2018 EC 300 Test Ride
 

I had the chance to ride the '18 EC 300ES this past Friday at the GG test ride event in Meeker, Colorado and wanted to give my observations to the forum. To begin with, going into the ride I considered myself a "skeptic" of the new model from the pictures I have seen and had some performance fears about the new frame and components. I have owned 5 ECs from 1999 through 2014 and currently own a '11 250 and a '14 300 so I am well aware of the characteristics of all the different iterations of the EC line. Here is what I thought of the 2018 after riding it on an offroad track about 0.75 miles in length with twisty turns, quick uphills, and some small jumps thrown in:

--Handling is considerably "quicker" than all models as it leans into turns much more quickly than all older models. This was expected with the departure of the perimeter frame. Additionally, it "feels" like it weighs 20 pounds less than older versions.
--Turning precision is similar to older models with no perceived oversteer or understeer. Tires were stock Metzeler with worn edges. I would say it does not steer as precisely as my '11 and '14 but it is not too far behind as set up for the test ride.
--Stock KYBs as ridden were the best stock suspension I have ridden. My '14 setup with Reiger and Marzocchi 48s are excellent. The KYBs on the 2018 were perfect considering they are stock and I'm old and overweight (245 lbs/ 110 KG or so). My friend at 170 pounds (77 KG or so) thought they were perfect. Suspension is certainly more suited for racing out of the box than prior GGs.
--Motor is snappier and felt like it was a couple HP better across the range. It had stock GG pipe and no spark arrestor.
--Ergonomics were very good for me (73.5 inches or 186cm tall) and ideal for friend (69 inches or 175cm tall). Easy to stand and ride, easy to sit and ride, and easy transition from seated to standing position. The bike is also very narrow. The seat is shaped very well with perfect foam density and excellent cover.
--General: It looks like a GG designed KTM with a GG motor, the airbox access is great, the seat is GREAT, quality looks really good, and everything works like it should. Did I say the seat was GREAT?!? It was!!

Verdict: Very good bike with great suspension, a lively GG 300 motor, a fantastic seat, and upgraded quality. I fully expected to not like the bike but I tried to keep an open mind allowing me to appreciate that it is a very good bike as test ridden. The KYBs work better than any stock suspension out there and I have ridden a bunch of Yamahas (the other rider I was with has a SSS YZ 125 that he considers to be the standard of offroad suspension). I also test rode the 2017 afterwards to confirm my impressions. It is no taller than the '17 (which feels exactly like my '14) and allowed both of us to put our feet on the ground (the narrowness helps this,too). If you race, this is the GG for you! The only thing it really needs is a steering damper as I believe that will help the steering precision to closer match the '17 and earlier models. I would certainly buy one.

Thanks to Gas Gas North America for having the test ride and at a location where the terrain showed the true nature of the bike! Thanks to Mark Odette for convincing Gas Gas to show up to the tiny town of Meeker, Colorado!! Thanks to Rod Overstreet for getting me the details so I could find the test ride after 4 hours of driving!! And special thanks to Steve and Stacy for hosting the test ride!! Steve seemed to be genuinely enthusiastic about the bike and pointed out all of the pluses and minuses like an longtime riding partner. He also kept talking about a 200cc future that had him excited!

(me: old, broken down, overweight former A level racer who still rides a lot. my friend: another old, broken down, but not overweight former A level racer)

thanks for the ride report. Sounds as though all the things I dislike about my 2012 have been fixed. Cant wait till i get a chance to ride one.

JC

Thanks very much posting this Eric!
Been patiently waiting for a review from a GG guy, sounds like all good things.

Thanks for the report!:)

Still don't believe the seat is that good.

The seat was the first thing noticed by both of us. The 2017 test bike had a Seat Concepts seat and cover which was nice. My 2011 has a Guts medium density/stock height seat and my 2014 has a Guts medium/tall seat with a Motoseat cover. The 2018 was far better than all of those. However, I do realize your preferences may be different than mine. In the end, my opinion stands: The seat on the test bike I rode was GREAT.

