'07 EC250 first ride report

[GMP]

Spent a few very late nights the last week setting the bike up. Completely tore it down and built it back up. Jeff and I will put together an article on this soon. A few notes of importance though:

Be VERY carefull with the air filter. I oiled one up with NoToil, installed it, and after a ride around the neighborhood, found it had shifted off the boot! Apparently the locating pins were not all within the boot. Always try to force it sideways after install to check this!

The top rear of the rads sit very close to the fuel tank, only a couple mm. I added some rubber as a protector for the tank as this crimp area for the core is very sharp.

The bike is lighter than the '03, for sure. Feels 10 - 15 lbs lighter picking it up. Wheels and swingarm, silencer, and some small alloy parts like the chain adjusters. I will weigh it, but the wet weight listed by Dirtrider for the GoFasters bike at 240 seems accurate.

The Hyde combo fits the bike PERFECT. Mounts are crappy but work. Very stout. I'll make my own mounts soon.

The GG pipe is not thin like the Messico, in fact its very thick and feels stronger than the FMF Gnarly.

Rode the bike about 30 miles today. First, its very fast, faster than my modded '03. It has plenty of grunt, maybe a bit less on the very bottom, but revs(and pulls) a lot higher. It also revs very fast, even with a 14 oz weight. Very smooth but very strong. All I did was LTR jetting with a 48 pilot and 182 main and an LTR PV cover, and geared it 13/52. There is no clutch drag, it shifts excelent, and it will idle smooth even in gear. It totally rips. It feels very light on the trail, in fact this is what you notice first. Steers much faster than the '03 but is still very stable. This may be less dramatic coming from an '05 or '06. Suspension, even though brand new, is VERY GOOD for a stock bike in the rocks. The fork has a fair amount of feedback, but it DOES NOT deflect. This inspires confidence. The shock feels the same, no bad habits, maybe just a little too much LS compression but its new and I only adjusted it 2 clicks. Too early for an accurate evaluation. The seat is VERY hard, like a '98 KTM or a Cannondale.

Overall its awesome and in a different league than the '03.