Hatchling

[3beejay3]

Finally had a chance to take er out on the trails this past weekend. Normally I fully prep my bikes with all the goodies & mods before I even start them, but I just haven't had time. The weather has been way too nice & I just couldn't wait any longer. I took it for a spin on some dry sandy loam single track that I knew wouldn't cause too much harm to a bike with zero armour on it.

After an hour of ride time here is my initial verdict-

This bike is almost too good.

Everything seems intuitive with this one; think about turning- it's around the corner. Want the the front up? just think about it and it's done. Want to be a lazy rider? just take it easy, leave it in 3rd & relax.....Want to rip it? Just hammer down.......

Suspension is obviously a bit stiff out of the box but felt quite good so far (for a stock bike) & I haven't even set the sag, nor played with anything.
Jetting is probably a bit rich, so I'll have to adjust that. The bike still has that compact feel I liked on other Gassers I've rode, even with a bit higher seat height- (I'm comparing to a Husky TXC310)

Looking forward to getting this one set up.

[Jakobi]

Top review beejay. Almost the exact same way I felt when I rode my first Gas Gas. It was like there was no real getting to know eachother period. We just worked together. Since then things have only got better.

[GMP]

Awesome bike the new 250. Now get it armored up before you break it! There is a LOT more midrange power to be found with better jetting. The bike likes fuel in the right places. The suspension is stiff but gets better and does not deflect. You find yourself going faster than on a set of Zoke 45s.

After owning 4 GG250s for the last 12 years, I'd say this bike is very different, more like a completely different bike with some GasGas traits, rather than an evolution of the previous platform.

[3beejay3]

Had a chance to look at the Jetting this evening. Dropped the needle 1 position and took it out for a spin on my test track. Temps were about 4 degrees celcius cooler than last Sat when I rode it last. Stock, the clip was on the 2nd slot from the top.
Between the cooler temp and the lower needle, it's pretty good now. Not perfect, but quite good. Once warm, It idles well, and pulls very strong all the way thru without much fuss other than a little bit of throat clearing during warmup. I'm going for another ride on the same trails as last week tomorrow.
If it runs good tommorow, I'll likely just leave the jetting as is for the remainder of the season as I really don't like fussing with that stuff too much.

[3beejay3]

I now have about 4.3 hrs on the bike and the suspension is breaking in nicely. As others have noted, it's very good out of the box, once it has a few hours on it. I haven't rec'd my manual yet and am wondering which is the compression and rebound clickers on the fork? Also, I'm assuming the rebound on the shock is the small allen head bolt at the base of the shock?

[Jakobi]

Originally Posted by 3beejay3

I now have about 4.3 hrs on the bike and the suspension is breaking in nicely. As others have noted, it's very good out of the box, once it has a few hours on it. I haven't rec'd my manual yet and am wondering which is the compression and rebound clickers on the fork? Also, I'm assuming the rebound on the shock is the small allen head bolt at the base of the shock?

The manuals are available online. www.gasgasmotos.es They don't have much info in them though.

Closed Cart forks will be compression on top, rebound on the bottom. The shock is the same and you're assumption is correct. Rebound is the small allen head.

Keep the updates coming! Show us some action shots!

[3beejay3]

Here are some more initial thoughts/impressions:

I'll have to get used to spending a bunch more time talking with folks rather than riding, as this bike is attracting appreciative gawkers like a naked supermodel. People can't help themselves.....It was like that when I bought my first Husky in 07.
I may have to start charging admission.....

(PS Clay & Scott - I may be able to sell a bunch of these......., er, um, cough, clearing throat, a certain amount of cash appreciation may be in order.... )

I can't believe how much confidence the front end provides. I was purposely trying to get it to deflect on root nests, rocks etc. nope it always went where pointed - always. How much is due to the Metzeler tire and how much is due to the forks/chassis is unknown to me, but the fork does have a good feel to it.
I still don't have any hand guards on and rode semi-tight woods yesterday. I'm normally used to leaning on trees with the hand guard/barkbuster and having the scotts damper clean things up. Because the front is so precise, I could ride at a good pace (for me) without worry of squashed digits...Just pick your line between trees and go. I will get my guards on soon though.

There are lots of little thought out things such as the adjustable foot pad on the rear brake.

I personally would like to have an axle pull on the rear, like on the front.

Front fender/headlight makes a bit of racket over the rough stuff at speed.

Don't care for some of the fasteners with small allen heads.

I think I may only have to dial in a little rebound at each end and my suspension will be good. Nice not having to spend another $5-800 having that all revalved etc.
PS I weigh about 185-190 fully geared.

