Small changes I would like to see.

[Clay]

Originally Posted by REVERUP

Ya for sure Glenn. thats one of my worries with the black rims. when I bend one which I know I will. I probably don't really want to heat it up and bend it back. probably be creating another kind of damage to the rim.

Yep after owning 3 Gas Gas bikes now on the 4th Ive learned its a given when your ordering your extras, Skid plate, rad guards, disk guard etc. make sure you add rim locks to the list.

By the way I got the motion pro liteloc ones. First try, will see how they hold up, I hope they don't suck, havent seen anyones take on them yet.
http://www.motionpro.com/motorcycle/...loc_rim_locks/

I have been using those rim locks on my Nambo and they are good!

[Bobt250]

I like that the brake light sensors are there. It's a pain to get the air out of them so I'm happy mine came with them. Actually, I'm really happy that the bike came so close to street legal trim. Saves me a lot of work and definitely a huge advantage over a KTM. The high/low beam switch is funky, it should be a push button type of thing. It also looks like it will get crushed if you flip the bike. I like the key.

As for fit and finish my new 11 looks really good sitting next to my Honda CR250.

I would be happy to have a couple more tenths of a gallon fuel capacity.

This bike is a close as you can get to what I would build if I could design one myself. The only thing I'd like to add if the sky was the limit would be a counterbalancer.

[Clay]

Guys,
Do me a favor, please, and start from the beginning of this thread. Read it all again and pretend you are me. Some like black rims, some hate black rims. Some want the factory to include a skid plate, some want to supply their own. Some want brake light switches, some want them eliminated.
Some guys weigh a buck 40 and some 240. Yall are going to make me go get a 6 pack early today! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The only thing that bugs me in these comments is when you assume I don't know the basics. Last year I raced 22 weekends. This year about 15 weekends. In 2011 I plan to race about 20 times again. My son raced almost every one of these races too so I maintain two bikes. The things that bother you guys, like needing every tool in your tool box to work on the bike, bother me, too. I'm not like my previous bosses at Kawasaki. I often said (usually after being at the bar for an hour or two at a sales meeting) that if Kawasaki sales management had to start a KX250 and ride it around the building to keep their jobs, they might as well go ahead and type up their resignation. None of them rode!
I appreciate all of the comments. I have made a ton of notes from the things you guys have posted. Keep the comments coming but try to remember two things:
1. We can't make everybody happy.
2. We know that working on the bikes should be easier.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Clay

[Bobt250]

Some want brake light switches, some want them eliminated.

I can see complaining about something that's NOT there but why anyone would want to eliminate something is beyond me. I'll take whatever I can get.

[Boomhauer]

A little bit off of the main subject....

Guys go check out the Talon rim locks that motosport.com sells. They are awesome! I gave gasgasman my last set that I had when I sold my gasser.

Clay you are doing an awesome job! I can only imagine what you are going through on a daily basis setting this whole deal up. It is nice to know that you want to hear about our likes and dislikes about the brand so you can improve it to the best of your ability. You are to be commended for doing such a great job.

I gain nothing from this as I am on a different brand but you are representing the Gassers the best that I have ever seen in my past 5 years of owning them.

Go ahead and have that 6 pack early! Boomer thinks you have earned and deserve it!

Robby

[REVERUP]

Originally Posted by Clay

I have been using those rim locks on my Nambo and they are good!

Thats good news thanks for the heads up Clay.

Wow I didn't really realize the bees nest I was about to uleash here. But hey it's the holidays some drinking is all par for the course right.

[dank]

heres what i kinda figure. i think that if we ask for things to be added to the bike itself, that will only drive the price up and some people may not even want it. some want a skidplate. i wouldnt. i can buy a skid plate and put it on and it will probably be cheaper for the company and for me. i think that in general, a bike should come with the basics and with the capability to easily add on the things that you want. imo, we shouldnt ask for things to be put on the bike from the factory, we should ask for a bigger parts selection. the easiest way for you to get what you want is to do it yourself.

