First ride on my set up 2011 XC 300E

[REVERUP]

My write up is a little different than most as my first ride is not on a bone stock or nearly stock bike, but is set it up for me to suite me. The only other for sure additions will be better tires, heavy duty tubes, wheel locks, and a Shorai battery that I intend to add before the first race of the season early next month.

Many of you know I have been riding Gas Gas 300's for some time now, since 2004. During that time I have owned three different model years and now have my fourth, which is the standard model XC 300 E.
I am a A level rider nearly 42 years of age 6' tall and 200 lbs. I ride enduro to desert and everything in between.
Biggest accomplishments are an NMA open A. class enduro championship and a NMA Vet Off road championship while riding Gas Gas.

Over the years riding these bikes exclusively I have learned many little set up tricks that help make these bikes the perfect fit for me.

My XC 300E is equipped as follows:
Marzocchi /Ohlins
LTRacing suspension re valve with .44 springs in forks and set down in clamps with 2 mm showing on top and a 5.4 spring in back also LTR re valve

36mm Air striker 2 carb Slide #6.5 with notch.
Yamaha YZ 250 2 stroke factory carb needle N3EJ clip in center position #3
Pilot jet #40
Main #180
1 turn out on air screw

Scorpion Racing Skid plate
Scorpion Racing Radiator guards
IMS PRO Series foot pegs with rear offset standard height.
Enduro engineering rear disk Guard
Twin air filter cage
Cycra pro series hand guards with threaded bar inserts.
LTR case saver
BRP chain guide
Home made brake pedal snake
Hard parts front axle pull
Go fasters MX # plate mount system and Honda plate

Parts modded include:

Kick stand auto retract
Shortened clutch lever
Shortened handle bars and hand guards
Shortened rear brake lever bolt to lower pedal height
Ground down large ribs protruding from the multi switch for the e start and kill
Routed and tucked power valve breather up and over top of frame pointing back down
Taped all exposed wiring
Zip tied various things to help ensure they stay put
Greased swing arm, linkage and steering head.

Conditions this day are from around 45 to 55 degrees through the day and partly cloudy. My testing ground consisted of what we ride here a lot in western Washington. Tight technical single track with bar lock to bar lock turns. The trails are littered with wet roots n rocks, a few log crossings, also some deep water. Trails flow through dense green second growth forest and open clear cuts. The soil here is glacial till so it has a lot of gravel to sandy mix but some areas are of a soil consistency and can get quite slick when wet. There are also two track and fire roads with large whoops and natural terrain jumps to get a higher speed feel. Tahuya is a area with very little elevation change and hovers somewhere between 400 and 600 feet above sea level.

So on to the report. I pull into the staging area which is already almost full to capacity at 9:30AM The nice weather and seasonal closures of most other areas makes this place a zoo on these kind of weekends. As I drive through the staging area I see heads turning and eyes focusing on my bike. I unload, as usual people start filtering over with questions and curiosity some to just catch a glimpse up close. Right away my buddy wipes dirt on my bike and exclaims, he is the first one to get it dirty with a grin.

After I suit up, its now time! Realizing I have to get into a whole new start up routine with this bike because it has a key and a handle bar mounted choke lever, I think before I act..
I flip on the petcock, pull in the choke lever and give the kick start a stab, first kick fires right up. I have decided to only use the e start when the bike is up to operating temperature to hopefully minimize starter wear. I let it warm up a couple minutes and head off down the road briskly to help clean her out as I had been doing slow riding with the stock jetting in the yard for the break in and figured it was loaded up a bit, it was.

Reaching the first trail which has a bit of everything fast and straight, tight turns, choppy rocky and rooty single track. Within the first mile I knew I was gonna get along with my new ride well. I felt so confident and comfortable right away and it showed, I steadily pulled away from my buddies, waiting for them at the end of that section This was my first ride on any bike in six weeks and I felt right at home.

Les owner of LTRacing did his magic on my suspension, a phenomenal job as usual. Its so nice to have a Ohlins shock on the bike again. It's a far better unit than the Sachs that was equipped on my 2008. I checked my sag before heading out in the AM its right on, no adjustment necessary until after break in.It always amazes me how close Les gets it to where I need it. The control at speed Les' set up allows is stellar. Hitting 2' whoops on 10" single track at race speed can be nerve racking especially with trees right off your bars. You can charge this stuff with out a worry as the bike stays straight and tackles trail junk in stride. Les knows his stuff. His set up works in all types of terrain as I have experienced on my other 300's. I recommend him to everyone.

This bike has the same flat rider cock pit as my others did but is a bit more slender up front at the radiator shrouds. It helps aid the already present nimble feeling we're all used to. It feels as light, if not lighter than any of my other 300's when riding or hoisting on to a stand and it is equipped with a starter and battery. They defiantly have shaved weight off the bike, as I found some examples of this when I had the bike apart. Did I mention... yep it turns. No surprise here, we have come very accustomed to this fabulous trait. It carves a corner like its on rails, and keep in mind I'm still running the stock Eco 6 days Metzler's.

