Trail Rider Magazine

Rieju 300 MR Pro & 300 Ranger Comparison Test Rieju 300 MR Pro & 300 Ranger Comparison Test By Jeff DeBell By Jeff DeBell 14 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com In recent years, you may have no ced a few bikes standing out from the normal sea of orange, red, and green on star ng lines. When KTM bought the GasGas naming rights in 2019, long- me Spanish manufacturer Rieju stepped in to con nue produc- ing what some call the "Legacy Gas" line. My 2018 GasGas EC300 is basically the same pla orm as the new Rieju, minus the usual year-to-year modifi- ca ons and improvements that all manufacturers make. Rieju (say Ree-Yay-Who) was founded in 1934 and derives its name from the two founders' names. They started with bicycles, quickly moved to mo- peds, and then to motorcycles. They focused on the small bore market so popular in Europe due to licensing requirements, and to this day do a boom- ing business in Europe selling 49cc two-stroke and 124cc four-stroke motorcycles. They're not just commuter foo-foo bikes, however. Rieju had a strong presence in the Interna onal Six Days Trial/ Enduro and has won the European 125 Enduro championship in the past. With the acquisi on of the GasGas pla orm, they are full speed ahead in the World Enduro Championship and Enduro GP series in Europe. Central Powersports Distribu on was kind enough to lend Trail Rider two of their most popular models for a comparison test. We got to spend a day with the 300 MR Pro and the 300 Ranger, basically both ends of the spectrum. The MR Pro is aimed at the race crowd and is fully prepared to race out of the crate. We could call the Ranger the "economy model", not just because it lists for about $1500 less than the Pro, but it is marketed more as a trail bike for the casual rider. It doesn't come with all the guards and bling of the Pro and has so er suspension and engine se ngs, but as you'll soon read, it is no foo-foo bike, and with minimal modifica ons, you can take it to the next NEPG.

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