First ride on a EC515 2009

[mariogt]

I posted this in the General Discussions & Announcements section but i think this is the right place for this post:


Today I put a good ride in a extreme enduro circuit here in Copiapo Chile, here is my first impressions and pre race setup of my new GAS GAS EC515 2009:

- First i have removed all the clamps of the radiator/oil hoses and replace for a ones stronger and that can be remove and tighten easily.

- installation of Hyde skid plate (adapted from a 2t model), 1 radiator intercooler, front axle puller, Fastway Rotor Sharkfin, LTR GP Radiator Braces, Acerbis Uniko Hand Guards.

- Set the idle speed at 2.200 rpm for prevent stalling.

-After de breakin I changed the engine oil for a motul racing 4t 15-50W.


First riding impressions:

The Good (and awesome )

-Well the bike start so well with the e-starter, in every condition, cold-hot weather, warm-cold engine, its more responsive than the e-started installed in my old fsr450 2008.

-The Power from the bottom is so smooth and with a TON of torque, its incredible how well this machine pulls from nearly no rpms, its as good (or more) than my previous ec300 2008. The mid range is astonish and the high is like jet turbine, simply awesome motor. (Not prone to stalling )

- The modifications made in the cooling system for this model with the inclusion of a radiator fan has tranformed this bike in a dream come true, no more over-boiling in hard conditions and in a extremely hot weather (here in Copiapo the temps are above 82F).

-The new sach suspension in the front works very very well, its stiffer than the marzzochi and this is good for racing, it still eats the tiny things and bumps very well, but in the heavy bumps and big jumps this thing just stay firm and planted, no violent reactions. The sach shock works well but a little soft, nothing than a few clicks can`t solve.

-The bike is well planted, in the corner it is like a train on the rails, very nimble for a not so light bike. Overall im so happy with this machine, its a big improvement over the last model EC515.

The not so good:

- The starter kick pedal is unusable, i just removed it.
- The right foot peg have so little folding.
- A bit heavy
- The gas tank is small (only 7.2 litros), 80KM of autonomy in a mix of race/touring pace.

Well this is my short first impressions, later i will post more info for this awesome machine.

And the pictures:

[mariogt]

Hi to all,

this weekend i put my first Enduro Race with the EC515, the ZONAL NORTE ENDURO CHAMPIONSHIP 2009. The race was a loop 5 laps in a track of 10 KM aprox of lenght, very very technical with mud, grass, rocks, loose sand seccions, etc,etc. The track have all in one . The bike perfomance was beautiful, and i got a 4th place in the expert class, this can be better but i fell hard in the fourth lap damaging one of the bike radiators and lose some time, but im so happy overall, the only bad part is the extra cost of a new radiator , but this is enduro boys and some damage happend from time to time (even in a new bike )

[AZRickD]

Sounds like a sloppy mess.

[JRDoz]

I like this picture
http://picasaweb.google.com/marioegt...65158969725682
What is in the background in the valley ?

[mariogt]

Its a power plant (or power plant sub station i think). This picture is taken near Copiapo , Chile.