EC200 Review and 2-day ride report

[firffighter]

Last week I was able to purchase a cherry 2003 EC200. It came nicely equipped with full Ohlins, full woods armor, full FMF, LT PV cover and jetting. This bike is extremely clean and tight with new top end and I believe RB head mod. A huge thanks to Elvis for posting a link to this bike nearly 2 years ago. I was able to dig up the old ad and owner still had bike!

This is my 3rd Gasgas (DE300, EC250), and our second EC200. My 18 year old has a '99 EC200 that I picked up a couple of years ago for him. I have only a few rides on his bike, but have been on a KTM 200 for 2 seasons.

The plan was to race this bike with my brother and cousin this weekend at the Shelton Valley Enduro, a 2-day event with amazing NW singletrack. Unfortunately, our Spring weather was not cooperative and rain set in on Saturday and is pouring today. So, we altered our plans and took advantage of some awesome weather and conditions on Friday and decent conditions yesterday just east of Mt. Hood.

We showed up Friday and things were near perfect. This is one of our favorite Spring riding areas just east of Mt. Hood. Unloaded and was ready to put the new Gasser to the test!



Warmed up the bike and took all of 2 minutes to recognize this bike is awesome! We took off for a 40+ mile rip and headed into the tight stuff. Bike was ripping and I was having a blast. We were about 5 miles in and BOOM! A flat!.



I had a fresh Dunlop 803 put on 2 days earlier. Valve stem ripped right out of tube. Not sure what issue was. I've run trials tires for many years and never had an issue. Oh well, my brother and I brought spare tubes. They headed back to truck while I got everything ready to put in a new tube. Guess what? No 18" tube So, we loaded up and headed for local shop about 45 min. away. Got a tube put in and rather than going back we were about 15 min. from another great spot out of Hood River. So, we unloaded again and did a nice 35 mile rip before dark.

Conditions were spectacular and I was loving the new ride! My first impressions were that I was right at home on this bike. It should stand to reason since I've owned 2 other Gassers, but these bikes are so easy to ride. I kept thinking "This bike is so stable" . This is, of course, coming off of a KTM 200 which are notorious for being a bit twitchy.

Handling is amazing on this bike. It is stable and flickable all at the same time. It slices and dices like so well and yet is able to keep its line through the imbedded rocks and exposed roots without issue. I've been riding with a Scott's stabilizer for several years, but have to say this bike doesn't need one. We tackle some very nasty rock gardens and it never deflected once. The combination of light weight and stability and very nice in the tight NW woods!

Suspension is top notch as would be expected with full Ohlins. It is soft enough to soak up the nasty roots and rocks and yet firm enough to handle the whoops with ease. The suspension is stock and performed better than my KTM forks with $1000 of work into them!

The motor is pure magic! I've never ridden a bike so linear and crisp. It has virtually no hit and no hesitation. It pulls hard off the bottom and just keeps pulling until you get to mid where it rips hard to the top. It might be a tad softerofte bottom than my KTM, but is so linear that it is extremely easy to ride. It can hold a gear high without issue. As a testament to how good this motor is, I've been riding with a Rekluse for 2 seasons on the KTM, so I was worried I'd be stalling all day since I haven't used a clutch in so long. I literally stalled twice in 2 days of gnarl riding with plenty of rocks, roots, technical sections, and hill climbs. This bike won't stall! I had it 2 gears high at times and just feathered the clutch an it just keeps lugging along. This bike wont be needing a Rekluse!

Overall, I am very impressed and cant wait to put this bike through its paces this season.

I did switch with my brother for some miles so he could test her out. He has a very sweet '03 EC250 that has been completely gone through with RB head mod and perfect jetting. His bike is also extremely linear and the motor is very nice. It pulls very had off bottom but is very manageable. The bike feels quite a bit heavier than the 200 and I told him his felt like a Cadillac and mine feel like Porsche.

Day 2: Back to our original spot from day before. We brought my son with his '99 EC200. Fantastic day of riding!



Not too often you see 2 yellow Gassers on the trails together! We did 40+ miles with epic conditions. I was so comfy on my EC200! Just felt like I could push hard all day and it keeps responding the harder you push.

LOVE my new (er) bike!

[Elvis74]

Great you love your bike. First time I saw the bike I was blown away

[Coop]

Great report and thanks for the pics!

[liv2day]

Awesome write-up Russ, so glad you enjoyed the first outing on the bike (aside from the flat...that's always a pia)

And it's completely cool to see a shot of you out with your son; I'm looking forward to when my two are old enough to be out riding with me.

[firffighter]

He's becoming a heck of a rider. Picks great lines and of course isn't afraid of speed! He loves his Gasgas.

So fun to ride with my boys!

We have a week long trip planned in June. Can't wait!

[Rick]

Originally Posted by firffighter

He's becoming a heck of a rider. Picks great lines and of course isn't afraid of speed! He loves his Gasgas.

So fun to ride with my boys!

We have a week long trip planned in June. Can't wait!

The 200 are so easy to ride....that 99 200 with the 2k3 is so smooth!
P.S your 200 looks clean! Enjoy!

[kyton]

Can't wait to get my 04 ec 200 up and running that i just purchased. Waiting on some parts and going to change all fluids,etc and hopefully good to go.