Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

SHOOTOUT •KX500 Vs. KTAf 360SX VS. TM 300E OPfNCLASS TWCJ.STROKES the importer, Pete Vetrano of TM Competition Motorcycles, is offering customers an Acerbis 035 nylon spark arrestor for the enduro model or an Acerbis C35 carbon-fiber silencer for the motocross model. The TM 300 is also like the KTM 360 in that it is not so intimidating to ride for folks who do not have a lot of experience on SODs - the power and handling are much like a fast 250cc. Power output on the TM 300E is very, well, TM-ish. What's that mean? It means the motor is soft on the low-end and hits like a hurricane from the middle revs on up. The low-end power is somehow very chuggable, though, and works well when your scratching up the side of a twisty, slick hillclimb. But when you're trying to rage, it will fall off the pipe occasionally if you let the revs drop too low. It doesn't rev as fast as the KTM 360 will but in numerous motocross-start drag races the TM was just a hair slower. In roll-on style drag raceS the TM was even closer. Both bikes got beat by the 500s in full-traction situations, but the bikes were all pretty close in slick conditions, where the 5005 are hard to keep straight and driving forward. The TM's suspension is set up for enduro and trail use and worked just fine in this capacity, except heavier riders occasionally bottomed hard on large G-outs. It was too soft for heavier motocross riders, but hey, it was an enduro model and the motocross model comes with stiffer springs and valving to cope with these conditions better. The hydraulic clutch is flawless and never goes out of proper adjustment but the transmission is a little hard to shift under heavy loads, especially from first to second. The front brake had good modulation and power. Some riders, though, complained that the rear brake was a little touchy (locked up too easily). The centerstand is a nice touch but made a racket on the trail, and we were wondering where the odometer was if the bike is marketed as an enduro bike. The TM is fairly stable, as none of our riders could remember a shake. Our taller riders liked the layout and the smaller ones didn't complain. The finish is nearly even with that of the Japanese and Austrian scooters. The TM 300E js a solid performer that won't embarrass you. when you're riding with your relentless "Japanese bikes rule, man" buddies. WHAT WORKS WHERE Like any products of similar design, some are going to work better than others in varied sihiations, and that's just what we found with these open-class bikes. They'll all work anywhere quite well in most conditions, some just better than others. If you're a 500cc purist and feel that when you ride an open bike you want to know that you've got 500cc of love under your hiney, then the I

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