Quote:
Originally Posted by CDN Rick
GasGas is making incredible bikes, but they have to pull their crap together or this is gonna end badly. They still have time, but its running out quickly. Everywhere I look I see guys who can't get their hands on bikes that they want to buy.. Rangers are delayed, GP's are delayed, and now the TXT GP was just pulled from the site. People WANT GG bikes.. But they aren't going to wait around forever for them. And they aren't going to be burned twice. TRS and Vertigo are their only real competition in trails bikes right now, and TRS is killin' it out there, Beta and Sherco are growing daily around here, while GasGas people are twiddling their thumbs waiting for bikes that might very well be better.
Is a better bike that never appears really better???
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I was just talking about this the other day with a friend. The enduro sport is growing rapidly right now, and the economy (at least in the US) is the best it's been in a long time. People are spending money on stuff like new dirt bikes like they haven't done in a long time. It'd be a real shame if GasGas missed out on that opportunity to rebuild themselves.
The bikes are easily in the mix from a technical / performance aspect, and I remember the excitement of 1-2 years ago when the '18s were first announced, and then first delivered. EVERYONE was talking about them, everyone was excited about having a non-orange bike that could compete.
In the last few months, it's really gone downhill. Like has already been stated, delays and cancelled deliveries have really hurt them. Even if it was out of their control, I feel like the 200s not making it here on time really hurt them. They had the opportunity to beat everyone else to the market with a 200 in the US, and they missed it. That is a HUGE market to be had. If / when I ever get rid of my 2011 EC250, I imagine I'll be looking for a smaller/lighter bike than the full-size (re: tall) 250s/300s. And as things sit now, the only option is a Beta.
Either way, I really hope they pull it together. There's been rumors swirling for several months now, and I haven't seen GasGas refute any of them yet, either via statement, or by action proving them wrong.