EC300 write up in DirtRider

[AZRickD]

Just bought the mag.

Title: "What a Gas -- Gas Gas EC300"

The article is a short one but has a two-page pic of a red GG ridden by "Jimmy Lewis" churning through a narrow, muddy stream bordered by some sort of elephant-like grass. The next photo was a top half-page shot of another rider lifting the front wheel in front of an off-camera obstacle in a sparsely wooded area. The caption of that photo reads, "This Gas Gas is light, slim and zappy. Standing is a good plan with the hard seat." They felt it was harder than the infamous KTM seat.

Dirt Rider appears to be a little on the KTM-centric side. Very often bikes being reviewed were compared to "orange."

The last three pics were 2"x2" featuring the pewter-colored pipe; then a close-up of the golden Sachs shock with six grooves machined around the circumferance which made it look something along the lines of a tomato can that would make George Jetson proud. Lastly was a pic of the rear part of the right-side swing arm with a close up of the braking mechanism.

Key points:

1) They were "unfamiliar" with the "bike from a faraway land. This was a good thing, the writer said, since it allowed him to throw out his pre-conceptions of what the bike should be. With a Honda he might have written, "The suspension is very Honda-like." He didn't have that luxury to say, "Hmmm, not very Gas Gas-like." "Jumping on the Gas Gas was like taking a well-needed vcation from everything I've ever been used to."

2) It has a "fairly standard layout" "with everything in all the right places."

3) He liked the narrowness of the frame while still having something to grip onto near the ankles and feet. "MX-bike thin."

4) "If you want a bike built for technical control and precise maneuvering on the pegs, a trials-influenced enduro bike seems to make sense.

5) Build "emphasis on controllability and traction -- "true enduro machine."

6) "Honestly, I preferred the rain cloud setting most of the time as I torqued through technical single-track at a comfortable pace."

7) Stepped down the jetting three sized from stock with needle in leanest position... "Then the machine turned into the sweetest chug-o-matic trail mount ever."

8) "It never loaded up on the bottom..." "...had torque spilling out with the smallest throttle openings."

9) "Scooted along really fast..." without opening the power valve. "When it did open... it was a little blubbery on top." But not bad enough to "force a main jet change."

10) Desert? "You'll love sixth gear..."

11) "...or appreciate the granny-like first gear."

12) Nice hydro clutch

13) See-through gas tank

14) Radiator catch tank in front of the head tube

15) Suspension: 45mm Marzocchi Shiver fork and a Sachs rear shock "a combo not seen on our bikes that often."

16) "...works perfectly for most enduro conditions but really wouldn't enjoy a trip to the motocross track."

17) "...off road-specific bike and an easy bike to like."

18) Suspension took "some break-in time and never really [got] plush."

19) "The bike transmits a fair amount of shock to the rider and will still bottom when pushed."

20) "It can be tuned to do what it needs to off-road but it isn't as universal as other bikes out there."

21) "It seems a grass track specialist as delivered."

22) "The standout trait of the bike is the light feel."

23) "It kills anything four-stroke and is lighter and more nimble than the orange bikes available."

24) "With a better steering feel and light turning that is still planted -- praised by many of our test riders."

25) "In fact, if the suspension were just a little better, we'd outright say the Gas Gas dominates in the handling department- and that is a bold statement."

26) "$6795" on par with other 2-strokes.

27) "With nearly 75 dealers in its network, this Spanish brand is running strong."

Rick

[AZRickD]

Well? Comments?

[Bandit9]

Girard,
Let me take a spin on that 07 next time I see you. Will ya?

It has been my experience that TrailRider mag has the most accurate real world tests. The Kalifornia mags can't give an accurate review for us Eastern folks. Just a west coast desert and quad trail review.

Eff the mags. I could care less what Jimmy Lewis thinks about my bike. Jimmy ain't riding it, I'm riding it.

Most write ups I have seen about GasGas 2 strokes, from all parts of the globe in all types of medium, have been positive. That is b/c it is a damn good bike. No magazine article or picture is ever going to change that fact.

