New to GasGas -- 2013 XC 300

[208samm]

Hi Everyone,

I drove to Dallas yesterday and picked up a 2013 GasGas XC 300 E from KTM of North Texas. I sold my 2008 KTM 300 XC when I moved to Texas from Idaho in May 2014. Turns out I can't really live without a bike. I have been intrigued by Gasers for a couple of years, and figured I'd give one a try, since I found a sweet deal on one.

I know very little about GasGas, and I didn't even have time to talk to the dealer about it because I showed up 15 minutes before closing time to buy the bike. I am looking for tips & tricks from the GasGas community.

Questions:

• Is there anything I need to watch out for as I ride this bike?
• Is there any good/quick places online to order parts?
• Gas/Oil recommendations?
• Jetting tips?
• Must have aftermarket goodies?
• Anything else?

Where to Ride?

I am moving to Wichita, KS next week and need to find places to ride.

• I hear the Hare Scrambles are fun in KS
• Is there anywhere I can take my bike near Wichita to quickly ride while I dial in the jetting, suspension, etc?
• I don't know anyone in the Wichita area, so if there is anyone out there that needs a riding buddy, give me a shout.

The bike I bought yesterday is in awesome condition. I can not wait to get on it and ride. Like every used bike I have purchased, there are little things that are missing:

• The side stand was removed by the original owner and then not included when the bike was traded in. Is there a good way to get the side stand replaced? Maybe an aftermarket option?
• The key to the steering lock is missing. I never anticipate using it, but I would like to have it just in case. Any ideas on getting a new key?

Anyway, I look forward to learning about my new bike and look forward to interacting with this community!

 

[FastFast]

Congrats on the new bike. There's a load of information on here for your particular model. Search away my friend. Getting it jetted correctly makes it a completely different animal. Nothing is insurmountable, and like any manufacturer there's a particular set of quirks for these bikes, but the solutions are all here. It's a really great bike you have there.

 

[Fred1956]

My .02- do a search on squish band correction, if it hasn't been done-do it first- it clears up so many issues + makes jetting clean up a lot easier

 

[andykr87]

I have a 13 with 50 hrs on it id say. Like fred said, get the squish dialed in, ron black (RB designs) does this and while your at it spend the extra $ and have the carb mod done to. I did both of these before i ever started my bike. After my 11 was done by him it was a no brainer. I sent my suspension to evan at solid performance in PA i believe. Other than guards/protection my bike is stock and hasnt let me down.

 

[rosco]

Congratulations on your find! Things I would watch for. Check your spokes, if nobody has ever adjusted them there's a good chance you have some loose ones.
Check the 2 bolts that hold the chain guide to the swing arm. I would remove these and red locktite them. I would also remove your right and left radiator shrouds and smear silicone on the 2 front clips and the 2 side screws on each shroud.
Use blue locktite on all the rest of the body fasteners except for the ones that screw into the gas tank, I would use anti seize on them.
I've been running the maxima formula k-2 at 50:1 with good results. For jetting I would try a 175 main, 42 pilot, and a n3cj Yamaha needle in the middle position.
As far as parts and accessories go, we have a pretty good selection on hand and a good knowledge of what works and what doesn't.
I've always wanted to go to some of the Kansas races but never have. We have some great riding up here and I would be glad to take you on a ride if you ever get up this way.

 

[liv2day]

Like fred said, get the squish dialed in, ron black (RB designs) does this and while your at it spend the extra $ and have the carb mod done to.

Congrats and welcome to the fold

+1 to the above comments. I waited for a while to get mine done and should have done it straight away (made jetting much easier). This was the first thing we did to our 2nd 200, before it was ridden for the 1st time.

I don't know if they changed the design of the kick stand from '11 to '13 (hope they did...lol), but if you find one, make sure it's solidly reinforced. They're not meant to bear much weight (definitely don't try to spin the bike on it). I had a buddy weld an angle bracket to reinforce mine after it broke during a ride.

I'm not sure about the steering stem key, check the microfiche on GoFasters (assume it's still there) and see if there's a replacement. I've never used mine and think the key is still in the folder that came with it...lol.

She's a great looking machine, be sure to post a ride report after you've taken her out. I'm not familiar with the KS area, but I'm sure you'll find some folks on here from that neck of the woods

 

[Simmo737]

Replace the side stand bolt with a high tensile flange bolt, the top tab were the side stand spring connects to the frame can be tapped forward with a hammer to stop it flicking up. Set the carby float level to 8mm. Use roof and gutter silicone to seal up the airbox. Slice the airbox drain fully across ( you'll know what I mean when you do it). They are a great bike.