Well my thumb is good to ride again. So without further ado
The long awaited final ride review post!! (well maybe not final... I was gonna do a one year review as well, but you'll have to wait for that
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I have to start with saying huge thanks to Rob Lang from Lang's Offroad for hooking me up with a great bike and some sweet gear.
https://langsoffroad.com/
I guess this isn't totally a "first" ride review. As I've had three bigger rides on the bike now and a bunch of shorter one's. I've got almost 250km and 9hours on the clock now. That included my first 30km ride, a nice 150km enduro and a great training day riding some of the best Ontario has to offer in The Ganaraska Forest while riding with some pro riders and great instructors who helped me sharpen my enduro times.
Onto the review!
It would be remiss if I didn't start this review by saying that this 2018 bike is NOTHING like the older Gassers. IMO, in every single measurable way it is better. So much better in fact that after riding the (admittedly brilliant) '18 Husqvarna T250i I was still happier on the GasGas. The bike is honestly that good. In my totally unprofessional opinion coupled with my regrettable lack of knowledge I'd have a hard time believing there is a better 2T bike on the market this year.
Obviously, the Kayaba suspension is where any review needs to start. Being that I upped the ante with the GP model I get to experience the extra slippery DLC forks, and rumours abound concerning what else Kayaba added for the good folks at GasGas. I've ridden the stock KYB on an '18 300 as well but not for long enough to say I'm able to feel any difference. Maybe with more seat time? Probably not...
Nearing 95kph/55mph over whoops in The Ganaraska Forest it never once felt sketchy or off kilter, the early stroke is plush but very consistently firms up through the stroke, front and rear balance out well. One of the things I'm spending this year working on is my cornering in singletrack. And thats where this bike will really help me along. From a forward seated position in tacky soil I could feel the bike bite in and feedback very nicely through the rear shock giving me a consistent feel with no surprises or off balance bumps. Clutch out and the front wheel lifts predictably carrying me through the corner, Neither front or rear ever gave me the impression of being "springy or boingy". From a standing position a quick stab of the rear brake brings the tire into a predictable slide and I felt much faster than I ever did on my old bike.
The motor itself feels so great, I bought a 250 to force myself to learn how to use my clutch more, and it is definitely making me work just a little bit harder than my old 300 motor, while the rest of the bike is smoother and feels smaller. I'm spending more time working my left index finger muscles. Thankfully the magura clutch is buttery smooth, and my finger is appreciating it.
The Keihin carb is jetted rich right now, and that's this weeks problem to fix. I'm sure the 42 pilot is too large right now and I'll have to drop that down a size or two. Might even take the 175 main down to a 170 or 168 and see how that feels.
The stock GP graphics are expectedly thin and are already wearing through where my boots grip, Its ok since I have new one's coming in this weekend with my race numbers for this year's harescramble series.
Not much else I can think to say beyond that. The seat is crazy grippy, the bars feel just right, although I may cut them down a little, and everything else is just fantastic. Shifter is solid, rear brake pedal is adjustable just like the last gen Gassers and I immediately put it as rearward as possible, Plastics are holding up very well, Nothing has fallen off or broken yet except a connector fell open for the E-start switch, easy fix and only took a minute or so to find once I was home from that ride. Quick access air filter is a dream! So nice to be able to change that out without tools.
All in all I'm as happy as I could be with this bike! Looking forward to a long summer of riding! Cya out there!
