Dirt Rider 300 2 stroke shoot out

Jeff Melik said:
I normally try to stay out of conversations on here but I thought that I would throw in my 2 cents on this topic.

When I come on here and read all of the "mods" that are being done to these bikes it kind of blows my mind. It seems as if there is a massive amount of time being spent trying to fix (or re-design in some cases) many items that are completely non-issues. I'm glad Stu brought up the fact that he has one of my bikes and got to see first hand how little needs to be done to them. My 2013 is the same way; Pro-Action suspension, a Leo Vince and a few protection items. Any one who knows me knows that I am extremely picky about my suspension so I have spent a great deal of time in that area but that is whats important. Some may know that before Gas Gas I raced Yamahas basically forever. I can tell you that I had to do WAY more stuff to them to get them race ready than any Gas Gas.

I get questions all the time about how I fixed this or whats my setup on that and 9 times out of ten my answer is "however it came stock."
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I'm not getting what all the fuss is either. Bought my bike a year ago, put hand guards and rad braces on it and the factory skid plate & greased the suspension. My maintenance program has been; Wash the bike when it's dirty(everyone who knows me knows how clean my bikes are) change trans oil every 20 hrs & the air filter when it's dirty. Bike has 68 hrs on it & I finally adjusted the spokes today.

The bike hasn't needed anything else, but the odd clicker change and the jetting's a bit rich. Big deal. First bike I've had that I haven't wanted to spend hundreds of $$ on the suspension.
Not sure how you guys are managing to fill the airbox with water when you wash your bikes?? I only use a garden hose BTW, never a power washer.

The bikes are good. IMO, folks should ride them more and spend less time looking for things to futz about.........Jus' sayin' ;)
 
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I, for one, am glad to hear some good things (and reports) about the Gas Gas bikes. I have been really wanting a new Gas Gas and have been worried about whether I'm making the right choice or not lately............ My dealer really likes Gas Gas and has helped me big time with my questions and "concerns" making it easier for me to make the decision that I face. I appreciate everyones thoughts, but, I will say that my dealer (who I respect very much) echos the same good (positive) things about the Gas Gas brand as has been attested to in this thread by various owners and users. Thank you for helping me retain my enthusiasm for a Gas Gas! The Kid
 
victorykid said:
I, for one, am glad to hear some good things (and reports) about the Gas Gas bikes. I have been really wanting a new Gas Gas and have been worried about whether I'm making the right choice or not lately............ My dealer really likes Gas Gas and has helped me big time with my questions and "concerns" making it easier for me to make the decision that I face. I appreciate everyones thoughts, but, I will say that my dealer (who I respect very much) echos the same good (positive) things about the Gas Gas brand as has been attested to in this thread by various owners and users. Thank you for helping me retain my enthusiasm for a Gas Gas! The Kid
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I had the same concerns before I bought my 2011 300 GasGas. I'm glad that I bought my GasGas. I have owned almost everything and IMHO the Gassers are awesome machines. Nothing else turns like the Gassers.
 
I just read the article, it sounds like a completely different bike to mine, my 2013r weighs 250lb full of fuel with full ADR wiring and front blinkers and rad braces. Thats exactly the same as the beta when it's got 2 gallons of fuel.the beta does have e start though. Also my suspension does not blow through the stroke unless you jump off a 3 or 4 foot drop off. Really different.
 
I paged thru the Dirt Rider issue in question. One thing I noticed, besides the GG weight, was a letter from a reader noting that in the past D.R. had given the Cannondale 440 the "Bike of the Year " award. About 10 years later it made the D.R. list of the worst bikes ever, also noted by the same reader. It appears that even the faithful D.R. readership are questioning their judgement. Perhaps some of the older readers will recall a D.R. 250 enduro Shootout from 1989. The Yamaha yz 250wr was all new, likewise the Suzuki 250RMX, Atk, KTM, Hus/Cagiva and maybe a few others. D.R. proclaimed the Suz. 250 as the best, the winner. It was later found out that the Suzuki they "tested" was a preproduction model and it was only ridden by US Suzuki employees during the time it was at D.R. Maybe its just me but even tho I enjoy reading all the good things and the honest appraisals, I really question the "winner's" qualifications. How many of us have seen a tall/huge rider do extremely well on a Husqvarna, Husaberg or some other tall machine. Other times we've seen someone on a 125 or an old Honda XR give the "Big Boys" all they can handle. It seems that Clay has the right idea/direction; get the machines into the hands of the BUYERS, not the writers. Which would you rather do, sit home and read a magazine or go to a Demo Day and get to try out a new machine? Just some food for thought. Jim
 
I could give a rats crap what some mag says about my bike, it is paid for and ready to take all the abuse I can throw at it.
 