Eric

Pictures...?

I have the stock seat on my 13. It's a plank. Anything would be a step forward. It's the suspension that excites me. Makes me wanna throw money around for a 200.. but I'd have to make some sacrifices for that to happen. Still think next upgrade 2020

What about engine vibration through the bars? Has it been reduced with the additional engine mount?
Regards
Jc

I rode an '18 on monday and immediately noticed the lack of vibrations throughout the rev range.

I posted a ride report on the '18 300 in the other thread in the General Discussions Forum

Great report!
Does it has that KTM ride feel or more like a Japanese ?

Sorry, I forgot to respond to this 1. I've had only 1 Japanese bike in the past 20 years, and that was for about 3 months in 2001, so I don't really know what you mean. But I can say it's a great bike, and a serious contender, especially in super-tight terrain. I was shocked by how good it is, it feels very mainstream and well put together, not some cobby boutique bike cobbled together in a garage.

That's a good question. In fit and finish, it is like a Japanese bike, almost like a Honda but not quite. In performance with the KYB suspension, it is a hybrid of sorts, it has mainstream performance like a Japanese bike but it is more specialized, it has the gasser specific performance and equipment, quick turning, 6 speed transmission etc that the Japanese bikes lack.

What characteristics are you referencing?

When someone says “suited for racing,” I think, “the faster it goes the better it feels,” which means “stiff when slow.” Something I don’t want.

2018 xc300
 

Rode an 18 XC300 Sunday for only a few min. and noticed the same thing. Very little vibration. Then again, I ride a 2012 EC250. The power was smooth through low to mid. The Gas Gas motors seem to me as one of the best for endro/off-road.

Not sure about the 2012 chassis...

Where did you score a ride on an '18?

What I meant was that the suspension was controlled and predictable as it was set up for the test ride. I've raced a fair amount in my day and it had the characteristics I look for: "No wallowing" (controlled) and predictable (it worked well on rocks, rollers, and acceleration bumps). My stock 2014 suspension is bone stock and severely under sprung for my weight but it still works pretty good. However, it wallows a bit in throttle on/off transitions and has a little deflection. This is mostly from the forks. I've also ridden a re-valved 2013 with a Reiger and it works great...About as good as the stock 2018 suspension. On a final note, I have no doubt I could dial back compression and rebound damping and make it a marshmallow. I would not let my comment think it would be stiff at low speeds. The friend who went with me said he thought the suspension was perfect and he weighs about 90 pounds less than me!

Eric

Sorry, meant to quote Jim C...

2018 xc300
 

Arizona Cycle Park. I was out there pounding out some laps with my son on his KX250F.

The owner of MotoCenter has one and said he is the Gas Gas dealer on the east side of town? Also, he and some buddies ran the Glen Helen 24 hour with the same bike in the Business class.

Swappin' out frames tonight.

That’s a new one.

https://motocenteraz.com

The web site lists Mesa (east side).

The other Gas Gas dealer is Screwie Lewie?s on the north side by Deer Valley Airport. SL is also a Husky dealer.

I knew SL was carrying the '17 Gas Gas enduro and trials bikes. I have not been down there to see if they have any of the '18 models in stock. Did not know we had two dealers in town:)

I saw Lewie?s smiling face at the Gas Gas display at last month?s Wnduro Cross at West World in Scottsdale.

If I were in the market for a 2T, a 2018-19 GG would be in the hunt.

@coopernicus: thx for the ride report, most appreciated. Coming from KTM, I only rode KTM's till today, I immediately liked the GG 300/18. Unfortunately I couldnt ride on yet, so there are some questions which you may think are weird but are important for a slow old man like me.
First I am interested how much the Gasser's engine vibrates. needless to say that I havent seen anything that comes even close to my 17 Kato 300 which is most likely due to the fact that it has a balancer shaft.
Second thing is how hard or light is the clutch pull? Over here in Europe we're riding slower tracks but technically demanding, so clutch pull can be an issue. A point where KTM really shines.

