Finally got to ride my new bike!

[memphis2857]

So the weather finally broke (for a few days) and I loaded up and headed to The Redbird Crest Trail in the Daniel Boone National Forest. It is a 70 mile loop that has some of the toughest single track I have ever been on and, quite a bit of 50" wide trail that welcomes a 4th gear pace. What we didnt account for was the ground still being somewhat frozen and there was still a lot of snow and ice on some of the hill sides that dont see a lot of sun so it was a great test for the bike and gave me a chance to sort out what I do and dont like about the bike. We ended up riding 71 miles but had to skip a few sections and take the road because we were running out of daylight. Following is a list of the yay's and nay's please feel free to chime in and help me sort out the few problems I have with my new favorite bike!

1. The engine is perfect and I have my jetting pretty close so I will leave it till it warms up a bit more

2. The transmission is terrible. It is very notchy and the shifter is too short and hard to get a boot under. I found neutral more than any of the gears I was actually looking for. Is there an aftermarket shifter that is a little longer or half a notch higher? Suggestions?

3. The clutch works well but man o man is that sucker noisy! Very little abuse and it was squawking and carrying on unlike anything I have ever heard. Suggestions?

4. The suspension is great for my style and ability. It is a little undersprung for my 240 lbs. so I plan to throw in some springs and be done with it.

5. Fuel mileage is decent i was able to get about 22 mpg.

6. The stock pipe signs off way too early. I'm thinking there is a House of HP pipe in my near future

7. Its HEAVY! Now this is a touchy subject because if you are a good rider (I'm not) you probably wont notice that it is a pig BUT, if you find yourself pushing, pulling, or, dragging your bike very much (I do) you quickly realize this thing is made of lead. Now that being said I believe all that weight is down low on the bike and is a big part of the reason it tracks so well.

8. Handles like a dream! As mentioned earlier it just goes straight in the direction you point it. It is so planted and and forgiving it made me feel like a hero at times. We were in a lot of loose rocks (basketball to Fist sized) and it plowed through them like they werent even there.

9. The rear brake pedal is awkward. It seemed to low when i was back on the pegs on downhill stuff and several times my boot got over on the curved part of the pedal. I just never could get comfortable with it. When I got home I looked into adjusting it up a bit but it is as high as it will go. Suggestions?

10. Although my bike is an 11 it came with the Magura Clutch and that sucker is so nice!! Not much stiffer than my old bike with a Rekluse in it. While we are on the Handlebars and controls subject the front brakes are just down right brilliant. All you have to do is think about stopping and consider it done. Those brakes rivial the Orange scooters everyone loves.

[memphis2857]

Not sure how in the world i managed to post this in the product reviews section. Maybe a mod can move it?

[gasgasman]

It's in the right place. You're "reviewing" you bike, right?

Put a GG 125 shifter on your bike, it is longer.
Try different transmission oil to make it shift smoother and quieter. I use Rotella diesel oil.

[memphis2857]

Originally Posted by gasgasman

It's in the right place. You're "reviewing" you bike, right?

Put a GG 125 shifter on your bike, it is longer.
Try different transmission oil to make it shift smoother and quieter. I use Rotella diesel oil.

I run Rotella T as well. Have been using it for years. I think the shifter is the biggest part of my problem

[memphis2857]

Here is a video from section 2 of the Redbird Trail. It is a 5 mile section. It was pretty early in the morning and the ground was a still frozen and I had been sick for a week so the pace was a little slow but it was still a pretty good ride.
http://youtu.be/c33ErbNtcpI


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[liv2day]

Originally Posted by memphis2857

Here is a video from section 2 of the Redbird Trail.

Looks like a great day to be out in the woods, though that big shiny thing in the sky is a bit of a mystery...we don't see it that often this time of year What did you pass around the 10:35 mark...someone put a still in the woods...lol?

Just a couple of thoughts from your list above, if you want to improve your MPG while making the bike easier to jet, have Ron do the head (RB Designs). One of the best mods and it won't set you back much (think $80ish).

I've run ATF (old type F stuff) in my 2T bikes and it's been great. My tranny shifts like a dream (up and down) and the only problem is user induced.

I had the same issue with the shifter and didn't know a 125 lever would work better. If you end up going that route, post up - might do that myself.

Can't comment on the weight, though I did come off an orange 300 and my 200 feels like a mtn bike in comparison. I don't know what the difference between the various 300s is, but it can't be much. I also know that lugging your bike around is always tiring - even on my little 200...lol.

Thanks for sharing the report and comments - good read

[memphis2857]

Here is short bit of some old single track that doesn't get ridden much anymore because the first hill is a pita!http://youtu.be/UajfcJgWZg8



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[memphis2857]

Oh and the still looking thing is the remains of an old natural gas pump.


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[memphis2857]

Bump. Any suggestions on the noisy clutch and the rear brake pedal issue?


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[Simmo737]

There has been masses of chat on the clutch over the years, you can search for cr clutch conversion, rekluse clutch basket etc. best way to search is using Google - search:gasgasriders.org (search being whatever your looking for) works for all websites.

The clutch can be completely fixed (de noised) by buying a rekluse clutch basket (they make baskets just like Hinson do as well as full auto clutches).

If your brake pedal can't be adjusted up (undo nut above cleavis and twist bolt ccw) because you have run out of thread, I suspect the previous owner has cut the bolt too short.

I'm not sure if you have rejetted your bike, stock jetting is crap, heaps of jetting info in intake/carb section.

Hope that helps!