Your logic is the reason I’m looking at an x30 but id be coming from shifter.

We had a great 09 Rotax that would beat the X30’s, but our other 3 Rotax’s were around .6 sec slower on a .8mile track. We bought an X30 since more of them were appearing locally, pulled it out of the box and ran it with factory carb settings w/ no problem.  We read the plug and will make slight top end changes if it looks rich, but other than that, nothing.  So far on the X30 I am 25 hrs on bottom end and changed top end at 15 hrs. X30 will probably do 2 top ends and 1 full rebuild to get me to 50 hrs vs Rotax we would do 3 top ends to get to 50 hrs, so X30 will be more $ to maintain…but revving to 16000 is cool.  Not sure what the EVO upgrade will do for you if you get one.

I was at a Road Race this week end and got my back side handed to me by two friends out with their brand new X30’s. Couple the tight turns with a tall gear ratio and the X30 seemed to have a much broader torque span. When my Rotax fell off the pipe I didn’t stand a chance.

Ray I went to theX30 also I was at the Road race also I finished behind you. At least my set up at the Slow hairpin you and the other X30’s got off that corner better. I like the X30 I’m the guy that had the Rotax EVO at Willow Springs  that I could not get it to work. Changed to X30 and not looking back. The Rotax is sitting in a box wanting a new home.

Hate to make the debate more complex, but I’ve driven the X30, the Rotax (not Evo yet, though) and the Leopard, and the X125t will beat them all.

It’s not even a close call.  Power band as broad as the X30 but with that fat midrange like a Rotax with the power valve set just right.  At practice yesterday I was sticking to the tail of a (decent, non-rookie) shifter driver coming off of corners.

Same carb as the X30 or the Leopard (your choice).  TaG USA and IKF legal now too.  Smoothest 125cc 2-stroke motor I’ve ever driven.  No vibration.  None.

Time will tell, but I’m at 12 hours on mine right now and not anywhere near needing top or bottom end maintenance.  And Italian Motors will give you a $1000 trade-in on your old engine.

Only complaints I have is that it drinks a lot more gas than the other motors–almost 6 gallons for a 2-day, single-class gold cup event.  Guess that extra power has to come from somewhere.  And with the built-in water pump and oversized  radiator it takes forever to warm up on cool days (part of the reason for the fuel consumption).  I’ll have to spring for a thermostat next fall.

Seriously, I was an X30 fan until I got ahold of one of these.  If you try it you’ll buy it.