First rip on the EC200

[liv2day]

I was fortunate to get back into dirt/trail riding at the beginning of 2011, my amazing wife surprised me with an early 40th of a YZ450 and I had no idea what I was getting into...lol. The last time I'd ridden dirt was many many moons ago, but I'd started there at the ripe 'ole age of 9 and was incredibly excited to do it again (especially since all my friends had picked up knobbied things in 2010 and I was the odd man out).

I took exactly three rides on that YZ450 before coming to the conclusion it was going to kill me...lol. Not a woods bike as it was setup and way more bike than I could handle even if it was setup as a woods bike.

So, I sold the why-zed and started a search for a KTM 300XC-W after reading as much as possible about woods/trail bikes. I found a great one and started riding it at the end of 2011. I sunk a bunch of $$$ into it, getting the suspension re-valved, progressive spring on the shock, X-bushing to lower it (inseam challenged) and thought I was in good shape until riding a friend's KTM 200 XC-W just a few weeks ago (October 25th to be exact).

I only took his bike on 2 trails in our outstanding Tillamook State Forest and immediately realized that the bike I was on was a bit too much for my skill set and stature. I made the decision to start the search for a 200 XC-W following that ride and put my 300 up for sale (which it still is if you're interested :-) ).

Cutting the long story above short, a fellow Oregonian with GG and KTM experience gave me some excellent advice and pointed me to a out-of-this-world deal on a 2011 EC200. More research ensued and in the middle of a typical workday, I bailed and drove 1.25 hours to go check it out. Took it for a quick ride around the owner's property and was sold - loaded it on the trailer and brought her home.



Yes, the ride report

The first true ride on the 200 was this past Saturday (9-Nov) and it couldn't have been better. I was instantly more comfortable on the bike, partially because I could flat foot it, but mostly because of how planted it felt no matter what type of terrain we were riding over. I was much less worried about the rocks/roots/logs in my path and completely focused on picking lines and maintaining momentum.

The 200 is way more compact feeling than my 300; which required an adjustment for shifting and braking (stomped on the rear brake several times by accident), but made me feel more like I was "one with the bike". A buddy who's over 6' rode it and said it actually felt too small for him and I think that's an accurate reflection in stock trim - it's a great bike for those of us under 6'. The chassis is solid and it's nimble form gave me the ability to go where I wanted with little fear of ending up in the weeds.

It's going to take me another ride or two to get used to the power delivery differences, but I didn't have any issues getting the bike on the pipe. I couldn't quite loft the front as easily, think that will require a small adjustment to my body position when trying to do so. Aside from that, that little 200 is awesome down low and screams wonderfully when getting on the main jet.

One thing I did notice is a fair amount of spooge. I've read about the issues with the FMF Q Stealth and the GG bikes, but I have a Q Stealth on my 300 and overcame the spooge issues there. I haven't dived into the jetting as the bike felt good, but I would like to see if I can either stop the spooge or get it to be less. My guess is she's a little rich off the bottom and that's the issue. I also wonder about the fuel/pre-mix the previous owner had in the tank. I run Amsoil Dominator at 50:1 and it was great through my 300, going to do the same here and hope that helps.

The only issue I came up against on the ride was a small split in the fuel tank above the mounting point to the frame. Think this is a really poor design - why the heck leave that minimal space open around the mounting point; seems to be ripe for failure. It would make more sense to make that entire piece solid in my opinion. In any event, I pulled the tank, cleaned the heck out of it, then filled with JB Weld. I know JB isn't the perfect thing to use, so we'll see how it holds up (guessing that fuel splashing against it when braking/bounding around isn't as bad as being in constant contact).

I can't wait to get out for my next ride, I also can't believe I was so ignorant about the GG bikes. I hope the GG brand continues to grow in the States; outstanding bike and I couldn't be happier with my switch from the big orange.

Here are a couple pics and videos from the ride.







http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kwtB0z43DE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7JYNxLmn8