2003 EC 250 opinions

D

dmstarr

New member
Ok, this may be a biased forum, but I have seen enough candid responses to feel comfortable asking:
I have a chance to get a good deal on an '03 EC250, looks to be in great condition. I have always ridden KXs, and I can get an '05 KX250 for about the same price. I love the KX. Love the motor, love the handling, but I also like the smoother engine of the woods bikes. I've never ridden a gasser.
I know the '07 gassers are great handlers. Is the '03 a great bike, or a really good bike? What are the pros/cons of the 2003 EC 250?
thanks! dave
 
what type of riding would decide it for me,if your a moto guy,stick with the KX,if your more woods oriented,the gasser wins everywhere hands down,by the time you set up the KX for the woods(assuming its still stock)you will be far ahead with the gasser
 
I should have clarified: I am a "fast" C-class hare scramble racer. I say "fast" because I finish in the top 1/4 of my class, but it IS the C race! :)
All woods, with the occasional moto just for fun/training.
and this pertains ONLY to a 2003 EC250 vs a 2005 KX both in the same good condition.
 
I'm personally coming from a KX250 to the GasGas being an off-road guy and I love the GasGas. The clutch has sold it to me more than anything. I'm riding an 03 GG MC250, which is essentially the same bike minus the flywheel weight and electrical. (The GG moto version) I'm in basically the same position you are in. I'm a C Class rider in the trees who rides the occassional moto course when forced into it by my motocross buddies. To be bluntly honest, I'm a lousy moto rider, but I still have fun playing around on it. (Until some 12 year old roosts by me and spooks me enough I come up short and jamb up my wrists. Again. Then I get pissed and vow I'll never ride moto again.) I'm still in the setting up stage of getting my MC ready for a fat kid. I need to do a little suspension tweaking and I would like to add a flywheel weight and G2 throttle cam. On the other hand, I've had it in the trees and tight single track twice now in the 3 weeks I've owned it and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't go back to the KX. (And I've been a die-hard Green guy for years!) I would say if you're looking at staying in the trees, the GG is the way to go. Granted it's a couple of years older, but from what I've been reading they seem to be pretty bullet-proof. Mine is on it's second owner now and the guy who had it before me rode it everywhere. Lots of Moto and then yearly trips to Taylor Park and Rampart Range, CO. He added a skid plate and bark busters and ran it with no ill-effects whatsoever. He would drag me to the moto tracks and then the next time around I would shanghi him into riding woods stuff. I was so impressed with the way the GG always did that I ended up buying it from him when he decided to sell it!
 
I built a '94 kx250 into an enduro mount and it was expensive to get it into anything near the ec250 for off-road work and a couple of things weren't easily dealt with on the kx... (namely fuel tank and the five speed close ratio gearbox)

My KX...
- Laced up an 18" rear rim (gasgas ec comes with 18" rear rim stock) - better flat resistance and tire selection off road with an 18" rim.

- Stock porting was very rough on the kx - sent it to slavens in colorado - absolutely beautiful. Didn't feel the need to do any work on my old gasgas ec300...

- Added ohlins shock to the KX. The EC250 you are looking at has one on it stock. Alloy steel shock body on the ohlins has less fade and requires less maintenance - aluminum bodied kyb on the KX "fouls" the shock fluid faster.

- Fuel tank - very small 2.0 gallon capacity on the KX - added a larger fuel tank - but the perimeter frame plus the small stock tank makes after market tanks stick way up or out to the sides, much moreso than the gasgas - carrying the fuel up higher on the KX makes it feel very heavy when topped off with fuel. The gasgas is designed as an enduro and the perimeter frame accommodates more fuel down low and mass is more centralized. GasGas has enough fuel for me to do 50 miles with the stock tank - the KX didn't...

- I Geared down the KX for the woods but then the five speed close ratio gearbox would run out of steam on fire roads connecting the trails - so guys on KTMs would blow by me when things opened up. GasGas comes with a six speed wide ratio gear box - much better for tight woods/open terrain combination without having to re-gear. Lug the gasgas around the woods and do 75-80 when things open up on the gasgas - not so on the kx...

- I had the front forks revalved by Moose - horrible. The guy put in a single stage stack that was *way* harsh. The WP forks on the gasgas , revalved by LTR, are much better quality than the KYBs on the KX. Although either can do the job.

- I also added a rad-valve for better bottom end and mid on the KX - the gasgas comes with a boyeson rad-valve (reed cage) stock.

