Gas Gas turn up the heat
By TMX Archives on 23rd Oct 08
GAS-GAS races into the 2009 season with a quartet of EC-designated Enduro two-strokes that hit the off-road target plumb centre every time. The small but ultra-enthusiastic Gerona-based outfit has all the bases covered with snappy EC125/200/250 and 300 models and each is sufficiently different to their siblings, yet totally capable in their own way, to genuinely offer something for everyone. If you can't find a model to suit your style here then we don't think it exists!
The main point to make when discussing the Gas Gas offerings is that they have been designed from the outset as pure Enduro bikes. The EC bikes are not adapted motocross models nor do they make any compromises anywhere along the line.
Now, calling a spade a spade, the Gassers remain pretty much as per 2008. There are some changes, like the 125 gets a few engine mods and there are front fork options to include the latest offerings from Sachs, as well as Marzocchi Shiver but by and large Gas Gas has left well alone. And good on 'em! The reason we say this is because Gas Gas has the Enduro job pretty well sorted. They have been developing, tweaking and sorting the EC models for several years now and before we delve into individual bikes, the bottom-line is they are right on the money. They steer and they handle, they stop and they go. They take the rough with the smooth, they are easy and FUN to ride and they are RELIABLE. The latter might not have been the case in their early days but those days are well behind them. Now, the Gas Gas strokers are as reliable as the next bike - they are well and truly sorted.
We tested the range just a couple of days before the big Weston Beach race with John Shirt's technician Luke Meredith in attendance. Luke then went and rode his standard EC250 to an incredible 12th place which - in case you are one of the three people in the world he hasn't personally told - was in front of David Knight!
That is after being flogged through the unrelenting wet sand for a full three hours so that result alone should put the old unreliable bogy to bed. End of.
For 2009 the EC models come in good old Gas Gas red - OR check-out the ISDE version (available for all four models) which offers white plastics and ISDE logos. It looks fantastic!
For our 2009 EC riding impressions T+MX broke new ground. First, MARTIN CRAVEN offered us his superb Fat Cat facility - including access to some tight woods section and also his awesome new Extreme Test - and then Martin agreed to be our tester. Martin has been a national rated trials rider, motocrosser, enduro rider and more recently Extreme Enduro ace with events such as the Erzberg Rodeo, Red Bull Romaniacs and the Tough One under his belt - so it would be a brave man that would challenge Martin's credentials as a tester...he'd class a three hour Cross Country as a warm-up...
Over to you Martin
EC250
WITH all four bikes sharing a common chassis, running gear and virtually everything else - especially the EC200/ 250/ 300 which are just variations on the same tried and tested crankcase-reed - exhaust power-valve engine - we decided early-on that we would concentrate the test on just one bike and then add a few paragraphs on the others. And after just a brief flip round for a warm-up the EC250 was the obvious candidate.
On firing it up the exhaust note sounds just right, promising smooth, tractable power and that is exactly what you get. In the woods, which featured lots of really tight turns and short straights with both rutted and loose-berm bends the bike is really, really nice. You can brake hard into a tight corner and it won't stall and then when you get off the brakes the engine is always right there with power to blast you out and away.
These bikes were right out of the crate and they all just felt really good. Riding position was excellent with a nice bar height and position and all levers and pedals set nicely. I did find the seat a bit on the hard side though. When it hit you - out on the whoops on the MX course - you know it had hit you!
The overall geometry of the bike is fantastic though and it carves through tight corners which is really important in the woods. Overall I had no problems with the suspension although I thought the forks were set harder than I was expecting. The rear was really good. The bike seems to sit lower than some, a KTM, say, and this is not actually a bad thing. With the bike also being very slim, when you are sitting on the seat, when in the woods for instance, you really sit into the bike and are not just perched on top.
As I said, the controls were bob-on, adjusted just right with the biting point of the clutch just THERE making easy gear-changing and smooth progress. And the brakes are right there and do their thing without the rider really having to think about it. Plenty of power, without being fierce, for total braking control.
After proving that the bike really was an impressive tool in the woods with its balance of excellent handling and dead smooth engine I took it for a good thrash round the MX course. And it still turned fantastic, even at speed it just railed round the turns without trying to push-out. The enduro spec suspension meant that you didn't go mental on the BIG jumps but it was certainly very quick and tremendous fun.
All round, the 250 is the top bike. It will dawdle around on the bottom-end for a Clubman but just a quick fan of the clutch and you are off into high revs and some real power. This is the off-road racer's bike.
EC300
TAKE it as read that most of what's been said about the 250 holds good for the 300 - it is a 250 on steroids. This bike has awesome grunt for a two-stroke and will suit those of you who really want to level those big climbs or blast through deep mud.
It isn't wild, uncontrollable power though, the motor is actually quite soft at the bottom and low down the rev range churns-out bags of lovely, tractable power. In the woods you can just tractor it through the tight stuff and there is plenty of flywheel to keep the motor spinning. it won't stall, just leave in one gear and ride the smooth power on the throttle.
