2023 KTM 300 XC Review

We take on the Ironman GNCC aboard KTM's all-new 300 XC.

Photography by Frances Montero and Mack Faint

Ever been totally convinced you were leading a race, only to cross the finish line and be met by feelings of disappointment, frustration, and confusion—as well as the real winner of the race? This happened to me while racing last month's Ironman GNCC. I had this entire story written in my head as the winner as I completed the two-hour morning race, but I was reluctantly forced to make some revisions upon seeing my result. After a few choice words and my tail tucked between my legs, I had to come up with a new angle.

The GNCC scene is unlike anything I’ve been a part of. And the season finale at Ironman Raceway is above and beyond the top of that. On arrival, I was shocked to see the event's sheer size. It looks like part music festival and part motorcycle race. After navigating through the thousands of trailers and RVs, you must then play chicken with the motorcycles, bikes, quads, Groms, Surrons, golf carts, side-by-sides, and everything in between just to get to sign-ups. You get the idea. The Ironman National track isn't even visible until you’re on it and waist-deep in the action.

This was my second GNCC experience, and I was admittedly a bit nervous, considering all I’ve heard are the war stories from last year's mudder event. This year, however, conditions couldn't have been more different. It was the polar opposite. Clear skies and unseasonably dry weather dried out the Indiana cornfields, which created silty, dusty conditions in the surrounding wooded terrain. Dust and silt? As a SoCal desert boy, I felt hopeful. Like I had a chance!

Now to learn the bike and the course.

I was in Indiana after being invited by KTM to race its new 300 XC and to participate at the in-person reveal of the 2023 350 XC-F Factory Edition, sometimes referred to as the Kailub Russell Edition. The man himself was there for the unveiling, too. The Factory Edition XC comes spec’d out with all the trail-ready parts and race bling. Like the "Dungey Edition," the 350 XC-F Factory Edition is based on the standard model but it is chock-full of parts straight from the KTM PowerParts catalog. Orange anodized triple clamps, black D.I.D rims with CNC-machined orange hubs, an FMF muffler, a solid rear disc, and various protective pieces adorn the new XC-F Factory Edition. It was even better looking in person than it was on paper, which we had seen a few days earlier for the first time.

However, the new 350 wasn't my ride for the weekend. Instead, it was 2023 KTM 300 XC, which features an all-new two-stroke engine and updated chassis and suspension. Not a bad alternative at all.

I was sort of familiar with the 300 already. I rode a few laps on the 300 SX version a few months back and knew the XC trim would make it the perfect bike for this race. A bigger tank, 18-inch rear wheel, softer suspension, and cross-country mapping highlight the off-road XC. The main highlight, however, is fueling, which is now handled by an all-new electronic fuel-injection system, which replaces the former Transfer Port injection (TPI) system. The new design uses a 39mm Keihin throttle body with injectors and a TPS sensor to improve engine idle and fuel-air mixture. What you’ll probably notice most, however, is having to premix your gas with oil again. Oil injection is a thing of the past, at least for the XC models. The more trail-focused XC-W (enduro) models still use the TPI system, but we expect that to change down the road.

The ’23 300 XC also features a new electronic exhaust control (aka power-valve), which replaces the former centrifugal ball-ramp mechanism.

The WP Xact fork is updated, but the rear WP Xact shock is new from the ground up.

Anyway, enough with the tech stuff and on to the fun stuff. The race.

I was apprehensive on race morning since this was a quick trip and time was lacking. As a result, I had next to zero time to prepare for the race. Here's a bike I’ve never ridden before, on a track I’ve never been on, with no real practice or pre-ride, which seems to be the story of my life lately. "Just take it easy," the KTM reps said. But as a racer, you know how that is—you’re going to send it as soon as the green flag waves. At least I was wearing familiar gear, which helped. The Troy Lee Designs, Bell, Alpinestars, 100 Percent kit were about the only things that felt somewhat homey on the new KTM. A few laps around the neighboring woods loop and a couple dead-engine practice starts were about it as far as prep time. Now it was time to find a spot on the start line.

