Would you buy another Gas Gas?

[twowheels]

Originally Posted by spanner

I've got a 2003 EC300 and would never buy another Gasser, its been the biggest money pit i've ever owned, spares are hard to come by and expensive and you need plenty of them. O almost forgot, the secondhand value is crap.they wont idle and dont use a standard fastner size so you need lots of tools to do the simplest of tasks. Sold my enduro spec YZF250 for one of these and regret it. Sorry for being negative , its just my view.

As a reasonable question, what do you think a 9 year old dirt bike should be worth? How well was it maintained? Are you in a small market to begin with?

FWIW the build quality on the Gassers takes a jump just about every time there is a major revision. 05s were better than 02s, 07s better than 05s, 10s much better than 09s, 11s incrementally better, and the 12s head and shoulders above them all.

My 2011 and 2012 300s idle like tops - all day long if you ask them to - and have yet to require any part be changed out. The tools required are standardized - I take things apart to see how they're made, and these new bikes are well done.

It does help if you have a stocking dealer nearby, but then again there's the world wide inter web if you ever get stuck for parts

[Jakobi]

Yeah, I'm not too sure how I would have got on with an older model. They semed to have alot more quirks about them and less build quality particularly re fasteners. The parts may have been harder to locate.

With my 2010 model I have had to spend some time tuning to get the most out of the bike, the same I would have had to with any other bike. No issues sourcing anything.

Now ask someone who's bought a 2nd hand 250F thats had a hard life what a money pit is. Its well easy to spend more than the value of one of these bikes on the engine alone (especially if you had limited mechanical knowledge).

[GasGas]

I've had an 03, 05 and a my current bike a 2011. They have been far less expensive to maintain than any Japanese bike I have owned. Mainly because most parts just seem to last longer. Sure they can be a bit finicky to work on at times, but they are not that bad. You just have to do the routine stuff and keep them greased. Can't wait to upgrade again in a couple years but for now I'm looking forward to riding my current bike now that it's all set up.

[lankydoug]

I just sold my only GasGas and might buy a GasGas trials bike but I will not buy another enduro unless some changes are made. I really like my Husky for the same reasons Roostafish stated but also I prefer the tall man friendly Husky over the Gasser. I may have been unlucky with the service I have received when trying to buy GasGas parts since others owners seem to be very happy but it will take a very dominate bike and a long cooling off period before consider another GasGas.

[desertgasser300]

You read on here about "hard to find parts". Things like "I can't go to the corner bike shop and get parts.", "Dealer network is horrible!" The gasser fasteners are all different.

I just rebuilt a 97' EC250 that I would put up against any other newer bike. It is that good! It will out manuver, out climb and out "chug" anything. And the parts have never been a problem to find, thanks to Steve Beane, aka Two Wheels.

Well, things break, come loose and go missing when you ride a bike. And i'm sure this happens to ALL bikes. My riding buddy and his 06 KTM as an example has literally fallen apart. He also has an 06' yz250 set up for desert riding. All and all it sucks and he knows it. My 07' water pump seal blew the other day, a phone call and a few emails of parts lists to After hours cycle and they are in the mail. My buddy ordered a counter shaft seal from a big chain store for his yz a week and half ago, still no seal. Mine will be delivered i'm sure before his. And mine will come to my front door so I don't have to waste my fuel driving to the dealer.

When I was ridng my 97' full time, my same buddy had his 09 crf450 before he sold it. In 6 months he spent more on valve jobs and piston/rings and had more down time waiting for the shop to finish his bike.

Is this to harsh?

[blitz11]

I have a 2002. Ugghhh. It takes forever to service this thing. Jeesh. I can change the trans oil and coolant in my kids' KTM quicker than i can fill the oil in the GG transmission. Rear suspension service took forever, but at least i was able to swap out bad bearings and bushings that I had to leave last year 'cause I ran out of time to fix it properly (no nearby dealer, and I was in a pinch, so I just lubed it).

I found some 2216-2RS sealed needle bearings for the rear suspension linkage, so I'll let you know how that works out. Double seals might be the cat's meow.

That being said, the bike has been stone reliable. I took the exhaust off today (rust hole...go figure. That Eline guard traps moisture), looked at the 5 year old piston (i lug the bike, and didn't ride too much in the past three years...work and broken wrists), and it look great. 10 year old clutch, crank, main bearings, trans, etc. Just replaced my chain slider after 5 years.