Last but not least the GG's starter motor is not exactly the ideal solution. I have heard it fails often when in gear. Not sure if thats true as the former Kato starters were exactly the same and at least mine (well serviced) never failed.

Sorry for my bad English.

CU Doc

PS Hi everyone :-)

Hey Doc Brown. Welcome to the Forum!!

It seems like not many have ridden both an '18 Gasser and a balancer shaft Katoom.

I've heard from one person who has, and I've sat on a running balanced Katoom but didn't get a chance to actually ride it.

I know this sounds unlikely and fanboyish. But the lack of engine vibes in the new Gasser motor is unnatural. Its crazy smooth. I'd guess near or equal to the katoom based on my feel. The guy I know who has ridden both agrees with me.
I have no idea how they did it. But its really smooth.

As for the starter I can't say how it is for long term use. But the current reports are that it works perfectly assuming the wires have been fixed if it was a "first batch" bike.

On Thursday, Deb and I were returning south to home from a trip up in the Branson, MO area. As we went through Harrison, Arkansas, we took a side trip to GodFather's Powersports to check out the new 2018 EC300 in person.

The bike looks very sanitary, and pretty. (I already knew that from all the photos and ride reports I have seen. But, it looked even better in person.)

The seat height is taller than my 2011, or any of the older model GasGas bikes I have owned. Not too tall, as I could still easily kick a leg over without kicking the rear fender, but over an inch higher than the rear fender of my 2011.
I could still touch the balls of my feet to both sides at the same time. (6' with a 32" inseam)

I didn't get to ride, but it felt narrow sitting on it.
I think it will be easy to slide way up onto the tank in tight woods turns.

My final thoughts are:
I wonder if GasGas will be tempted (by KTM) to bring back the gear driven counterbalancer that was in the '96-'98 250cc Gassers. Those were ultra smooth engines, even above 10K rpms.
and...
I wish I wasn't so tempted to buy one. :D


.

I own an 18 ec250 and spent as much time as I care to on a 18 TX 300 and in my opinion the GasGas motor is very low on vibration but still not like a KTM/Husky motor. But the GasGas is a much better bike overall out of the box.

I rode a 2018 Ec300 the other day, so stoked with it that I am trading in my Tm En300. I absolutely love it but I fear I am stuck with an orphan. The gassy felt as close as you could get to a Japanese enduro 2t. So balanced and a super smooth and grunty motor. It also had the no start issue occasionally. From what I have been told about it it is just a simple issue to resolve. Can?t wait to pick it up!

Took it out for its maiden voyage, very quickly got accustomed to the ergo’s, suspension is awesome out of the box. Added a couple of clicks of damping to the shock. Springs are very close to being in the ball park so I’ll leave them for the time being.
My free pistons firmed up the damping ever so slightly more than the demo I rode due to having a little less freeplay.
I just stuck my favourite needle (n3cj) with the stock jetting and did the float height and it is sweet! Very smooth motor but I do miss the Tm’s rubber mounted bars! They need a tad more height and I‘ll be set!
Starter worked faultlessly every time, but I added some beefier sized leads and wet modded it anyway. I have never liked grease in bendixes anyway. Felt a little dirty using a button and my masculinity has dropped a few points as well!
Very glad I made the swap! I dropped it on the second last rock step for the day but saved any damage by throwing my body under it! It feels like I have some of my bouncy trials skills back too which I thought I’d lost on the Tm, probably due to the smoother and gruntier nature of the gassy motor.

Sorry for the delayed answer guys.

Many thanks for all the information about the new Gasser. That all sounds pretty good to me. We (mate and I) will have a first look at it end of next week. Unfortunately we cant ride it yet, but seems to be only a matter of time.

Concerning the vibes a dealer whom I know since decades said its like the 2015/16 KTM and the 2017KTM's are a bit better but it isnt much.
I found the KTM 2015 (which I had for one season) pretty good, much better than a friends GG 2013 (or 14 cant remember). The GG 2018 seems to be far better...