I also don't feel like I need to have GasGas turn into the next "KTM" success story. If it does, great. If it doesn't, I can't help it if some idiot can't figure out how to sell, market, and distribute the best 2 stroke off road bikes in the USA. (Fix Euro/Dollar difference LOL, hire top riders, and win a championship or two. Contingency will help some too. Like was previously mentioned, put Knighter on a GasGas and every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be lineing up at your local Enduro on a GasGas. Then Husky would be the next GasGas.

Just as long as I can get parts, whatever happens with the distributor, just happens....

Until then, I will enjoy the secret and advantage of the GasGas enduro bike.

I just ride it and enjoy it.

[Metalefty]

Originally Posted by Bandit9

Most write ups I have seen about GasGas 2 strokes, from all parts of the globe in all types of medium, have been positive. That is b/c it is a damn good bike. No magazine article or picture is ever going to change that fact.

I also don't feel like I need to have GasGas turn into the next "KTM" success story. If it does, great. If it doesn't, I can't help it if some idiot can't figure out how to sell, market, and distribute the best 2 stroke off road bikes in the USA. (Fix Euro/Dollar difference LOL, hire top riders, and win a championship or two. Contingency will help some too. Like was previously mentioned, put Knighter on a GasGas and every Tom, Dick, and Harry will be lineing up at your local Enduro on a GasGas. Then Husky would be the next GasGas.

Just as long as I can get parts, whatever happens with the distributor, just happens....

Until then, I will enjoy the secret and advantage of the GasGas enduro bike.

I just ride it and enjoy it.

Yes, it's true, an article or a picture will never change the fact that they are great bikes but it does in small and significant ways hurt the future of GasGas. I guess I just care, I have a local GG dealer that struggles with sales and another about 2 hours away that started carrying the brand about 2 years ago and now won't keep any bikes in stock while the local KTM dealer is lighting cigars with $100 bills and a lot of that has to do with marketing and mag articles. Like I said before, I've met plenty of riders who swear by mag tests and as long as the mags don't portray GasGas as good if not better than anything else then the company will struggle to grow or even worse...eventually die. I fully agree that it seems like GasGas doesn't know how to market there product and that is also part of the issue. The DR article said a lot of positive things but it's just not hyped up enough to get other riders to think about them very much. I've read plenty of times that the KTM300 is soooo successful and the ultimate woods weapon and it's the recommended bike for the worst conditions...blah blah blah. If the GasGas is at least comparable if not possibly better, then we should be hearing way more about GasGas in the mags then we already do. I mean are they writing these tests and articles because there the best bikes or the most popular ones. If the mags are going to hype up a bike wouldn't you think it would be the best ones, even if there not well known.
I to like having the secret advantage... , but not at the cost of hurting the company. I try to do my part in educating some of the ignorant riders who are brand loyal and try in some strategic and subtle way to open there minds to all bikes and on rare occasions it actually works. Lately my dealer has thanked me with some free and discounted goodies for helping bring some business his way and I would have never tried if it wasn't for such a good bike and dealer.

[AZRickD]

That is b/c it is a damn good bike. No magazine article or picture is ever going to change that fact.

Yes, it will change that. A series of good articles and exposure to GG will cause sales to increase, dealers to stay in business, and R&D to improve the line. Same thing that happened to KTM.

Perhaps individual GG riders should write the mags that run reviews to thank them and should politely request of other magazines that they do some testing of Gassers (editors, like politicians, know how to count).

Here's a start:

drmail@primedia.com

Dirt Rider
Attn: Letter Rip!
2570 E. Cerritos Ave
Anaheim, California 92806

Rick

[quasi-moto]

Well, after a long period of anonymous perusing I feel like I need to contribute to this thread. I am the one who set up the test bike and delivered it to Jimmy Lewis so I have a little different take on this issue.

