GasGas EC200 2011 first ride

[firffighter]

Interesting topics here.

1) Gearing. The 200 seems to need geared down for most of us who ride woods. 13/50ish seems to be what most prefer. I've tried 13/52 and even went to 12/52 on my last ride to test. 12/52 lets you do your steep work in 2nd and 1st is really not used unless in extreme up hills. 13/52 seems perfect for most woods work and you use 2nd and 3rd most of the day with 1st for the real tough stuff.

2) Hill climbs. This topic gets brought up from time to time and is often bantered about when referring to what bike is right. Having now owned a Gasgas 200,250 and 300, I of am the opinion that I could climb the same hill on all 3, but each differently. Now riding a 200 all season I've climbed every nasty hill without issue that I climbed on my other rides. The 200 lugs very well for a smaller cc bike and actually doesn't cause wheel spin and puts power to the ground very well. Yes, some clutch work may be needed, but it climbs the steep stuff just fine. For me, the 200 has so many more advantages for 95% of woods riding and I don't think I'd want to trade for a larger cc bike for the 2-3 hill climbs that may be challenging on a 4 hour ride. If I had a bike just to make a hill climb, I'd ride a 300 or 450, but too many disadvantages the rest of the day.