VOLUME 58 ISSUE 5 FEBRUARY 2, 2021 P73
T
he KTM XC line of two-
stroke competition dirt
bikes is a case study in
specifics. The bikes that live
here are precision tools meant
to compete. I've raced them
plenty and also owned them as
everyday trail rigs. They are the
right bike for me most of the time
and that trend continues with the
2021 KTM 300 XC TPI.
Let's first confess our love to
all that is XC. It has six speeds in
a masterful "semi-close" trans-
mission that gives trail-crawling
and desert-blitzing speeds on-
demand. The large, translucent
fuel tank will make you wonder
why your MX bike has a black
one. Compliant but capable
suspension settings and rear
linkage performance blur the line
of track and trail days, and the
fat 18-inch tire out back means
your choices of off-road tires
and mousse inserts is as wide as
you'd ever need.
Flag-style hand guards are
stout enough for GNCC and
NHHA race action (I've done
both in the past months). Fi-
nally, it has an electric starter as
the only choice, which makes
dead-engine start procedures as
simple as it gets. It is a very real
off-road bike and a helluva race
machine with a convenient kick
stand.
KTM's fuel injected XC 300 TPI two-stroke blends
the ideal mix of speed and agility—smoothly!
BY JESSE ZIEGLER I PHOTOGRAPHY BY SEAN FINLEY AND ZIEGLER
smooth
operator
