ON THE TRAIL TESTING

Dirt Bike Magazine’s ‘On the Trail testing’ is an ongoing look at the products and machines that we’re testing in the field. It ranges from Dual Sport machines, to fuel-injected 2-strokes and from off-road slanted gear in the form of helmets, boots, and enduro jackets to Gummy tires and flat proofing your machine.

Ryan Koch and T-Webb are heading out to do some testing!

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THE FISCH SPARK ARRESTOR

We recently received this new universal spark arrestor’s from Fisch Moto and are impressed with both the clean fitment and ease of installation. They are USFS approved, have a size for every exhaust imaginable as long as the end is circular. It’s as easy as measuring your inside diameter of the exhaust outlet and choosing the right size. The spark arrestor is held in place with three set screws that claw to the inside of the exhaust outlet. You can install this in less than five minutes.

We popped a Fisch SA in our FMF Extreme muffler for some of our mountain testing. The install is cake, if there was a power drop it was minimal and it kept us legal!

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We’re just getting into painting our GasGas EC300 with some off-road necessities in the form of protection. Testing was paused when we experienced a TPS problem and the fuel-injected machine wouldn’t stay running. More on that when we learn what the issue was…

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We did get to fit on a Slavens TPS protector and for Webb’s knees lower IMS Core footpegs that give him some additional leg room.

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Ryan Koch has been abusing a glug of products on our ’21 KTM 300XC.

Coober’s ECU is proving to be an amazing mod. Our 2021 KTM 300XC has been phenomenal and one of the best production TPI models we’ve ridden. We didn’t know how much could be improved on this year. Plugging in the Coober ECU is simple and the power increase is outstanding. It maintains the same nature of the bike stock but just more power in all areas. You really notice the roll on hit the bike gains when hillclimbing or loading the motor. It maintains a stronger and more broad powerband without falling flat like we had experienced on some hillclimbs with the stock ECU. The added bottom end power is always welcomed as we love riding hard enduro and always are looking for increases in this range. We could carry a gear higher and didn’t have to rely on the clutch as much as before.

The new Titanium Powercore 2.1 Extreme silencer was developed for the hard enduro rider and racer in mind. Where you notice the power difference compared to the stock is on the bottom end and midrange. It spreads the power out nicely and made just enough of a difference to actually feel it. We love the added snap off the bottom for blipping over logs and rocks with short notice. The smooth midrange is welcomed when wanting to load the motor and make traction. The can of the silencer is very long, creating more back pressure for the engine and a larger volume for more packing to keep the decibels low.

Top marks for the Coppersmith Hybrid AERO fork mod. The 300 XC has an air fork, the Coppersmith fits in Ohlins internals and a single spring which gives the rider more flexibility in tuning. And- we enjoy a plusher ride! She’s pricey, but for the serious rider it gives more flexibility in tuning while smoothing out the hack factor.

Protecting your sensitive and expensive TPS is a smart plan for the TPI owner. Bullet Proof Designs makes one that bolts on quickly and wards off trail inflicted pain.

The SXS skidplate is doing a great job of protecting the under belly of the 300. The sucker is strong!

The Fastway Evolution 4 footage has a nice wide platform for your feet which makes standing that more comfortable, but still allows you to maneuver the bike and pivot your feet where they need to be. The structure is beefy and burly and can really withstand a good hit to the rocks. We like the removable cleats which is nice to replace when they get worn down instead of buying new pegs. There is additonal support you gain in your feet is forgiving for long rides.

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With the winter weather comes frigid fingers and T-Webb fits his 300 with AME Hot Grips. The install is simple, they have an easy adjuster to set the temp and for the older dudes whose digits are rather arthritic (ie- Wolf), they are the cats caboose.

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Our SSR 300 sat for a bit and in that short time the carb circuitry clogged. Ryan popped the carb off, took out the pilot and main jet, shot some contact cleaner through them and we were back in business.