The clutch and motor run so well, especially off idle, I often found myself forgetting to drop to first when we stopped. I just eased off from a stop in 2nd or 3rd with no issue or complaint whatsoever.
I only stalled it once all day, which is odd for me as I'm Rekluse spoiled & normally stall (non Reklused)2ts like a newbie.....The clutch pull/action is the best I've ever used.

The stock gearing worked very well for what I was riding yesterday. I'd mostly leave it in 3rd and that took care of 90% of the trails I rode.

The stock metzelers work very well on our sandy loam(dry conditions). We'll see how they hold up.

The stock exhaust is nice and quiet. Really complements my lazy riding style. I could probably plonk around in a city forest and nobody'd ever hear me.

I only used about 5-6 litres of fuel for about 75 km of riding. I ride kinda lazy and the bike just purred like a kitten all day.

The frame looks to be very robust.

Ground clearance is about 1.5 inches more than my TXC(with skid plate)

I really can't seem to stop thinking about how good this bike is(for what I do). I've probably ridden over 50 different bikes in the last 5 years & this one is the best by far.
Once it has a Rekluse and Scotts on it..........boy!

One of my buddies (currently on a KTM & angling towards a new 200XCW) is buying a new bike in the next year. I told him to try this one before he buys. Seriously. I even offered it to him yesterday, but he was scared to ride it without handguards, despite my protestation that he didn't need them....

Brian

[Jakobi]

Originally Posted by 3beejay3

Here are some more initial thoughts/impressions:

I'll have to get used to spending a bunch more time talking with folks rather than riding, as this bike is attracting appreciative gawkers like a naked supermodel. People can't help themselves.....It was like that when I bought my first Husky in 07.
I may have to start charging admission.....

(PS Clay & Scott - I may be able to sell a bunch of these......., er, um, cough, clearing throat, a certain amount of cash appreciation may be in order.... )

I can't believe how much confidence the front end provides. I was purposely trying to get it to deflect on root nests, rocks etc. nope it always went where pointed - always. How much is due to the Metzeler tire and how much is due to the forks/chassis is unknown to me, but the fork does have a good feel to it.
I still don't have any hand guards on and rode semi-tight woods yesterday. I'm normally used to leaning on trees with the hand guard/barkbuster and having the scotts damper clean things up. Because the front is so precise, I could ride at a good pace (for me) without worry of squashed digits...Just pick your line between trees and go. I will get my guards on soon though.

There are lots of little thought out things such as the adjustable foot pad on the rear brake.

I personally would like to have an axle pull on the rear, like on the front.

Front fender/headlight makes a bit of racket over the rough stuff at speed.

Don't care for some of the fasteners with small allen heads.

I think I may only have to dial in a little rebound at each end and my suspension will be good. Nice not having to spend another $5-800 having that all revalved etc.
PS I weigh about 185-190 fully geared.

The clutch and motor run so well, especially off idle, I often found myself forgetting to drop to first when we stopped. I just eased off from a stop in 2nd or 3rd with no issue or complaint whatsoever.
I only stalled it once all day, which is odd for me as I'm Rekluse spoiled & normally stall (non Reklused)2ts like a newbie.....The clutch pull/action is the best I've ever used.

The stock gearing worked very well for what I was riding yesterday. I'd mostly leave it in 3rd and that took care of 90% of the trails I rode.

The stock metzelers work very well on our sandy loam(dry conditions). We'll see how they hold up.

The stock exhaust is nice and quiet. Really complements my lazy riding style. I could probably plonk around in a city forest and nobody'd ever hear me.

I only used about 5-6 litres of fuel for about 75 km of riding. I ride kinda lazy and the bike just purred like a kitten all day.

The frame looks to be very robust.

Ground clearance is about 1.5 inches more than my TXC(with skid plate)

I really can't seem to stop thinking about how good this bike is(for what I do). I've probably ridden over 50 different bikes in the last 5 years & this one is the best by far.
Once it has a Rekluse and Scotts on it..........boy!

One of my buddies (currently on a KTM & angling towards a new 200XCW) is buying a new bike in the next year. I told him to try this one before he buys. Seriously. I even offered it to him yesterday, but he was scared to ride it without handguards, despite my protestation that he didn't need them....

Brian

Another love found! Its consistant reviews like this that keep blowing me away and make me proud to own a gasser. I bought mine pre ordered without every riding one after 10minutes on an 06 250 exc. Never looked back!

[swazi_matt]

Interesting that you mention the scotts damper I have had all the mountings fitted to my bike since January but am still to actually fit the damper, just feel like there is no rush to fit it

[3beejay3]

Originally Posted by swazi_matt

Interesting that you mention the scotts damper I have had all the mountings fitted to my bike since January but am still to actually fit the damper, just feel like there is no rush to fit it

Which mounts did you use?