GG FSR 515 Questions....what to do

[pbspecial]

O.K. so I'm a 10+ year GG rider, and would never think of going to the dark side.....well until I started thinking about a 4 stroke. I currently have an 03 250EC that I will be keeping, mainly to race and ride in the tight stuff. But the 4-stroke thing is for some reason calling me. I have always liked how the 4-strokes run, but the maintenace is a little scary, especially on the new breed of high revving water cooled units. I have always done all my own maint but not sure on the 4T.

And since I will be keeping the 2T for racing, I want to outfit a big 4-stoke as a kind of 'dual-sport' at least street legal mount. I really like the Fuel injection of the gasser as well as the rock solid reliability that I have experienced since the first one I owend in 1998. Can anyone give me some insight on the GG 4-stroke from a maintenance point of view as well as how they run, say compared to the KTM 530 or 450 EXC, both of which I have ridden, or even the Husky TE510 whihc are also now fuel injected. I still can't get used to the rear end of the KTM, but I have to say that the new 530 is a damn nice bike, and for 1K less.....never ridden a Husky......Also not having a dealer close to me scares me a little with the 4-stroke maint. Hopefully I won't have to mess with it much at least if it's like the last two GG I have had.

It won't take much convincing to stay with GG, but I'd like to chat with someone who has ridden them and has some experience with them.

Also feel free to call me at 248.797.3699, name is Philippe

[bergerhag]

I own a '05 FSE 450, which I ride hard at least once a week, have accumulated 120 h on it since dec '06. I cannot say that the maintenance of this bike is at all anything to fear. The only thing maintenace wise (as per the user manual) that differs from a twostroke is the valve clerance checks every 60h.

And that is the one thing you do not want to ignore. Failure to set proper clearance will later end up in NO clearance, which will burn your exhaust valves and finally they will seize in the guides, breaking on contact with the piston..

You imagine what a piece of a valve will do when rumbling around in the combustion chamber.
This is why I check my valve clearances every 30 h instead of the 60h stated int the maintenance chart. And if you take a look at the chart, there is no perodic replacement of pistons and other engine components.

As it comes to riding, I find the FSE is a fantastic bike. It doesn't yank hard off the bottom unless you twist the throttle a lot, it is more of 'you get want you ask for'. It does not have a peaky powerband like a smoker, which makes it easy to control in every situation. The ergos are almost perfect for me, as I am 180 cm, but with short legs, only 30" inseam. Taller riders often add the tall seat option. I myself have added 30 mm of bar raisers, to make it more comfy standing up. The controls bear a distictive mark of the trials history of Gasgas, shifter, brakes and levers are very precise and are exactly where I want them.

As for comparison to other brands I haven't got any considerable time on any other 4stroker, I have ridden a few 'bergs and I don't fancy the ergos, tank is too wide etc. I like the old VOR's, nice suspension and ergos. The Husky TE was on my list, but dropped out because they lost their counter balance axle from '06, and vibration is an issue to me, suffering slightly from carpal tunnel syndrome, which exaggurates with vibration.

As far as I understand the FSR515 is much more powerful than the older FSE450 so the power band experience of min might not apply.

Happy biking
//Thomas

[skid jackson]

I came off a drz 400 ....
I'm not huge fan of 4t's anymore, maybe if I was out west cruising the wide open spaces. Personally I think a GG 300 can do anything a 450 4t can do and it is 50 lbs lighter!!. That said if you don't like ktm rear end you might look at the kawi 450f enduro version It got rave reviews last year

[Metalefty]

I also have the '05 450 FSE and reliability is nothing to worry about. Since the 4 stroke hasn't gone through any major redesigns yet, your basically looking at a slightly improved engine every year. Usually the difference of someone choosing between the GasGas 2 stroke and the 4 stroke is power delivery and EFI. For me, 4 stroke power delivery works better and the EFI is a given for my altitude changes. But, the last few years the 300 has a very 4 stroke like feel and when GasGas finally releases a direct injection 2 stroke, I think I'm buying the 300, until then I'm plenty happy with my 450.

[hasslbri]

Well, so far I have about 6-8 hours on my 515. I still am trying to get the suspension set up to how I like it to feel. This bike likes to ride too high in the rear for my liking, making the front end a bit on the quick side. I am also waiting on the ground to dry up so I can ride at all my favorite spots and get a real world review on this beast. (sand pits do not work for me) I will be racing it on Sunday on a very GNCC style course and see how it goes. I am using this bike for training. (ISDE) It is 15-20lbs. heavier then my 300 and you can feel it as it is placed high up on the bike. Every ride the bike starts better and runs better. I can tell you it is absolutely as fast if not faster then any 250/300/520/450 I have ever ridden. I owned a 470 Husaberg and this machines stomps the berg, plus it has a smaller quicker handling chassis. Power is so quick off the bottom, it makes you have to fully respect this machine. As choked up as the exhaust looks, you would guess it would barely run. This bike is way faster then my 300. Wish me luck on its first races. I better eat my wheaties for this one.

Brian

[SpeedyManiac]

Why the switch to the thumper? Feeling out-powered on the 300 in C3?

[gasgasman]

Boomhauer's boy, Nabotine is spanking the big bore 4 strokes in the E3 class on an EC300.

[Metalefty]

Originally Posted by hasslbri

Well, so far I have about 6-8 hours on my 515. I still am trying to get the suspension set up to how I like it to feel.

It's probably still a little early to fuss with the suspension setup as it's more than likely not broken in yet. Give it more time. From your opinions it sounds like an interesting bike, hope I get to ride one someday.

[hasslbri]

No I still ride the 300 for my main races. That bike is pretty much unbeatable for myself overall. There is also less to go wrong in nasty races as well. It is just insanely easy to ride everywhere. Rode a couple hours tonight, and the changes I made were unbelievable! (Raised the forks up until they almost touched the underside of the bars and gave the shock more sag.) Now the bike no longer has that floppy heavy feel and drops into flat and tight turns equally good. It also no longer has that wheelie at the slightest throttle opening feel. It was idling high and I had to adjust the throttle body alittle. After tonight things are really looking good. Still don't know if I am man enough to hang onto it for a two and half hour race yet.

Brian

[GasGas]

I have an 03 450 and can say the smile factor with that bike is pretty huge for trail riding. By far the best handling bike I ever rode. Stable as an XR 650R at speed. Begs to be ridden hard..........or mabye thats just me. The motor and efi seem to have come a long way since my bike as the 03's were pretty sketchy at best. I don't seem to be hearing of any more problems with the motor any more with the newer bikes. The battery-less efi would be a big improvement also. I don't think you would be dissapointed with a new 450.