Trail Rider Magazine

10 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com The biggest standout feature of the XE300 is the motor; this thing RIPS! This bike has a TON of power, and it pulls hard from the bo om all the way up! For comparison during this test, my fellow test riders had their 2024 KTM 300XC-Ws, and we all spent some me riding each bike. One KTM was bone stock, and the other had mild TSP re-mapping. Running both KTMs in the aggressive map felt similar to the Fan c's output in the mild map. And when the Fan c is in the aggressive map, you'd be er hold on! We did not have any KTM 300XCs or SXs along for comparison, but I can say the Fan c is way livelier than the Rieju and Beta 300s I've ridden recently. It reminded me a great deal of my YZ250. One thing we were all impressed with was just how different the power output and delivery was when switching between the two maps. On all the other bikes I've ridden with stock map switches, the differ- ence between the maps was difficult to feel; it was like spli ng hairs. Conversely, the difference between the maps on the Fan c was dras c and easy to feel, since the mapping affects the igni on ming, fueling, and electronic power valve se ngs all at once. Another unique and useful feature on the Fan c is Trac on Control; it's the only two-stroke on the market that currently offers it, and it's very adjust- able. I want to spend more me playing with all of the se ngs and adjustability before I can give a full report, but what I can tell you is that between the 2 maps and the 11 different trac on control se ngs (10 + OFF), there are a LOT of op ons to tune the power output to your liking and to the condi ons. It was easy to switch between maps and toggle trac on control on and off on the fly, and I would put it in the aggressive map on the fast sec ons of our loop, then switch to the mild map in the rocks. It was pre y straigh orward to adjust the trac on control level up or down, but I would stop for a moment to do it so I could see more clearly what I was doing. You can have a different level of TC selected for each map, and when you shut off and restart the bike, it stays in whatever se ngs you had it in last. Other thoughts on the motor: Vibra on: The Fan c motor is NOT counterbalanced. The other two testers usually ride KTM 300s and said they felt more vibra on from the Fan c than from their own bikes. I rarely ride KTMs, so the Fan c felt completely normal to me. It's all about what you're used to. Gearing: The stock gearing is 14-50, and it felt very tall to me. 1st gear is tall, and the gap between 4th and 5th is quite a jump. My first impression was that the bike would need to be geared down to 13-48 or 13-49 to get the gear ra os closer and first gear a li le lower. The more I rode it, however, the more I began to appreciate the stock tall gearing, as it made all that power easier to manage. Star ng: Cold Start: star ng cold first thing in the morning (about 45 degrees) was worrisome, as the starter was reluctant to turn the motor fast enough. In the short term, I just le the bike with the clutch cov- er in direct sunlight for about 30 minutes before we wanted to ride. It is very important to do short bursts with the starter to "warm" the lithium bat- tery; if you keep cranking, you'll run it dead quickly. The manual says to only crank for a few seconds and to wait 30 seconds between tries if it doesn't start. It is important to follow those instruc ons; if you don't, the bike will flood. It never failed to start when it was cold; it just wasn't happy about it. I am going to try a be er a ermarket lithium ba ery with higher cold-cranking amps, as I bet it will fix all of this. Hot star ng: once warm, the XE300 starts right up super quickly. It fires instantly in neutral or with the clutch in, even a er a stall. It doesn't bump-start, though; must be something with the electronics. Fueling: Just like the current TBI KTMs, the Fan c sounds rich when you first start it. It does not want to be held on the stop and cleaned out. Just warm it up gently, then start riding it; it cleans out right away. Once riding, the fueling is excellent and crisp. My test bike was a li le drooly for the first 5 hours, but then it cleaned up, and the drool dried up. I'm really happy that the thro le body has a choke knob and an idle screw that actually turn! Now on to the rest of the bike. If you have ever wanted a Japanese 300, this is the bike for you! It feels very Japanese, and that means everything that goes with it. The handling is super predict- able and neutral, just like a Yamaha. It doesn't turn razor-sharp like a Honda or a Suzuki, but it's not a rear-steerer like a KX either. If you get over the front, it steers with the front, and if you want to sit back

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