hi from the uk. not yet a gas gas owner

[ohffs]

hi. went to look at an old ec300 the other day but it was a bit rough. now found a 1999 ec250 and wondering if there are any major flaws in this model. obviously i know its a 14 year old dirtbike but money is tight and im pretty new to the sport. i will mainly be using it for practice days and general hooning around but it will be used for short journeys on the road too.

[Fred1956]

Originally Posted by ohffs

hi. went to look at an old ec300 the other day but it was a bit rough. now found a 1999 ec250 and wondering if there are any major flaws in this model. obviously i know its a 14 year old dirtbike but money is tight and im pretty new to the sport. i will mainly be using it for practice days and general hooning around but it will be used for short journeys on the road too.

I can't see how you could go wrong, I've never owned a GG older than 2004 but the basic engine design is still around today and many people are still very competitive on the older mounts. If the money is right for you it should make you a good ride. Lots of friendly info & help here on this board as well. Use the search function at will. Good luck & good riding!

[Coop]

Welcome to the site. If the older bike has been well maintained I am sure it will make a fine bike for you.

[robszombie]

ohffs, you'll have no problen picking up a decent EC(of any size) in the UK. If you want I might have an old bike buyers guide from a back issue of TBM. If you PM your address I can post it/them to you if that helps you make a decision. Best of luck.

Robs.

[Caravan Monster]

As said above, Gas Gas enduros are basically a strong, sound bike, even the older ones. However, our climate is hard on dirt bikes and older bikes generally accumulate more problems. It's the small items that can quickly add up into large bills and make buying older machines uneconomical.

I got caught out last year buying my '06 ec200. The bike was reasonably tidy looking, and I thought it was basically ok, just badly jetted. Driving home with my new purchase in the van I realised I hadn't checked for up / down play on the crank, and it turned out failed main bearings accounted for what I thought was poor jetting. Add piston kit, mains and seals, gaskets, several gearbox bearings all other the various wheel and linkage bearings, fork seals and bushes et c. et c. before it was in decent condition, and the hardly used '09 bike I had been offered suddenly looked like much better value for money.

But there again, you might get lucky and find a tidy older bike for a low price....

[ohffs]

thabks for the info folks. i missed the ec250 too. it was really tidy and so has set the benchmark as to what i can afford. too many dreamers out there with tatty bikes that think theyre worth a mint. Too many chavs that kick them up from cold and fly down thw street on the back wheel thinking it will impress me lol.

[ohffs]

Originally Posted by Caravan Monster

As said above, Gas Gas enduros are basically a strong, sound bike, even the older ones. However, our climate is hard on dirt bikes and older bikes generally accumulate more problems. It's the small items that can quickly add up into large bills and make buying older machines uneconomical.

I got caught out last year buying my '06 ec200. The bike was reasonably tidy looking, and I thought it was basically ok, just badly jetted. Driving home with my new purchase in the van I realised I hadn't checked for up / down play on the crank, and it turned out failed main bearings accounted for what I thought was poor jetting. Add piston kit, mains and seals, gaskets, several gearbox bearings all other the various wheel and linkage bearings, fork seals and bushes et c. et c. before it was in decent condition, and the hardly used '09 bike I had been offered suddenly looked like much better value for money.

But there again, you might get lucky and find a tidy older bike for a low price....

how do i check for up and down play on the crank? im brand spanking new to 2 strokes. what shoukd i be looking out for on a well used bike?