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KTM 300 question

bdkw1 said:
Spoken like a true woods rider. Come out to the desert where your average speed is over 60.
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We have a local race. I'm dumb enough to keep doing it. 30-40 mile laps, some places you're smashing saplings with the bars. Other places you're going 100+ across the sagebrush. The bottoms will have 3 feet of mud while the ridges will be bone dry and dusty as hell.

It's funny watching the guys on the 530s pass me going 120+. Then I catch them in the next section of trees where they are trying to weave an extra 100lbs around in 1st gear.
 
Steve300xcw said:
The shit part with buying a used bike now is that the prices are all kinds of fuckered up.

A 10+ year old haggard as fuck woods bike is $3k-$4k
A 5-6 year old bike is $5-$7K.
If you shop around, a new bike can be had for $9kish.

Thats not enough savings to make buying used worth it IMO
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I just went to two dealers yesterday. First time in a few years. I agree. There are still people asking 4k on RFS era bikes. A brand new 450 is less than 8k-maybe an SX but still. Making me rethink my obsession with old KTMS.

If I were actually going to ride a lot and not just play with bikes I would buy a new one. For sure every time.
 
toyotajeep said:
I just went to two dealers yesterday. First time in a few years. I agree. There are still people asking 4k on RFS era bikes. A brand new 450 is less than 8k-maybe an SX but still. Making me rethink my obsession with old KTMS.

If I were actually going to ride a lot and not just play with bikes I would buy a new one. For sure every time.
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You can save a few grand by not buying a bike in the medford area.
Snag a left over bike and there's another grand or two.

I wouldnt buy an SX bike. The savings arent worth it IMO
 
The further north you go in Oregon the better the real apparently. Agree on SX but even they are way over-priced compared to new.
 
Squamch said:
When you want to fix something, do you prefer to use the correct tools?

If you want to ride trails, buy the correct tool, and it ain't an SX.
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:grinpimp:
 
fordguy said:
mph? you cant be serious
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You haven't been 100+ mph on a dirt bike? :flipoff2::laughing:

A lot of the KTMs come from the factory with enough gear to do 130+. Only a few had enough power to actually pull 120+, they just have an overdrive for 5th to cruise at 60+ comfortably.


But you haven't lived until you've held it wide open for a few miles in top gear. :smokin:

I'll see if I can find my GoPro and get you some video.
 
SomeGuyFromOlympia said:
that is the only part of that statement you are going to call out?:laughing:
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The extra 100+ lbs was what stood out to me.

I can see bikes getting up to that speed though. Even geared 13/50 a 300 will get into the upper 80's. My 540 would get into the mid 90's without much issue, an there was still plenty of 5th gear left and then a 6th one if you were feeling loco:laughing:
 
Im surprised by those speeds as well. I had a WR250r a few years ago and could only hit the upper 70s going down hill. I didnt buy it new so maybe the PO had regeared it though.

Also not a KTM so maybe there is a big difference.
 
brantb said:
Im surprised by those speeds as well. I had a WR250r a few years ago and could only hit the upper 70s going down hill. I didnt buy it new so maybe the PO had regeared it though.

Also not a KTM so maybe there is a big difference.
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Big difference between a 249cc motor and a 510cc motor.

Sprockets do make a difference as well. Have seen a few guys try and gear down 450R's for the tight woods. Only to learn that it wont break 45mph on the road anymore:lmao:
 
I have a 530, I got ~115 out of it on pavement with the SM wheels, but gotta tuck to get the last 10. If I had more road it might see 120 but it was pretty much out of juice. Dirt wheels and off road, no chance.

Also if it's geared to go anywhere near that fast, weight is not the problem in the woods :laughing:
 
srf said:
I have a 530, I got ~115 out of it on pavement with the SM wheels, but gotta tuck to get the last 10. If I had more road it might see 120 but it was pretty much out of juice. Dirt wheels and off road, no chance.
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Thats fast as fuck on that kinda bike.

srf said:
Also if it's geared to go anywhere near that fast, weight is not the problem in the woods :laughing:
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agreed :laughing:
 
Saw someone mention Lectrons earlier in the thread but lost my quote.

Buddy has a 19 that he ran out and threw a lectron on immediately. It started running real funky recently, so he swapped back to the stock mikuni and remarked about how much crispier and stronger it felt in the low end with the stocker carb on it. Food for thought. Most guys love them, I haven't seen them do anything a stock carb can't.

Maybe my bias because of NM's high elevation. IDK
 
Steve300xcw said:
I can see it being nice if a guy rides a lot of different elevations
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Back when my crew all switched it was because 3-4 times a year they were up in NM or CO and re-jetting constantly really sucked.

I don't seem to ever get mine lean enough when we go to the mountains but it still rips and has plenty of low end, I wonder how much of that is the Dicks carb divider plate or the Slaven mule porting...

This bike loves 2 points fatter pilot as well, not sure if that is for the same reason (dicks carb)?
 
Steve300xcw said:
Big difference between a 249cc motor and a 510cc motor.

