2017 KTM 300 XC-W

You have to give credit where credit is due, and the Austrian KTM factory produces the widest range of off-road and motocross bikes of any manufacturer, with specialty machines to suit the riding preferences of every dirt-bike enthusiast. Enter the 2017 KTM 300 XC-W, a machine that is tailor-built for extreme trail riding in the nastiest of conditions. Far different than the popular line of XC bikes, the XC-W is equipped with a completely different frame and suspension, all of which are tuned for the hardcore off-road enthusiast.

At the heart of the 300 XC-W is a 293cc two-stroke engine that is equipped with a counterbalancer to minimize vibration at the handlebars. The bike is fed by a 38mm Mikuni TMX carburetor that is jetted to be run with—get this—premix that is mixed at a 70:1 ratio! A wide-ratio six-speed transmission can handle everything from tight singletrack to wide-open expanses, and of course, the clutch is a hydraulic Brembo unit. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the KTM 300 XC-W’s powerplant is that in addition to the kickstarter, the bike is equipped with an electric starter.

The chassis and rear suspension is a blast from the past, as a linkage-less WP PDS shock handles the bump-absorption duties out back. Why does the XC-W come without shock linkage? Technology and performance of the linkage-less WP PDS system has come a long way from the system we remember from days gone by, and the system allows riders to attack rocks, logs, and other obstacles without fear of the linkage hanging up on them and stopping forward momentum. Furthermore, the PDS shock has a lighter feel in the initial portions of the travel, for increased comfort in rocky trail conditions. Up front, the new WP Xplor 48 fork is of a mechanically sprung, single-function design with a compression adjuster on the top of the left fork tube, and rebound adjuster on the right.