Sumter - 1st race on new ride

[Robby45]

Hey all, new to forum and a first time GG owner as well. My last bike was a 08 KTM 300xc-w. The new one is an '11 300xc e-start.

Gotta say I REALLY like this thing. Sumter was a great test and this bike is a keeper!

Things I like best:
Motor - perfect woods motor. Right amount of power delivery at every rpm. Carburation is spot on. Never loaded up like my KTM used too.
Ignition map switch - this one actually does something! Even though traction was great, I rode most of the day in the cooler map because I was worn ass out after the first section of whoops.
Ergos - lower seat height but still high enough pegs. I thought it would be a little cramped, but it actually worked real well. The low seat is great for the tight/rough stuff if you have to dab. I think a tall seat would make it ideal, but my butt was in great shape after 70 miles (not so with the KTM), so I will leave it for now.
Brakes - I'm tough on brakes and usually have fade and boil over problems. They stayed consistent all race and I was dragging the pedal more than I should have been.
Steering - I heard it was fast, but wow! Took some getting used too at first. I was popping out of berms and oversteering the thing initially, but now that I've got some miles on it I really like it.

Things I'm not crazy about:
Suspention (ohlins/marz)- fork was way harsh. I wasn't using the last 4" of travel even after bleeding the air out after the whoop section. Softened the compression and it only made the initial stroke softer (so the hard hits actually got worse) After getting home I checked the oil level. One leg was at 105, the other 110. I set them both at 115 and set turned the clickers back to what the manual recommends. We'll see how that turns out. The shock initailly felt stiff but by the end of race I was pretty happy with it. It was hard to evaluate with the front being as bad as it was.
Kickstand - been covered here.
Steering stops - I had to cut them down. I was told they wouldn't bother me when riding but I ran out of lock several times - scary!
Switchgear - had to nix that huge thing and put a regular starter switch on so I could get the clutch lever in a reasonable position.
Airbox/seat arrangement - loading the bike on the trailer to head down I noticed a bunch of water pouring out of the airbox drain. Turns out when I washed it last mud had clogged the hole and water had been sitting in there for a week. I don't go crazy washing stuff. I think the seat holes on the sides allow too much water down to the box and mud easily gets pushed down into the airbox. I can cover the seat when I wash it, but why? You can't acutally get your hand under the seat through the holes anyway so I don't know why they are there?

All in all I love the bike. The issues I have are nickpicky other than suspention. I think I can get that dialed with some more testing. I ran out of gas 1/4 mile after the last check but I think that was because of an aftermarket vent tube that was leaking.

Got to meet Clay and a couple of other GG racers before the race. Good people all and I got some set up tips from Clay - that guy can ride as well as sell bikes! I dropped a 66 for the say, I think he was in the high 30's, the winner was a 17.

[Keg]

Good report.

Lower your float height a little. That usually helps economy and reduces spilling out the overflow.

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by Robby45

Hey all, new to forum and a first time GG owner as well. My last bike was a 08 KTM 300xc-w. The new one is an '11 300xc e-start.

Gotta say I REALLY like this thing. Sumter was a great test and this bike is a keeper!

Things I like best:
Motor - perfect woods motor. Right amount of power delivery at every rpm. Carburation is spot on. Never loaded up like my KTM used too.
Ignition map switch - this one actually does something! Even though traction was great, I rode most of the day in the cooler map because I was worn ass out after the first section of whoops.
Ergos - lower seat height but still high enough pegs. I thought it would be a little cramped, but it actually worked real well. The low seat is great for the tight/rough stuff if you have to dab. I think a tall seat would make it ideal, but my butt was in great shape after 70 miles (not so with the KTM), so I will leave it for now.
Brakes - I'm tough on brakes and usually have fade and boil over problems. They stayed consistent all race and I was dragging the pedal more than I should have been.
Steering - I heard it was fast, but wow! Took some getting used too at first. I was popping out of berms and oversteering the thing initially, but now that I've got some miles on it I really like it.

Things I'm not crazy about:
Suspention (ohlins/marz)- fork was way harsh. I wasn't using the last 4" of travel even after bleeding the air out after the whoop section. Softened the compression and it only made the initial stroke softer (so the hard hits actually got worse) After getting home I checked the oil level. One leg was at 105, the other 110. I set them both at 115 and set turned the clickers back to what the manual recommends. We'll see how that turns out. The shock initailly felt stiff but by the end of race I was pretty happy with it. It was hard to evaluate with the front being as bad as it was.
Kickstand - been covered here.
Steering stops - I had to cut them down. I was told they wouldn't bother me when riding but I ran out of lock several times - scary!
Switchgear - had to nix that huge thing and put a regular starter switch on so I could get the clutch lever in a reasonable position.
Airbox/seat arrangement - loading the bike on the trailer to head down I noticed a bunch of water pouring out of the airbox drain. Turns out when I washed it last mud had clogged the hole and water had been sitting in there for a week. I don't go crazy washing stuff. I think the seat holes on the sides allow too much water down to the box and mud easily gets pushed down into the airbox. I can cover the seat when I wash it, but why? You can't acutally get your hand under the seat through the holes anyway so I don't know why they are there?

All in all I love the bike. The issues I have are nickpicky other than suspention. I think I can get that dialed with some more testing. I ran out of gas 1/4 mile after the last check but I think that was because of an aftermarket vent tube that was leaking.

Got to meet Clay and a couple of other GG racers before the race. Good people all and I got some set up tips from Clay - that guy can ride as well as sell bikes! I dropped a 66 for the say, I think he was in the high 30's, the winner was a 17.

Great review Robbie. Congrats on your first race with the Gasser.

As for the AIR INLETS on the back of the seat - try lifting from the silencer instead, or sneak your hand in between it and the fender.

There's a reed valve in the bottom of the airbox but in my experience you're best to push it with your finger after washing to empty any water that got in. And be careful where you point the pressure washer

Welcome aboard!

[GMP]

That's how the bike breaths. I have two pieces of foam I stuff in the holes to block wash water.

[Robby45]

Good idea on stuffing foam in the seat holes when wasing. I never would have though they were there for the airbox to breathe.

Thanks.

[eff]

I stuff rags in mine when washing.