Got to ride a KTM 300 XC W yesterday

[SpruceItUp]

I'm in Arizona for Thanksgiving and decided to rent a bike to get some riding in as I've never ridden out here. Had a guide with me to show me around and get to the really good single track. This is about an hour away from Phoenix. They were renting the 300's (2025) I've never been on a european bike, let alone a bike with E start or anything newer than 2005!
I was immensely surprised how well that thing tractors. You can be soooooo lazy while riding it. There were many times where by all means it should have stalled but just kept on going.
The fuel injection was quite nice. The suspension was really nice as well.
The only nitpick I have is that I had trouble initiating the turn on the bike at times. It would just keep going straight. There's a good chance it's just me, as it's a new bike and new terrain. But god was it easy to ride!

I still love my KDX though. It won't be getting abandoned any time soon, but there may be some orange in my garage soon.

[billie_morini]

Yea, a "feel good" moto story!

[Chuck78]

I was immensely surprised how well that thing tractors. You can be soooooo lazy while riding it. There were many times where by all means it should have stalled but just kept on going.

I see you have a KDX200E... better low end than a KDX200H, but I have grown to really rely upon and love the lugging abilities of the KDX220. I often describe it as a comoact geometry downsized 300 due to the 220's power spread with an RB'd head or milled head + Pro Circuit Platinum 2 pipe.

The only nitpick I have is that I had trouble initiating the turn on the bike at times. It would just keep going straight. There's a good chance it's just me, as it's a new bike and new terrain. But god was it easy to ride!

I still love my KDX though. It won't be getting abandoned any time soon, but there may be some orange in my garage soon.

That's my primary complaint about 300's in general, the modern full size medium to big bore bikes, anything larger than a Beta 200RR or YZ250X generally all have very long wheel bases with a very relaxed steering angle...
the 45 year old guys I ride with often regularly tell me that it's all they can do just to keep me in sight on the flowing mid-speed Woods trails, telling me "dude, you just float that KDX around corners through the trees and up hill climbs..." - it's because of the lower reciprocating mass of the small bore engine and the compact chassis geometry and steeper steering angle of the KDX
200/220 and even the KX125 through 2002. It really is a superior geometry everywhere in the woods outside of steep technical hill climbs or desert terrain or wide open conditions where your ripping along and 4th or 5th gear with no major tighter turns...
Just like everything, there's always a compromise, the 300s compromise that Christmas and tight handling ability to have an engine and a chassis that are so easy to ride in all other conditions with an engine that really will track her up anything with ease requiring a lot less skill and finesse, versus the KDX requires a very attentive rider throwing all their weight over the handlebars to keep the front tire on the ground and low speed steep technical hill sections....
I'll take the KDX's with my choice mods any day, Beta 200RR Race Edition or 200RR X-Pro as well as Yamaha YZ125X / YZ250X not far behind...

I do appreciate the modern 300's though, but there is definitely something to be said for the crisp precise sharp handling of a shorter wheelbase steeper steering angle bike like the KDX & KDX engine'd - KX125 chassis hybrid builds like the '97 KX chassis I'm compiling with 2025 KX450X suspension & my spare 220 engine!

[SpruceItUp]

That's my primary complaint about 300's in general, the modern full size medium to big bore bikes, anything larger than a Beta 200RR or YZ250X generally all have very long wheel bases with a very relaxed steering angle...
the 45 year old guys I ride with often regularly tell me that it's all they can do just to keep me in sight on the flowing mid-speed Woods trails, telling me "dude, you just float that KDX around corners through the trees and up hill climbs..." - it's because of the lower reciprocating mass of the small bore engine and the compact chassis geometry and steeper steering angle of the KDX
200/220 and even the KX125 through 2002. It really is a superior geometry everywhere in the woods outside of steep technical hill climbs or desert terrain or wide open conditions where your ripping along and 4th or 5th gear with no major tighter turns...
Just like everything, there's always a compromise, the 300s compromise that Christmas and tight handling ability to have an engine and a chassis that are so easy to ride in all other conditions with an engine that really will track her up anything with ease requiring a lot less skill and finesse, versus the KDX requires a very attentive rider throwing all their weight over the handlebars to keep the front tire on the ground and low speed steep technical hill sections....
I'll take the KDX's with my choice mods any day, Beta 200RR Race Edition or 200RR X-Pro as well as Yamaha YZ125X / YZ250X not far behind...

I do appreciate the modern 300's though, but there is definitely something to be said for the crisp precise sharp handling of a shorter wheelbase steeper steering angle bike like the KDX & KDX engine'd - KX125 chassis hybrid builds like the '97 KX chassis I'm compiling with 2025 KX450X suspension & my spare 220 engine!

That makes complete sense. I was thinking I had just forgotten to ride! It was starting to drive me crazy by the end of it. It wasn't all the time, but definitely often.
My guide was quick. He was waiting for me a few times for sure hahaha. He could turn that thing really well in the tight stuff, and that was part of what was making me go crazy because I was seeing him do it and I couldn't keep it on the trail half the time through the tight twisty stuff. I really had to slow down compared to what I'm used to doing on my KDX or even my 125. I'm sure part of it is technique, by no means am I a great rider, but I thought I was better than I was doing yesterday!! hahaha

I can see good use cases for both though. There was some tight uphill rocky stuff that I would have really had to work for on the KDX that the 300 went right over.

As much as I love my 125, I am looking for something to replace it. The riding I do and enjoy most just beats the h*** out of it and myself. It just isn't made for it. It was moreso a *bridge* bike to get my father back into riding, as he hadn't ridden in a long time, and my uncle had one sitting in his garage untouched for years and he just wanted to get rid of it. It's a really sweet bike but I don't have a ton of room in my garage at the moment. He rides the KDX now when we ride together, and likes it a lot. I'm also going to get rid of the 450, as I don't do a ton of supermotard racing anymore.

