When doing research on the latest 2023 TM EN 300 FI, I was reminded of just how “in-house” the TM brand actually is. Finding any technical detail is almost impossible. I even considered jumping on a plane and flying to Italy to not only smack the marketing team over the back of the head with an old pizza box but to also strap the TM technicians down and start pulling fingernails until they gave up the tech information. I grabbed what information I could off the Aussie distributor for TM, EMU Racing.
Back in 2010, the model I tested had an Ohlins shock and Marzocchi fork. They’re both gone and the KYB fork is a 48mm closed cartridge unit. The shock is by TM Racing and while it is probably a copy of an Ohlins, it looks unique. It’s tucked away under the seat and comes with a bladder in the shock reservoir which is quite small and tidy.
It runs a Nissin brake on the rear and a Brembo unit up front. It has a 9.5-litre fuel tank. There is the option to fit a 12-litre tank from TM. It also comes with a thermo fan as standard.
The motor is a 293cc, single-cylinder, two-stroke with a six-speed gearbox and electric start with backup kick starter, brilliant! The ignition is an electronic TM Racing, ECU EMOTICOM unit and of course the motor is injected via the throttle body (different to KTM’s throttle port injection system). As discussed, the frame is aluminium.
TMs are still largely handmade which means Mario and Luigi are busy day-in, day-out welding, screwing and hammering every TM together. There’s no production line like other manufacturers, every bike passes by the same set of eyes each time. It sounds like a terribly uneconomical way of running a business but hey, they’re Italian!
I’m undecided as to whether or not building each bike by hand with a small team is a good way to build a dirtbike. On the one hand, your quality control should be second to none as it’s not a machine assembling the bike. But, on the other hand, it’s very slow and what if the bike builder had a hangover while welding your bike! I remember the previous TM importer telling me he couldn’t tell me exactly what bike we’d be testing as even he didn’t know exactly what model they would send until it got here. Ahhh Italians, gotta love them!
NEW DAWN
When speaking with Ron, from TM in Australia, he informed me that TM has taken a liking to the Aussie market. They have identified Australia as the highest number per capita for dirtbike ownership. Sherco have also motioned that Australia is the second largest market for them outside of France.
The good thing about being ear-marked as one of the biggest dirtbike markets in the world is that we are now priority number one! After chatting with Sean from APW Motorcycles, a TM dealer, about the availability of parts and machines, he reminded me of the importance the Aussie scene is to the Italians so they’re air-freighting parts out here if they have to.
There are still a limited number of dealers in Australia and without a production line it’s unlikely they will be pumping out TMs in great volume but it is exciting to hear they want a slice of the Aussie market.
THE RIDE
Jumping on the 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES for the first time took me back to 2010. Back then the TM was slim and stylish, like all Italians, and today, nothing has changed. It feels like the narrowest of 300cc two-strokes between the knees and shrouds. The seat is as hard as a plank but at least it is flat and grippy.
The levers, handlebar (fatty) and cockpit feel normal. There aren’t any weird ergonomics that require time to adjust to, and in fact, I’d say it feels the most neutral of any bike I’ve ever ridden. The starter is on the right and kill switch on the left. It has Excel wheels and footpegs which are grippy and wide.
I hit the starter button and it turned over with no result. I was instantly worried. Had Mario hooked up the starter button to the headlight? Fortunately he hadn’t, I just needed to be in neutral with no throttle. How weird is that, starting a two-stroke with no choke and no throttle. The joys of injection!
Once the bike fired into life the note the 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES gave off is a little more tinny. It’s that old-school ringa-a-ding-ding kinda note! It isn’t dull like most modern two-strokes, it is loud, crisp and real zingy! On the left side of the handlebar is a map switch, one for pussies and the other for hard-arses. I stuck it into hard-arse mode and took off.
Flying into the first corner I noticed I was going way too fast so I jumped on the brakes and nearly went over the handlebar! The Nissin rear brake is a little stronger than the front Brembo but they both work excellent.
It had been raining in the lead up to the test and the ground was like. I swallowed some pride and stuck it in pussy mode (I think the Italians call it Rain mode) clicked up a gear and rode around in third. I was amazed that this injected two-stroke could carry third in and out of tight corners at a slow jog.
The problem we’ve been having with injected two-strokes is their ability to produce torque at slow speeds and to let you idle along slowly with less clutch work. While the 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES still meanders along slightly quicker than a carburetted, 300cc, two-stroke, and it doesn’t quite produce the same slow-speed grunt, it does produce more torque all the way through the rev range than any other injected two-stroke I’ve tested. The motor is incredibly linear but still strong.
It likes to be ridden in the mid-to-top-end if you’re screaming along but if you’re riding at trail pace it still flows so smoothly in third gear, real low in the revs. It is a little quicker revving than the carby model 300s which means this motor is racier and probably better suited to an intermediate to advanced rider who races a lot or likes to ride single track, fast.
