2016 TM 300MX Two-Stroke

Fit, feel and finish
2016 TM
MX300
W
henever there is a commercial on TV for a
mega lottery jackpot,
my wife engages me in a conversation about what she would do with
the money if we won. While she
has visions of building a mansion
and traveling the world, my dreams
primarily are focused on building a
killer custom big-bore two-stroke
dirt bike that stands out from everything else at the track. I would order
a bike in the crate, then prior to assembling it, send out the suspension
and cylinder for valving and porting,
order aftermarket reeds, brake components and sick looking wheels.
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And of course, after all the pieces
are massaged and returned to me, I
would have somebody else build the
whole thing, because I, as a pencilpushing office worker have absolutely no mechanical skills whatsoever.
A bad day for me is when my dry
erase markers run out of ink.
At the risk of sounding paranoid, TM is a motorcycle manufacturer that must have intercepted all
of my thoughts and read my mind
about what this dream motorcycle
would be like. And they have responded by building what I think,
is the most exciting dirt bike in the
world right now: the TM MX300.
The TM MX300 is the world’s
only 300cc MX bike offered for sale
to the public. Yes, other manufacturers and aftermarket companies do
offer a big-bore kit for existing 250cc
bikes, but these kits require installa-
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tion after the fact, and often, carb
boring and airbox mods to accommodate the additional flow of
gases through the larger cylinder.
That’s fine if you have the skills
to replace the cylinder (which I
don’t) the patience to send your
carb out to a machinist for boring
(which I don’t) and the time to tinker with the carb settings after reassembly (which I don’t). With the
myriad of work and family commitments I already have, I want to
just ride my bike on the weekend,
not spend half of it in the garage.
Fortunately, TM has already done
all of the testing and fine-tuning
on their MX300, and their hard
work behind the scenes in Italy
means owners on our shores won’t
have to masquerade as mechanical engineers while bringing their
big-bore fantasies to life.
The TM MX300 has a distinct feel
to it, quite different than the TM
MX450 that we tested one month
ago. The seat of the MX300 is
about an inch lower than the
MX450, and you can also feel
the difference in weight immediately. Out on the track, this sensation becomes even more obvious.
The MX300 not only feels lighter
than its 450cc brother (which
would be expected), but it also
feels lighter than any other 250cc
two stroke on the market, by any
manufacturer! The sensation of
light weight is enhanced by an extremely slim midsection. The radiators barely stick out much wider than the gas tank, and the HGS
pipe tucks extremely well into the
bike. From the cockpit, the rider
can’t help but notice the beautiful
billet aluminum top triple clamp,
with TM, KYB, the fork tube diameter and offset all engraved in
the material. The bars sit on rubber spacers to assist in vibration
reduction. The fork tubes have
measurement marks inscribed,
to assist in getting both tubes to
the exact same height in the triple
clamps. Interestingly, the plastic
does not turn color if creased in
a crash. I wish all plastics on other brands maintained their color
throughout – the last thing I want
following a big crash is a big white
crease line in my plastic to remind
me of my crash. Gold anodized
fasteners adorn the bike, and the
plastic is shaped to allow the bolt
heads to sit recessed, so that the
rider’s clothes and boots do not
snag. Unlike the 450, which has
the airbox above the engine and
the gas tank behind the engine,
It’s all in the details. One could stare at the MX300 for hours just noticing all of the finer
details of this motorcycle, such as the engraved triple clamp and anodized bolts.
the MX300 has the fuel tank and
airbox in their traditional locations.
The seat has a high grip cover surface that keeps the rider planted in
one spot, and the profile allows the
rider a very natural transition moving from the back to the front of the
bike. As with the 450, the MX300
features adjusters on the levers that
allow the rider to adjust the lever
distance from the bar. Hand guards
come standard on all TM bikes, and
offer a decent amount of hand protection.
