too . Valving in both forks and shock were upgraded to suit a heavy rider ( with cross-country and enduro racing in mind ) by Watson Racing , based in Kumeu near Auckland . The result is plush and versatile , but still capable of handling some decent hits too ... not always an easy thing to achieve with suspension . Frankly , I was concerned on the initial bounce test that the bike was going to be too stiff for my liking . Happily , I was completely mistaken . Yes , the bike sits up high in the stroke , but the action through the stroke is superb - plush , very
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