Yes, the thing drives me nuts. The engineer who came up with the clutch bleeder is a fool. I can't imagine anybody coming up with a worse design for the kickstand. KTM did a much better job of designing needle bearing bushing/seals. (I've yet to see anything but light polish on a KTM swing arm bearing). The PDS is really attractive in terms of service. I've done 2 heim joints in 5 years. Can't complain there.

Of course, this is on a 10 year old bike. I'd really like to take apart a 2012.

The old bikes were quirky, but i've spend nearly nothing for spare parts/broken parts. In that respect, they're awesome. If you do your maintenance, the bike will reward you.

Would I buy another? Maybe, if this 2002 ever craps out. I am gonna' buy a new exhaust, drink some beer once I finish my spring service, and ride it another year.

[PEB]

Swingarm bearing with seals? Where did you get them?

[hallyfromspen]

well ive a 2009 300ec,have spent a fortune on suspention tuning,but other than that,its bulletproof if you look after them,no clutch trouble,yes a slight povervalve rattle(no drama)oil changed after every ride,strip n grease every 10 rides,spanner check before every outing,i.rode and raced KTM for many years,sold my KTM 250sx 2009,KTM 400 exc and never looked back.i havnt found a fault yet,suspention was a pig at first(found springs in front forks for a 9st rider)but now sweet.kicks KTM300 ass in the tight wooded sections and in the heavy mud.GAS GAS ALL THE WAY,oh just to add,ive done a 117mile round trip today on her,rocks,heavy bogs,sand,fire roads,never missed a beat.washed,lubed,oil changed,new filter,spannered,new plug,READY AGAIN....GO GASSER!!!!

[Simmo737]

I had a husky, nice bike but i pushed it more than I rode it. I've pushed/towed bergs. I've seen people almost die purely cause of pds and had to do valve clearances in the bush on a ktm to get it going (luckily old style motor) and don't like the ergos, and they rattle out bolts, there two smoke engines are the best. Never seen anybody have more than crash damage to a jap bike, and they all handle well, specially suzuks. Tms are built like tanks and are about the same size as a tank and have the most unbelievable monster motors and never break down, if I was 8'13" and only liked going warp 9, I'd be on a tm. The gg has been rock solid, and I like the handling and power delivery and size. I would buy another in a heart beat. We are lucky in Oz with Scotty's db spares, everything is overnight, with free advice from a gg expert.

[GasGas]

Originally Posted by blitz11

I have a 2002. Ugghhh. It takes forever to service this thing. Jeesh. I can change the trans oil and coolant in my kids' KTM quicker than i can fill the oil in the GG transmission. Rear suspension service took forever, but at least i was able to swap out bad bearings and bushings that I had to leave last year 'cause I ran out of time to fix it properly (no nearby dealer, and I was in a pinch, so I just lubed it).

I found some 2216-2RS sealed needle bearings for the rear suspension linkage, so I'll let you know how that works out. Double seals might be the cat's meow.

That being said, the bike has been stone reliable. I took the exhaust off today (rust hole...go figure. That Eline guard traps moisture), looked at the 5 year old piston (i lug the bike, and didn't ride too much in the past three years...work and broken wrists), and it look great. 10 year old clutch, crank, main bearings, trans, etc. Just replaced my chain slider after 5 years.

Yes, the thing drives me nuts. The engineer who came up with the clutch bleeder is a fool. I can't imagine anybody coming up with a worse design for the kickstand. KTM did a much better job of designing needle bearing bushing/seals. (I've yet to see anything but light polish on a KTM swing arm bearing). The PDS is really attractive in terms of service. I've done 2 heim joints in 5 years. Can't complain there.

Of course, this is on a 10 year old bike. I'd really like to take apart a 2012.

The old bikes were quirky, but i've spend nearly nothing for spare parts/broken parts. In that respect, they're awesome. If you do your maintenance, the bike will reward you.

Would I buy another? Maybe, if this 2002 ever craps out. I am gonna' buy a new exhaust, drink some beer once I finish my spring service, and ride it another year.

Never mind fooling around with seals on your linkage. Just order o-rings like the newer bikes use. They last longer and seal much better than the old style seals. The large one is 21x3.5 and the smaller ones on the shock are 15x3.5. You can buy them from any bearing shop.