Trail Rider Magazine

Flashback! June 2026 5 In recent months, I've rediscovered my passion for small bores. What's the draw, you ask? Well, for starters, they're light and easy to flick around. They don't wear you out and are quite forgiving, making them the perfect trail-maintenance machine. Small bores also take me back to my youth. Like most of us, my first real motorcycle was a 125, then stepping up to a series of 175s before diving headfirst into 300s. Yes, all two-strokes, my preferred pla orm for what I like to do with an off-road motorcycle. The bike I've been spending so much me aboard is our 2018 KTM 150 XC-W that's been the showcase of many product features over the years. I'm a firm believer in the importance of properly se ng up a bike for the rider. First and foremost, se ng up the suspension for the rider's weight, preferred terrain, and ability level is of utmost importance. Moreso in fact, when it comes to small bores, as most are sprung and valved for a much lighter rider. As a big- ger guy weighing in around 210, geared up, heavier springs were in order along with a full revalve. Our friend Drew Smith at Works Enduro Rider knows and understands the needs of the Northeast woods rider like no other, and flat-out nailed the setup with springs, a custom revalved K-Tech ORVS package, and a bladder kit. The bike rides high in the stroke yet resists bo oming oh so well. What I appreciate most is how my Works Enduro Rider suspension doesn't compromise ground clearance, saving my feet and pegs from a world of hurt. A common complaint of small bores is they are buzzy with annoying vibra ons transferred to the rider's hands, wearing you out in short order. We tackled the vibra on issue shortly a er purchase with a set of Twisted Engineering composite/carbon fiber handlebars. For those with sensi ve hands and wrists, you owe it to yourself to look into this prod- uct. We have TE bars on a number of bikes, including my '82 430 Husky vintage racer. Twisted Engineering bars work and have proven to be extremely durable. With this 2018 150 being at the tail end of the carbureted Austrian two-strokes, I've spent a lot of me je ng and swapping carburetors in the quest of making this small bore run clean. The fix was a Lectron Billetron Pro, and man, what an improve- ment, not only over the stock Keihin carb but over the Lectron H-Series that we had on the bike pre- viously. Once up to temp, the 150 idles crisp and clean, then builds to a hot mid-range hit, then wails with the front wheel hanging proudly when twisted. I mounted the Billetron three years ago now, and I'm con nually impressed at how well it performs on the 150. Terrain-specific res and tubes. It seems I'm constantly hammering this topic, but if you want to keep your face off the forest floor, re setup for your loca on and condi ons can not only save you from injury, they can actually make you look like a hero as you crest the steepest climbs while your buddies lose trac on, spin- ning wildly with looks of frustra on across their faces as they can't make the climb. Over the years, we've experimented with a number of combina ons on our 150 and finally nailed it with a pair of Bridgestone's. For the front, we're running the Ba lecross X31. It s cks in the rocks and lasts like a much s ffer com- pound. Coupled with a Nitromousse Plushie foam in- sert, this front combo flat-out kills it in the rocks while ins lling confidence like no other front I've tried. As for the rear, we're running the Ba lecross E50 Extreme, Bridgestone's only gummy, coupled with the Nitro- mousse 5150 system, a combina on of a half mousse and TUbliss. This combo allows for zero re pressure or add as needed. Presently, I'm running around 4 psi, and the bike s cks to the rocks on the steepest climbs as if each and every knob has a suc on cup a atched. For those familiar with gummies, yes, they can be short-lived, but the E50 Extreme has proven to last quite well on the li le 150, as small bores don't chew up components nearly as quickly as a bigger bore would. My final component to this equa on was a Sco s Performance Steering Damper. I set my Sco s dampers with the low-speed knob backed all the way off and rely solely on the high-speed valving to protect me from hidden, sharp-edged hits and errant branches. It's no secret that I'm a staunch supporter of the Sco s product, as I'm sure it's saved me a world of hurt over the years. In the end, our li le 150 has proven to be quite the trail horse. For those who might be considering trying something lighter, I highly recommend looking into a small bore, it might be just the cket you've been searching for!

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