Hi everyone, I'm Jim from upstate NY. I'm heavily considering buying a gas gas ec300 sometime soon to use for trail riding and some dualsporting. I remember reading an article in dirt wheels magazine about gas gas bikes back in the mid to late 90's but they have seemed to escape my mind till now. Recently I found a ec200 on Craigslist for a great price, so I did some research and low and behold it looks like I have run into a bike that will fit what I want perfectly. I was never very fond of two strokes bc of how technical they can be to ride the trails with but it looks like the 300 has a mild power band with a good amount of torque, so it's looking like I found a replacement for my dated dr350 without going to the new tech four strokes that require a lot of matanince.
Right now I have a 99 bmw f650 Funduro its my daily driver and in all honesty I have grown fairly fond of the bike but, it's a bit of a pig for much off road work. Along with the Funduro I have a dirt version Suzuki dr350 and I really love the dr, they are very capable off road and do well on the street too (i had a dr350s dualsport for some time), it's extremely simple and reliable. Luckily I found a dr350s frame with the title and a bunch of spare parts, so I was planning on building an awesome dualsport with what I have, installing a 440 big bore kit with some hi performance cam work. Would be a sweet bike and do what I'm looking for but, it's a dated design, the suspension is sub par and it's kinda heavy. So considering all this and the expense of doing the head work and big bore kit I'm considering my options with other dualsport bikes. An ec300 looks like a great option without going to far past what I plan on spending on the dr and providing a great performer that can be plated with high dependability. Sounds like a win win to me.
Does anyone have any input on what model years I should be looking for? I'm not looking to buy new but would be fine spending around 2500, from what I see it looks like there are a few good bikes in that price range. Any years I should stay away from or years where they shined above the rest?
Right now I have a 99 bmw f650 Funduro its my daily driver and in all honesty I have grown fairly fond of the bike but, it's a bit of a pig for much off road work. Along with the Funduro I have a dirt version Suzuki dr350 and I really love the dr, they are very capable off road and do well on the street too (i had a dr350s dualsport for some time), it's extremely simple and reliable. Luckily I found a dr350s frame with the title and a bunch of spare parts, so I was planning on building an awesome dualsport with what I have, installing a 440 big bore kit with some hi performance cam work. Would be a sweet bike and do what I'm looking for but, it's a dated design, the suspension is sub par and it's kinda heavy. So considering all this and the expense of doing the head work and big bore kit I'm considering my options with other dualsport bikes. An ec300 looks like a great option without going to far past what I plan on spending on the dr and providing a great performer that can be plated with high dependability. Sounds like a win win to me.
Does anyone have any input on what model years I should be looking for? I'm not looking to buy new but would be fine spending around 2500, from what I see it looks like there are a few good bikes in that price range. Any years I should stay away from or years where they shined above the rest?
