280 Vs 300

[diligaf]

I would appreciate any advice. I own an 07 280 and will place an order for an 2010 bike now. I must decide between a 280 and a 300. Does anybody have any advice in this regard, is there much of a diference??.

Thanks

[5again]

Hi Diligaf, I did a little looking into this topic myself, trying to find the ideal clubman friendly big bore two stroke as I don't like reving the engine too much. First up I think you should ignore the '280' is an animal tag that maybe was the case for the first 280 pro's in 2002 / 2003. I put a 2007 280 top end on my 2009 250 expecting it to be like a motocrosser, however, I felt it was quite mellow at the bottom, not too different from the 250, whereas the 300 pulls much stronger right off the bottom, but more linearly as the revs build. I think this behaviour is one of the biggest difference. Like all GG's they will rev to the moon. I found the 280 does spin up a little in soft conditions, so am trying a head spacer to see if that helps. I have continued to use a 10T front sprocket and black throttle I had on the 250. As similar previous threads have indicated a flywheel weight seems to be a must on the 300, it would be interesting to know if the JST team members run with one.

Looking back through the parts lists online it looks like they barrel and head (and therefore porting specs) last changed on the 280 and 300 for the 2007 series models, I'm not too sure about ignition, but from 2006 onwards I believe they all had the 'sun' and 'rain' settings, which appear to impact mid-high revs more than anything else.

[baldilocks]

I think all of the team riders use a flywhel weight.

When ragas bike was tested in motocross digital I was amazed to find he was running a flywheel weight.

[smalley250]

I put a 2007 280 top end on my 2009 250 expecting it to be like a motocrosser, however, I felt it was quite mellow at the bottom, not too different from the 250

I believe the way the engine is mapped is what makes the 280 bike more aggressive plus the carb my be different on jetting. Most top riders use 300`s with fly wheel weights.

[bigfoot]

Ah that why I'm not a top rider then! I ride the 300 (2009) without the flywheel spacer and although I did find it a bit firey to begin with it softened of over 6 months and is now just great. I've had both 280 and 300 but have stuck with the 300 for 5 years now. If I bought a 2010 bike it would be a 250 though so go figure that one out.

Maybe you shouldn't discount the 250 in your search.

[copemech]

Ah that why I'm not a top rider then! I ride the 300 (2009) without the flywheel spacer and although I did find it a bit firey to begin with it softened of over 6 months and is now just great. I've had both 280 and 300 but have stuck with the 300 for 5 years now. If I bought a 2010 bike it would be a 250 though so go figure that one out.

Maybe you shouldn't discount the 250 in your search.

Well put!

[diligaf]

Good advice,I intend riding a 250 for a day to see how well they go. In fact I'm going to take my 280 and go riding with a friends 300 and anothers 250 and see. The bike I buy now must last the next 5 years so I cant make mistakes

I will give detailed feed back of my impressions once Ive done it as this may help someone else in my position.

[gasgasmi]

Well...... you are on the right track to try em out. Not everyone likes the same stuff. We have 2 280s and a 300 at our house so I do have some insight. Bike 1: 04 280 tuned for my son (22 year old SPT class rider. He likes jap-zaps and big jumps. He likes the 280 pretty well however when he rides my 300 he asks if I am ready for a new bike so he could have my old one. Good power, kinda quick revs, suspension is good, brakes are good. Bike 2: 05 280. Wife rides this in INT class. Has a spacer under the head and a black tube to calm it down. She loves the bike but finds it hard to start. I think all the pro models are harder to start and it doesn't help that she weighs 30# less than the bike. This is less zippy than the son's bikes and is just the way she likes it. Bike 3: 07 300. This one is mine. I am 6ft 200# and have always liked the bigger engines. I had a 320 and a 321 before this bike. I ride senior class. The 300 has LOTS of low end torque which suits my style perfectly. I run a 10 tooth front sprocket (all 3 have this mod) to slow it down a bit (bring the revs a little higher really) and have rejetted it for easier starting and smoother running as per Dale M. (USA importer). No flywheel weight needed. Biggest difference I find between the 280s and the 300 is the low end torque. The 300 will pull right off idle any time I need it where the 280 needs a get wound up more. Either bike works but the torque with the big engine works better for me. Try em out, ride in section like areas and see what fits you. My advise.... 300, you may find the 280 or 250 fits you better. Oddly I was looking at Shercos and I liked the engine on a 250 Sherco better than the 290 on just a short demo ride.... go figure.

Craig