2009 Bikes are here!

Mark Berg - CPD

Mark Berg - CPD

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On Saturday we uncrated two 09 enduro bikes for the upcoming dealer show and demo rides! I wish I had pictures to share but I'll let Steve take them soon, before they get dirty on Saturday:D All I can say is there was five of us there at the uncrating and we all wanted to jump on the EC300 Race version when we first saw it....but then when we uncrated the EC250 we all wanted to jump on that....so it doesn't matter, two different looks but both look great as GasGas always does! Look for a few pic's in the next couple of days and if you can, get up to MN for the demo on Saturday, party Saturday night, and National Enduro on Sunday!
 
Kid in a candy store! Get some good pics and maybe a little video. I wish I could make it out there...next year. Anything nailed down on the 2009 prices?
 
wannabe said:
On Saturday we uncrated two 09 enduro bikes for the upcoming dealer show and demo rides! I wish I had pictures to share but I'll let Steve take them soon, before they get dirty on Saturday:D All I can say is there was five of us there at the uncrating and we all wanted to jump on the EC300 Race version when we first saw it....but then when we uncrated the EC250 we all wanted to jump on that....so it doesn't matter, two different looks but both look great as GasGas always does! Look for a few pic's in the next couple of days and if you can, get up to MN for the demo on Saturday, party Saturday night, and National Enduro on Sunday!
Click to expand...

NICE I WILL BRING MY ARMOR!!! IS THERE A 125 FLOATING AROUND? I WOULD LOVE TO TRY ONE!!!! SEE YOU THERE
 
needpics.gif
 
he linked http: // www .cape-enduro.co.za/images/smiles/needpics.gif

I think some forums have this in the smilies table...

And seriously where are these pics! We want pics! We want pics! :D
 
Wonder if the 300 Race will be blue like in the pics on the GG site. 09 stuff is up on the GG Spain site.


Skidad
 
There are so many things that could be said to this, none appropriate. Sometimes being the mod and setting a good example sucks.:D

Bikes look great. I am glad that my '07 (with only 2 '08 rides on it) is still up to snuff and hasn't been outdated by a new platform.
 
We raced yesterday's National in Duqette Minnesota and had a chance to test ride the 09 GasGas from Go Fasters. Sign up for the race opened at 3 PM Saturday so there wasn't any other riders at the test site when we arrived there at 3:30. This was nice because Mark from Go Fasters let us ride the bikes for a little over an hour to get a good feel for them. The test loop was a tight twisty loop with loose soil with a few rocks and roots thrown in.
The bikes were a 08 FSR450, 09 250EC and a 09 300EC race version. I race open A and my son Paul races AA and my daughter Mary races Women's. Paul left with the 450, I left with the 300 race version and Mary rode the 250. We spent the next hour swapping them back and forth to get a good feel for each bike. This is how they felt to me: All the bikes did not have enough preload on the rear springs to get the shocks to rebound properly so the shocks packed on repeated hits and felt harsh. They probably had the rebound clickers set too tight too since they were new and not broke in yet. Because of this I can't tell you how good the rear suspension works. As for the forks, the 09 300 race version had a special Sachs fork that had stiffer settings than the standard 250 Sachs fork did. The 08 450 had a Marzocci. Of the 3, the Marzocci on the 450 felt the most compliant but had a spike at mid stroke. Probably caused by the springs being too soft for my weight. The 300 was too stiff. It felt like a MX bike and would deflect off of roots and rocks and you had to struggle to get enough weight on the front to get the bike to turn on the tight test loop we were riding on. The standard Sachs fork on the 250 wasn't too bad. I think I could make this fork work pretty good with just the clickers. It did have more stiction than the Marzocci but I think once it was broke in it would be good. This fork gives more feed back than the Marzocci. You get a better feel for the terrain and how hard you can push the front end. Keep in mind none of these forks were dialed in so things could be different once properly set up.
Engine wise, the 450 has instant response and works well for woods work with a good bottom pull and revs out nice. It will flame out with little warning if you lug the motor too low. On one loop, I deliberately kept stalling the bike just to see how well it would start after a cough and die. To it's credit, the bike would fire right up every time with a touch of the electric starter. Even on repeated starts, the battery held up well and the bike would fire right up.
I don't know if the jetting was stock or not on the 250 and 300 but it was too lean on both of the bikes so they would rattle under a load at off idle and were revy with no torque. I am sure different jetting would help. As far as how they felt: The 300 pulls very hard at off idle. It pulls harder than the 06 300EC I had. This was one of the things I didn't like about my 06. The motor would not pull from a low enough RPM so you would have to down shift rather than slip the clutch in turns. The 09 motor will allow you to run a gear higher and use the clutch. It pulls just as low as my 08 KTM 300. The test loop didn't have any long straights to see how the bike would rev out in the taller gears so I can't tell you how the top pull is. The 250 pulled strong from bottom to top with little vibration. The bike would spin up very fast. Part of this was due to the lean jetting but I think the motor spins freer than the older 250's did.
Other odds and ends: I really like the lower sub frames. The bikes stay flat when braking hard and the seat doesn't try to pitch you over the bars.
The brakes are very very good. I love the front brake. It really is a one-finger affair.
Clutch pull was good on all 3 bikes. Even the 450 had a light pull to it.
The 09 seats have a rounder look and a little softer feel. The seat felt fine to me. I like a firm seat and the seat is a good balance between comfort and still being able to move around.
In the end, Mary said all the bikes were too tall for her 5.6 height and preferred the shorter 08 KTM 200XCW. My son Paul liked the 450 best. He said he liked the wide spread of power and how fast the motor would spin up. He also liked the extra weight as it kept the bike from being knocked off line. I liked the 250 the best. It has very little vibration and has just the right amount of low-end power to torque out of turns without too much wheel spin and a sweet mid range hit for quickly getting up to speed.
Mark said 09 pricing would be right in there with the KTM's.
One other thing worth mentioning is the bikes are being imported without exhaust and the importer is installing FMF pipes with Turbine Core II spark arrested mufflers. The KTM’s do not come with spark arrestors so you will have to add $200.00 to the price of the KTM when comparing them. Dave

