Where are you located?

Happy to hear that some people are beginning to see this model on the showroom floor.

Kick Starter
 

Any time a manufacturer in in need of reaching a price point for marketing a product cuts are make in amenities. Less expensive plastic, kick start removed, instruments cheapened. The Ranger looks like a home run from a marketing standpoint and will be a hit based on price and good quality. It will not be a XC or EC in any department but that is ok, it addresses bringing people to Gasgas.

I saw one in Raceway Motorcycles in Melbourne on Friday. Looks physically a touch smaller and the all white scheme is very stark in comparison to the EC and XC that were sitting next to it.
They only had just rolled it into the showroom days before the salesperson explained. Seems like they are available though so that's a good sign.

My dealer (in Austria) has one. I was impressed because I expected that they use lots of low quality parts, but they don't.

I expected it to be 4cm lower than my EC but it wasn't, I measured only 2cm (approx 1 inch). But the seat is beefy and I could shave off one inch as I did on my EC. The forks are Kayaba 46mm. It seems the frame is the same and so are the plastics. The exhaust pipe is smaller and higher up and there is a 120 rear tire instead of the 140 of the EC's and XC's. The brake disc looks different but is also from NG, the master cylinder is (I think) from AJP and not from Nissin.

Unfortunately he did not let me test ride it :-)

Maybe the video below will give you a better view as Barry -the biggest Beta fan on earth- really was impressed and said that his X-Trainer suspension was tuned but could not cope with the Rangers forks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLsZaLmOiO0

Maybe My Next Bike?
 

That is a really good video. The Ranger really looks like a great package especially for tight tough single track. I am leaning toward buying one.:eek::D:

Glad you like it. I am thinking about one too :D

If I was buying a new bike I would definitely have one. :)

I would definitely add a kick starter though.

I'm located in Europe and I guess it arrived here first.

Never ridden the Xtrainer so I can't really say anything related to how different the Ranger is compared to that, but compared to the Freeride it's much more tuned towards Enduro. Forks are really outstanding, even at higher pace.

I've been looking at the Ranger for my next bike. Does anyone know what the difference in engine characteristic would be between the 200 and the 300? I don't see any reviewers taking about that. My thought is that since both are supposed to be turned for more bottom end there might not be that much difference other than the 300 just having more torque. Does that seem right?

200 v. 300
 

I don't know if this very applicable to a GasGas, but this spring I did the Beta demo ride. The Beta 200 was very good it had some decent low end with a good mid to top rev, but you had to keep the revs up. You can't lug and short shift like a 300.