I posted a ride report on the '18 300 in the other thread in the General Discussions Forum

Great report!
Does it has that KTM ride feel or more like a Japanese ?

Sorry, I forgot to respond to this 1. I've had only 1 Japanese bike in the past 20 years, and that was for about 3 months in 2001, so I don't really know what you mean. But I can say it's a great bike, and a serious contender, especially in super-tight terrain. I was shocked by how good it is, it feels very mainstream and well put together, not some cobby boutique bike cobbled together in a garage.

That's a good question. In fit and finish, it is like a Japanese bike, almost like a Honda but not quite. In performance with the KYB suspension, it is a hybrid of sorts, it has mainstream performance like a Japanese bike but it is more specialized, it has the gasser specific performance and equipment, quick turning, 6 speed transmission etc that the Japanese bikes lack.

What characteristics are you referencing?

When someone says “suited for racing,” I think, “the faster it goes the better it feels,” which means “stiff when slow.” Something I don’t want.

2018 xc300
 

Rode an 18 XC300 Sunday for only a few min. and noticed the same thing. Very little vibration. Then again, I ride a 2012 EC250. The power was smooth through low to mid. The Gas Gas motors seem to me as one of the best for endro/off-road.

Not sure about the 2012 chassis...

Where did you score a ride on an '18?

What I meant was that the suspension was controlled and predictable as it was set up for the test ride. I've raced a fair amount in my day and it had the characteristics I look for: "No wallowing" (controlled) and predictable (it worked well on rocks, rollers, and acceleration bumps). My stock 2014 suspension is bone stock and severely under sprung for my weight but it still works pretty good. However, it wallows a bit in throttle on/off transitions and has a little deflection. This is mostly from the forks. I've also ridden a re-valved 2013 with a Reiger and it works great...About as good as the stock 2018 suspension. On a final note, I have no doubt I could dial back compression and rebound damping and make it a marshmallow. I would not let my comment think it would be stiff at low speeds. The friend who went with me said he thought the suspension was perfect and he weighs about 90 pounds less than me!

Eric

Sorry, meant to quote Jim C...

2018 xc300
 

Arizona Cycle Park. I was out there pounding out some laps with my son on his KX250F.

The owner of MotoCenter has one and said he is the Gas Gas dealer on the east side of town? Also, he and some buddies ran the Glen Helen 24 hour with the same bike in the Business class.

Swappin' out frames tonight.