2018 TX300 my review

[strokemetwice]

After putting about 15 hours on my 2018 tx300 i thought id give a little review on it and maybe put some questions to bed. My riding conditions are full wide open desert, desert tech st, high mtn st, and mx track. 

First off, the carb is awesome. I have ridden this thing from 7500ft to 11000 ft without rejetting and it runs damn near flawless. I compared with a lectron on the exact same bike and have to say I like the carb better. 

Gearing is perfect. I have tried various sprockets and the stock setup is the best for me so far. They work great from track to tail. 

The suspension is really good. It is a lot more mx like that the te. It could use some work to get more plushness on the trail and more stiff on the track. It's a good compromise. I am still trying to figure out the best settings. Another nice thing is that the suspension is so good that a stabilizer is really not needed imo. 

The chassis compared to my 2016 te250 is night and day. This bike feels much more like a japanese mx chassis and loves to corner. It is narrow and somewhat compact. I have noticed that it allows better grip with the legs and begs for input on the pegs allowing you to relax the upper body more. 

As many have said before, the power is so smooth and vibration non existent that it feels slow. I have noticed for the most part I'm riding much faster that i was on my previous bikes just by judging the pace of friends. This thing tracks up steep nasty rocks beautifully. 

If you are on the fence with this bike because of the carb or air forks then you need to get over that fence and buy one. This is the best chassis i have ridden period!   The mechanical aspects are damn near perfect. Fuel injection is coming but may be unreliable and heavy. This thing just plain works and rips.  

Note, i am pretty close to book on jetting but went a step leaner on needle, a step richer on pilot, a step richer on main. I also mix at 40:1 because i like the extra lube in the crank and have also found most bikes to run best at 32:1 to 45:1. I also drilled holes in the air box which seems to help her breath a bit at high altitudes. 

Edited June 3, 2018 by strokemetwice

[Hammy.]

Im also from Co and have the same bike...agree with everything 100% (with the exception of the oil ratio. I do 60:1).

best bike Ive ever owned.

[nsrrider]

Hate to sound like a recording of you guys, but I have the same bike too and it is the best dirt bike (out of about 35) that I have ever owned. Always been a 4S guy and my 17 FE450 is the best 4S out there....but the TX is simply better in the technical stuff. IMO, the Rekluse makes it even better. I was totally good with the stock carb and jetting with one exception: it was getting poor MPG. Ordered a JD kit, will see how that works. Also compared the carb to a buddy's bike with a Lectron, thought the OEM carb had better low-end throttle response. Running 50:1.

Edited June 3, 2018 by nsrrider

[strokemetwice]

5 hours ago, nsrrider said:

Hate to sound like a recording of you guys, but I have the same bike too and it is the best dirt bike (out of about 35) that I have ever owned. Always been a 4S guy and my 17 FE450 is the best 4S out there....but the TX is simply better in the technical stuff. IMO, the Rekluse makes it even better. I was totally good with the stock carb and jetting with one exception: it was getting poor MPG. Ordered a JD kit, will see how that works. Also compared the carb to a buddy's bike with a Lectron, thought the OEM carb had better low-end throttle response. Running 50:1.

My mpg is on par with 2 other guys i know that run lectrons. Maybe i can help you with some jetting? 

[nsrrider]

thanks, may take you up on that.....will probably install the JD kit first and assess.....my oem jetting was getting about 20 fewer miles per tank than riding along side my buddy's lectron bike. 

[shrubitup]

7 hours ago, nsrrider said:

Also compared the carb to a buddy's bike with a Lectron, thought the OEM carb had better low-end throttle response. Running 50:1.

Either the Keihin or Mikuni will give you better throttle response than the Lectron but you pay for it in MPG. I think you'll like the JD kit - let us know.

[gunters96lt1]

couldnt agree more!  I love my 18 TX.  Hands down the best bike ive owned to date!

[strokemetwice]

17 hours ago, shrubitup said:

Either the Keihin or Mikuni will give you better throttle response than the Lectron but you pay for it in MPG. I think you'll like the JD kit - let us know.

I will disagree on the mpg. As i Mentioned before my mpg was almost dead on with my buddies lectron. Actually i was out hopping logs and practicing wheelies while waiting for the others to get ready so we were in reality probably exact same mpg. I dont really see any benefits to the lectron at this point. Definitely interested to see how the jd works out though. 

Edited June 4, 2018 by strokemetwice

[strokemetwice]

18 hours ago, nsrrider said:

thanks, may take you up on that.....will probably install the JD kit first and assess.....my oem jetting was getting about 20 fewer miles per tank than riding along side my buddy's lectron bike. 

What elevation? Did you modify the air box at all? 

[nsrrider]

riding in the 4000 ft range...….stock airbox

 

[ricky racer]

My 2018 TX300 is definitely the best handling bike I have owned. Love the way it runs with the JD jet kit. Modified the air box. Changed out the horrible copy of v-force reeds to real v-force reeds. My brother owns a 2018 TE 300 we have almost all the same mods and I like my TX better ?

[markmc2]

Nice bike! Livin the dream bro!

[mxer95]

glad I found this I've been hesitant on getting the TX 300 but I think I'm starting to come around.

[vabuckaroo]

I'm taking delivery of a 2018 TX300 in a week or so. I had a 2013 KTM 300 XCW a few years ago and had to do the JD kit and revalve the suspension. How are you fellas liking the JD Mikuni kit? What do you think of the forks off-road? Shock? I sold a 2016 350XCFW that was OK, but needed revalving on both ends to be competitive doing racing here in AZ. I'm about 200# with out gear, so I'm thinking I'll need a stiffer shock spring. With the AER fork, I guess there's really nothing to swap out? What oil are you fellas using for mix? 90+ Octane?

[pomoco]

Mine runs perfect with JD kit. Normally I ride at about 1200, but have been out to az and utah with it and it ran great there too. I weight 195 naked and ran the stock shock for 150 hours before getting an ohlins. I rode a friends bike  with one and liked it. Traction and comfort on rough uphills is much better. I run stock forks. Have 200 plus hours on it. I'm not super picky and dont expect a majic carpet ride. I like to feel the front wheel on the ground so i can ride as aggressive as possible. Not planning on any fork changes. 60 to 1 maxima k2 on premium.