How did you resolve an air vent on cover in wet mod ? I make it the same in Husaberg but there is a larger rubber on electric wire and you need to close the vent on lower side of cover before you put oil inside.

I just used a small 5mm vacuum fitting off a road bike, at the top of the cover, then ran the hose up high with a 180 bend at the top. Hasn?t leaked a drop with 25ml in it, starter engages instantly and fires up straight away.

So, you drilled and taped the cover for vacuum ? Can you make some photos ? How is work your starter on cold engine, when the oil is still not warm and densited ? My works correctly when engine is warm (sometimes his stuck on first shot but fast second and he starts good) on cold starter haven't power to twist crankshaft.

Instantly and straight away when cold mate, I also put some proper sized earth straps on as well and ran one down to the starter directly from the battery. I?ll try and take a photo and post it up for you.

If you have the lithium battery, this may be the cause for what you describe: The lithium battery needs to warm in cold weather before it puts out full power. This is often done by running the headlight for a short while (30 to 40 seconds?) to warm the battery before pushing the starter button.

.

I polished mount bracket from starter and on cover around bolts to raw metal and the difference is huge. Now starter works when the engine is cold without problems. I have to also apply a wire directly from battery to starter.

See if this picture works mate, I highly recommend the wet mod. If anything it saves having to strip and clean the bendix all the time.

Thanks. I've see now where to place it, from what motorbike is this air vent connector?

Is it matter what diameter of earth straps (wires) I have to use to connect battery ? Of course it needs to connect "-" from batery to starter cover, do I thinking correct ?

What float level do you setup in carb ? What kind of technic do you used do measure ?

They are just a generic vacuum fitting used to balance carburettors on road bikes.
Yes I think I used 16mm2 starter lead from memory, I set my float height to 8.5mm. Plenty of tutorials on that. I am sure there is a page on here somewhere. Yes the negative of the battery to the starter housing.

Got the 300 out for the first ride today. Mods were FMF 2.1 SA, BPD Rad guards and rear disc guard and a TMD skid plate with linkage guard. I set the suspension in the standard settings according to the manual and moved the stock bars into the far forward position. Left the carb stock for break in. Conditions today were 80 degs and 2500-3000' in elevation, desert single track, dry and slick. Former bike was a 2017 300 Beta 300RR race. Engine was pretty tight and didn't want to idle at first but loosened up during the day. Jetting was rich but still very ridable, it never loaded up or spuddered. I'll play with the stock needle before switching to anything dramatic. Bike starts right up and I really like the choke on the handlebars, I was really impressed with the lack of vibration felt through the stock bars. Engine is super smooth. Maguara clutch is super easy to pull and I really like the engagement, I'll be holding off on a rekluse. Bike feels super light compared to the Beta, I haven't weighed it but it feels lighter. It has nice lift handles under the rear fender on both sides. At 6' tall the stock bars are too low for me but I'll be putting a sub mount damper on so it will raise them to the correct level for me. I'd say their for someone 5-10" or so. The engine is deceptively fast even in it's rich state with a strong mid range pull and it wants to go, so I rode it like I stole it all day. It was hesitant to pull up top as it took some coaxing because of the richness, but you don't need to ride it up there. Bottom thru the upper mid is all you need to really scoot. It also feels so flickable it's a blast in the corners. The stock fork springs are just a little too soft for me at 190lbs. When I'm standing I'm pushing the forks into the middle of the stroke and I'm getting a bit of deflection in the rocks but nothing serious, although I know it can be better. Rear is still stiff but sucks up the big hit and tracks straight. Brakes are fantastic and very progressive, just like the Beta, since they are the same. It is the best shifting bike I've ever owned, bar none. There is no comparison to any other bike as far as shifting goes IMHO. So I put 36 miles on it today and I'll consider it broken in now. I'll post any jetting changes I make.