Gas Gas: Reborn Spanish trials marque is strong as ever
By John Dickinson on 6th Jul 16
JOHN Shirt the name is absolutely synonymous with the Gas Gas marque.
The two John Shirts – father and son – were the original importers of the Girona-built machines and have remained 100 per cent loyal ever since through good times, bad times and everything in between.
Why?
"Simple”, says John Jr, over a workmanlike scrambled egg and bacon lunch, in the local caff on the Buxton trading estate where Gas Gas UK is based.
"I genuinely and fervently believe that Gas Gas is the best trials bike on the market.
"It always has been and it still is.”
Quick history lesson here: John Shirt Sr committed himself to Gas Gas bacak in the late 1980s, having identified with the new Catalan company, understanding exactly what they were doing and where they were going after having made his name in the trials world through his development work with Yamaha.
A superb engineer, John Sr turned what were very ordinary trials bikes, the Yamaha TY175/250 twin-shock models, into superb machines with his Majesty operation.
Senior tweaked both chassis and engines as he understood exactly what to do to make them super competitive.
He was later heavily involved in the ground breaking TY mono model having tested the engine and geometry in a prototype twin shock chassis.
But, ever the innovator, John recognised that Gas Gas were capable of taking trials development both faster and further than Japanese giant Yamaha and got in on the ground floor, building his business parallel with the Girona company.
In those early days, Gas Gas UK was initially run from the small but legendary Stable Lane workshop on the outskirts of Buxton from where the Majesty dynasty was conceived and developed.
But, as the Gas Gas operation inevitably expanded the move was made to a huge, brand new unit at Harpur Hill about a mile out of town and that is where the business is today.
Future
The recent collapse and subsequent re-birth of Gas Gas has been well documented throughout the off-road press and John Jr isn't remotely interested in dwelling on the last 12 months, he is concentrating on the present and the future.
The fact remains though that for those 12 months following the bankruptcy of the firm, Junior remained 100 per cent committed to the marque, he was always convinced that a stronger, fitter Phoenix would rise from the ashes – and has been proved to be absolutely right.
Gas Gas UK was, given the circumstances, in as strong a position as it was possible to be.
They were in possession of HUGE stocks of spares with which to keep their legions of customers' machines going and this kept the business and the staff going during that year when machine production had ceased.
However, since Gas Gas was taken over by the Torrot company, it has been effectively totally refinanced, the factory has been re-fitted and new machines, with improved quality control in place, are now flowing through the doors of the iconic glass-fronted Gas Gas factory that you can easily spot when landing at Girona airport!
Says John: "It was fantastic when we received the first batch of new machines. When you think about it, Gas Gas have done an incredible job getting bikes into production inside six months of unveiling their plans going forward. And they really do have exciting plans.”
The first machines to roll off the new production lines were the TXT Racing trials models, the premium specced machines that committed loyal Gas Gas riders were crying out for.
"They didn't touch the warehouse floor,” says John, "they went straight out to my dealers who already had customers queueing for them!”
Following the Racing models has been a new line of machines, the Contact, a lower spec, less expensive model that should prove ideal for club riders, occasional riders, trail riders and perhaps especially long-distance trials competitors as the Contact sports a proper seat and increased fuel capacity.
Also coming through now are the two-stroke EC enduro models.
Following a period when they concentrated exclusively on trials Gas Gas UK will be moving back into the enduro scene and again, this is an area that the factory will be expanding in the near future as part of those exciting future plans.
So, with new machines now arriving regularly from Girona, Gas Gas UK is buzzing in Buxton at the prospect of exciting times ahead.