Obviously, this isn't just a pussy cat and it whacks out real power when it is revving and the bike can get ahead of you if you let it. If you get this baby flat-out in top then you are tramping. An experienced rider can make use of this - the rest of you don't have to!
Personally, I really loved this bike on the extreme course that I have built - and which you can try at Fat Cat! There are some pretty tough sections here like big earthmover tyres, tree trunks, concrete pipes and nasty gnarly rocks that would test a trials bike. The EC300 was absolutely awesome and I found I could tackle these big obstacles just like on a trials bike. Stick it in bottom gear and it climbs hazards like a Gas Gas Raga Rep!
I couldn't believe what was happening and I came away believing that I could actually ride this bike in a trial - in standard condition. The overall handling and steering geometry make it so easy to ride on the pegs while the 300 engine offers such solid traction that I am not joking...
Ed's note: Remember that Martin is a National standard trials rider - we wouldn't recommend that everyone tries the EC300 over the Extreme course...!
EC200
THERE are four bikes in the Gas Gas EC range and they all do things differently, making them pretty easy to pigeonhole.This is definitely the Sportsmans bike in the line-up. It is the same with all small capacity bikes, they somehow feel a whole lot lighter than the bigger bikes in the range, and this is no exception. Sporstman, lady riders or smaller, lighter racers are the obvious candidates.
The EC200 really is just a lovely little bike. The engine is soft enough even for a beginner or hobby rider yet is still well powerful and fast enough to race. You have the six-speed gearbox and when singing this is a quick baby. Gas Gas technical ace 'Factory Kev' Hipwell rides a nicely-prepped 200 himself and just loves it.
In the woods it is so easy to ride as you can really flick it through the turns. Just stick it in second gear and away you go. Sure, you (depending on your weight) might need to feather and work the clutch a bit more but it's not a big deal and it isn't because it doesn't have the power - you are just taking a bit of load off the engine.
The whole package is just so rider-friendly with the handling, suspension, engine power and everything else being absolutely right.
This is definitely not for the extreme test though, not enough bottom-end grunt. But for most mixed-going Cross Country events you will travel faster for longer on this than on many bigger bikes.
EC125
I HAVE to make a declaration here, I just don't see the point of 125 bikes in Enduros, to me 125s are for schoolboys who have to ride them! It's no good saying that they are for beginners or ladies because they aren't, the EC200 is 100 per cent the bike for them because it has soft power, is relatively torquey and easy to ride.
Having got that out of the way I know why they exist - simply because there is a 125 class. And with the right rider they can be really quick. But you have to work at it. To go quick in the woods on the 125 is all about commitment, dive into a corner fast, hard on the brakes last second, jump on the gearstick, then a big handful of clutch and fire out of the corner, snicking gears.
125s are all about revs and the Gasser engine spins with the best of them. Engine mods on the none-power valve motor give the bike even more revs. The motor is smooth like a turbine, which you expect from a small capacity bike.
Luke Meredith took the 125 out on the motocross track and was absolutely flying round. He came back all of a lather and said, "I'd almost forgotten how to ride a 125. You just have to work at it, revving hell out of the engine and jumping up and down on the gearshift. It's good fun and fast - but you get a sweat-on."
SPECIFICATIONS
2009 Model Gas Gas EC125/ EC200/ EC250 Racing/ EC300 Racing
ENGINE
Capacity: 124/ 199.4/ 249.3/ 294.7cc
Type: Liquid-cooled, two-stroke,
single cylinder with reed intake directly into crankcase plus exhaust valve
Bore x stroke: 54 x 54.5/ 62.5 x 65/ 66.4 x 72/ 72 x 72mm
Carburettor: 38 mm
Ignition: Digital magnetic flywheel
Clutch: Hydraulic multi-disc
Gearbox: 6 speeds
Transmission: Primary gearing, secondary chain
Engine lube: 2 per cent Petrol/ oil mixture
CHASSIS
Type: Deltabox in Cr-Mo tubing
SUSPENSION
Front: 45 mm upside-down fork (125/200), 48 mm (250/300)
Wheel Travel: 295 mm
Rear: Aluminium swingarm. Progressive system with shock absorber
Wheel Travel: 310 mm
BRAKES
Front: 260 mm disc brake, brake pump and double-piston caliper
Rear: 220 mm disc brake, brake pump and simple-piston caliper
TYRES
Front: 90 x 90 - 21"
Rear: 140 x 80 - 18"
RUNNING GEAR
Kick starter: Forged aluminium
Brake & gear pedal: Forged aluminium with
flexible tip
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 1460 mm (125), 1476 mm (Others)
Height seat: 945 mm (All)
Fuel capacity: 9.5 litres (All)
Mass: 94/ 95/ 97/ 98 kg
Price (RRP): £4,359.99/ £4,589.99/ £4,659.99/ £4,669.99 (inc VAT)
Specification:
