Bike longevity

[roostafish]

I recently posted in a thread about bearings and got a reply reminding me that my bike is an '01. I got it in '06, and it was barely touched, but it's an '01!
When I first got a Husky, then moved on to Gas Gas I noticed that over a couple year period, I didn't have the peer pressure to upgrade to the next model year. It seems that no matter the year, if you keep a Gas Gas looking good, nobody realizes that you're on a non current bike. As far as performance goes, I really don't think I'm giving anything up. It's probably 20 pounds heavier than my brother in law's 2008 KTM, but I don't think I'd trade him.

 

[widebear]

I've got a 01, 02 & 03. I'm trading the 03 for a new Beta 450.She gave me six years of faithfull service. A few weeks ago a riding buddy ask me to critique his new xcw300.I'm being completly honest when I say that my gasser felt smaller, ran smoother, turned better and stopped just as good. Initially I thought his susp was better than the Ohlins as it smoothed out the little stuff a little better but after getting a harsh midstroke slap I realized that he just had the clickers turned way way out .I'm not replacing my gasser with a four stroke because I think its better. I just want a simple realiable thumper for Baja and back country exploring. I still believe a gasgas two stroke is the best enduro bike in the world even if its a 2003.

 

[Ud_luz]

Are you getting the RR or RS? The RS is still using the KTM RFS engine which is a tried and true design. The RR has an all new engine. I would probably hesitate on that until we get some feedback, especially if you're going backcountry.

 

[widebear]

Are you getting the RR or RS? The RS is still using the KTM RFS engine which is a tried and true design. The RR has an all new engine. I would probably hesitate on that until we get some feedback, especially if you're going backcountry.

I'm going with the RS. Whats nice is that like our gassers it uses Nissin brakes and Zook forks, the designe philosophy seems to be the same with both companies, go with proven stuff and don't try and re invent the wheel. I'm not sure how I'm going to like the geomatry as Italian bikes have traditionally been slow turners but like I said before I'm not trying to replace my gasser , just augment the stable with a suitable long distance cruiser.

 

[ndefago]

rebuild experience

I have a '01 EC200 (bought new in '02) that was / is a competitive hare scramble machine that ran strong for 6 seasons of racing with routine chassis and suspension maintenance. I made a proper fibreglass airbox shortly after purchase and it never injested dirt or water. Even though I had a top end rebuild kit in stock I did not do any motor work as it had good compression and no piston noise. However, I could never get the midrange jetting quite right, was always playing with different jets, needles, slides etc. and decided to tear it down when it started consistently fouling plugs on long downhills, although it was not getting overly loaded up with fuel.
Internally it was in great shape, the bore was slightly worn at TDC but a new piston, ring and all shaft seals were about all it needed. Yamalube R 2 stroke oil is great stuff.
After the rebuild the plug fouling got worse to the point it might run for a bit with a brand new plug. It seems the CDI must have been marginal for the last couple of years, fussy about sparkplug temperature, but now I have to replace it. It would appear there is nothing wrong with the magneto/ignition. I found the bike came with a p/n ME250134007 which is the CDI for a '01 EC250. Apparently it was supposed to come with a p/n ME250034007 which is the p/n listed for a '03 EC300.

The '03 EC200 version came with a different CDI box, apparently with a different advance curve and I'm thinking maybe a cure for the midrange.

My dealer says there is a '06 ignition upgrade available.

What is the best option to get things sparking again?

 

[GMP]

My buddy just got a new KTM400 XCW. He commented how much better it handles than his '03 520, a hugh difference he claims. Funny how with GasGas their is incremental improvements, proving that the platform was originally much closer to perfection and better than the KTMs a few years ago. Another interesting comment is that the bike is very light, and its easy to see why, the construction appears not as robust as in the past.

ndefago,

Get as earlier CDI from an XC200, the '03 and '04 CDIs semed to have a more mellow curve giving a weaker midrange, on the 250s anyway. I replaced mine with a '00 CDI. Before that though, check your HV wire at the coil, as it can come loose and allow moisture in.

 

[Jeffro]

You bring up a great point.

I had a 2005 300EXC and thought it was okay - my first dirtbike in many years.. then in 2006 KTM made some "huge" changes to geometry, which my dealer hyped as the answer to some of my complaints, which jived with a bunch of people on the other website.. so I bought into it and sold the 300 to buy an 06 250XCW. Then in 2008 everything was totally revised and everyone raved about that new frame geometry and how bad the old one was.. I am all for continuous improvement but this seems endless!!!

