11 nambotin vs 11 cervantes

[nambo-trev]

hi all i was wondering this today because i spent the day on my buddies 250. has anyone tried both of them? or is there any owners of a cervantes on here that could give me there take on it over a stock or sixdays 250(ive ridden every gasser of the last 2 years except this one) id love to here some input

 

[Jakobi]

hi all i was wondering this today because i spent the day on my buddies 250. has anyone tried both of them? or is there any owners of a cervantes on here that could give me there take on it over a stock or sixdays 250(ive ridden every gasser of the last 2 years except this one) id love to here some input

Hey Trev,

Is your Nambo a 2011? For some reason I was thinking it was a 2010.

The 250 engine, flywheel etc etc etc is the same across the board. Differences are in plastics and bolt on parts.

Base - Ohlins 888 / Marzocchi 45mm shivers
Six Days - Ohlins 888 / Marzocchi 45mm shivers, some bolt on parts, bashy, rad frames, Renthal twinwalls
Race - Ohlins 888 / Marzocchi 48mm CC Shivers, Renthal twinwalls
Nambo - TTX Rear? (not sure for 2011) / Marzocchi 48mm CC Shivers, S3 Head silver insert.

Basically not a whole lot of difference apart from the suspension packages, stickers and some bling bits. The S3 head is the same volume as the stock so makes no difference really unless using a higher comp insert.

If you were happy with the engines power delivery of the 250 it will be the same across the board. Probably jetting and head mods will have a more profound difference than the models. As you'd be aware through owning a Nambo, the suspension package is where its at!

 

[Jakobi]

PS. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the 250 vs 300 engine capacity as I'm about to make the downsize on my 2010 model.

 

[nambo-trev]

your right i do have a 2010 nambo, i blew the engine up on it the second week i had it and got a stock ec300 as a backup from my dealer(our canadian distributor dave paid for a new motor for me! awesome dude). there is no way there is any comparison with the power delivery on the 2 and i guess the suspension goes without saying. i felt as though getting onto the base 300 that it felt very bigginner ish in the sense that it was super easy to ride(less the friggin stock fork) and really easy to climb with because there wasnt as much power to the wheel(definetly what i felt). Saying all that the reason i switched to gasgas was a 4 hour ride on my buddies 2010 250 sixdays. it was a super quick turner and the BIGGEST thing for me is it just feels so much smaller and lighter. i know its not but rotating mass must play some roll because it sure feels that way. move forward to 2011 and my riding crew added a 250 and 300 sixdays. Same thing again(except the 45 forks are really really bad in my opinion, i would take the stock sachs over the zokes anyday) the 250 just feels so small. the thing that got me on this dare i say it was riding my buddies ktm 250 today. i forgot how small they feel and how it just seems like less of a handful handling wise. i really miss the right there power of the 300 in second but love the scream out of the 250 when you get er going. i just wanted to know if the cervantes would dish out more jam than the stocker because i know my nambo walks on a base 300 from my year. why were you thinking of moving down to a 250?

 

[Jakobi]

I'm moving to a 250 top end for all the reasons you stated. I was going to buy a 2012 200R for a change from the 300 (or to compliment it) however GG Australia can't give me a date that they'll arrive and they're not on the next shipment so I decided to treat my 2010 EC300R to some new springs, TTX forks and an S3 250 R top end.

Interesting on your opinions between the 300's. I was under the impression they were all the same engine other than the head. I wonder if they have something else done with the cases? Are you sure both 300's were running the same gearing and jetting etc.

I can easily transform my 300 from a mild trail bike into a pounding mxer.

 

[nambo-trev]

yup same jetting and gearing didnt look into anything else cause i only had the bike for a couple weeks(the base model). what are your thoughts of the new s3 250 top end?

 

[Jakobi]

Very strange indeed. You'd really have to measure up the squish tolerances to be sure aswell. I wonder if they pick the tighter toleranced parts for the nambos over the stockers?? I tried searching for more info on it but nothing much coming up. How many different 300's have you ridden? Ever tried anyone elses with an S3 head?

No comment on the 250 yet. Its still in the mail and I'm not going to do the top end, or fit the motosportz damper until the ttx arrives. Looking at about a month before I get to assembly stages.

I should have the S3 cylinder arriving next week so will be able to visibly inspect it.

Worst case is that I run 80hrs on the 250 top end before deciding I prefer the 300. In this time I plan on doing some handy work of my own on the 300 cylinder and sending the head out for some adjustments. I'll basically have 2 bikes on the ready. Maybe alternate them between top ends? We'll see what tickles my fancy the most.

 

[nambo-trev]

man i think i should do the same thing and just have a 250 on hand so i can do the same. thats a really great idea and all ill be risking is maybe not being overly pumped about it and go back to the 300(im having some bike issues im working through right now anyway might be a good time!). were did you get your parts from?

 

[Jakobi]

Gofasters mate. Theres a thread on here somewhere running with a discussion about it. Another bloke swapped out his stock 300 cyl and head for S3 replacement and is stoked with it. I made my decision somewhat impulsively as I'm coming up to top end time again anyway.

You're looking at $625 for the cylinder. You can re-use the S3 head if you buy a 250 insert. RRP $90ea or $210 for a whole second head. I opted for the later as it comes with 3 inserts. Do the maths *shrugs* So I
'll have 2 spare inserts available however they'll be in Australia.