Monster motor
The TM MX300 features a square
72x72mm bore and stroke; the
MX250 by comparison uses the same
stroke length coupled to a 66.4mm
bore. The MX300 is fed by a 38mm
PWK Keihin carb that moves air
and fuel through a Moto Tassinari
VForce 3 reed cage. The cylinder has
a computer modulated Electronic
Exhaust Valve system (EES) attached
to it, which opens and closes an additional exhaust chamber based on
engine RPM, to maximize horse-
power at every part of the rev range.
Honda was developing a similar
system prior to discontinuing their
CR250 altogether. Other companies
use a less sophisticated mechanical
power valve system. The spent gasses exit through a works HGS pipe.
HGS is an exhaust company out of
the Netherlands, who has built pipes
for many factory teams and has been
used by top MX riders over the years
such as Chad Reed, Andrea Bartolini, Andrew McFarlane, Davey Strijbos and many others.
The bike I rode at Popkum
was new, having only about 30 minutes on it. I love the sound of twostrokes, and starting it up for the
first time, the adrenaline started to
really flow as I sat there for a minute, blipping the throttle to bring the
engine temperature up. The 300MX
has a throaty growl to it, but it idled
through the pits nicely and I estimate
it could easily be ridden off-road
use over twisty single-track terrain.
Once on the open track though, the
motor builds revs very quickly,
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With the kickstarter pulled out, the “brains” of the computer driven Electronic
Valve System are visible between the works pipe, and the handmade shock.
making a tremendous amount of
power in the bottom-end and midrange. It is noticeably faster than
any of the 250cc offerings, and even
a bit quicker than the 450 out of
corners. Although we did not do a
drag race with the two bikes, from
the saddle I would guess that the
MX300 would get the jump over a
450 off of the start, and stay ahead of
it until the 450 is able to get into the
higher gears, where it would likely
catch up and eventually start pulling
away. But the distance needed to do
that likely exceeds any start straight
on any MX track. The TM MX450
is no slouch, but I cannot emphasize
enough how quick the MX300 is.
On the MX300, I found myself short
shifting to make the most of the
low-end and mid-range. The power
does fall off a bit in the top-end, but
it is a gradual decline, rather than a
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sudden sign-off. And by the time the
power starts to flatten out, you are
already going very, very fast. Out of
the box, this bike has an incredible
motor for supercross or arenacross
style tracks. It also helped tremendously that it shifted easily and carbureted cleanly right off of idle, so
crawling through slow, slimy turns
that require careful throttle control
were not a problem. The hydraulic
clutch gives consistent feel no matter
the temperature of the motor, and
never faded or acted up. The bike
features two adjustable maps, which
the rider can change from a button
mounted on the bar. I rode the bike
with Map 1 enabled; regrettably,
I forgot about trying Map 2 until I
was in my car driving home! D’oh!
Suspension
The MX300 shares similar suspension components with the MX450,
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that is, Kayaba SSS suspension
on the front, and a handmade
TM shock on the rear. The rear
shock features a beautiful anodized reservoir that is a work of
art. The suspension performance
on the MX300 is well-balanced,
but slightly softer than on the 450,
with a little less slow-speed compression, and a little more rebound
than the 450. The shock absorbed
both big and small hits very well.
The fork performed very well too,
and felt consistent all the way
through the stroke. I would think
that the fork could perform very
well with merely clicker adjustments, at least for my weight and
speed. Pro riders may need to install stiffer springs, but racers who
aren’t quite at that level would be
hard pressed to complain about
this fork. It is very forgiving package that works well over a variety
of terrain.
Brakes
The TM MX300 came with the
exact same braking package as the
450 tested a month earlier. The
components on the front feature
a 270mm Galfer rotor, mated to a
Brembo caliper. The steel braided
brake lines connect the caliper to
a Nissin master cylinder, which
mates to an adjustable brake lever.
Out back, the 205mm rotor compliments a Nissin caliper, steel
braided line and Nissin master
cylinder. Front and rear, the braking performance on the 450 tested
last month was outstanding; today, on the lighter MX300, this
system is indescribably strong!
