newbie.....03 EC250???

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sbeec

New member
Great looking site guys.....so here's where you earn your keep.....

Been riding off road for years, mostly big bore husky's and vintage MX on my CZ and RM but really need a modern/reliable/easy trailbike......so, I'm looking at an 03 EC250 ........I've known of GAS GAS quality for years.......why should I buy this bike?

What makes the power tractable for a 250?
what's special about the motor for durability?
what about pivot points, taper bearings or ??
electrical problems later??
what's the bad??

Give it to me straight - I know you will !!!

thanks for the info
Rich
 
I had an '03 EC250. More tame stock than my '00 or '07 due to the CDI IMO. If you want a smooth 250 this is it. WP forks/Ohlins can be tuned to your liking. The linkage is the same as the new bikes and if it has been maintained well no problems. GGs trade a couple lbs for a rugged motor that is quite bulletproof. Thick cases, good cooling system, etc. The bike bottomed out in price awhile ago so unless its a wreck its a lot of bike for the $$.
 
as gmp said.. they are awesome bikes.. still have my 01 and am getting a newer one soon..no problems with mine in three years or so..
 
thank you - it does have Ohlins front/rear with some nice LTR protection, new fmf fatty also. the owner was early 40's and everything seems tight on it, I believe maint was kept up.

question - how's the powerband....broad with some grunt?? I know it's a still a 250 but I don't want a high rever for horsepower.

And.....will it overheat doing miles of tight single track -1st gear stuff??
 
i had a 250 and the 300 i have now... it does not have the grunt of a 300, but nothing else does either.. it is respectible IMO.. more so than a jap 250 2 smoke 250... i have had mine over heat once in three years.. and the 6 speed and hyd clutch are just cheating... what are you riding now ?

ohlins front and rear and ltr stuff... go buy it..
 
jhendr3702 said:
i had a 250 and the 300 i have now... it does not have the grunt of a 300, but nothing else does either.. it is respectible IMO.. more so than a jap 250 2 smoke 250... i have had mine over heat once in three years.. and the 6 speed and hyd clutch are just cheating... what are you riding now ?

ohlins front and rear and ltr stuff... go buy it..
Click to expand...

thanks for the reply - it also has the desert tank......

I have all vintage -
83 Husky 430WR (bought new - trial ride and vintage MX) just overhauled and has great power - but I'll getting to old to kick start it all day in the woods after 40-50 miles
77 Suzuki RM250 - vintage mx in the NW......great mx power, not a woods bike
74 CZ 400 - big bore 4spd....tons of torque - all mx
 
sbeec said:
thanks for the reply - it also has the desert tank......

I have all vintage -
83 Husky 430WR (bought new - trial ride and vintage MX) just overhauled and has great power - but I'll getting to old to kick start it all day in the woods after 40-50 miles
77 Suzuki RM250 - vintage mx in the NW......great mx power, not a woods bike
74 CZ 400 - big bore 4spd....tons of torque - all mx
Click to expand...

those all sound cool... seriously, if i had not had the 300, i probably would have loved the 250.. mine did not have ohlins up front either... hope you get it...my gg is a one kick 99% of the time..

jay..
 
jhendr3702 said:
those all sound cool... seriously, if i had not had the 300, i probably would have loved the 250.. mine did not have ohlins up front either... hope you get it...my gg is a one kick 99% of the time..

jay..
Click to expand...

alright - I'll go call the shop and talk a deal.......I'll let you know.......
 
Picked up my first Gasgas last year ('03 EC250), after owning a ton of different off road bikes. Amazing bike, easy to ride, great low-end and about the best single track bike out there.

I sold it to pick up a newer Gasgas and ended up with an '05 EC300 that had really low hours.

To be honest, there is not much difference in low end on the 250 vs 300. Both are great. The 250 has a bit more aggressive bite to it, but not bad and again, works great for tight woods.

Great bikes and you get a ton of bike for the $. I've owned 'em all and Gasgas is tops in my book.

BTW, would you happen to be looking at the bike at Tasky's in WA?
 
That is a great bike! It is loaded and looks like it is in really nice condition. They should be a little flexible on the price too. If you are looking for a nice bike for WA singletrack you would be hard pressed to find a nicer one.

I had the same bike and it probably came from Skagit Motorsports. There was a good batch of those EC250's in '03 that have stuck around the WA/OR area and seems like Les at LT worked on all of them to set them up for NW riding.

Mine was absolutely hammered and abused by previous owner when I picked it up and it still performed flawlessly. The one at Tasky's looks much better than mine.

I dont think you would be disappointed.
 
sbeec said:
74 CZ 400 - big bore 4spd....tons of torque - all mx
Click to expand...

i like the cz 400's - i have a cz250 now. if you need a vintage reference as to what a gas gas motor pulls like, it's like a frontera 250 with more all over. more over rev, more torque, snappier.
 
I put $$$ down on it to hold till next weekend. It was a consinment and they said the guy was firm........like you said, it does have a bunch of extras including recent piston/rings.
thanks for the words of confidence firfigther.....I'm looking forward to the experience.
 
stainlesscycle said:
i like the cz 400's - i have a cz250 now. if you need a vintage reference as to what a gas gas motor pulls like, it's like a frontera 250 with more all over. more over rev, more torque, snappier.
Click to expand...

I get the comparison ----thank you.
You guys on the east coast sure have a bunch of AHRMA races, including cross country. I love the 400 powerband,,,,pulls like a freight train in any gear. I found a 73 Macio 400 in Sacramento, CA that I really wanted to buy (beautiful unresorted condition), but I need a modern woods bike more right now.
 
My son has the 03 250, I have an 06 300. Like others have mentioned the 300 is a bit better in the low end, the 250 is a little more like a motocross bike, but fair grunt. You will be happy with either. What sold me on the Gasgas was I read somewhere you get KTM performance and XR reliability, and lots of killer deals on them out there. It didn't hurt that when I started looking for a 300 I looked at KTM first, and one of the ones I found the guy was selling to get a GG. I guess you can figure the rest out.

Problems are few, my son has done pretty much just basic maintenance to his (well, I have). His has never overheated, and after I put a higher temp cap on my 300 its pretty good about not overheating either. We have ridden with 4t that were puking their guts out on tight, gnarly hills and the GG were fine.
 
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