What issues are you facing with the bike at the moment? How many hours you got on it? How do you rate the TTX?

 

[nambo-trev]

Nothing to serious I hope, my kicks after seemed to be seizing so I'm going to have a peek this weekend. I had the water pump bearing that's pressed into the case let go on me and that's how my first engine went but this seems different so I'll check it out. I've got about 100 hours on it now and absolutely love the ttx. I'm actually really excited for your opinion because everyone that rides my bike(some gasgas and some ktm) absolutley love them and are noticeably faster once they get use to my setup. I'll search for that thread id like to know if he accomplished what we both want, a smaller lighter feeling bike.

 

[Jakobi]

Ah sorry. He changed his stock 300 cyl and head for an S3 Port matched 300 cyl and head. So its not the exact same thing we're comparing.

I'll give a good update once I've done mine but with the only difference between the 250 and 300 being the cyl and head and everyone reporting that the 250 feels much more nimble and less tiring to ride, I think I'm going to be really stoked with it. For that price you can't go wrong.

The $625 actually includes the cylinder, piston, rings, clips and pin as well.

 

[GMP]

If your 300 had a reed spacer, remove it for the 250. Older bikes used to have displacement specific CDIs, but lately the part # has been the same, ME250634007. Gear it down a tooth or two in the rear from what you run on the 300 also. Dial in the squish and jetting and its all you will ever need.

You will like the 250, with the squish and jetting dialed in it has just the right amount of power bottom to top. The 300s feel a little heavier because power(with traction of course) always wants to make the bike go straight and stand up. More instant power, more of this feel. Same thing with the 200, and why some 250Fs feel lighter than they are.

 

[nambo-trev]

Thanks for the advice Glenn, the only thing I think I'll miss a bit is that second gear jam. Jakobi what insert are you going to use, high or very high? Glenn do you think the higher compression will change the characteristics that I love about The 250? I've got it in my head now with all this talk so I think I'll call mark and order it.

 

[GMP]

Like I said before, my last and current 250s have been cut by RBD for 1.1 - 1.2mm squish and over 190 PSI, which is as high as you should go without race gas. I'm running a .5mm gasket which basically lines up the piston with the bottom of the exhaust port. My bike runs very hard, and crisp all over, revs out nice with the stock GG pipe. I will be happy if my '12 runs as good. I don't mess with the S3 heads, but just use a compression gauge to check your compression and pick an insert. I run 13/52 gearing, because I do a lot of technical climbing, but for racing in the trees 13/51 is good if the bike makes good power off the bottom. I'm going to set up a couple extra wheels with 51s when I get my '12. Main thing is gear to avoid 1st for all but the worst situations. Trust me 2nd gear jam is no problem, the 250 is a weapon in the woods. At my level I can ride the bike on the pipe a lot in 2nd/3rd in the medium tight pines, and in the rocks it has enough grunt to do the job and less excess to manage. I also run a 2K-2 with a weight and I think we discussed this. I prefer the quicker response.

 

[thumperrider1]

I ended up going the opposite , from an 11 250 six days to a 12 300R. I was going to put a 250 cylinder on this one, but with the NEDJ needle it runs and hooks up almost like a four stroke and has crisp, instant throttle response. It does not have that heavy 300 motor feeling. It actually feels lighter than my 11 did. You guys getting the 12's are going to be very happy.

 

[kaos]

My Cervantes has quite a bit more bottom and is making a few more hp when the revs get up over my old 08 de ec 250.as been mentioned by some,it seems both limited editions seem to have quite a bit more than just the s3 head.
One of these weekends I should trade with our group,there's at least one of every model pretty much,but steves nambo has a recluse so it's a bit tough to compare motors.

 

[nambo-trev]

I bought the rekluse because steve said it was great, I on the other hand hated it and sold it within 3 rides, I'm really hoping I get what I want out of this one!

 

[Jakobi]

We had discussed the ignitions already Glen. I'm keeping my eyes peeled but will probably try the 2K3 for starters. Same story with the sprockets. I went from the stock 13-48 to 13-50 so will start there with the 250 to judge how it feels before making adjustments.

The S3 head I will be measuring squish and crunching some numbers when its assembly time. I'll pick the head that gives me the best numbers while staying where I want to be compression wise. I may end up sending the S3 out for some modifications right off the bat. It really depends on the cylinder and port timing.

Thumper, very interesting comments on the 300R. I dont find my 300 heavy feeling at all at the moment and very well jetted also. I just want a change and something that revs faster witout being as much to hold onto while wringing it. The 300 is very forgiving but its also a real monster to keep cooking.

Kaos, interesting that you have the same feelings re the special models. Not really fair comparing it to your 08, but still. I wonder what changes there are or if they're just the pick of the batch parts wise. IE Blue printed engine vs sloppy casting.

If my cleaned up, port matched 250 punches around the same as my rough as guts 300 we might know the answer.

 

[thumperrider1]

It was very noticeable when I rode a brand new 11 300 six days back to back with my 250 six days. The 300 had some more vibes and just didn't spool up quick. It felt heavier to me and just wouldn't rev like the 250. I'm sure jetting was a factor though.

I would love to ride a new 12 250 to compare to the 300. For the price of that full s3 kit changing to a 250 is pretty affordable. The new 48mm forks sure are nice.

 

[nambo-trev]

kaos have you had a chance to ride a standard 250 gasgas? id like to here your thoughts on the difference from your cervantes?