The brakes require so little of the
rider’s energy to engage, and the
feel is excellent, and very predictable. Outstanding components
and performance.
Handling
The TM MX300’s powerful motor,
slim profile, supple suspension
and awesome brakes would not
amount to much if the bike did not
have handling to match. Fortunately, the MX300 is rock solid in
the turns, and it is just as comfortable railing berms as it is sneaking
to an uncharted inside line for a
block pass. The MX300 requires
very little effort to get to the innermost rut in a turn, and it feels
planted there. Nonetheless, the
attributes that make the MX300
so responsive in the turns mean
that the rider has to pay more attention on the fast straights, especially as they get rougher. The
triple clamp has a 20mm offset,
but the rider can order the bike
with a 22mm offset from the factory. The 450 had the 22mm offset
clamp installed when we tested it,
giving it an advantage in straightline stability. The other issue that
I think contributes to the MX300
sensitivity on the straights is that
the final gearing is very short. I
found myself getting to fifth gear
long before the end of the straight
sections, my foot trying in vain to
shift up one more time. With the
RPMs coming up so fast on the
MX300 (and even faster than on the
450), hitting rougher edged bumps
at high RPMs made the chassis feel a
bit unsettled. Nothing too bad mind
you, and nothing like the older twostroke Suzuki and Honda 250s,
where supercross oriented turning
meant that the rider was put on the
gravy train to Tankslapper City on
the wide open straight sections of
the track. Fortunately, with the TM
MX300 chassis, we don’t have to relive the “nostalgia” of those days, as
it tracks very well on the rougher
straights.
Options
TM offers a crazy amount of options
when racers order one of their bikes.
The MX300 is available with 48mm
KYB forks or 50mm Marzocchi
forks; TM or Öhlins shock; Nissin
or Brembo brake components, CNC
engine covers; carbon fibre parts,
etc., the list goes on. I think this is
great. You don’t have extra pieces lying around the garage, and you get
the bike you want, from the factory,
in one fell swoop. Awesome.
Final thoughts
I have owned many two-stroke dirt
bikes over the years, the majority of
them Japanese brands which seemed
to always demand a concession. All
the Suzuki bikes I’ve owned had
poor brakes and wimpy clutches. All
of the Honda bikes I’ve owned have
been under-sprung and the chassis got nervous at speed. The one
problem that never showed up on
these bikes though, was too much
power. The 2016 MX300 is different though; it does not ask riders to
make concessions, and it makes a
ton of power! Thank goodness that
TM continues to see a future in twostrokes, and has put such effort into
evolving their technology!
Readers might recall that
I liked the TM MX450 Fi when I
tested it last month. Truth be told,
I like the TM MX300 even better.
It makes 450 level power, but feels
lighter than a 250cc two stroke. It
has brakes that could stop an SUV,
excellent rear suspension and very
good front suspension. I would take
an afternoon to play with the clickers on the forks to get them dialed,
and I might drop a couple of teeth
on the rear sprocket to allow each
gear to pull a little longer and allow
me to use first and second a bit more
(instead of just third, forth and fifth
gears around the track). Overall, the
total package is amazingly dialed,
and hits it out of the park for me.
But don’t take my word for it; give
Popkum MX Park a call at 778.255.
RIDE (7433) to book a time to take
it out for yourself!!
k e v i n l e f e b v r e
Greenavenuephotography
VForce3 reeds and a hydraulic clutch; the bike bristles with trick parts.
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2016 TM MX300
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ABOVE: Sid Sanowski airs out the TM MX450Fi on Popkum’s massive step-up jump. BELOW: The TM MX85, MX300 and
MX450Fi all are available for rent at Popkum Motor Park. Give them a call at 778.255 (RIDE) to book yours today!
To download your own FREE desktop wallpapers of the TM MX 85, 300 and 450Fi, follow this link:
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=469A6B34F01617D4!11300&authkey=!AOWk1Rt1S39f1u4&ithint=folder%2cjpg
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