The KTM 300 EXC is probably one of, if not the most successful model within the KTM range. For many years, this big-bore two-stroke machine has been at the forefront of KTM’s enduro arsenal, and if you go for a ride out into the Australian trails, there’s a good chance you’ll come across a whole crew of dudes riding a 300 EXC but what about the KTM 300 EXC Champion Edition.
It’s been an interesting few years for the 300 EXC platform, and despite going through all the growing pains of the switch to TPI and now TBI units, the bike has remained a favourite among Aussie riders. The engine package provides super strong and usable power that caters to just about any rider out there, and the bike’s ability to tackle any and everything a rider can throw at it makes it a hit with a wide range of riders.
So, what makes this bike so popular? Well, we had the opportunity to ride a new 2025 KTM 300 EXC for a few days – and not just any 300 EXC. KTM Australia handed us the keys to a brand-new 2025 KTM 300 EXC Champion Edition, and boy, does it look the part.
With all the weird KTM chatter going on in the world recently, we thought it was time to get the focus back on what the brand does best – building bad-arse dirtbikes. And after laying eyes on the new 2025 KTM 300 EXC Champion Edition, it is evident that while someone in the office isn’t overly good with numbers, the engineers and everyone else involved behind the scenes have got it dialled.
The 2025 300 EXC Champion Edition is a trick bit of gear, and while it is one of the most expensive dirtbikes on the market this year, the sheer presence of the bike parked on a stand gives off a sense of extra-trick factory-ness that only comes from a true racebike. Something about the orange frame and the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing graphics gives you that extra pep in your step even before the bike is off the stand. It looks cool – but how is it on the track? I was super keen to get out there and find out for myself.
TEST TRACKS
Day one on the bike was at the Goulburn Moto Complex, and there are 10 to 12 cool sprint loops that duck and weave throughout the hillside with a mixture of rocks, roots and off-cambered sections. Throw in some grass track sections and an Amcross-style track, and we had a solid mixture of track conditions.
Then, on day two, we headed inland to a secret location where we rode hard enduro-style tracks and trails and really pushed the bike through terrain that KTM claims it is built for. It was a huge two days on the bike – and man, was it a good time! Conditions were pretty dry and dusty, but we made the best of it.
ON THE STAND
As I mentioned above, the bike looks the goods. The orange colour scheme with the frame and plastics, combined with the Red Bull graphics, just works. The bike also comes with a few extra goodies to separate it from the stock 300 EXC, which include a gripper seat – specifically, the Orange Factory Racing Seat – a larger semi-floating front brake disc, radiator fan, map-select switch, orange front axle puller, a Supersprox Stealth rear sprocket, and a skid plate. It also gets a frame protection set to help reduce wear from boots, plus grey ODI lock-on grips that feel excellent in the hands.
All up, you’re looking at $21,375 ride away for this beast – which is a little over $2000 more than the standard bike. So yeah, if you want to own one of these bikes, it’s a big chunk of your hard-earned coin.
ON THE TRACK
It’s funny how there was a point in time when electric start two-strokes were an amazing deal, and now the bikes don’t even have an option for a kickstarter. The 300 EXC fires up with absolutely no issues, and it’s wild to see that with the new TBI injection, the bikes can idle cold for ages and not foul a plug.
On the first lap, I immediately realised how smooth the power is on this bike. Gone are the days of the 300 EXC’s having an aggressive bottom end; now, with the new TBI injection, the engine produces an incredibly linear and smooth power delivery. It’s quite impressive just how connected to the ground this bike feels due to the engine’s power delivery.
I’m not going to lie – I have long been a doubter of the injected KTM engines. Ever since I rode the first version of the TPI bikes, I have not been a fan of the engines. For me, when they switched from Keihin to Mikuni and then to TPI, it was just such a huge step in the wrong direction. The 300 EXC used to have the most powerful and strongest engine in the class and then, with those changes, it didn’t – and personally, I’ve hated it. Sure, every year it has become better and more developed, but I still missed that feeling that the old carb bikes offered.
Then came the TBI engines, and they were closer again to the feeling of the carb. And now, for 2025, with another year of development, I am starting to see the light a bit more. The TBI is still not the same feeling as a crisply jetted carb machine, but it’s easily the closest I have felt the 300 EXC to be to the carb bikes. The bike ran clean, it produced great power, and it sounded like a 300 two-stroke should.
