The Torture Test - Pro-Action / TJ's Cycle 2009 KTM 300 XC

Dirt Rider Post Torture Evaluation:

The best all-around bike because: It actually, by virtue of all the collective test rider opinions, is the best do-all motorcycle in Dirt Rider's 2009 Torture Test. This is the best all around bike, plain and simple. The formula was easy to comprehend, hard to execute. Start with a great bike, make it better without screwing it up (or focusing it too narrowly).

Not the best all-around bike because: You are a KTM hater, don't like black bikes, need to argue with us for no good reason, are confused, think we take bribes, ride only mini bikes, don't like two-strokes, it isn't a 500cc two-stroke, wasn't built by the members of the DR-Z forum at Thumpertalk or the KTM 300 forum at KTM Talk (they have better settings and bikes, trust them, they'll tell you!), or because it isn't a Honda.

Dirt Rider Says:

I don't even know where to start with this bike. You know how close it is to winning in just a very stock form (see the test on the KTM 250XC) and that is what this bike began life as. Then with very purposeful modifications made the proper steps and transformed the 250 XC into a bike that almost every rider hopped on and felt the mods, and appreciated them.

Coming from a suspension-based company, whoever developed this motor configuration knows how to make a great bike. Starting with the 250cc KTM they kept the feel and peppy bottom end response, but in making the bike it gained a ton of 300cc torque feel as well. More than a stock 300, yet not as lazy. Then as the power builds it clearly starts to blow away the 250cc engine at every RPM and the whole while stays rideable and smooth. Firing into the top end the transformed 300cc plant again acts like a 250 with rev, weight feel and response but makes all kinds of 300cc power. A brilliant Frankenstein melding of two motors that takes all of the good characters and none of the bad. It has something to do with the 250cc ignition curve, the porting they do to the 300 cylinder and the magic of all the parts coming together, including the right jetting, the FMF pipe and muffler and whatever other small tricks and secrets they did. It plain works and it was a standout in every way.

The Rekluse clutch was a bit of a wash. Especially as it was first set up. The engagement RPM was too high and it freewheeled too easily. Luckily we were familiar with the setup and quickly requested that it be altered, a 15-minute job, done by the Rekluse guys on-site at the test. Then it exploited the power of the bike, especially the torque on the bottom and never broke free on deceleration unless the rider wanted it to. Some riders loved it and others never got to grips with it. We ruled it personal preference but it actually passes the muster of the haters, a tough task in this crowd.

Then there was the suspension. It was set up in a way that it worked better on the track for most of our guys since it was better on the bottoming side of the stroke. On the trail the bike acted a lot plusher than stock, which was again also better. But the plushness did not hurt the bike on the track or make it wallowly and the bottoming didn't make it too stiff. All-in-all a pretty remarkable setup considering we had riders spanning the weight scale, from 160 to 225+ all coming away impressed.

So there you have the recipe for a winner. No, it isn't a better endurocross bike for Damon Huffman or Ricky Dietrich than the KXF280, nor a better WORCS racer for an up-and-coming racer than the LA Sleeve CRF450R. It didn't hold a candle to the FMF RM250 in the budget segment and this bike could not replace the advantages the Husky 450 has in the wide-open or either of the Christini bikes held in technical situations. But when you look at an all-around, do-all kind of bike that has no limits or boundaries, from a great trail ride to a GNCC, this bike was an easy first choice.-Jimmy Lewis