EC300 write up in DirtRider

[smooth]

Just in case you missed it, Dirt Rider did a favorable write up in the October 2007 issue on the EC300. The article is titled "What a Gas" and praised the handling and said it would "outright dominate the steering department" if the suspension were a tad better. Overall very positive in my opinion.

[AZRickD]

I was heading for Wally World so I tried to find Dirt Rider mag there and next door at Barnes & Nobles. No luck. They had most of the other mags and even some obscure one. Not DRider, though.

So, kind Sir. You'll have to give more details.

What did they not like about the suspension? Did they attempt to tune it?

Did they compare it to other bikes?

Rick

[AZRickD]

I wish this site were more active.

I found a short citation from that mag in the Exotic seciont of KTMTalk.

EC300 review in the "Dirt Rider" October 2008 issue:

"The standout trait of the bike is the light feel. It kills anything four-stroke and is lighter and more nimble than the orange bikes available. With a better steering feel and light turning that is still planted, it was praised by many of our test riders. In fact, if the suspension were just a bit better, we'd outright say the Gas Gas dominates in the handling department - and that is a bold statement"

My guess is the slight suspension dig reflects a personal preference vis' a vis rocks vs dirt.

I've gone to five different grocery stores and book stores and still can't find DirtRider.

Rick

[nhrider]

Hey I get Dirt Rider and I haven't gotten my Oct issue yet. I'd give it a week or so before you see it in the store.

[dmstarr]

Rick, that is the meat of the writeup. I wish I had brought the mag to work - I could have scanned it. The article was actually about "Bikes from around the globe," and the EC300 was one of the bikes. (BTW, the "around the globe" was BS - they used a KLR 650 built in Taiwan and a CRF230 built in brazil).
Anyhoo, the article was positive, especially from the orange-tainted DR staff. The described the biike as narrow and zappy, and the only real complaint was the seat. They loved the torque setting, but also referred to the Gasser as being "made for grass track." Another interesting point: two other bikes (I believe the Beta and ...Husky? used the Zoke Shiver 45 and sachs combo, and all received accolades for the suspenders.

So now I am more undecided than before!

[jlk_250]

They had a glowing review about everything except a major negative for the seat and mixed feelings about the suspension. The suspension was neutral, neither praised nor panned. They said it was a bit on the harsh side even though it was soft enough to easily bottom out. Overall it was very favorable, especially considering how that magazine is generally KTM biased. And California desert biased.

Jon
'01 EC300

[GMP]

Thats the problem, probably too soft for their conditions/riders. Funny they bitch about the seat, its like a KTM seat. I thought it was brutal first but it broke in and its OK now, not cushy but OK for a race bike. I'd rather feel the stiff foam than the seat base.

Wait for Trail Rider to test one for a good magazine evaluation in real east coast woods conditions.

[Eric K]

Since the GasGas is such a great overall package they had to resort to nit-picking to find faults with the seat and suspension settings.

The way I look at it is the seat and suspension can be readily modified to suit rider preferences. I would much rather tune my suspension and seat than work with another brand and attempt to improve handling. Fixing poor handling characteristics is almost always a lost cause.

[Boomhauer]

I'm sure if GG paid Dirt Rider plenty of $$$$$$ they would not say anything bad about the GG brand. KTM pays them mucho $$$$$ so they don't bad mouth that brand very much do they?

I think we have had this discussion severl times before haven't we?

Forget them! I am on my 2nd GG and will never look back. Every bike has it's flaws but the GG is the best IMO out of the crate. Yeah the 07 seat is slimer than my 04 but I try to stand up most of the time anyways. Blah, blah, blah.

[smooth]

I scanned the article, but it was too big to post... However; when looking online, I did find this different article.

We all have our opinions about advertising $$ and unbiased/biased reviews, but I am soooo tired of the whining about it. Feel free to disagree/agree with a review and go ahead and refute away, but quite the whining....please!

http://www.dirtrider.com/tests/offro...300/index.html