2017 KTM 300XC

[Enmerdeur]

Had a chance to ride a 2017 KTM 300XC today. It was brand new. My buddy picked it up today from the dealer. There was no setup on the bike at all except he replaced the Mikuni with a Lectron.

Rode it for a couple of miles on some rocky trails. Was riding my Beta today to give a comparison.

Motor - Believe the hype about the counter balancer. It really cuts vibes. Very smooth motor. Almost zero vibes. Bottom end is very soft compared to my Beta. Had to keep it humming. This was really surprising. I had heard reports it was soft off the bottom but this was really weak. Maybe the Lectron needs tweaking.

Suspension - Forks worked very well. Plush yet stayed up in the stroke. Rear was fine. Nothing special. Nothing bad.

Chassis - Tank bulged out more than the Beta which was a little irritating. It is taller than the Beta of course. Layout seemed roomy.

I didn't feel as comfortable on the bike as on my Beta. It was that much different. More time on the bike and I am sure that would not be an issue. Funny because when I go back and forth from my Beta to my 2013 KTM 300SX there is zero transition.

Bottom line is after a few miles I wanted back on my Beta and handed it back.

Good solid bike but the only thing that really wowed me was the lack of any vibration.

[rotor]

Got to ride one a few months back.
That engine is super smooth, and it felt a whole lot lighter than my beta.
But it did not feel planted at all, eccept for the lack vibrations i like the beta more.

[Enmerdeur]

Got to ride one a few months back.
That engine is super smooth, and it felt a whole lot lighter than my beta.
But it did not feel planted at all, eccept for the lack vibrations i like the beta more.

That was my feeling. If Beta came out with a counter balancer I would upgrade.

[GMP]

Thanks for the report. I did not ride one yet but heard the same thing from a guy I know. Light, low vibes, forks OK, but same old sketchy KTM front end feel (which I HATE and why I will never own one). Also have to wonder about the overall service life and reliability of the air fork for off road. That new Xplor fork is getting a bad rap already and to me, by the description, seems like just a mfg cost cutting exercise.

[HRRacing]

Ron Black from RB Designs is getting flooded with Mikuni carbs from '17 KTM 2T bikes. Owners are complaining they can't get them jetted correctly. That was confirmed by a local KTM shop owner. He said the Mikuni sucks.

[Enmerdeur]

Ron Black from RB Designs is getting flooded with Mikuni carbs from '17 KTM 2T bikes. Owners are complaining they can't get them jetted correctly. That was confirmed by a local KTM shop owner. He said the Mikuni sucks.

They sucked on the old Husky WR 300 so no surprise they still suck.

[GMP]

Yep, swapping a Keihin in for the Mikuni was one of if not the most popular mod on the Italian Huskys.

[bikesparky]

Ron Black from RB Designs is getting flooded with Mikuni carbs from '17 KTM 2T bikes. Owners are complaining they can't get them jetted correctly. That was confirmed by a local KTM shop owner. He said the Mikuni sucks.

Here in Oz there is a reputable 2 stroke tuner that looked in to it. Apparently the head design is really bad.
They machine them to own specs and it clears all the problems up including most of the complaints about the carby.
They get about 6 calls a day to do heads at the moment.
I love lectrons and it's my fav carb but no carb will fix a shit head design, so probably the Mikuni gets a bad rap on this as it's the visual thing that people identify as being changed.

Happy I got a Beta

[Knox Enduro]

Yep, only way I could get my 2009 Husky wr125 to run was put on a Keihen 36.

Initial reports on the 2017 KTM's have been glowing, like all other brands should just shut down, and as a dealer for Beta/TM dealer has been a little worrisome. I figured with time, the shine would wear off, and sounds like faults are starting to pop up.

[GMP]

Yeah, wait till the honeymoon is over and someone will be making $$ fixing something that should have been good from the factory for $9K+.