ADB 300 Two-Stroke Shootout
 

Cool! GG is a top scorer, it doesn't need fuel injection :)

You know, a lot of fanboys of other brands and some Gasser owners lament the fact that the e-start is not located in the cases on the 18+ Gas Gas models. I will say it is nice that you do not have to remove the motor from the cradle to access the starter. From what I understand this is the case with the KTM and Beta.

Taken in the context of your comment regarding the FI bikes, keeping it simple can have benefits.

I agree! Simplicity and ease (or PITA) of working on something factors in to why I like or hate a bike.

If they actually ran a proper starter clutch like a 4t rather than the same silly bendix then it the underneath started would have some merit. Until then I?ll choose accessibility and ease of service.

As I said on TT and some other forums. I personally prefer a carb over FI as in most cases I can repair it without the need of a laptop computer and a troubleshoot manual. I often ride in the middle of nowhere with 70 miles wilderness around in an area where I don't meet people the whole day.

I am not sayin' FI is BS, because it isn't but it is also not the holy grale. Many KTM fanboys just see one side and don't even want to talk about possible disadvantages. I don't care, each to their own.

Comparing the GG starter system with the old KTM starter system only shows that people do not know what they are talking about. It would be better to just shut up until one has disassembled both starters and bendix'. It is very obvious that the two systems are indeed very different.

On my 2017 KTM the starter worked as flawless as on my 2015 so I did not see an advantage. Except that I serviced my starter bushings every 40 hours on the old style system.

Then I had to replace the starter on a mates 2017 300 and I can tell you it was not just a PITA, it was a nightmare. Took me more than 4 hours to fix it. OK, today I can probably do it in under 2 hours as I now know how to do it. But it requires to take off the exhaust pipe, head stays, ignition cover, bendix, engine bolts and you need to lift the engine to get the starter moror out. And there is a bushing which also needs to be removed so that you can move the starter. I drained the cooling system and took the hose from the cylinder head off. Today I know that this isn't a must.

Overall the whole package counts, function, serviceability, reliability. That the starter of the new KTM's almost never fails isn't an argument when it fails exactly on my bike. They also said the FI of the TPI doesn't fail often. Well, it failed three times in 2 month on mine....