2022 TSCEC Lone Star Enduro Test 7

This past weekend I made the drive to the Lubbock Trail Rider's lease to participate in the Lone Star Enduro. This marked the fiftieth anniversary of the club's first race and it consisted of eighty-three miles of incredibly diverse terrain. We had a really technical A-only section as well as super fast flowing sections through the open mesquite areas. I finished second overall on the day, just 49 seconds behind Ryan Granthom who took the win. It was a blast battling back and forth throughout the day and as you can see in the video, I was having tons of fun riding my KTM 300 XC-W TPI.
Parts Breakdown:
Tires: Michelin StarCross 5 Soft Front and Medium Rear
Michelin Bib Mousse
Bars: Mako 360/ Renthal 921 FatBar
Protection: Enduro Engineering
Suspension: Solid Performance
Exhaust: Akrapovic
CDI: Silber Overall Tune
Head: Silber
Gearing: 13/51
Seat: Seat Concepts Comfort
Grips: Renthal Kevlar
Triple Clamp: KTM SXS
Fork Height: Line One
Sag: 110mm
Footpegs: IMS Core Enduro Sharp
Headlight: MotoMinded
Filter: TwinAir
Lubrication: Motorex
Clutch: Rekluse TorqDrive
Brakes: DP Solid Rear Rotor

[@SM-yq9ig]

Miss the NHHA there last few seasons.. this place has made me fall in love with Texas.. great corse always! Few mesquite thorns lol.. and great folks

[@dustinferg923]

This was such a fun test. I thought it was a great mix of fast and flowy up on top and technical in the creek beds

[@ColeKirkpatrick]

Totally agree!

[@wayneleonard8367]

I found my self watching the speedometer on the voyager pro more then the course. 😂 I will have to watch again and focus on the course. Kind of cool to have a speed number along with the sound of the bike and video. 👍🏻

[@jaredm1865]

Hey Cole, will you consider coaching again? It’d be great to have someone around to teach new enduro riders.

[@ColeKirkpatrick]

Hi Jared, for sure. I still do some one-on-one stuff from time to time. Reach out on IG and we can connect there. Thanks!

[@scrambled1213]

You are ripping. Curious to know why you ride a XC-W vs XC with the pace you ride? Just bought a husky TX300I, thinking maybe I should have went with another XC-W or TE.

[@ColeKirkpatrick]

Thanks! I've had well over 25 KTMs over the years and a lot of those were PDS bike from 2002-2011. The past five years though, since Gnarly Routes was started, I split my time between a personal race bike at home that was linkage and a PDS bike that I used for the Gnarly Routes motorcycle trips. I ride the XC-W because it's so similar now to the XC as far as the motor goes that my biggest concern is handling. I like the front end traction on the PDS platform and while the gearbox is a little different than the XC I don't think that I'd be any faster on the XC platform. I also like how easy the shock is as far as maintenance goes, two bolts and it comes off in about sixty seconds. At the end of the day I think it comes down to the terrain you are riding the most and for my, it's enduro type terrain and I think the PDS is great at that. Don't second guess your decision, the TX300 is a great bike!

[@scrambled1213]

@@ColeKirkpatrick Thanks for taking the time to reply with detail and answering the question to perfection. My last bike was a 2019 300 XC-W. Loved the bike after installing a Dal Soggio kit in the forks to give the front end a balanced feel. The wide ratio transmission grew on me over time to the point of almost preferring it. Understand the appeal of PDS after owning one. The ease of maintenance and added ground clearance is nice, however being vertically challenged, I struggled with the extra seat height in technical terrain. I found when pushing the bike in third gear and higher the bike felt a little loose or nervous however suspect could be worked out with suspension work. Pretty much all bikes are sold out in my area, so choice was limited. I’m sure I’ll love the TX300I once the forks are tuned to take out some of the slow speed square edge harshness.

[@GritForceEnduro]

I appreciate the detail in this. I remember you guys did a go pro video a few years back. I assume you've updated platforms since then. Would love to get your take on camera setup / setting / placement now.

[@ColeKirkpatrick]

I'll add that to the list, the cameras have changed a good bit since the original video. Thanks for watching!

[@Danman1972]

Great ride yesterday! I thought it was supposed to be 65. That cold front and only 10% chance of rain thought other wise. Mist and dust make for muddy goggles.

[@ColeKirkpatrick]

It was definitely tricky to keep the goggles on early in the day!

[@thesmoness]

absolutely flying mate, well done.