Now to the heart of the bike, the motor. I knew nothing about this new carb so I asked Les if he knew anything. And of course he has friends around the globe that have experience with these carburetors. Les got in touch with one of his friends Linton, in Christchurch, New Zealand. He runs a small shop there called Dirt Action Cycles. Huge props go out to Linton for the jetting info as it is spot on, thanks! If your having trouble finding that sweet set up, try it, I'm sure you will approve.

This motor rips!
Mind you I am used to the 2k2 ignition and lighter flywheel of my 08. This bike comes equipped with a 2k3 which has a bit heavier flywheel effect and typically tames response down a bit. I'm not feeling it , response is amazing and power comes on with smooth authority, very robust till sign off on top. I will not change anything power related. I think the Gas Gas stock pipe has a wider power spread than the FMF Gnarly that my 2008 came equipped with, which probably contributes to the awesome power characteristics.
The Q exhaust looks venerable but for such a quiet exhaust it is well worth the gamble. This bike whispers when off the main jet. Like I've said before, the new Gas Gas add motto should read.. now equipped with the FMF Q. "Gas Gas silent but deadly!"

The clutch. I have never had this issue up until this bike. Yep mine is making some noise with minimal abuse also. Just on minimal slippage I heard it sometimes. It wasn't outrages loud, but noise was evident just the same. I was running the oil that came in the bike and will change it to my regular weight and brand now that the bikes broke in. I will let you know how it performs next ride.

E start is a bit temperamental on my bike also. But not like the horror stories I have been reading. It does kick out a little more than I would like. I found giving a slight crack of the throttle before you push the button usually gets it to fire right up. I got some direction from Ross or (Rosco) as he's known with his log in on this site. He has an e start bike and adding another gasket to the cover to space it out a bit helped his. I will try this and see if it helps.

I have had this bike apart as well as all my other 300's over the years. the evolution is very evident on this bike. Fit and finish and improvements in maintenance and reliability are very noticeable throughout.

On my ride I did have one issue. My float stuck wide open losing mucho fuel in the process before I noticed. Unfortunately I did not get an accurate mileage for a tank of fuel, next time. The cause was a small shard of plastic left in the gas tank during the molding process held the float needle open until I removed it out on the trail This is a far easier task than most of this bikes competitors. You have to remove nothing but carb parts. No gas tank removal etc to access the carb.

Thanks to all my sponsors and friends listed in my signature line. My bike would not be what it is without you!

My next test will be in the desert. Here in Washington. Here we go from rain forest to desert in a couple hundred miles with two mountain ranges in between. Our bikes need to perform in all facets of terrain to be competitive. That's why I ride a Gas Gas 300.

I'll add my findings here after I see how it does in the high speeds, sugar sand, silt, and granite of the desert.

Roscoe

The only shots my friend got of me in action on Sunday.

[roostafish]

Nice write up Roscoe. Will be interesting to see how the e start holds up.

[gasgasnz]

cool write up, sounds like a happy gasgas owner, by the way Linton at dirt action can be contacted at www.dasmoto.co.nz

[john01]

Excellent ride report Rosco. Man you could write for the motorcycle mag very well done. Thanks for the report.

[gasgasman]

Excellent write up.
Very easy to read.

[GMP]

Nice Roscoe. What do you think the 36mm carb does as far as low vs top end power compared to the '08 with the 38mm? I would think it really yanks off the bottom, maybe thats why the flywheel does not feel as heavy as it is.

[wence]

Awesome write up mate. Sounds like you got the gassers dialled, no reason to swap brands for a while.
Cheers Mark

[flybars]

Great write-up Roscoe. Interesting U lowered the forks in the tubes. I'm thinking the 36" carb would give U more bottom, but smoother 'cause it's a 2k3?

[firffighter]

Agreed. Great write-up Roscoe.

Interesting thoughts on the 2k2 vs 2k3. I have not had a chance to ride my DE300 with the 2k2 yet and was wondering if I would notice a difference coming off of a 2k3 EC250.

I'm thinking the 36" carb would give U more bottom, but smoother 'cause it's a 2k3?

This is similar to what Kawasaki did with their KDX line. The 200 had the larger carb and the 220 had the smaller carb. After owning both, the 220 was much more of a tractor and would pull off the bottom like a XR400.

[REVERUP]

Thanks all! I would have commented sooner but had my M/C meeting last night.

Ya I also am curious how the starter will hold up Mike. I think I will be able to test it thoroughly with the wet conditions we see here. I could really get to like this option so I hope it works out.

Hey thanks gasgasnz for the link to Linton's shop. I thought it was very nice he took the time to get Les the jetting specs with all the craziness that must have been going on over there at that time from the devastating earthquake, it was only a couple days later.

Not sure if any of you seen this pic but it is the moment the quake hit Christchurch New Zealand.


I think your on to something Glenn, Bob and Russ, that was my thought also. The Carb probably adds a little more torque off the bottom to move the heavier weight easier, making for smooth lag less response.

Bob the reason I run the fork tubes down in the clamps is to gain stability at speed. These bikes already turn unbelievable so sacrificing a bit of turning for stability is OK.

Russ you will notice a difference between the 2. Not only have you went from the 250 to the 300 but you went to the lighter flywheel. I bit freer reving is how I would explain it. Less Lag to wick it up into the higher rpms if your being aggressive. But if you are riding a gear high grunting along it won't be very noticeable, until you need that instant zap to loft the front end over something.

Roscoe