DR Evaluation

Big deal. I dumped DR 20 years ago.

I have been riding and racing motorcycles since the age of 15, off-road, and at 18, on the pavement. I am now 57.

In the words of the "hippies" of my generation: "if it feels good, do it".

My 2011 EC300E is the best turning, handling, tractable two-stroke I have ridden. It has no lights and no wiring harnesses. I don't care what it really weighs, because I can clamp it between my legs, swing my hips, and put it anywhere I want.

My KLX450R is more powerful and takes less rider attention, but the only time I ride it, is when it rains. This has not happened in north-west New Mexico, for 3 years. Damp traction is the only time the 450 will turn. I have this bike down to 242 pounds. No lighting, wiring, and carbon-fiber, and other tricks.

My next off-road motorcycle will be another two-stroke.

It will be number 47 of a misspent "youth".

My wife says "motorcycles" is a disease. You die with it, or from it. She rides also, and she is always right.

Current rides: 1996 ZX11; 2001 Nomad 1500; 2008 KLX450R; 2008 KLX140; 2011 GG EC300E; 2008 Teryx; 2005 New Holland ZTR mower.

Cheers,

Steve
 
Opinions are like....apples

Whilst reading these 11 pages I realize (now consciously) that I value the opinion here on GGrider far more than any magazine opinion. In other words I would much rather sit down to read "new posts" on GGrider than any magazine that comes in my mailbox. I love my gasser, and it's nice to hear that that "love" is not a freak accident :D
 
At risk of being banned from this awesome forum, I can honestly say I was never so glad to be done with a motorcycle. The day I shipped off that 2012 Gasser was cause for celebration.
I still love my 2011 and my 2001 Gassers.
 
mcnut said:
At risk of being banned from this awesome forum, I can honestly say I was never so glad to be done with a motorcycle. The day I shipped off that 2012 Gasser was cause for celebration.
I still love my 2011 and my 2001 Gassers.
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Only two people have ever been banned here - and both were banned because they attacked others in a personal way. I heard something once that that we make a very hard rule here - "It is okay to attack an idea. But, it is [highlight]not[/highlight] okay to attack a person".

So expressing your opinion here won't get you banned. This "club" and website is community owned and not for profit. You own it just as much as anyone else here...

If anyone wants to throw stones at you personally for your post - they will be dealt with by me or one of the other moderators - that's our job here...

I ask all members to treat each other with respect at all times and not "battle each other" or "throw stones". Besides just being "bad karma" - It takes valuable time on the part of the moderators to clean things up when things get off track - all should be respectful of that fact.

Thanks,
Jeff
 
Hmmm.. My daughter has sometimes referred to me as a "fun-sucking killjoy". I guess it's true! ;)

Jeff
 
WOW ....now that's a in depth bike review! I'm not looking at any of those bikes but it was good reading; thanks for posting it up.
 
Great article, its nice to know a littile more about the Beta, the actual weight savings and which specific components were trimmed down. that polycarbonate subframe could be a real problem.

Frames, hubs, swingarm and wheels were all very beefy and, as a result, the four-stroke Betas were 11kg heavier than their KTM counterparts. Which is a lot. So it?s good to see that the thrust of Beta?s 2013 upgrades is about refining components to save weight. For 2013, the entire Beta range gets revisions to frame, subframe, swingarm, wheels, hubs and bodywork, all of which adds up to a saving of 5kg. Just 3.3kg now separates the Beta and KTM 300cc two-strokes on our digital scales
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For aggressive trailriders and racers, however, the Sachs suspension hasn?t kept pace with the competition and still lets the Beta down.
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?The polycarbonate subframe gets more cutaway sections to suit the all-new fuel tank. It?s lighter and improves access to the shock absorber.
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Moto7man said:
Great article, its nice to know a littile more about the Beta, the actual weight savings and which specific components were trimmed down. that polycarbonate subframe could be a real problem.
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Done right, a poly subframe is no problem. The Beta unit is very different than the GasGas piece, as is the Husaberg.
 
twowheels said:
Done right, a poly subframe is no problem. The Beta unit is very different than the GasGas piece, as is the Husaberg.
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I was browsing through the net, I couldn't find any posts/comments about problems with the Husaberg subframe, maybe the Beta is a good design too.
 
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