- The gasgas comes with a kickstand - although it will quickly auto-retract and auto-amputate any limb you have in the way! :rolleyes:

The gasgas is much better suited for off-road work than a KX - depends on what you want to do with the bike... I put thousands of dollars into the KX and at the end of the day I needed a wide ratio tranny to "finish it off" - moose made a kit at one point... I think it was a taller 4-5 gear - But big $$$. It took dramatically less $$$ to get the gasgas into shape - personal preference stuff like suspension valving, bars, etc.

jeff
 
The 05 kx250 is a pretty nice and fun to ride bike , fun exept at hour 3 of a nasty race at which point the bike is starting to feel like way to much and it starts being the boss and you the bitch!. A really well race prepped, read lots of $ spent, kx is equal a stock ec250. and after one season of racing everything on the kx will rattle and shake, pegs, brake lever, shifter ect.The gasser is way more fun to race ,way better built and wont beat the $hit out of a average less than super fit rider.I owned both a kx and a gasser at the same time I enjoyed both but the lesser bike, kx, had to go. I guess it comes down to, what kind of mount do you want to ride into a three hour battle , a race horse or a cavalry horse?
 
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The KX will be slap worn out in 2 years, while
Gas Gas will still feel fresh.
Jap bikes are disposable when you think about it.
You'll keep spending money on worn out parts.
 
You admitted to being a C rider. Think about it. The KX is a motocrosser. If that's what you're doing, great, it's perfect. If you're riding woods, the best way to go is a purpose build woods bike. KTM, TM, Gas Gas, Husqvarna all make awesome woods oriented 250 two strokes. I'd take any of those over any motocross bike, any day. If you were a AA rider, the KX may be a little bit closer to fitting what you need, but still not better than the Gasser, it's still an MX'er, and still too stiff, and valved for jumps, not corners, ruts, and roots.
 
I have yet to find one person that has a Gas Gas that is not totally happy with it. I have a 03 EC300 and you would have to be a rich man to get it from me. The bikes are so fluid and ride so well it is as if they are on auto pilot and you are just along for the most bitchin ride you have ever had. That is after you get it dialed in and are using trials tires and the suspension is working for you. But that is half the fun, getting it dialed in.
I think that I will have my gaser buried with me.
You can not go wrong with the Gas Gas. Better bike hands down
And that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.:D
Lee,
 
Wow. Lots of good replies. Thanks a lot to everyone for taking the time to read, think, and respond. I'm looking at the '03 EC250, and now at an '04 DE 300. the 300 has an EFM autoclutch, which I'm not crazy about, but I could probably live with.
So what I'm hearing is that the 2003-4 model lines are still very solid bikes, even though the may not handle quite as well as the post-2005 models.
I've ridden older KTMs (02-05) and didn't like the way they turned (or refused to turn) compared to a jap bike. I was concerned the older gassers were the same.
 
The older Gas Gas Chassis is still the best handling chassis I have ever ridden. I don't have an '07, so I can't comment, but I've had three older ones, and they are truly amazing handlers. I've had the 200, 250, and now the 300. As I've moved up in size, I've noticed no reluctance to turn at all.
 
Amen, Roost
How cool is it to ride our Gas Gas's? I wish that I would have found the sooner. As soon as you start to ride one its like you are a member of a special club of people that are just like yourself (Super Cool):rolleyes:
Lee,
 
Don't worry about the handling of the older bikes. I have a 2001 EC200 that turns great. No, it doesn't turn quite as well as my 07, but it still handles very, very well (quite similar to a YZ, actually).
 
I just bought a EC250DE, and love it. It has a 300 head on it. The only comparisons I have are KTM 4 strokes, and a CRF250R that I was riding in the woods. The 250R turned a bit like the GasGas, but I could not get the suspension set up properly for the woods, and actually it always seemed a bit harsh to me on the track. The GG obviously is more plush in the woods, but the bike also feels plenty adept to me over whoops, and I'm more comfortable jumping too. The only problem I am having is I occassionally try to throw the bike around too much and end up blowing turns. That's coming from wrestling a 525 around. Perhaps I should put saddlebags full of weights on the bike!
 
when did GG switch from WP to 'zokes? What about the shock...ohlins/sachs? I'm hearing there are lots of configurations, so I guess I'll have to look very carefully at which componenets are installed.
 
dmstarr said:
when did GG switch from WP to 'zokes? What about the shock...ohlins/sachs? I'm hearing there are lots of configurations, so I guess I'll have to look very carefully at which componenets are installed.
Click to expand...

The 2003 that you are looking at has ohlins shock on all variants. The front fork was WP standard and ohlins fork optional. The only other config options for that year would be, I think, DE (lighter ignition and "abbreviate wiring loom" - no horn, turnsignals, etc.) and EC (heavier ignition + full lighting & wiring)

jeff
 
Widebear, I'm pretty sure the top ends are interchangeable on the 250-300.

If I'm not mistaken, GoFasters has had much success converting MC250's into MC300's.
 
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