Potential KTM to GAS GAS convert. Please help!

Well I have a little update. I tore the bike down to the frame and greased everything. My rear axle was especially hard to remove. I had to pound it out with a hammer and punch. I took the bearings out and looked everything over. The axle would slide right through the bearings but the spacer tube was deformed. It had a raised edge just inside the tube on both ends. I don't know if this was because it had been over tightened or if it was made that way but a few seconds with the flapper fitting on my drimmel took care of it. Slides in nicely now.

After I disassembled the steering stem, I forgot where the o-ring goes. It's too big to go in the tube. I would appreciate a reminder. The swingarm and stem where nearly dry so I'm glad I greased everything.

Have any of you with the twin wall handlebars just cut the crossbar down the middle? I was thinking of doing this instead if removing it so I could keep the pad.

I am still waiting on parts to come in so I haven't got a chance to get any trail time on it yet. I can't wait to try it out though. I'll get a detailed ride report in as soon as I get a chance. Thanks again for the input.
 
I emailed Renthal and confirmed the twinwalls are safe to run without the cross brace. I prefer them this way as it gives a bit more flex. Just buy a fat bar pad. It mounts up fine and even fits with my Motosportz damper. Think it set me back around $10-$15. No biggy and means I still have the cross member in one piece if I ever want to fit it again.
 
I got my parts in today. Head, forks, and shock are installed. Jd jetting installed but I haven't had a chance to do more than run up the road and back. I also moved my map switch to the handlebar between the throttle and front brake lever. Should be easier to get to now.

The other thing I'd like to do is replace the dinky chain rollers with some good ball bearing replacements. I seem to find a design feature I really like, then I find something like this that makes me scratch my head. Anyway, I can't wait to see what the legendary handling is all about.

I am very much happy that I got this bike. It's an eye catcher for sure and I like standing out a little. Just like most orange converts, I have had to accept a couple truths about gassers. I however am more than willing to put up with a couple extra minutes for oil changes, having to carry a couple extra tools in my box, and a few accusatory stares from fellow riding buddies, if this thing performs as well as so many of you have assured me it would. Can't wait to get in the tight woods and leave those pumpkins behind. Thanks again.
 
Colemanian said:
The other thing I'd like to do is replace the dinky chain rollers with some good ball bearing replacements. I seem to find a design feature I really like, then I find something like this that makes me scratch my head.
Click to expand...

Colemanian, before you over think the "dinky" rollers, leave them alone. They will last much longer than any rollers with bearings. Mud and moisture will foul the bearings and cause them to roll with resistance long before they go bad altogether and sieze. It won't happen on these. Sometimes simple and seemingly cheesy can be better. I did the exact same thing on my first GasGas, but learned that it was better. I do notice that my new KTM has bearings.
 
Congrats! That is a nice ride. You have gotten a steal on that bike. These Gassers are really special. Here is a link to some of the mods that I did on my 2011 EC 300. Once you have them set up they are a blast and super reliable. Have some patience with the new fasters and assemblies, the Spaniards do things a little different but most of the time there is a good reason. You will see my GPR V4 in one of the photos. I included a short list of some of my mods. This GG is the best bike that I have ever owned and I have owned about everything.


http://www.gasgasrider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13207&highlight=trailtech+voyager

GPR V4- Easy install works great.

Suspension- I have always resprung my bikes. I weight 190 pounds and ride some rough whooped out hare scrambles in Florida. This time I sent my 45mm Zokes and Ohlins to Drew Smith at Enduro Engineering. Drew revalved both ends and put SKF seals in the Zokes but advised against going to stiffer springs. I was skeptical but when I rode with the new suspension it was plush and progressive without any bottoming.

Kickstand- Locktight your mount bolts of you will lose your chain roller.

Seat-Put on a Guts Tall Seat with soft foam. I know that you are supposed to stand up but the stock seat is terrible.

Throttle cable- Make sure it isn't binding or it will hang wide open. I only had it happen once with me in some sweeping leftward whoops but I'm going to order a longer cable from GoFasters.

Oil Drain bolt- Don't overtighten or you'll never get it out.

Gas Cap- Put a 2012/13 cap on or it will leak.

Gearing- I ride in some deep sand so I went down to a 12 tooth
countershaft.

Enjoy your new bike.
 
The race.

I concurred the ozark hundred miler yesterday..... Or maybe I should say it concurred me.

This race is a 3 moto event. The first moto is 2 20 mile taps. There are time requirements but I made it. The second moto is an identical 2 20 mile taps. The third was 4 5 mile laps completed at night, and you MUST have excellent lighting. I finished the fist two motors but didn't make the night round (I would of been able to finish it anyway). Most of you probably can't appreciate way 80+ miles of sw Missouri trail looks like. For those of you that can, image the nastiest section of whooped out, rocky, rooty madness. That was the ENTIRE event. Plus a couple of ridiculous creek beds. It took me about 90 minutes a lap. I feel like I've been in a car reck this morning.

The bike did well. I've still got a few bugs to work out on the suspension. It's wired, if I would hit one square edge, it would soak it up. But if I would hit multiple objects, like some hard braking bumps, it would pogo my brains out. I think I needed more rebound across the board and a little less compression. The motor impressed me to no end. It would lug way down low and stay running. With proper clutch control, I was able to snap over many ledges where other riders where just spinning. The jetting is still off with the jd needle. I'm going to try a Suzuki with jacobi's recommendations. The handling was great. When I was able to stand, the bike was very nimble. I feel the tires were detracting from the total Experience quite a bit. I was feeling confident in the front end, the. The tire would give out and I would go for a spill.

