Not worth to over-elaborate about the obvious future of the red-white KTMs...

For those of (many) of us that would never buy a KTM, one very viable option is to wait for the release of the Jotagas 300 enduro bike. It is around the corner and by all means very promising in all aspects (and with few clever ideas around the engine)... bike/performance-wise and management-wise. I suppose all GasGas fans know who is Josep Pibernat...

;)

I had NO idea that this was cooking. None. Gives me hope. Thanks for enlightening me.

I also have high hopes for Jotagas

Yep, I?ve been looking/hoping for this option down the track.
Initial reports so far sound like they could be a pretty attractive option.

I just saw some photos here.
www.jotagasforum.com

Too bad about who the importer is though.

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Clay is a good guy and will take great care of his customers. He will do well by Jotagas just like he did with Sherco and GasGas.

He got run off by both companies in under 5 years. He nearly killed GG in the U.S. back in 2013. Then he goes to Sherco and cuts the throats of all of his dealers by selling bikes out of his basement. No question that he takes great care of riders but he is a piss poor brand manager


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Don't know much about Jotagas (though I certainly welcome any new competition into the mix), but the best current option is the other "red" bike: Beta.

I rode most of the new models at a demo day a few months back, and they have some very solid bikes. My 2011 EC250 has a lot of tweaks to make it just how I like it (suspension tuning front and rear, head and carb mods, some brakes mods, etc.), and the race-edition Betas are easily as good or better right out of the box. They have a MUCH better starter / electrical system, lots of aftermarket support, and based on the brand's growth the last 5 or so years, they clearly have good business management. Sherco is swinging for the fences with all these pro riders they're signing, but I think it's going to be Beta that seriously challenges KTM in the next 5-10 years.

Most importantly, they "feel" and "ride" very similar to GasGas, at least like the older smaller framed ones like my 2011. The power is very smooth, the smaller ergonomics are similar, the handling / stability is similar, etc. When I ride a newer KTM, Husky, Sherco, heck even most Japanese bikes, they just "feel" very different. Taller, twitchier, never planted, etc. It would probably take me a dozen rides to really get a good feel for those bikes, but it was literally instantaneous for me on a Beta.

I'll certainly support GasGas for as long as I can (and as long as they give me good reason to), but I have a pretty strong feeling that my next bike (in a couple years) will be a Beta.

(P.S. talking about enduro bikes here, not trials)

I am with you regarding the current Beta. I have a 2020 250. Which is more or less great and a big improvement over the previous generation bikes.

But the Jotagas seems to have everything regarding rideability, performance, etc. The main question mark is how fast the dealer network will grow, worldwide. Some points.. Considering the prototype that appeared already in 2010, it was the first implementation of the starter under the engine, the first enduro 2T with electronic power valve, smart/hidden water pump tech, adjustable black box and having the good KTM like frame that GG finally used for 2018. It has been really the bike that GG should have been as a 2012 model instead of the heavyweight disaster offered from 2012 to 2017...

I am a hardcore GG fan. I owned 5 GGs from 2003 to 2011. I also like to support smaller brands instead of the big ones, especially if in reality the small brand bike performs better than the big brand bike...