KTM 300 EXC

The KTM 300 EXC is the default hard enduro and bush bike in Australia. A 300 two stroke makes tractor like torque off the bottom without the weight of a 450 four stroke, it starts on the button, it is registrable, and it does not need valve checks or pistons every 40 hours. Since 2018 it has been fuel injected (TPI, then TBI from 2024), so there is no jetting and no premix.

It suits a trail rider in tight, steep or rocky country, an enduro racer, or anyone who has had enough of servicing a four stroke. Against a 450 EXC F it is lighter and easier in the tight stuff and gives away only top speed. Against a Husqvarna TE 300 or GasGas EC 300 it is the same bike with different suspension and bodywork.

The main jobs are gearbox oil and the air filter. Change the gearbox oil every 10 to 15 hours (it takes about 800 ml of a light gear oil like Motorex 10W 30 or a JASO MA 10W 40) because the oil also feeds the clutch. Air filter every ride in dust. On the TPI and TBI bikes keep the oil injection tank topped up with a good full synthetic two stroke oil and never let it run dry.

Top ends last a long time on a 300 ridden in the bush: rings around 60 to 80 hours and a piston around 100 to 150 is common for a trail bike, sooner if it is raced. Do a compression test rather than guessing. Grease the linkage and swingarm after wet rides and keep the coolant fresh; a fan is standard on the newer bikes and worth fitting to the older ones.

On a carburetted bike ask about the jetting and whether the reeds and power valve have been serviced. On a TPI bike make sure the oil injection has never run dry and that it idles cleanly hot, and check for a stuck or leaking oil pump. On any 300 look for a dented pipe, bent radiators, a cracked sump guard and a worn clutch. Check the rego status and whether it has been de restricted.

Prices in Australia are strong for all years. Recent sold prices are on the Marketplace page linked below.