I think the 300 is a pretty good contender. My father really liked that bike yesterday and didn't seem too bothered by the handling. I'm sure I'd grow used to it but there's something about ripping on a 33 year old KDX that keeps my blood flowing. Plus I love to tinker and it definitely gives me my fill in that regard.

[Chuck78]

An old friend of mine had a long history of YZ250's that he raced hare scrambles on as well as riding a lot of hard enduro. He went out on a limb and bought a Beta 300 as most of his core riding group were on 300's. He struggled quite a lot for some time becoming acquainted with the long wheelbase and slower "more stable" steering to the extent where he wasn't able to do half the advanced maneuvers on the modern 300 as he was on the YZ250.... It took quite a long time, but it eventually came around, it's just a very different feel.... Think of it like having very neat handwriting with your dominant right hand, but then having to write exclusively with your left hand... It may take a while to learn to use a similar but different tool for the same job, it comes in time, it's just a little different...

I really like the KDX, KX125, Beta 200, & YZ125/250/250F geometries, and find that it's easier to ride in most conditions than the 300 class bikes, but the compromise comes in the high speed stability department as well as hill climb stability - the KDX is definitely easier to loop in the steep nasty technical hills requiring a significant effort to put one's body weight over the handlebars to weight the front end down. I'll take that compromise for the compact geometry and crisp tight handling... But the engine on the 300 definitely is the cheater engine off-road, but also, that added reciprocating mass in the 300 engines including the balance shaft models adds to the gyroscopic effect of the heavier rotating mass making the bikes resist changing direction moreso than a 125/150/200/220... It's definitely a real thing. This us also why the bike handles completely differently when you're coasting down a hill with the engine off, if you've ever done that and taken note of how the bike feels very different at speed without the engine rotating.

I'd suggest looking out for a Beta demo event in early 2026, and trying out the 200RR in any version, as well as the new X-Pro models (lower seat, hard enduro suspension setup). Compare the 200RR geometry and power delivery vs the 300. The chassis geometry is something I struggled to feel at home on, although I rode all the same trails on both bikes, twice on the 200, as it was my favorite of the whole lineup and also the longest line to wait to do a test ride lap - everyone wanted to ride the 200RR Race Edition.

I think taller riders will feel a lot more comfortable on the 300 wheelbase as well.
I'm quite biased obviously, but there's a whole lot of truth there beyond my obvious love of the small bore 2-strokes... 250cc max, and preferably a really lightweight piston if it is a 250cc... And compact chassis geometry as I stated.... The YZ & Beta are slightly longer and slightly more relaxed steering vs the KDX & '02 & earlier KX125 & similar to the KX250 those years, but they still feel quite familiar to me vs the modern 300's. I'm average height, 5'10" & 32" inseam, 160lbs, by the way. The KDX220 or a ported 200 (lowering the cylinder height by turning down the base and then giving it a more power everywhere type porting job , along with suspension upgrades on the KDX, really make them a very enjoyable bike. That's why you still see so many in service today, as well as their reliability...

[SpruceItUp]

I'd suggest looking out for a Beta demo event in early 2026, and trying out the 200RR in any version, as well as the new X-Pro models (lower seat, hard enduro suspension setup). Compare the 200RR geometry and power delivery vs the 300. The chassis geometry is something I struggled to feel at home on, although I rode all the same trails on both bikes, twice on the 200, as it was my favorite of the whole lineup and also the longest line to wait to do a test ride lap - everyone wanted to ride the 200RR Race Edition.

I think taller riders will feel a lot more comfortable on the 300 wheelbase as well.
I'm quite biased obviously, but there's a whole lot of truth there beyond my obvious love of the small bore 2-strokes... 250cc max, and preferably a really lightweight piston if it is a 250cc... And compact chassis geometry as I stated.... The YZ & Beta are slightly longer and slightly more relaxed steering vs the KDX & '02 & earlier KX125 & similar to the KX250 those years, but they still feel quite familiar to me vs the modern 300's. I'm average height, 5'10" & 32" inseam, 160lbs, by the way. The KDX220 or a ported 200 (lowering the cylinder height by turning down the base and then giving it a more power everywhere type porting job , along with suspension upgrades on the KDX, really make them a very enjoyable bike. That's why you still see so many in service today, as well as their reliability...

I've been looking at the betas recently and have heard great things. The 200 XPro is likely what I would get if I was to buy one. I'll have to keep an eye out for one of those demo events, it would be great to get to ride one. I agree wholeheartedly that 200cc's really seem to be the sweet spot in terms of power and gyroscopic effect. I can hop on my KDX and ride better through the tight stuff better than any bike I ever have in the past, again due to the reasons you listed.
I'm about 6'1" and about 145-150lbs.
I have no clue what the wheelbase and steering angle is on my 05 CR125 but I can hop on it from the KDX and still do the tight single track stuff pretty well, but likely not as well as I can on the KDX. It's significantly taller (seat height), but that's about all I can say.
I would really love to get a 220, but honestly I've never seen one listed around where I am in FL. Likely due to the fact the riding down there is so poor (and why I tend to travel and ride up north).
I would definitely need to buy one that is in really good shape to begin with. I just don't have the time right now to fully strip another bike down and refurbish it from the ground up like I did with my E Series. I love doing it, but I also really love to be able to ride. That's why I am likely to just buy a new bike for my father to hop on if he's riding with me, so I'll take a look at the beta.

I assume the Beta 300 X-Trainer handles in a similar fashion to the ktm? It would make sense. I just saw recently they make a 200 so it would be the first I check out for sure like you mentioned at one of the demo events.