Luckily, the TM engineers had their mid-arvo coffee because the suspension is matched perfectly to the racey motor. It’s probably the firmest of any 300cc two-stroke suspension but it’s not harsh. I did back off the high-speed rebound on the shock three clicks to help settle the bike coming down hill through braking bumps and if we had time, we’d do something about the valving in the fork when hitting those same choppy braking bumps. Apart from those little things to cushion the initial feeling, there’s nothing you need to do to this suspension.
And it only gets better. TM were clever in mating the firm KYB fork and in-house shock to an aluminium frame. Aluminium frames are known for being rigid and this TM one is more rigid than any of the steel frames on other 300cc two-strokes which gives the 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES an incredibly balanced feel. There was a large hole in the test loop which I hit third gear pinned and despite nearly dying on a different 300cc two-stroke, the TM absorbed it without bottoming and kept tracking incredibly straight.
ON SIESTA
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows with the 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES though. There are some things we think were added while the A-team were on siesta. While the ergonomics, engine, suspension and frame are perfect for racing and fast trailriding, the oil reservoir, seat and graphics are not.
The oil reservoir is hidden under the seat which requires you to remove two star bolts from under the seat to get to it. Now, while one full tank of oil should last at least 5-6 tanks of petrol, getting to that reservoir is a pain in the arse. Fortunately you don’t have to do it very often.
The seat is incredibly hard and will take some softening so be prepared for a numb arse or to stand up a lot. And after one full day of testing in muddy conditions, some of the graphics had already started to peel back on one side. It would be nice to see them fit plastics with in-mould graphics.
WORTH THE COIN?
The 2023 TM EN 300 FI ES is priced at $17,490 plus on-roads. So, be prepared to part with between $18,000 and $19,000 depending on the state you live in. That’s a lot of coin when you consider the Husqvarna TE 300i retails for $18,379 ride away. That’s all your dealers cost and rego for a year included. Our guess is that after all is said and done, the EN 300 FI will be the most expensive 300cc two-stroke on the road.
The good news is, for those who are after a bike that is as close to race-ready as you can get, the EN 300 FI is worth the coin. It is just that good at going fast and holding a tight line through rutted straights and corners. It’s the most nimble bike I’ve ever ridden and the most balanced. The motor is revvy and racey so if you think you can hang onto a 300 at full tilt, the EN 300 FI will satisfy your desire.
Back Up
Name: Jeff Briggs
Weight: 90kg
Height: 185cm
Age: 38
Speed: Fast (podiumed at the last AORC in his class)
The TM EN 300 Fi is a nice looking bike that shows the handiwork of the crafty Italians. Sitting on the bike feels comfortable from the instrument cluster and the handlebar to the bright blue grips. It was nice and narrow underneath but not as thin as the Kawasaki KX450 and felt really nimble in tight single.
The bike was impressive with how well it turned and normally this makes a bike unstable at higher speeds but it never showed that trait. The suspension on the fork was a firm, race-spec KYB unit and the shock was an in-house job from TM and both worked well once we made a few tweaks. With most bikes I’m usually wanting a firmer feel but the TM felt like I could push it to the limit and there was still more if I needed it.
The brakes and clutch had a nice feel, similar to a KTM on the clutch side and a Yamaha on the brake side. This makes sense seeing as how the rear brake is a Nissin. The motor was probably the most useable feature of the bike for the average rider. It was a very predictable power right through that could be ridden a gear taller or revved out like a typical two-stroke.
This bike is as good as any top brand bike in the same class and surprised me from the start!
ENGINE
TYPE: Single-cylinder, two-stroke
DISPLACEMENT: 293.2
BORE & STROKE: 72mm x 72mm
COOLING: Liquid
COMPRESSION RATIO: N/A
FUEL METERING: TM Racing EFI, eMotion ECU
TANK CAPACITY: 8.5 litre
TRANSMISSION: Six-speed
CLUTCH: Hydraulic, multi-disc
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE: N/A
SEAT HEIGHT: 985mm
GROUND CEARANCE: 365mm
CLAIMED WEIGHT: 105kg (dry)
SUSPENSION
FRONT: KYB 48mm USD fork, 310mm travel
REAR: TM Racing, 300mm travel
BRAKES
FRONT: Brembo, 270mm disc
REAR: Nissin, 245mm disc
RUNNING GEAR
HANDLEBAR: N/A
FRONT TYRE: Maxxis MaxxEnduro
REAR TYRE: Maxxis MaxxEnduro
PRICE & CONTACTS
RRP: $17,490 + ORC
BROWSER: tmracing-aust.com.au
WARRANTY: 6 months
Words | Mitch Lees
Photos | Josh Evans