On the first day, where the track was fast and flowy, the 300 EXC was super nice to ride. The engine had plenty of grunt to pull third gear out of the corners, and the TBI had the bike running clean and crisp. I played around with the map-select switch a little bit and preferred the faster map for the more racey conditions. It’s not aggressive by any means, but if you want to rev it out, it’ll respond. I found that the older injected bikes would lean out or run on after revving for a while – but that wasn’t happening on the 2025 model.
The second day of riding, however, I found the mellow map a little more ideal for the super-snotty hard enduro stuff. I was also super impressed with just how capable this engine is at ridiculously low speeds. You can crawl this bike down to absolutely no revs, and it will climb and climb and climb. The Orange Factory Racing Seat – a gripper design – is also a very welcome addition in hard enduro riding. It is an impressive feature, and no matter how hard I tried, I never stalled the bike. It also produces great traction on the slippery rocks, and I was also happy with the feeling of the clutch engagement at low speed. Overall, I can see why these bikes are so popular among Aussie riders.
SUSPENSION & HANDLING
Suspension and handling-wise, it is so nice that KTM has made the switch to the 48mm closed cartridge fork. Gone are the days where suspension was holding the bike back – being all soft and unbalanced. The new WP suspension on the 2025 EXC range is solid, and the whole bike just feels more racey and wants to push along. The fork holds up nicely, and even with a few of the bigger hits around the Amcross track, I rarely found myself bottoming out or having any dramas like that. I was happy with it around the faster bush loop, and to be fair, it was pretty solid around the hard enduro stuff too. It was compliant and plush enough initially to soak up all the nasties that come with hard enduro, yet firm enough to hold up on the big hits.
The WP PDS shock has a solid action to it as well, and I never had any issues with it bottoming out or coming unstuck at speed. Much like the fork, it also worked quite well through the hard enduro stuff and produced glue-like drive through the gnarly creeks and uphills that we rode through. And because the swingarm never gets caught up on any logs or rocks, it is super easy to tackle any of the bigger logs or rock steps too. I really like that about the PDS system.
The Michelin Enduro tyres that come fitted on the Champion Edition also deserve a mention. They offered consistent traction in both dry and rocky conditions and proved to be well matched to the suspension and power characteristics of the bike.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the new WP suspension – both front and rear – on this bike, as I feel that for years we’ve had a bit of an imbalance due to the forks being too soft and blowing through. Switching to the CC forks has been an excellent move, and now, more than ever, the bikes are more than capable of tackling any and every type of trail. The overall feel of the bike is firmer, and sure, some riders might need to tweak that, but for me, I enjoy the ride so much more when I know that the bike is actually capable of hitting things at speed without destroying me.
FIT & FINISH
The fit and finish of this bike is second to none – which is what you should get when you’re forking out $21,000-plus. As soon as I sat on the bike, I found the rider triangle comfortable, and the controls all feel great. The grey ODI lock-on grips are a nice touch and offer great feel. The Brembo brakes are super powerful and offer excellent feedback and modulation.
I’m not too sure why KTM still insists on the black clutch cover and muffler – sure, they look cool when they’re new, but how long does the paint last before it starts looking secondhand? That’s really my only complaint about this bike.
Is this bike night and day above what the stock KTM 300 EXC is? In terms of looks, for sure. The bike screams factory, and I’m a big fan of it. As far as performance goes, it’s much of a muchness in my opinion. The map switch, gripper seat and larger front disc are solid additions, that’s for sure, but it just comes down to personal preference whether you want to spend that extra $2200 over the stock model and be the trick guy among your group of friends or not.
This is by far the best TBI engine package I have ridden and I finally feel like I can enjoy riding the KTM 300 EXC again. It has been a bit of a rollercoaster there for a bit, but the way that the TBI engine produces power now, and how clean this bike ran, I really enjoyed it.
I was pleasantly surprised with just how versatile this bike is – both engine and suspension – on such a huge variety of terrain, and I had a big smile on my face on both days of riding. It’s easy on the rider and makes light work of anything you threw at it – and that is how riding a dirtbike should be.
