Gastronomical!
By TMX Archives on 12th Oct 04
Clarky saviours the fine flavours of the exquisite new Gas Gas trials machines IF THERE'S one trials bike manufacturer who've got the whole spectrum of trials machines covered it's Spanish marque Gas Gas. Their colour co-ordinated range of full-size bikes goes from 125 to 300cc and I've got to say I find the Gassers a very exciting and radical range. They look the business and even in standard trim they're ready to ride at a high standard. One thing I especially like about the range is that everything's the same on each bike. Same brakes, same suspension, same bodywork and even the same exhaust. It means that every model has the best bits available - no scrimping on suspension or brakes on the smaller cc models with Gas Gas! Something else I should mention is the build quality and design. They're so well made you don't need to do too much work on them but if you do need to get to the carb or motor everything is accessible in seconds. I also find the range visually stimulating and like the way each model is a different colour (apart from the 125 and 200 which are both yellow but the 250's blue, the 280's red and, finally, the 300 is a really trick silver colour which looks the dog's). For '05 the full TXT Pro range has been blessed with a fair few improvements. The first and most instantly recognisable are the RAGA-Racing oversize handlebars and clamps. The tapered bars are strong enough not to need a cross brace meaning you can really get forward on the bike when it comes to big rock steps and steep climbs. The clutch has come in for a few tweaks too. A Teflon-coated hose and new mineral-based fluid keep feel through the lever to a premium while newly designed clutch plates keep things working well where it really matters. Also in the engine block are brand-new crankshaft bearings which should keep things running smooth. The brake hoses are Teflon-coated too and when hooked up to the industry standard AJP four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers offer a really good, progressive feel while still retaining lots of power. The cooling system is improved on the new models with a new radiator and thermostatically controlled fan-switch keeping things cool in the motor department while new graphics keep things looking cool on the outside. There's also a new longer front exhaust pipe on all the models and the ignition systems have been upgraded to a Kokusan system on the 250 while the 280 and 300 models are fitted with Ducati units. So with all those modifications it's gonna be interesting to see how the range performs in the river and rock sections of our Derbyshire test-ground... For our full test don't miss the November issue of dbr – on sale October 15 Words by Dan Clark