Sprockets do make a difference as well. Have seen a few guys try and gear down 450R's for the tight woods. Only to learn that it wont break 45mph on the road anymore:lmao:
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Guys forget there's a wide range of transmission options. KTM has had several wide ratio 5 speeds (thinking exc?) that would crawl in first and you'd power out before you could rev out 5th. (Old man has a 98 that math says should do 130, radar said it's out of power at 118.)

I had a guy on a 90s WR250 2t that would walk away from me when I was flat out in 6th. My 360 pulled there quicker, but given enough time he could go by.

Did the 530s dump a bunch of weight? My 360 is only 235 full of gas. Thought the 530s were pushing 325? Last one my buddy had was an 06, and it was a heavy pig.


srf said:
I have a 530, I got ~115 out of it on pavement with the SM wheels, but gotta tuck to get the last 10. If I had more road it might see 120 but it was pretty much out of juice. Dirt wheels and off road, no chance.

Also if it's geared to go anywhere near that fast, weight is not the problem in the woods :laughing:
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I'm assuming you were running different gearing and the short tires? Tire height makes a bigger difference than most realize. But they feel snappy on the road with the shorter setup.
 
Chevy_man said:
Did the 530s dump a bunch of weight? My 360 is only 235 full of gas. Thought the 530s were pushing 325? Last one my buddy had was an 06, and it was a heavy pig.
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You sure you're not thinking of an lc4 or something? 530s were all out dirt bikes designed with Baja racing intent iirc.
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Even the 530 EXCs were like 260 if I'm remembering right.
 
I was talking to a guy this weekend who has a 19 with a TBI conversion (I think, we were both into the tequila when we had this conversation), and he said once he put a stop to the vacuum leaks, it's been amazing.
 
Chevy_man said:
Guys forget there's a wide range of transmission options. KTM has had several wide ratio 5 speeds (thinking exc?) that would crawl in first and you'd power out before you could rev out 5th. (Old man has a 98 that math says should do 130, radar said it's out of power at 118.)

I had a guy on a 90s WR250 2t that would walk away from me when I was flat out in 6th. My 360 pulled there quicker, but given enough time he could go by.

Did the 530s dump a bunch of weight? My 360 is only 235 full of gas. Thought the 530s were pushing 325? Last one my buddy had was an 06, and it was a heavy pig.
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20240610_111526.jpg
 
Chevy_man said:
Guys forget there's a wide range of transmission options. KTM has had several wide ratio 5 speeds (thinking exc?)
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I believe everything got a 6 speed with the exception of the 4 spd SX. The MXC had the close/wide trans IIRC

Chevy_man said:
that would crawl in first and you'd power out before you could rev out 5th. (Old man has a 98 that math says should do 130, radar said it's out of power at 118.)
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my 520exc was like that. Acted kinda like a 300 in a way. Hit a certain rpm and it just kinda flopped on its face. Grab another gear and its happy again:laughing:
 
Steve300xcw said:
The shit part with buying a used bike now is that the prices are all kinds of fuckered up.

A 10+ year old haggard as fuck woods bike is $3k-$4k
A 5-6 year old bike is $5-$7K.
If you shop around, a new bike can be had for $9kish.

Thats not enough savings to make buying used worth it IMO
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Correct, hence why I bought new. Used good bike prices were too close to new to buy used.
 
Chevy_man said:
That's nuts. Now do a scale with all fluids and gas :flipoff2:


Having ridden one and picking it up I never would have thought it was only 25 lbs (mine says 221 in the book, but it's not....)
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They are heavy bikes though. Same for the DR and XR's. Good bikes for their time...........
 
Squamch said:
I was talking to a guy this weekend who has a 19 with a TBI conversion (I think, we were both into the tequila when we had this conversation), and he said once he put a stop to the vacuum leaks, it's been amazing.
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I think Slavens makes injector relocation kits for the TPI bikes. Not sure who else does, but homeboy was probably talking about something like that.
slavensracing.com

TPI Injector Relocation Kits for KTM/HQV/GG by Two Stroke Performance

Two Stroke Performance TPI Injector Relocation Kits for KTM/HQV/GG combines the best of TPI with the best of TBI in one package.
slavensracing.com slavensracing.com
 
slowlygettingthere said:
Because they never broke down. They have just about quit making everything in Japan as well besides the real high end stuff. So that new shit will break long before an xr400 ever would. I know of a local xr350 from 1985 still running the guy bought new.
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I still have a 85 XR350 plated bought new. Rode it last weekend. We had 2. Both had the piston and cylinder break dropping parts into the trans at speed about a year apart. We fixed the first correctly and it still runs. The second one blew up the trans coming back to Tecate a little bit past Mike's Sky ranch.

Now the hard truth. The 350/400 are great bikes and will get you through just about anything but... The riding position is horrible if you are taller unless you like riding the seat and only standing when needed. As far as old bikes go my 95 620rxc had way better ergo and was a joy to ride if you could get it started. My 08 CRF450 laughs at both and was the complete wrong bike for riding Dusy with a bunch of faster guys on 300'S.
 
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