[blitz11]

Clay,

The observation about the Kawasaki guys who never rode is very astute. You are on the right track.

Management who can't put themselves in the shoes of the customer will kill the company. That is what happened at GM. As soon as a manager rose to a certain level, they were given cars, their car was taken care of, and they lost sight of what it meant to be a customer. They didn't understand the sales experience, the repair experience, and the poor reliability experience. They were isolated from the customer experience, and soon lost touch.

You maintain 2 motorcycles (yours and your son's). I maintain three (my daughters' two punkins and my GG). The KTMs are much quicker to maintain; i can do the maintenance on my kids' two KTMs in the time it takes me to do my GG. It's two week nights per week to make sure we're ready for the next weekend. I'd love to do it in one evening.

The difference is what "works" and what "works great."

As an example, my footpeg brackets broke on my 2002 EC 300 a couple of years ago. In all my years of motorcycling, I have never seen footpeg brackets break. I posted on this site, and learned that "they all do that."

Huh?

If I were responsible at the factory for that aspect of the motorcycle, I sure as heck would fix that as soon as I learned that there was an issue. Redesign it. GG volumes aren't so large that they can't afford to implement a fix. Luckily, I have a welder, and was able to fix it myself when i returned home. But, the failed footpeg ruined my weekend.

The point behind all of this is that the guys on this forum ride, and they are experienced in the "experience." As you said, you'll never get universal agreement on black vs. silver rims, spring rates, etc., but you will have agreement on fundamental design and performance issues. For instance, consider the need to not use every tool in the box to pull the subframe. This has been discussed here for as long as i've been here (at least 5 years). How it was never really addressed is confusing to me. It's the difference between "works" and "works great."

The devil is really in the details. The incremental cost to move from "works" to "works great" is generally small, but the dividend it pays is huge.

Thanks for you involvement and ear. You can't find a more experienced knowledge base than what you'll find here. I learn stuff here everyday.

blitz

[REVERUP]

Originally Posted by Bobt250

I can see complaining about something that's NOT there but why anyone would want to eliminate something is beyond me. I'll take whatever I can get.

None of my comments are meant to be complaints they are my opinions and I feel very grateful to be able to express them to others willing to listen, and enjoy hearing what others think. I try to keep an open mind, as we all have different needs. Its great we now have a guy in Clay who is a racer and is on the inside looking out, not only us looking in.
my reasoning is simple. I race my bike in pretty much every format of offroad. So I don't always run a headlight nor do I ever run a tail light. I now have to remove the stuff. Bleed the brakes, cut wires add new switches, by plugs for brake pressure switches that are removed, relocate new switches. its not a dual sport for me its a race bike.

Here is your comment.... I like that the brake light sensors are there. It's a pain to get the air out of them so I'm happy mine came with them. Actually, I'm really happy that the bike came so close to street legal trim. Saves me a lot of work and definitely a huge advantage over a KTM.

You see for you it saves you work, for me it adds.

One of the negative comments folks often make is the weight of Gas Gas bikes, well all these extras add up. Its hard to offer it all.

Different strokes for different folks.

Roscoe

[GMP]

Everything I mentioned would be of low mfg cost and a good value to most riders. If you were an aftermarket parts engineer you would be thrilled to have some simple mounting points available so you don't have to design your own, and ultimately create a better product. Buy a new pickup truck lately? When was the last time you had to drill the frame to mount a trailer hitch? Get my point? Like I said though a bit late now anyway but food for thought.

Whatever can be done to one up KTM in value out of the crate is a good thing. The performance already does thats not a problem.

Another one: How about a US only non-auto retract sidestand bracket?


There is really very little to seriously complain about, most of these things are just loose ends.

Clay,

I'm just approaching this thread like a technical meeting at work, throw out ideas and see what sticks, so don't sweat it.