mx gasgas?

[wheels7]

I have been looking at these new ktm xc's of which i could ride motocross then a hs the next weekend and be competitive in both enviroments. I understand a good rider will be fast on any bike, but I need all the help i can get. So what I'm wondering is how well the ec250 would do with its new frame to promote quicker handling and the dual map ignition. Also suspension is a huge deal when it comes to this stuff Hence the reason the xc uses the sx tc wp forks. I would be getting rid of my 04 rm 250 so it has to do at least one thing better, I'm also not worried about gnarly singletrack the 01 gg 300xc takes care of that. Any reports on the husky wr 250.
Sorry for the long post but i need some answers from the experts.

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Personally, if I was a motocrosser, I'd look elsewhere. If I wanted to cross over between harescrambles and motocross, I'd most likely be on a YZ250. But since I'm an offroader and only ride MX for training, I'll stick with my gasser.

 

[widebear]

If it was me I would'nt even consider the ec and find a mc 250. You could mx it and its a fine offroad bike as well. I actually much prefer it, as I have one over my ec 300, very much in common with the 07 rm 250 that i recently rode but less of a huge hit common to some supercross bred 250 mx'ers. with PROPER jetting you can torque the motor all day. On Sat me and cactusreid post rode the Big Boar cross country race loop from last weekend. It was long drilled, rooty, snow covered with its share of big soupy bogs. My mc handled it all in stride and when we got onto the road sections it would pull Reid's 300 every time. To boot you can add flywheel weights if you want and still have a bit of a lighting output for qualify'rs and it comes with springs designed for somebody who actually weighs more than 155 lb's, All good!

 

[Berkyboy]

Widebears right the GasGas MC250 is a great off-road bike, especially if you find yourself riding both MX tracks and doing off-road harescrambles /enduro. The six speed transmission alone gives you more selectivity then the five speed KTM XC transmission.

When you factor in the heavier sprung 50mm forks and shock (normally spot on for a 200+ lb off-road rider) found on the MC250 you have a suspension that's awe inspiring, espcially if you come up short on a 90 foot double.

We take the MC250 to the next level be swapping out a 300 top-end to broaden the motor’s power delivery and tame it down a little with flywheel weight that smoothes out the bottom end.

The MC300 motor isn't any faster then a stock MC250 it just has more torque, closer to what a 450 four-stroke bike has. The biggest reason for going with the MC chassis is it has the 50mm Marzocchi forks over the 45mm enduro ones (the EC chassis.)

Speaking of 450's if you want a bike that will run with the 450 four-strokes on the MX track one weekend and dice through the woods the next I would recommend looking into building a MC300.

It makes a lot of sense especially when you factor in the two-stroke reliability and its low cost maintenance compared to the PIA four-stroke’s with their expensive top ends and valve maintenance.

As far as a head to head comparison between GasGas and KTM two-strokes go, traditionally GasGas chassis and suspensions need less setup, arguably GasGas engine reliability is a little better (remember this is a GasGas forum website so your not going to find much KTM bias here) while two-stroke parts availability is about the same. Both bikes use a Kokison dual map ignition.

As far as the clutch goes a GasGas clutch is probably the best off-road clutch available hands down while the KTM clutch needs a $50 roller bearing lever to ease up the activation a little, but even after this they still fall short on the feel that a stock GasGas clutch has.

KTM resale is definately better, especially if you only keep a bike for one year before selling or trading. The longer you keep the GasGas the better you come out on resale, keep in mind the GasGas motor is built to last and you can ask anybody around here about engine dependability.

KTM aftermarket parts are also more readily available as it seems everybody makes something for the Austrian motorcycles while GasGas aftermarket parts are a little limited.

IMO if you want a solid all-around bike, with great suspension and a six-speed transmission go GasGas. If you don't mind spending between $400 and $700 on getting your suspension right and want higher resale value go KTM. In the end the you end up spending about the same.

Sorry this got a little long.

 

[widebear]

And if anybody's interested I'll either sell outright or, trade plus $100 for the mods, my very low hour, original piston. 300 cylinder with rb designes modded head, for a mx 250 top end, or just sell outright for cash as I now have all the parts to build my 220cc. I'm more of a rev happy hit type rider anyway.

 

[Berkyboy]

Check you pm

 

[gasgasman]

I have the 2007 MC250 and Berkyboy's comments are spot on.

I had LT-Racing revalve my forks to be more off- road friendly.
They were really harsh in the mid-stroke and would pound my wrists to death. Also the bike would tend to stand up in the sandy turns.

Now they are super plush and still absorbs the big hits. I left the stock springs in because I hate nose dive under braking.

The engine revs really fast and has a hit when the power band kicks in.
I still have to do some minor jetting change to clean up the low end snap.

I did find out why my rain/sunshine button did not have any changes when switched.
The timing was too far advanced, so when I flipped the switch the timing would not retard far enough to be noticed.
I was getting a lot of pinging under hard acceleration. If I left the switch in the rain mode the ping was greatly reduced.

 

[GMP]

Girard,

If you could, snap and post a photo of your stator, to indicate the relative position. Mine appears more advanced than my '00 or '03, but the cases are different so I assumed that was it. Mine runs great but the difference is very subtle. Its like Sun/Super Nova rather than Sun/Rain.

 

[gasgasman]

Glenn, here's the untouched position of the stator plate.

 

[GMP]

Thanks. It looks close to what mine is at. I'll pull the cover and check in detail when I wash the bike from its mud bath Sunday.

 

[PEB]

It looks like the new ignition cover lets debris in just like the old one does.

Paul B

 

[Boomhauer]

Girard did you make any adjustments to it yet?

When you rode my bike yesterday did you change the mapping on mine and if so did you hear any pinging?

This was a great read!

 

[gasgasman]

It looks like the new ignition cover lets debris in just like the old one does.

Paul B

Boom Boom. Tell him what this bike's been through.
That's nothing compared to my 2001 GG.

 

[Boomhauer]

PEB you poor guy.

Girards new MC250 was broken in way more than most of us can imagine.
1st off our clubs 1st event was canceled due to the flooding we got earlier in the year (Feb).

Our event was then pushed to go on in June. In the weekends leading up to this race we had to cut & re-cut our trails for the enduro. During this time it seemed the rainy season was on us once again. About this time is when Girard got his pretty new MC250.

With all of this being said our clubs lease property is a sand/gravel pit in daily operation. We have very fine & deep sugar sand and many creek crossings. Poor Girards bike went weeks before seeing any dry conditions. And no I am not kidding.

We both suffered thru this crap on a weekend basis because we are hard core enduro guys and love to put on great events. I saw Girard run his bike thru one creek crossing that most 4 wheelers would have turned around and went back to camp, but not Girard. He was determined to "Git-R-Done" The water went above the hub and kept rising. It seemed like every whooop was holding water. It sucked bad. I hated it and I know Girard hated it more because it was after all his new bike.

A month or so later we put on a family enduro in the National Forest under pretty much the same conditions.

Moral of this story..... Girards bike got abused pretty good from all of the sand and water. If you don't trust me on this come to Houston and we will show you.

Your GasGas Story Teller,
Boom

 

[widebear]

Please! you guys need to set your timing the proper way. cause doing it arbirarily can wreak havoc on your engine, using a dial indicator and a degree wheel. 1.5 to 2 degrees b.t.d.c. is the spec, the more retard the longer the over rev, exhaust temps will go up a bit, you get a cleaner silencer anyway.