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Old 12-06-2009, 07:18 PM
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moto9 moto9 is offline
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Hawaii
Posts: 367
Default I love my Gas Gas but?

So, I've had my 08 300 about 8 months now and had time to get to know the bike pretty well.
I love riding it and in this area I have almost nothing to complain about!

I ride some fairly nasty stuff so the bike gets a good workout on every ride.
I love the power, I did add a FWW which aided in traction thru the greasy roots that litter our local trails.
Did some minor changes to clean up the overly rich jetting .
Handling is awesome, light, nimble, tracks well and the ergos fit my 5' 9'' frame well.
Suspension was a little harsh front and rear, but I was able to sort that out with a re-valve, I like that the marz forks and sachs shock were easy to work on.
So far the bike proved to be very reliable, in the 8 months I had to very little to do but clean the air filter and change the trans oil.

So, what's there to complain about...mostly Fit and finish !

"Are you listening Gas Gas?"

Here's my don't likes:
1. notchy shifting:
It's not bad, just not as smooth as I'm used to (Honda/Yamaha)

2. squaky clutch:
That dose bug, it's not constant, mostly under a heavy load 2nd 3rd gear.

3. Brittle plastics:
They crack easily and don't hold up to impacts well

2. Gas tank shroud mounts:
Get rid of the cheap wood style screws that screw directly into the gas tank plastic, this is very Ala-Chinese cheapo style ...follow the top 5 manufactures mounting design.

3. Using nuts on the back side of so many mounting bolts:
What a complete "pain in the ass" to work on sometimes...take the sub-frame mounts...getting at the nuts of the upper mounts with a wrench is a hassle.
Would it be so hard to add a nut welded to the back side of the frame on some of these mount points??
I mean GG builds a bike that is so close to anything else on the market...but in my opinion...then drops the ball on areas that are very crucial to the consumer and probably not that much more in cost to add to the manufacturing process.
In any case I'd pay more for a bike that had better fit and finish.

4. head bolt sizes:
Ok, would it be so hard to use common sizes, 8mm, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19,
the bolts on my bike are a guess, I'm constantly running back and forth for wrenches...13mm, 15, 16, 18 etc... what the bloody hell.

5. Lower chain guide:
The lower tension-er style guide is too prone to damage, I think it's a weak point and don't see the advantage over a the style every other manufacture uses.

Conclusion:
So, in reality this is a very short list and not that big of a fix for the manufacture but is the difference between GG and a top Japanese bike.

Fit and finish is something that is very crucial to a owner and prospective buyer.
First thing I noticed when considering a GG was the cheap wood screw shroud mounts, as well as backing nut plates on just about every bolt.
So, I'm thinking what other shortcuts were taken?
Fortunately, everything else seems solid.
I wrote this because IMHO GG is so close but yet so far!

I say to GG take that last step ...add the missing fit and finish and climb to the top!
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