X-Pro Paladin 300 Resource Guide

[OldGuy]

Further comments on lighting as well as on-road use - This past week I was up in Western NC and had the Paladin along for the first time. It was fabulous for local 'runabout' use, but I ended up taking an extended ride from Swannanoa up to to Burnsville on Friday late afternoon. It was still daylight when I headed up there, with much of the trip on the interstate. There was a good bit of traffic, I generally was comfortable running an indicated 70mph (did not have phone visible for GPS speed) which kept me running with some-most traffic. There were times I was simply staying to the right & not keeping up with traffic. In Asheville itself I was fine, but had to be mindful that the acceleration is NOT that of my 100+rwhp Yamaha. The Shinko tires continue to feel as solid as a road tire. Taller gearing is on the agenda, just need to figure out what ratio I want.


I ended up in some extended conversations with other volunteers up in Burnsville, and the bike itself was of interest to people. But it was probably 8:00 when I headed back down the mountain. It is over 50 miles, and I NEVER had any concerns about the lighting! I haven't yet made a bracket to fix the lower end in position, but just the two side screws are tight enough that it stayed in position. The 2 nipples on the bottom of the headlight are about 1-1/2" in front of the two holes in the fender, and both low & high beam were very good. Although I have ordered a pair of LED lights & brackets for the fork legs, and it WILL be better with them, I assure you that if you are simply going to be running around town, stock lighting is great if you simply move the bottom forward.


Brackets


I ordered two different sets of lights, I'll provide more info on what I decided to use on the bike vs as additional driving lights on my tow vehicle.


Add: lacking a gas gauge & no 'reserve' as bikes used to have, I was a bit concerned about running out on the return leg. I filled up before heading back down - took .88 gal after the 51 miles, so range seems quite good for this ride.


Addition 2: The seat was NOT uncomfortable on this long, onroad ride! Now please understand: from 1993 - 2009 or so I spent MANY hours / week on bicycles, both MTB ridiing/racing as well as road training & racing. I have done many 100 mile road rides, so you might say my butt got toughened up! But that was years ago, and adaptation is always "seat specific". This seat could use a bit more padding, but it was quite tolerable. My enthusiasm for this bike is off-the-charts! The folks who were interested were shocked when I told them the price. One guy had been looking at bikes, couldn't find anything he could afford even used that would do what he wanted. This things is amazing!

[LightSmith88]

Wow! This is great information on your experience with the bike. I think that it is valuable to hear both the limitations and accomplishments of these machines. I am interested to see how the auxiliary lights look and function as well. I think the idea of moving the base of the existing headlight out is good but I would like to see a way of fastening them in place in the new location. Most of my riding is off-road and so things have a way about bouncing around on the trail. It doesn't seem like it will be to hard to add some "second location" mounting points to the top of the fender. Meanwhile I have ordered a couple of the headlights from the videos that i put up and I already have two Gas Gas headlight variations in the garage. My plan is to do a comparison with all five headlights and post my findings on here. (likely on the smaller mods thread). Of the five options 4 are rated for on road use. The one that isn't will have a disclaimer attached to the review. I will be out of town doing non-bike related things for the next week or so. See you all when I get back!

[OldGuy]

It would be very simple to get a piece of foam w/ sticky backing, cut out two donuts & place them in the right location. As far as those other lights, the lack of a crisp cutoff in the vertical dimension (going horizontally side-to-side) makes these more annoying to other drivers. I have two pairs of LEDs on my Excursion, one are spot lights setup as driving lights, staying low enough not to blind people. The other are 6" bars with a flood pattern (too blinding for onroad use). I know I keep beating this drum, but BE MINDFUL of blinding other drivers.

[Dfgoblin]

Looking to upgrade tires to shinko 244 but not sure on exact size for the 18 and 21 inch rims?

[Mumen Rider]

3.00-21


4.60-18

[OldGuy]

I am running the SR241 trials tire, highly recommended. Front is 3.00 x 21, rear is 4.00 x 18. It is a better tread pattern than the 244.

[Mumen Rider]

Those tires are not approved for extended highway use, the 244 does not have that restriction.

I will say that the 241 looks perfect for riding in your own yard without tearing up the grass unless you give it a lot of gas.

[surfnow23]

I want to purchase a spare fuel pump and I have no idea where to buy one. Can anyone point me in the right direction???

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by Mumen Rider

Those tires are not approved for extended highway use, the 244 does not have that restriction.

