'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.

[SpeedyManiac]

Thanks for the ride report GMP. I can't wait to pull the trigger on getting a new EC250, though I may wait for the 08 bikes.

[GMP]

Ready to go

[Leon_gasgas]

Great buy Glenn! Soon you will love it even more! I am sure of that. Did you run it with the stock jetting and then you put the LTR kit? After your suggestion I moved the needle to 3rd (mid) position after I found out there was the restrictor plate in the filter, and it runs fine (with just a bit spooge after very tight sections). It was not responding nicely in a sand track with uphills with the needle clip in 2nd pos. The seat will feel much better after 20 hours on the bike. The seat cover will brake/open up around the screw. I don't know if it can be prevented...

[GMP]

I rode it around the neighborhood a few times and then changed it before the woods ride. Its as close to perfect as I have ever jetted a bike. The '03 was tougher to get right with the LTR needle but this '07 likes it.

I do hope the seat gets a little softer. I like a hard seat but this is real hard. I swaped bikes with my brother and his Husky seat felt like a sofa.

The grommet through the seat cover is dumb. What they should have done is cut/mold the foam away from the area so the cover can be bonded to the base and not stretch, forming a little pocket like a Husky. I added a fender washer with a rubber backing washer to hopefully prevent it from ripping. When its time to change it I'll do it like the Husky.

[PEB]

Glen,

Could you post some pics of the Hyde combo please?

Paul B

[GMP]

Paul, check the photo gallery.

[SpeedyManiac]

I just want to re-iterate Glenn's statements. My 07 EC250 is definitely an improvement over my 01 EC200. The handling is unbelievable. I'm still getting used to the handling as I'm not used to a bike turning this sharp. Suspension is good (my bike has Ohlins front and rear) but it needs a fluid change and I need to play with the clickers to get it dialed in. Not sure if I'll need a revalve yet. The engine is magic. Mine has the lighter flywheel/ignition. The bike pulls hard, yet it's very smooth. I have a 14 oz flywheel weight in my parts box but I don't think I'll need it. Right now I'm running 13/49, I think I'll drop it down to 13/51 or 52. For the ISDE I'll run 13/51 at the lowest, probably 13/50. The bike is definitely lighter than my 2001 EC200. One thing I miss is the air box hand holds that the 01's had. Mine has a hand hold molded into the tail light casing but it's muddy down there when riding. Oh well, minor inconvenience.

The new subframe/air box/seat is awesome! 1 bolt to remove the seat! I'm thinking of making a quick release option for quick air filter changes. The seat is very, very hard. Granted the foam in my 200 is sacked out and cushy, but the 07 foam feels like KTM foam. Good thing I stand up lots.

Other notes:
-gas tank is better than on my 2001. It clears my damper post with lots of room to spare.
-computer is way better than my 01 model.
-no clutch drag, very smooth action that's lighter than my 01
-better axle blocks than on my 01
-new front axle uses an allen wrench instead of 17mm hex
-GasGas rimlocks are junk
-DID rims look good. My excels on my 200 are pretty beat up so it will be interesting to see if the DIDs hold up better.
-rear wheel slides into place easier on the 07. This may have something to do with the shark fin on my brake caliper adding weight to the caliper, keeping it in place.
-brakes are better on the 07. Integrated reservoir on rear master cylinder is sweet.
-Both brake lines and the clutch line are braided steel. Very nice.
-Dual stage ignition is cool. Very, very smooth in rain mode, lots of pep in dry mode. Rain mode button could be bigger to make it easier to hit.
-Stock bar mounts left the bars in my lap. I now have a BRP top triple clamp and SUB mount to help things out. Keep in mind my 200 also has a BRP top triple clamp, SUB mount and Pro-Taper woods high bars. I like my bars really high.
-Fasteners are higher quality on the new bike.
-Frame guards are a nice touch.

That's about it. So far I only have a couple hours on the bike, but I'm going riding again tomorrow so I'll get a better impression soon. So far I love it though!

[GMP]

Steve,

Be VERY carefull with the air filter. Get your hands in there and verify its seated properly. Use plenty of rim grease.

I scrapped the wire chain adjuster holder, reversed the axel so the nut is on the right, and added two layers of shrink tubing to the chain adjuster threads so they fit snug in the swingarm.

When setting up the rear shock, keep the preload to 10mm max. Even if the sag is over 115mm . Both the fork and shock will feel better, try it. Since I did this the seat is no problem.

I'm told that Husaberg uses an M6 folding wing bolt for the seat, like a Husky but not a dzus fastener. That would mean no tools seat removal, I have to get one.

[gasgasman]

Originally Posted by GMP

I scrapped the wire chain adjuster holder

Yep. It is a pain, the wrench can't fit over the nut because the wire is in the way.