NEW! GasGas EC250 4-stroke w/Yamaha Engine!

[stevethebrit]

I just have a hard time believing that the 250f market isn't saturated. I can't see that GG 250f is really going to stand out in any way, especially with a Yama motor. I'm sure it would be a great bike, just not a big seller. Would be nice to be proven wrong, though....

[J D]

Not for me sorry, if I wanted a 250f Yamaha motor I would buy a Wr250f & be done with it.

If Gas Gas is looking at expanding its range then, I seriously believe that Gas Gas should look at bringing out a 300f or even better a 350f motor for its enduro cross range. EFI, electric start & keeping the weight down would ensure its success.
I feel this is where there is a opportunity to sell more bikes. A lot of 4t riders outgrow a 250f to quick & search for more power, yet find the gyroscopic effect of a 450f to much in the tight stuff.

[tm_enduro]

One thing that seems to have been lost here is that the Yamie powered 250f is a small run / one time only thing. As was pointed out, this will fill a gap in the WEC (as well as many local racing jurisdictions) for a 250f, until GasGas can produce their own motor.
Saturated or not, GasGas selling a 250f will have little to no effect on the market, since only loyal GG owners will buy it anyway.

[Skidad]

Originally Posted by tm_enduro

One thing that seems to have been lost here is that the Yamie powered 250f is a small run / one time only thing. As was pointed out, this will fill a gap in the WEC (as well as many local racing jurisdictions) for a 250f, until GasGas can produce their own motor.
Saturated or not, GasGas selling a 250f will have little to no effect on the market, since only loyal GG owners will buy it anyway.

Yes, a very small production run for sure if the 500 motor # is in fact accuarate. I see the WEC having little or no bearing on this as most bikes will be bought by avarage Joe rider for local racing/riding. Eventually with their own motor I can see more WEC GG participation perhaps.

If the pictures that were pulled were not accurate and GG Spain is indeed watching these posts give us some real pics of the bike with the Yammi motor. (carb access looked brutal from those I thought)

When they do come out (and just how close is this thing really I would like to know) with their own motor it should be:

Built to handle from 250cc to 350cc without major alterations
Small and light weight (like the Sherco, KTM or new Husky motor)
FI would be preferred with kick starter backup
6 speeds (please oh please NOT a 5 speed)
Hydro clutch of course
Stock cooling fan to control heat buildup
Good lighting power
Quiet
US street legal
Easy to work on
?????????? (Please add your own ideas)

Bike should weigh around 230lbs dry at most

[Ud_luz]

Skidad, keep in mind that the relentless drive for light weight is tending to cause some problems. Lighter frames, smaller calipers, smaller fuel tanks and on and on are starting to cause reliability or use problems. KTM is a good case in point. Super light weight but some issues are showing up.

[Rick]

The lastes KTM recall on the triple clamps.

[Radbuster]

Bike weight really hasn't changed that much over the years. A list MXA produced a while back showed that MX bikes have always been around 220-240 range.

Anyway, I'm with roostafish on this one.

Screw four strokes (for now). Make money now on the EC's as they are. They are good, don't forget that fact. Lots of people would buy the wonderful 200, the cool 250 or the lovely 300 if they knew about them and even tried one.

I also have one "...because it is the best two stroke bike in the world, period. Great chassis, never once have I ridden a bike that even comes close to the balance and perfection of handling..."

Again: "screw electric start, unless you can drop 15 pounds from an already fairly porky bike.."

By being a 2-stroke supplier, it takes a big chunk of the market by default. GG only needs to be available. All ex-RM/KX/CR/YZ owners who liked those bikes got screwed. Did they actually ask for a 450F? NO.

I got converted because I was lent a scratched up and bent '01 EC300 for a survival-run race. 2 weeks later I laid down hard cash for an almost new '07, no questions asked.

What needs to be done is the boring stuff:

-Support, impove and expand the US dealer network. 5000 bikes per year should be set as a goal for 2011, no BS.

-Improve operations. Have external pros go through and check the whole supply chain from sourcing, manufacturing, built-bike distribution and spare parts.

-Improve documentation. Better and more.

-Support the likes of Justin Wiliamson. Not only with bikes and parts, but with setup and testing. Yes the bike is gnarly in the slimy snot, but now it also has to learn high speeds for the US market. Get the feedback from pros and amateurs and use it as pre-pro testing.

[webmaster]

The only growing market segments for motorcycles are dual sports and scooters. Everything else is in decline. It is critical that gasgas has competition oriented street legal dual sports in their portfolio.

Street legal 2 strokes are never going to happen. A street legal 300-325 cc bike built off of, and with the weight of, a 250 4 stroke would be a grand slam. I have been saying this for years - husky now has their te310 - they will sell a boatload of them... I don't like how the husky motor shares the same stroke with it's 250 counterpart. It should have a longer stroke to provide greater torque. Can GasGas get a long stroke yamaha 300cc 4 stroke motor with a six speed? A heavy duty lighting coil would add to the appeal. That would be a grand slam.

In Europe- they have tariffs based on displacement and age based licensing based on displacement so staying below 250cc may not just be a racing class issue but a cost issue and a market issue.

It doesn't seem that the market here in the u.s. is understood by gasgas corporate - they could have had epa approval on the 450 years ago - the market window has passed them by and others have filled this market niche - husqvarna, etc.

jeff

p.s. I have 30 years experience in engineering, spent about 10 of it in marketing, also technical sales, etc.

[roostafish]

It's too bad we're not all just loaded with money. We as a community could really advance the cause by committing to buying 100 of these Gasahas and put 300-350cc stroker kits in them and pass them around to a bunch of magazines and test riders. Maybe Gas Gas would get a really nice boost from the American market, expecially if it were street license capable. While I'm spending all this money I don't have, I'd probably put together an offroad team and pay some darkhorse riders who are right on the cusp to go get noticed. The Knights did this 10 years ago, but unfortunately, racing costs big money, and there's only so far you can go in a sport that has no TV advertising attraction.
Unfortunately, it's just a dream, unless we can get Jay Leno interested, or, perhaps Bill Gates.

[EnduroNut]

Anything to increase GasGas market share is GREAT!
The Yamaha motor needs to be a short term powerplant though.