I plan on getting a new used atv soon and I am leaning towards a 300EX. I wanted to find out how high you can jump it without bottoming out all of the time though. I plan on putting works shocks on it so that would increase the suspension travel about 1 inch. I weigh about 160lbs if that makes any difference on how high you can jump one.

 

About a 6ft straight drop-off.

 

mine just great i only bottom out on really big jumps, mostly cause i land wrong, the 300ex is a great quad it climbs good it jumps good and i put new holeshots on mine and it goes like a tank in snow

 

I weigh about 175 and jump mine everyday. I have only bottomed out twice. The front shocks are pretty good. i have never bottomed those out yet.

 

I weigh 200+ lbs., and I bottom out if I jump higher than about 4'-that is with the shocks set in the 2nd preload (stock) position. If I go to the 3rd position, I almost never bottom out but the landing is a lot harder!! I prefer the 2nd position for XC, and people lighter than me usually ride the bike, so I'm going to stick with the 2nd position and live with the occasional bottom out. With aftermarket shocks, you should do much better.

 

Just a couple more toughts-I think the 300EX is one of the best jumpers out there! Compared to the gold standard 250R, it's heavier and less powerfull, but still flies really well. I actually have more fun jumping the 300EX than the 400EX, because the bike is smaller and I can wrestle it around more easily (even though they are about the same weight), but the landing is always harder. My kid is about 150 lbs. and he outjumps everybody, on a lightly moded 300!

 

I weigh 200 lbs I have bottomed out on a jump in 5th gear almost wide open. IF you land on all four wheels at the same time you can bottom out pretty easy. If you land rears slightly before the fronts like I did you can manage 6-7 feet with them all the way set on stiff. After market suspension would be a good Idea if you plan on jumping really high. if not than it is a lot of money to replace an already good suspended machine.

 

I agree that the 300 ex jumps jut as well as the 400 ex,on alot of jumps the 2 in extra width throws the 400 ex around hitting the sides of the jump or just getting out of the groove.With alot of practice you can jump the hell out of a 300 and land pretty good,although the 400 will always land smoother b/c of the better suspension.You have to remember that the 300 is mainly a trail bike that is good at alot of other riding,its just not purposley built for high performance riding straight out of the box.
The trick to landing smooth from my exp. is to land slightly on the gas with the rear tires landing a smidget before the front,easier said then done most of the time though,but it takes practice.Also the faster the speed the smoother the landing b/c you're at more of a gradual decent instead of a slow speed jump where gravity pulls you down like a rock.I've done some 45 ft jumps,with about 5 ft of air going full throttle in 4th and the landing was so smooth it didn't matter much at all(read easy going).
The stock front shocks are great,which i still run but for really aggressive jumping and whoops some works shocks should be on of the first things a 300 shuld have.As soon as i have the budget for some i'm gonna get em.The bad landings should be alot better,and the good landings almost go unnoticed.
If you're gonna jump big on a 300(ie 8-12 ft) have a down ramp if at all possible or be in a gear higher than second preferably 4th.I haven't had the chance to do a jump in 5th yet but theres this 60 ft washout that i've been eyeing for a few weeks now and if i can talk someone into helping me build a ramp to jump it i'm gonna jump it.I don't care how high i get as long as i go over 60 ft.The washout is about 10 ft deep.
Scott