Would the CRF300L be a good pick for the dirt parks nearby or it being 44 pounds heavier (apparently Google says KTM is 260 wet, CRF300L is 306) than the race ready KTM 350/500 bikes a no go?
Dirt bike newb input here so take with many grains of salt. So I've had the CRF250L and have ridden the KLX 250 a few times. I also own the Husky FE 450.
There is no doubt that when the trail gets tough, the Husky 450 is the easier bike to ride. Why? I assume because it weighs less, its easier to throw around, easier to recover in real time if things get weird, and it has so much torque and tractor factor that it is hard to stall meaning it kind takes care of you when you goof a bit. All of that makes it easier to do any slightly technical single track with than the CRF250L and KLX 250, imo. When I took the CRF250L to moderate single track, it was just a stall and fall fest. Personally, I feel more confident doing that stuff on the Husky than either of the other two, even though it is a "bigger" bike.
Now if I had a Husky or KTM 250 dirt bike with the suspension dialed in for me would it be even easier? People tell me that is true, I have no idea.
Regarding the suspension, it is kind of a moot point for me. No matter what bike I buy, I gotta do the suspension on it for my size. So if I got a CRF250L, I'd immediately have to dump $1500 into it to make the suspension decent enough for my weight. Had to do the same on the Husky, but it was less since the stock suspension was so good. So I can either spend say $6000 on a CRF250L + $1500 on suspension or $9000 on a KTM/Husky dual sport and spend $800 on suspension. But the CRF250L still has the same motor in it after all that and it won't lug up stuff for you the way the other will.
But the big question is, do you like riding technical single track stuff? I'm not sure I do. I mainly just like riding easy-ish dirt roads and paths through the woods. I have no ambition to tackle Emma Long. That said, I think the CRF250L would probably be just as good as my Husky 450 for that task.
We should meet somewhere that has trails and you can take my 450 off into the woods and see what you think.