I have not read the DR article and I'm only commenting on the excerpts posted in this thread and comments JL made to me about the bike. It sounds to me like Dirt Rider did a pretty fair job with the EC300. If their only complaints were about the hard seat and the harsh/soft suspension then we should all be celebrating. Is anybody here disputing that the seat is too hard? And for CA terrain the suspension is a little on the soft side. I don't fault GG for building an EC with Eastern suspension set-ups and I certainly can't fault DR for reporting it. Something that was in the works before the distribution bombshell was a MC oriented off-road bike to suite fast West Coast terrain and A level Eastern riding. That bike would have had a much different review. As far as the jetting is concerned, the bike was jetted to run in the "Sunshine" mode at 1500' elevation. The test started at that elevation but peaked at around 6800' and never left the "Rain" setting.

As far as DR being "KTM-centric", how many mag tests and reviews does it take for a manufacturer to learn how to set up a bike to a particular mags liking? It's all about incremental improvement and I belive that GG is way ahead of the curve. To be honest, I would rather have a bike that is designed and built using real world feedback and lessons learned on the racing circuit than one that is designed to get great reviews in mags. Some of the scariest bikes I've ever ridden were editors personal favorites. PDS shock anyone?

I believe Jimmy did us a huge favor by riding as much tight, technical terrain as possible to match the EC's design parameters. If he had taken the bike in stock trim to a Gran Prix or a Hare and Hound we would have rated much lower I'm sure.
I'm not bashing the bike, no suspension can be perfect everywhere.

A little behind the scenes stuff: DR staff were not the only people to throw a leg over this bike. The way most mags conduct tests is that they send out an open casting call to all of their buddies. Some are up and coming racers looking for rides, some are retired legends, some are movers and shakers in the MC industry. The EC300 test was no different and it did turn a few heads.
There are magazines standing in line to get there hands on a GasGas so lets all hope that the distributor issue gets worked out soon.

Now onto a personal note. I invite anybody who thinks that California riding is just a bunch of "Quad trails" to come out and see for yourself. Pack a lunch. Probably oughta bring some rope and walking shoes too.

[AZRickD]

Thanks for the comments. I think DR did a good job as well. However, I grow tired of reviews that don't take specific terrain/suspension mis-matches into consideration. The writers should be savvy enough to understand that and to be very transparent in their writing so as not to unfairly bias potential buyers against a bike set up soft for square-edged hits while it is being tested on a course full of jumps and G-outs.

Personally, any bike I get for Arizona rocks will be set up the same way you easterners set up for roots. The first couple of inches of travel must be plush.

Rick

[eff]

Originally Posted by AZRickD

Thanks for the comments. I think DR did a good job as well. However, I grow tired of reviews that don't take specific terrain/suspension mis-matches into consideration. The writers should be savvy enough to understand that and to be very transparent in their writing so as not to unfairly bias potential buyers against a bike set up soft for square-edged hits while it is being tested on a course full of jumps and G-outs.

Exactly.

The seats are hard and we know that, but they "sack out" quickly and we shouldn't be sitting on them anyway.

The suspension comment is the issue as Rick noted. Rather than casting doubt on a great suspension setup, they should comment that it was not setup for the terrain it was tested on.

The other sad part is that the GasGas and the Beta should be thrown in with KTM and Husky and not most of the bikes in that article.

[SpeedyManiac]

If suspension is their only complaint, any serious rider will ignore it. Considering it has a linkage, the sky (and a guy's wallet) is the limit as far as suspension performance. Mind you, the first thing I do with a bike is ship off the suspension for a revalve for my weight and riding ability. For 07 the seat is pretty hard, but I like how flat it is. Very easy to move around on.

[Metalefty]

Originally Posted by eff

Exactly.

The seats are hard and we know that, but they "sack out" quickly and we shouldn't be sitting on them anyway.

The suspension comment is the issue as Rick noted. Rather than casting doubt on a great suspension setup, they should comment that it was not setup for the terrain it was tested on.

The other sad part is that the GasGas and the Beta should be thrown in with KTM and Husky and not most of the bikes in that article.

You nailed it also along with azrickd. If the mags don't mention the GasGas as much as a KTM even though it could be as good or a better bike, then the general interest for GasGas will never be as much as KTM, it's subtle but they do it. You can say all the good things you want about a bike, but if they don't constantly refer to it(hype up), then most potential buyers lose interest. That basically leaves the few buyers who know to look past the bs.