I have said this for a few years now. The larger the engine, the more room you have to compromise in design. With a 250F the balance between power/weight/reliability/cost is so fine its tough to hit in a design. Thats why the Yamaha is a good bike for the masses because they have come the closest. Done right it would have to be started on a clean sheet of paper, no sleeved down 450s (like the previous gen Huskys) or big bore 250s.

Then you have the possibility of the DI 2-stroke, which if successful may render 4-strokes obsolete. For a small company like GG I doubt there is enough engineering manpower and $$ to push forward with both projects in a reasonable timeframe.

gasgas250f
 

hey there.i rode the new 250f .it is very nice.i live on vancouver island in canada and the trails here are very slow...i didnt get a chance to open it right up ...4th and 5th gear...but i rode it back to back with a yamaha wr250f and it blows the doors off the yammy...i have ridden the yz and wr 250f ever since they came out...the gas gas set up is definitely way better...i am partial to gassers but i do love the yz motor...what gasgas has for a muffler and their jetting is so much better than the corked up wr...it has very good grunt and pulls hard...it even sounds nice...oh yah ,they modified the yammy clutch and attached a hydraulic unit to it...it works very well...twice as easy to pull...no adjustment...yummy...the bike doesnt feel as heavy as i know it is...im guessing it weighs around 250lbs...real weight...i would definitely consider the bike if your compaing it to japanese stuff...it turns way better than a ktm in the tight stuff too...dave at gasgas pacific here on the island was nice enough to have one as a demo.....i love this guy.....if your ever up here somehow im sure he would let you take it for a spin....just be careful...you might end up buying it....see ya

fishlegs,

Good report and good to hear from someone who has ridden both the WR/YZ and now the Gasser.

I hope to see one at my local dealer soon.

Hijack.....
We could start a new thread, but I'll tempt here.
Honda is, in fact out to kill trail riding, and dirt bikes in general. Check out superhunky.com If we start a new thread over this, I'll post the article. Remember, Honda was the first to drop their entire line of two strokes. They also contribute to the Sierra Club. Talk about counter productive. I won't be buying any new Hondas, that's for sure.

Well that a very different impression to the ones tested in the UK. I hope it's true. The WR's I've ridden have been good, the KTM better. All turned ok.

Bought the 250 and except for some jetting issues the little bike is great, it flat out rips [for its size and mine] have installed a jd kit and uncorked the muffler ,still has a little hicup off idle[working on that] but iam very happy with it. I usually like a bigger bike , but this is a fun bike, and really whats perfect out of the box

I may get one as a second GG. Been considering selling my Duc and getting off the street anyway, but deal would have to be good. Do they come with the full Euro harness and switchgear? Don't need that as I can't get a plate anyway so I'd strip it. What springs are in it stock? Fuel tank is small which is a potential issue. What is the range? Thanks and good luck.

Good info on the motor over at Thumpertalk in the WR/YZf 250 section.

Getting the WR motor jettted spot on does take a bit of tinkering, but once you have the motor uncorked and jetted correctly, it will scoot.

I am riding my sons '07 WR250f a ton lately and am loving this little bike. Fun, stable, corners very well, e-start and very easy to ride. Again, not a powerhouse, but ride in the upper revs and it will reward you.

Never thought I would say that after 6 seasons on a smoker!

They work VERY well in the snot, where 250 2-stroke power is useless and you spend a lot of time and energy managing it. While the WR is a good neutral handling bike, its no match for a newer GG in cornering.

I'm a trail rider and I think the 250f would be prefect for me. I'm out for fun and don't need to have a killer motor that scares the crap out of me. I'm about 165 lbs and 5'8". I really liked the engine braking on my old KLX300R...one less thing to worry about. Yes, the gas tanks isn't big but for what I'm doing it should be fine. Who knows, maybe a bigger tank will come out. Now to find a great deal on one. As a trail rider, it is still hard to paying out 7500 US for the GG. The Yamaha 2009 WR can be had in my area for 5999. Hope that those left-overs that Clay just imported are going to be around that 5999 mark...