ran cleaner and crisper than in the
morning. And it’s still much better
than any carby fuelled bike at the
altitude we tested. I was impressed
with the nimbleness of the 250 on the
steep, tight and technical trails.
Switching up your lines on a tricky
off-camber section is where the 250
shines. It pulls up quickly and the
added traction from the smooth TPI
motor allows you to transition from
braking to acceleration seamlessly
and in turn, you are way less fatigued
even after a few hours in the saddle.
TE300
Having a carburetted TE300 in Oz as
my ADB long-termer (Our Garage,
page 128), I was eager to try the 300i.
My 2017 TE300 is probably the best
300cc two-stroke I have ridden so I
had high hopes for the 2018.
I noticed right away the extra 50cc
and not just because of the extra
speed. The 300 is a different animal
altogether. I found the power and
response of the 300 was a lot more
appealing for my style of riding. I
liked the extra grunt off the bottom
that the 300 offered and it just had a
better overall feel on the trail.
Just like its little brother, the 300
feels incredibly smooth and easy to
ride. You can crawl the thing around
the trail at super low revs and it won’t
stall. It doesn’t have the bottom-end
snap of my carby TE300 which is
great for the average trail punter.
I love that about the 300Ts. That
ability to ride at low revs and then,
with just a flick of the clutch, launch
out of a corner. I mentioned to the
Husky guys that I would like to try
the red power valve spring to get thatXplor 48 gets
stiffer outer
tubes from the
AER motocross
fork and revised
damping.Location,
location
The launch location wasn’t ideal for Aussies
as it was too dissimilar to Aussie conditions.
We rarely ride above 1500m and even Mount
Kosciuszko is only a touch over 2200m.
The idea of riding from 1500 to 2700m
above sea level sounds like a good way to
demonstrate the versatility of fuel injection
for the American journos, but it’s never going
to happen in Oz. The real test will be when the
TE250i and 300i arrive on our shores and we
head into the Vic high country.
Remember to keep this in mind as you
read this article.http://www.adbmag.com.au SEPTEMBER 2017 | 77