The 10 a.m. morning race had more people on the start line than most local races bring in total. Us media folk lined up in the Industry class with approximately 20 riders in all on our line. My usual class, Sportsman B, was one of the largest, with over 100 participants. My first dead-engine start went to plan—thank you, electric-start two-stroke. I rounded the first turn just outside the top five as the rest of the KTM staffers battled for position. As we headed into the woods, some guy named Barry Hawk pushed me wide and overtook my spot. In case you didn't know, Hawk is a certified badass and the only rider to win an XC1 title on a bike and a quad. I figured he’d be a good one to follow, for as long as I could, on the unknown terrain.

The first lap is all about learning where to go. The tight woods trails are so fun to ride but a far cry from any West Coast normalcy. Seeing the hidden option lines and hoping to remember them for the coming laps is nearly impossible. It's a dual task of trying to survive while also attempting to pass and stay with the lead pack. The dust was unexpected, as was the number of riders on the track at one time. Over 1000 racers lined up for the morning race, adding another element of difficulty. Finding areas to pass while also hearing some yelling and revving that were directed at me kept me on my toes for the duration of the race.

Toward the end of the lap, there was a major bottleneck on an uphill climb, but I somehow negotiated my way around without getting hung up. I looked over and swore I saw Hawk and the other media guys getting stuck as we closed in on the riders from the starting row in front of us. For the next hour, I didn't see anyone from my group and seriously thought I had this one in the bag. Ideas for my story, "How I won the Industry class," were already swirling around in my head. But I got ahead of myself. On the final lap, I lost two spots to KTM's Griffin Dexter and TLD's Max Lee. "How I podiumed the Industry class" still sounded like a good title, though.

After surviving the final lap, I crossed the finish line, and then reality set in. Sixth! How on earth could I have gotten sixth place? That feeling of, "Man, if I hadn't bobbled on that hill," or "I should’ve tried a little harder" vaporized my initial ideas for the story. But that's how it goes. In the short time after the race, however, I realized how much fun I had just had, and we laughed as we swapped tales about our individual rides. No one had an easy going of it, and making it out in one piece seemed like a victory in itself. That sounds like a cheap excuse, right?

Unfortunately, I can't use the bike as an excuse. The 300 XC is good—really good. The 293.2cc powerplant is a godsend in the woods. Third gear is so long and diverse that I left it there and just feathered the clutch whenever I needed help. Hillclimbs, wide-open fields, and even the tight stuff, this bike handles it all with ease. I’d ride a gear up just to keep my roll speed going, and with the fuel injection, I never once worried about bogging the bike or not having enough grunt. The low-end torque allows it to tractor like a four-stroke in the slow-speed technical sections, but out in the fast stuff, it's crisp and pipey like a two-stroke should be. It's a do-everything machine, and, hands down, the power is my favorite part about the KTM 300 XC.

The WP suspension ate up the rest of the course during the two-hour race. Most of the track deteriorated as the thousands of riders tore it up, and I can't begin to imagine what it was like during the three-hour Pro race. And this layout has every kind of terrain you could think of. The silt was soft and unpredictable, but the cornfields were hard as concrete. The roots were slippery and ever-changing, while the rocks and logs were mobile and abrupt. The KTM ate them all up and far exceeded my sixth-place riding ability.

Forget about my off-the-podium performance; the Ironman weekend is one I won't soon forget. The turnout is unmatched, the fans are die-hards, and the competition is no joke. Everyone from the GNCC series puts on a phenomenal Ironman event. You must put it on your list if you still haven't raced it. Another "need" I see in your future is to ride one of these fuel-injected KTM two-stroke beauties, such as the 2023 300 XC. The 300, from my recent GNCC experience, can handle absolutely anything on the track and is one of the most diverse bikes I’ve ever ridden.

But this is just the beginning. We’ll have a more in-depth ride review of the all-new KTM 300 XC in a future issue of Cycle News after we get home and can log significantly more seat time on the bike.CN