Last Sunday at the Dayton Dirt Riders trails, some guy showed up with in a van and broke out an XR200, he was trying to bump start it. I wenr over and checked it out. He said it was for a girl he knows, he was just getting it ready to ride. He said his bike was still in the van. It was the 2 stroke KTM 300. Forget the initials, get them mixed up, but it was the woods model, mayby EXC? He asked me if I ever rode one. I said know. He fired it up and let me take it for a ride. It has push button start, something I haven't seen on a 2-smoker. It also has a togggle switch for hot and mild power curves, it was set to mild.

I had no problems riding it, having had a KX125 in the past, I could handle a 2 stroke. I did take it easy though. Man, that thing could crawl through the woods at a snail's pace without stalling, I couldn't believe it! I had more confidence on that back in the tight woods than I do on my KLX, plus it felt much lighter. Then I hit some more open areas, cracked the throttle a few times, and yes, it has a serious racer hit if you want it. This was the best dirtbike I ever rode, and I love the power characteristics, it has the best of both worlds. The only thing I had trouble with was that the shifter and rear brake were tucked in much closer than they are on my KLX, I had to look down to find them several times.

The guy's name who owns it is Duane, he is just a few years older than me, and in better shape. He has been riding since 1969, and has raced as a pro. He took a spin on my bike and was doing wheelies all over the place, and doing jumps on it where I didn't know where there were jumps. He like it and said it felt stronger than he thought it would. He noticed the clutch lever was bumping the Acerbis handguard a bit and causing it to stall out a little too much. He whipped out the correct size wrench, and fixed that problem in less than 4 minutes. Now my bike doesn't stall out on the tight sections nearly as much.

I've only been a DDR member since November, and haven't had a lot of days riding up there yet, but once the weather turns nicer, I'll meet a lot of people. The ones I've met so far have been great people. There is a lot to look forward to this coming riding season.

Sorry no pics, I'm sure he'd let me take another spin on his bike next time we are riding there at the same time. I'll ask him to snap a few pics.

 

Chalk and cheese my friend, I had a ride on a Gas Gas 300, same type of bike as the KTM you rode without the e start, they are awesome scary when you are used to the KLX.

 

Dirt riders are sooo much less uptight than street riders.

 

first go on a 2 stroke this weekend... ktm 300 (older model though).

Have to say, they are addictive! Got thrown off twice, by accidental twists of the throttle (can get away with that on the klx!) but the power that they can get are absolutely incredible!

 

Nice, I don't think I've ever seen a Gas Gas in person, but I've read about them.

YeahHHH! I think it's nice to get out into the woods, it's therapeutic compared to streetbikers having to deal with some a-hole drivers on 4 wheels.

They are great fun, can be scary in a fun way if you don't know what to expect. I'd love to pick up some sort of used 2-stroke racer type bike as a second bike once my financial situation clears up. But I wouldn't trade my beloved KLX in for one, it's a fun all-around go anywhere bike, no fuss.