I will say that the 241 looks perfect for riding in your own yard without tearing up the grass unless you give it a lot of gas.

It is not an issue of approval, they ARE DOT approved tires. Yes, you can read a bit saying that they are "not intended for extended highway use" from the manufacturer. However, as I noted I explicitly took it up the interstate => divided highway > 50 miles each direction. I was running around 20 psi - tire did not heat up, or show any abnormalities. It worked EXTREMELY well in this use. You are certainly allowed to take that manufacturer's "sort of" disclaimer as YOUR guidance (it is a bit odd, given that the tire has DOT approval; they dont separate out "extended highway use" as a specific category). What I am saying is that in my experience these are well made tires, and I love the classic 'trials tire' pattern which USED TO BE standard for 'enduro bikes' when I was young.


The SR244 is a semi-useless tire. It simply doesn't provide much for offroad traction. The 241 is far better in that respect. If one is only going to ride gravel roads, then any sort of 'dual sport' tire is fine. For my money, I could not have made a better choice. Then again, I am comfortable with changing tires & patching tubes, and am willing to make my own assessment of which products work well. As an engineer & physician, I am used to examining data from studies & manufacturers, and then weighing my own assessment & making decisions. You do you, I will do me :-)


Let me add this question: do you have ANY EXPERIENCE with these tires? With other trials tires?

[Mumen Rider]

Originally Posted by OldGuy

Let me add this question: do you have ANY EXPERIENCE with these tires? With other trials tires?

I have only used the 244's for dual sports but have used several other Shinko street and sport tires. If the 241 came in a wider size for the rear I would possibly run them.

[surfnow23]

Anyone know what KTM Fuel tank and fuel pump will fit on the Paladin 300? Zora from powersports max told me they can no longer get these fuel pumps. I’m basically riding a dirtbike that can not be fixed once the fuel pump goes bad. I truly regret buying this dirtbike

[Mumen Rider]

You should show us the whole email chain. If your fuel pump is still working, then of course they're not going to send you out a replacement. Sell the bike if you regret it so much and cut your losses.


Ktm pumps and tanks are not a solution, nor would they bolt right up and work.

[LightSmith88]

Ok. Well, I will consider this a call to action. I had not originally intended on attempting my fuel tank/pump swap yet, but I have all of the bits an pieces so.....what the heck. I will do the work this weekend and report back next week with pictures and links. I will also give a full account of whether it works or not. I have never attempted to post a video on here but if it works (fingers crossed) I will try to put up a video of it running. The tank that I have is an IMS tank for a gas gas ec 300 and the fuel pump assembly is the same for husqy, gas gas, and KTM. I have a efi fuel pressure tester and all the necessary fittings so we will give it a go. Stand by. Results hopefully Monday. If it works, great! If not, at least we will all know for sure. And if ya'll are in to betting......lol

[OldGuy]

Originally Posted by LightSmith88

Ok. Well, I will consider this a call to action. I had not originally intended on attempting my fuel tank/pump swap yet, but I have all of the bits an pieces so.....what the heck. I will do the work this weekend and report back next week with pictures and links. I will also give a full account of whether it works or not. I have never attempted to post a video on here but if it works (fingers crossed) I will try to put up a video of it running. The tank that I have is an IMS tank for a gas gas ec 300 and the fuel pump assembly is the same for husqy, gas gas, and KTM. I have a efi fuel pressure tester and all the necessary fittings so we will give it a go. Stand by. Results hopefully Monday. If it works, great! If not, at least we will all know for sure. And if ya'll are in to betting......lol

What size tank? I am assuming that the fuel pump shouldn't be an issue. Keep us posted!


BTW, I played around with using a small piece of foam as a lower fixing point for the headlight. It is quite straightforward, basically just cut a little hole in a 1/2" x' 1/2" squareof 1/4" thick weatherstrip. Just did a temp bit, I will refine it when I get the other lights wired up and actually out on the road. What I found is the light seems best with the two prongs out of the holes & pushed forward, but then pulled back as tight as it will go. Trimming the bottom of the 2 nipples will allow more precise positioning, but with less to hold on the foam. It isn't a big deal - works very well as I have said. With the small Nilights on the sides, it should do very well.

[Thumper]

I have planned to get a larger tank (KTM) and compatible pump.

That's another solution. Running on the top half of the tank can also minimize the work for the pump

....Or sell the bike