fastlearner
03-02-2009, 05:58 PM
I'm not the kind of guy who gets a new bike every season or two, so I'm pretty psyched about picking up a new bike. I owned a 2002 KTM 300exc and I loved the motor but could never come to grips with the handling. In 2005 I got a 450exc and it was like going home again because I grew up riding Honda XRs and the 450 was a great mix of power and suppleness.
Back in the late fall, the New England regional sales rep for KTM gave me a chance to ride 3 2009 bikes back to back for about an hour each - - a rare opportunity for me. I rode the 400xcw, the 250xc 2t, and the 300xc. I came away very, very surprised at how much I liked the 300.
I finally brought one home a week and a half ago. I added all of the typical enduro stuff, skid plate, light kit, shark fin, and a tall seat to fit my inseam. I took it for a break-in ride this weekend. The suspension was very, very stiff but the bike was impressive none the less. Even though the suspension needs some tuning to fit the New England terrain, the bike was still very stable and predictable. It turns like CRAZY...just lean it over and hit the gas.
I'm going to try to do all of the NETRA enduros in the B-Heavy class this year.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxVqDq_SI/AAAAAAAACL8/Mh597YTeZ_Y/s640/PICT0060.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxV7errGI/AAAAAAAACME/QEhy76Rn2KQ/s640/PICT0062.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxWdTPg_I/AAAAAAAACMM/MLB9zeU32kw/s640/PICT0061.JPG
Back in the late fall, the New England regional sales rep for KTM gave me a chance to ride 3 2009 bikes back to back for about an hour each - - a rare opportunity for me. I rode the 400xcw, the 250xc 2t, and the 300xc. I came away very, very surprised at how much I liked the 300.
I finally brought one home a week and a half ago. I added all of the typical enduro stuff, skid plate, light kit, shark fin, and a tall seat to fit my inseam. I took it for a break-in ride this weekend. The suspension was very, very stiff but the bike was impressive none the less. Even though the suspension needs some tuning to fit the New England terrain, the bike was still very stable and predictable. It turns like CRAZY...just lean it over and hit the gas.
I'm going to try to do all of the NETRA enduros in the B-Heavy class this year.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxVqDq_SI/AAAAAAAACL8/Mh597YTeZ_Y/s640/PICT0060.JPG
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxV7errGI/AAAAAAAACME/QEhy76Rn2KQ/s640/PICT0062.JPG
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_trRADt9tkDU/SaxxWdTPg_I/AAAAAAAACMM/MLB9zeU32kw/s640/PICT0061.JPG