GasGas 300 compared to KTM 300

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Just wondering how does the GG 300 compare to a KTM 300. At the Jack Pine Nat. this year I raced a 2010 KTM 300 with a rekluse as my GG was experiencing a bad CDI. I came away with a new found love for that 300 motor.The bike it's self worked okay but do prefer the handling of my GG over the KTM. The KTM has lots of grunt and if you need it tons up top. With the rekulse you could basicly stop in 3rd and twist and go. Very smooth motor no big hit any where. How does our 300 run never had the chance to ride a GG 300.
 
I woud say that it would perform very similar but with the handling of a gasser.
I often describe my 300 as being like an electric motor as the power delivery is instant but very linear. And my gasser will outdrag my friends ktm300 in top, infact it spanks his everywhere, just the build quality is not as good as the ktm, but then i havent been up close to the new bikes.
 
I have not ridden a ktm 300, but used to ride a kx250 with a rekluse and riding the 300 actually feels like you are riding with a rekluse, you can slow down to an almost stop and then just keep chugging along, and then when things open up you flip the switch to sunshine mode, hang on and go!
 
KTM vs GG

I think as with any brand to brand comparison these days bike are very close. I have ridden both bikes in same years several different times but never same day so its hard to give direct precice comparison. KTM's seem to be faster reving through the middle and about equal on top. Although only rode my buddies 2009 KTM 300 the other day on pavement for a few short burts he agreed GG feels slower reving through middle. Others Ive ridden felt the same from memory. My 2010 GG300 with new crank balancing that all 2010 300s have seems much faster up top than other people have said they would be. Buddy confirmed that bike up top sounded like my old KTM 200 and was easily pulling as hard as his bike, he didn't think it could run like that because his KTM seems to lack topend pull. He's ridden my bike and said he was supprised at how hard it could pull from its mellow mid.

Always remember they rate it at 50+ HP so it is fast no matter how u look at it. I think the nature of the slightly flatter power delivery is the GG goal and makes a very good harescrambles and enduro racer. Some that have ridden it say the GG seems a better woods racer because of the power character along with GG handling.

Cheers,

Rick
 
another thing to keep in mind is the ktm has a 36mm carb, as opposed tothe gasgas 38mm, so it will act differently.
 
300 ktm's have 38mm carb. some 200's had 36, some had 38.


i rode my friends 2003 200 ktm this weekend. this is the 4th ktm 200 i have ridden. did not like it. vibration like it seems all the ktm's have, and it signed off way early, with no overrev (all the ktm 200's i've ridden were totally different in power delivery. this one was bone stock). the other 3 i've ridden were much less mellow than this one... it was very quiet though and felt a little lighter and taller than my gg200. it was geared 14/48 and i had to shift much more than i do on mine..

after riding 4 different ktm 200's in as many years, i have definitely decided it is not for me.
 
I had a 200 and a 300 and did not like either. Like you said the 200 vibration was terrible. It had great low end for a 200 though. The suspension and handling is what killed it for me though. The 300 was better but just wore me out, and I could never come to terms with the PDS on that either. Granted these were older but I have owned same year GGs and ridden newer KTMs as well, and while they are improved they still don't rise to the handling level of the GG. Another thing, they are more boil over prone than a GG of equal displacement. Normal riding and even tight stuff is fine but on long tough climbs my friends bikes are blowing steam. Many times it comes down to ergos too and what your comfortable on.
 
All the newer KTM 300's and 250xc and w's have a 36mm carb. Since about 05 I think.

And it may seem wierd, but that's when the bike became ridable for the masses! The 36mm carb is the best thing that ever happened to the KTM. And still, the Gas Gas runs so similar, I wonder what was wrong with the engine when it had a 38mm.....

Bottom line, the bikes are so similar that you could be happy with either. The Gasser does feel smaller physically, ever so slightly. My opinion is that the GG is the better handling bike, but lots of people love their KTM's.
 
Thanks guys for the input. So it sounds like the motors are close to the same in performace. That is what I wanted to hear. my GasGas handled way better then the KTM I rode no question there. Hard to get the orange crowed to admit it though.
 
I have also have been looking at both, and one factor that I like about KTM is the abundance of after market parts. But the one thing I do not like about KTM is they seem to be multiplying like rabbits.\

I like owning things that not everyone has, which gasgas allows me to have a great bike and be diffrent at the same time.
 
The thing is you don't NEED much in aftermarket parts. All that you do need is available. What you won't find at least yet is the bling like orange anodized gas caps and resevoir covers.

One other thing I'll mention, at least from my personal experience, is that KTM customer service absolutely sucks compared to GasGas. My 300 EXC had a cracked subframe from incorrectly pressed in inserts, it was not uncommon. KTM's idea of a solution was to not send another subframe until they got mine back, inspected, and approved warranty on it, leaving me without a bike in the meantime. I said screw you and welded it, sold it, and bought my first GG. This is a big reason why I would never buy a KTM again. By comparison, my '03 GG had a leak in the side cover. The dealer at the time found one in stock at another dealer, and had it shipped to my house overnight. I sent my original back and the warranty issue was delt with secondary to getting my bike on the trail. Thats service.

What other mfg specific forum can you go on where you can directly communicate with the importer?
 
Parts are not an issue. The bikes are ready to ride out of the crate. Like GMP said if you have to have it you can buy it. We do lack bling but who cares about bling anyway. If your riding a GASGAS you'll stand out in a crowd bling or not. :D
 
Parts are not an issue. The bikes are ready to ride out of the crate. Like GMP said if you have to have it you can buy it. We do lack bling but who cares about bling anyway. If your riding a GASGAS you'll stand out in a crowd bling or not. :D

there's no doubt about that.

skid plate/pipe guard/hand guards. that's all you really need.. everything else is pretty much ready to go out of the box.
 
to me you can compare slight differences within the brand itself, the 300 ktm to the ec300 motors might be quite similar, but there is no were to go from there with the ktm. with gasgas you have an option for quite different motor characteristics. ive had an 2010 ec300 while my nambo is being fixed and the regular ec is alot more tame than the nambo top end, also as gnp said you will never find customer support like gasgas, even my dealer said they cant believe the service compared to any other brand, i mean gasgas could have very easily ordered parts for me that were back ordered which i thought i was getting and they ordered me a completely brand new motor! i will never buy a ktm after my experience with gasgas. And if your looking for bling i would pay 2g's more get a nambo and line up next to the blinged up ktm and ask him where his TTX suspension is:D
 
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