Race Results Pro Class:
1st place Russel Bobbitt 44 points
2nd place Mike Lafferty 45 points
3rd place Cole Kirkpatrick 47 points
 
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Thanks Dave for the report as usual your insight is much appreciated.

For the record the bikes were prepped for the demo rides as uncrated other than a little attention to set up concentrating on safety wiring grips, throttle cable etc.

For this demo ride we wanted to get a feel for the "out of the box" set up to better get a handle on what changes dealers should suggest for their 09 customers.

The "EC300 race" definately has a firm feel to the valving and suspension set up and would most likely be the best for the AA / A off-roader who wants firmer suspension for fourth, fifth and sixth gear riding. The bike differs from the stock bike with different graphics, black powder coated rims, a special "racing" programmed CDI and the Sachs "BOGO" fork (with adjustable preload) and Sachs shock. Both ends of the suspension are sprung slightly stiffer than stock.


The EC250 on the other hand was be far the favorite 2-stroke of most demo riders as they felt the balance between power delivery and handling were much better especially in tighter trail riding conditions.

As far as the FSR450 goes the bike is box stock as well and had no special setup. The bike has had a lot of testing over the last 10 days and were are taking those comments and putting together recommended set up changes for dealers as well.

Luckily I will be spending two weeks with one of GasGas's lead engineers during the upcoming Greece Six Days ( I leave on Tuesday) and I'm sure I'll get a better idea of what changes we'll be recommending.

One note, the 09 bikes are using the same frame set up as 07 and 08 bikes other then they have lowered the top shock mounting bolt hole approximately 1/4 inch, which has effectively raised the ride height that same amount. The 07, 08 bikes, which use the new subframe and that have the Sachs shock, do have a lower ride height than the 06 and older modles.

As far as pictures go I will post some this evening. We though it appropriate to not post any photos until after the dealer meeting.

Thanks
 
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WOW!!!!!
Those bikes look insane! A friend of mine is looking at buying the new 250 Race Version. I hope he does now!:D

Thanks for posting Berkyboy
 
I hope you mean anodized black rims, not powder coated!

4 weeks to go till they land in Australia. The 300R's are coming in Blue only in Oz.
 
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