Gas gas ec200?

[skid jackson]

Skid...you have an 08 Husky WR125? what do you think? Is it what you expected?

Thanks

Its a cr, the mx'er. I got it new for $3k. I was getting ready to pull the trigger on a 200 but at 3K I figured what the hell I'll try a 125. I did not know what to expect with the 125. I actually bought a used 01 wr 125 to see what I thought I rode it a few times and found the deal on the 08. I decided to go that way as I would have had to spend a few $$ to dial in the 01. So far I have spent $100 on rear springs. A good deal really, I got two from ohlins, a 50 and a 52 for $50 each!! $400 & change to Factory connection to revalve the front and back. $90 for a power now to help with the bottom. $110 for a fancy skid plate from canada. Some $$ to fmf for a T2 sparky, can't remember the exact amount on that one. Only thing left would be $289 for a fmf fatty pipe but I'm holding off on that for the moment. and maybe a stator rewind for some lights

I'm still trying to learn to ride the damn thing. its been pretty wet and I haven't been out too much this year. In the more open stuff it rips and is a fun bike. I'm faster on it then i am on the 300. The thing is you can wring its neck and it never feels like it will send you off into the trees. As a result I'm faster and more confident on it. Getting through the turns is way easier too as you don't have all the weight to change direction. Again more confidence to go in faster. I haven't been into any real nasty rock gardens yet. that is the real test of a bike in my area. I've done a few easy rock gardens so far so good. I need to get the jetting sorted and learn to use the clutch. its a different kind of riding then what I'm used to. If I can get it figured out I think I'll be pretty happy with the bike. That said I don't usually charge into rock gardens. With my big bore bikes I would roll up, choose a line then roll on the throttle. unless I develop the proper clutch technique I can't roll up to nasty obstacles anymore, you gotta have some momentum on your side before you hit that stuff with a 125. As soon as you get off the pipe your dead in the water!!

I'd love to have a day riding with an husky wr 125, an 09 ktm 200 and 09 gasser 200 and 125. I think the next trend is going to be old farts like myself bagging the big bores and going to 200,s 125,s 144's and 250fs. you just don't need all that juice in the woods. Light and nimble is the ticket!! I'm done riding anything over 200 cc. Keeping the 300 for now because it is plated so I can use it on turkey runs and enduros.

 

[Rick]

i have tooling over the idea of a 125, YZ or a Husky would be my first choice, I too really like the small bore bikes, for many of the reasons you outlined! My son has a 06 KX100 and I am looking at moving him up to an YZ 125 or 144. I think a nice flywheel weight would help with a bit of bottom, at least give it a little bit of lugability....but there is nothing better than hearing a small bore 2 stroke in the woods...RAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!

Cool, keep us updated on the Husky! Lets see some pic's sometime!

Thanks

Rick

 

[GMP]

I don't know about the new ones, but the older KTM200s would vibrate bad too. I hated that bike. It was fast but the suspension and vibration would kill you.

125s are cool and work well in the technical woods. It still amazes me how my nephew can ride an eight year old GG 125 up steep rocky hills. Like skid said it never threatens you like a big bike and while it requires aggression, its also eaiser to ride that way.

 

[skid jackson]

might hang onto that 300 for a bit longer .....
I went into some pretty gnarly stuff today .... It was not pretty!!
bike is kind of tall and any kind of hang up is 50/50 for a tip over. Must have picked the bike up 5 or 6 times. In the tight and nasty stuff I was very slow. not too much confidence. real technical sections always have at least one stopper. every stopper I hit stopped me cold. visibility was crappy, i was hot and fogging and it was getting dark. that did not help. but all the stuff I got hung up on was stuff the 300 would just tractor over. Tractoring over the nasties on a lowish bike is mentally easier then having to blitz it on a tallish bike. that said the husky is a very stable bike. I'm hoping my bad day in the tight stuff is lack of 125 riding technique. When we broke back out onto the qud track it was warp speed again. dude I was with said ..."you got two speeds on that thing, warp speed on the open stuff and molasses speed in the tight stuff" If I can't get up to speed in the tight stuff this little ring ding will be down the road.

 

[nhrider]

Skid,

Is that 125 street legal?

I guy down the street as a 99 Husky 125 and was thinking about a newer one. If you let it go, please let me know and I'll pass the word on. thanks

 

[noobi]

how do gasgas differentiate between frames for engine sizes?
i know that at ktm the 125 and 200 share a chassis, and the 250 and 300 share a different chassis?

i assumed that gasgas did the same, but someone mentioned that the 300 engine would fit into the 200 chassis?

 

[roostafish]

The Gas Gas 200 shares chassis with the bigger bikes. The 125 is different. I know that doesn't seem to be the best idea when you think about it at first, but the bikeis actually quite nice. There's no question that KTM has development money to create individual bikes, and Gas Gas probably was looking at an American niche and decided to try it. At the time they didn't make a 125, but the 200 has been successful nonetheless. Sometimes the product is actually greater than the sum of the parts. The GG 200 is one of those cases. Sort of like the KTM 400.

 

[skid jackson]

Funny you should mention the ktm 400. I was riding my 125 yesterday and switched out rides with a buddy who has been thinking about getting a small bore. His bike was an 04 exc, the suspension was tuned by factory connection ... I've never ridden a ktm 400 before ... holy crap what nice bike. and it was a high mileage 04 ... gotta wonder what the newer 400 is like! If I had gone from my drz to that 400 I'd probably be on orange right now!! Which of course now has me thinking about that berg 390 ... then there is the new 218lb husky 250f, umm and the yammagasser, damn .... there are too many nice bikes out there!!