To me this practice is one of two things: 1) It really takes KTM that long to acknowledge and fix it's shortcomings or; 2) This is the ultimate marketing machine.. (or both??)

I am now bikeless looking for a new ride. I think going with an evolutionary design, even if slightly less modern, may be less annoying than the revolutionary marketing schemes.

 

[GMP]

To me this practice is one of two things: 1) It really takes KTM that long to acknowledge and fix it's shortcomings or; 2) This is the ultimate marketing machine.. (or both??)

I say both, with an emphasis on #1.

They are a marketing machine no doubt. All it takes is $$ and they have that lately. Even if your bike is not the best for the average racer, money talks and buys winning riders. It snowballs from there in their favor.

 

[Rick]

I must admit...my 99 EC200 has been and continues to be "rock solid"! I may be riding and racing one of the oldest GasGas'ers on the board. I know someone else has a 97 GasGas as a back up? That must say someting.....yeah, I'm either to cheap to buy a new bike, or my old bike is just that good still???? I have been on and off the fence about getting a new bike, (Husky WR125), then I ask myself why??? (an 09 WR125 $4999.00) When you really look at the bikes the main draw back is resale value, it is not parts, it's not styling, it's not quality. To me it's those of us who are in the inner circle know what a GasGas is all about. Then you have all the others who are curious, but are unsure to take a chance.

I have noticed that over the last several months more and more new members joining the site......who have bought second hand GasGas bikes, the word must be hitting the street. Those new GasGas owners are buying a quality motorcycle (on par or better than a KTM) for much less money! Hopefully the brand will meet or exceed the expectations and will continue to buy newer models, or continue to ride the older bikes.

When you really think about it, does GasGas "over build" a bike? Yes, IMHO Do they wear out to the point that the owner MUST buy a new bike?? IMHO, the answer is.....NO ! Could it be that the bike just keeps on going and going that the owner feeels like a new bike is just not worth the money?? Could it be that that very reason keeps new bikes sitting on the show room floor???If you keep the maintenance up, it will last a long time and will continue to be competitive on the local level. As the other brands make massive changes from year to year to "suck in buyers to the latest and greatest changes". I think GasGas does an outstanding job in keeping the platform moving in the right direction with small changes that make the bike better and better every year. When was the last time the 250cc motor got a complete overhual??? Then only thing that really come to mind was when they dropped the counter balance shaft back in 98 or 99. That's a long time to be using the same basic motor platform...but it works!!!!!

ok....enough of this rant....

 

[Jeffro]

I say both, with an emphasis on #1.

They are a marketing machine no doubt. All it takes is $$ and they have that lately. Even if your bike is not the best for the average racer, money talks and buys winning riders. It snowballs from there in their favor.

I'm surprised that Gas Gas hasn't tried to exploit their evolutionary design philosophy through marketing somehow. There is much to be said about a company that is putting its best foot forward, so to speak.

but I don't think GG has a marketing dept. It seems like that part of the business doesn't exist or is a complete afterthought.

 

[roostafish]

I don't know if evolutionary thought is well accepted in the market place. Whenever you read about that kind of thinking in a magazine, it's referred to as "dated." It is a better practice in my opinion though. Just look at Husqvarna. The WR 250 engine is so close to it's 1987 Cagiva ancestry that the part numbers are exactly the same! That is an engine which is very long in the tooth, and good to boot. The chassis has thankfully evolved, but the engine (the mechanical part) is very very similar.

 

[roostafish]

I think this belongs in this thread. Yesterday I rode with Jeffro820 and his brand new leftover '07 EC Racing 300. We bike swapped a couple of different times, and this is what I observed. My bike makes a lot more engine noise. I wonder if it's because there are loose bearings in the enginge, or?????? It's not clutch noise, it's engine noise, just noise. My exhaust is very very quiet. Anyway, as far as feel, you can tell there have been some nice updates between 2001 and 2007, but not so drastic that if both bikes had equal hours on it that one bike would be dramatically different enough to make you faster. I like my seat better. His bike is so new that everything feels super tight, like, it needs to be broken in. Suspension needs some breaking in, and, in comparison to freshly revalved LTR Ohlins, it really stood out as needing some break in.

Bottom line, as fresh and nice as Jeffro820's bike is, it made me feel pretty good about my 2001.