I feel like this will be an amazing bike on e I get some more time on it and get the bugs worked out. I'll keep you all posted. Thanks for the help.
 
Suspension and Motor

Colemanian said:
I've still got a few bugs to work out on the suspension. It's wired, if I would hit one square edge, it would soak it up. But if I would hit multiple objects, like some hard braking bumps, it would pogo my brains out. I think I needed more rebound across the board and a little less compression. The motor impressed me to no end. It would lug way down low and stay running.
Click to expand...

Glad you are enjoying the bike! Keep working the small things, as it just gets better and better. The motor really is magic. Works everywhere.
As for the suspension: stock, I had the exact same experience with multiple high speed hits. Oddly, more rebound and less compression damping made it worse. When I did the exact opposite (less rebound and more compression), it stayed higher up in the softer part of the stroke and was (barely) rideable. Complete revalve and respring was required for me. But at 150 lbs. naked, I have to do that to every bike.
 
Dude, if you're still having problems with your carb , PM me and I ll give you some advice ! I followed and built off of the settings that "Jakobi"gave me when I first for my 11 300 SD. I will be glad to share what I have learned about the bike and engine .. You should be a little less apt to have a jetting setup problem due to you squish clearance correction and also due to the fact that bike should be running a wee bit richer because of it .. Hit me up and I share some info :)
-JD
 
I got the bike running MUCH better.
I spent the last few days recovering from my race Saturday. I gave the bike a good wash and noticed the first few scratches Ive given it. I took the spark plug out and it was covered. I decided to go down a couple main jet sized to see how it would respond before i try the nedj needle. I went from the 180 to a 175. Wow, it took all the dead spot out of the mid range. The bike is a wheelie machine now. That should make me a lot faster lol. Gonna ride this weekend and see how it acts in the woods now.... May need a g2 throttle cam, this thing is a beast.
 
Well it's been a couple months now and there are a few things I've noticed. The first is, I love this bike. It's a head turner, around my area few people have much experiance with gg so I like that part. It's been super reliable. No mechanical problems. The suspension has settled nicely, it seems to ride really smooth at a cruising pace, but the shock "packs" a little when you pick up the pace in a whooped out section. Of course, the maneuverability is great. It gives me a ton of confidence in the tight stuff. I've never been able to have factory width bars where I ride, but the renthals remain uncut. Just a quick flick of the bars and youre dodging through the trees.

The ONLY real complaint I have is the carb. I can't seem to get the thing quite right. I ride mainly in the lower rpms. Most of the time I'm in third or even forth. But occasionally I need to get on the pipe, like on a long hill, or entering an open stretch. The bike bogs a little when transitioning from the pilot to the main. Then it cleans out and rockets forward. If I ride it harder it doesn't load up on me, but it's very tiring to ride a 300 on the pipe for very long.

I know this isn't the bikes fault, I just need to spend more time jetting. It doesn't help that our weather changes so rapidly here. High on Monday was 70 low on Thursday was 9!!! Crazy huh

Another thing I just remembered is my decal/grafics are peeling pretty bad. My front fender and radiator shrouds pull free when I pressure wash it. None of my other bikes have had this issue. I'm sure it has to do with all the edges and points this thing has. Other than that I have no complaints.
 
Pick up a can of 3M super 77 for those graphics. Clean the plastic and back of the graphics with some brake clean and re-glue.
 
Colemanian said:
Well it's been a couple months now and there are a few things I've noticed. The first is, I love this bike. It's a head turner, around my area few people have much experiance with gg so I like that part. It's been super reliable. No mechanical problems. The suspension has settled nicely, it seems to ride really smooth at a cruising pace, but the shock "packs" a little when you pick up the pace in a whooped out section. Of course, the maneuverability is great. It gives me a ton of confidence in the tight stuff. I've never been able to have factory width bars where I ride, but the renthals remain uncut. Just a quick flick of the bars and youre dodging through the trees.

The ONLY real complaint I have is the carb. I can't seem to get the thing quite right. I ride mainly in the lower rpms. Most of the time I'm in third or even forth. But occasionally I need to get on the pipe, like on a long hill, or entering an open stretch. The bike bogs a little when transitioning from the pilot to the main. Then it cleans out and rockets forward. If I ride it harder it doesn't load up on me, but it's very tiring to ride a 300 on the pipe for very long.

I know this isn't the bikes fault, I just need to spend more time jetting. It doesn't help that our weather changes so rapidly here. High on Monday was 70 low on Thursday was 9!!! Crazy huh

Another thing I just remembered is my decal/grafics are peeling pretty bad. My front fender and radiator shrouds pull free when I pressure wash it. None of my other bikes have had this issue. I'm sure it has to do with all the edges and points this thing has. Other than that I have no complaints.
Click to expand...

Jason, give me a call and we'll see what you're running for jetting, mine is spot on and I'm a low RPM rider also
 
"The ONLY real complaint I have is the carb. I can't seem to get the thing quite right. I ride mainly in the lower rpms. Most of the time I'm in third or even forth. But occasionally I need to get on the pipe, like on a long hill, or entering an open stretch. The bike bogs a little when transitioning from the pilot to the main. Then it cleans out and rockets forward. If I ride it harder it doesn't load up on me, but it's very tiring to ride a 300 on the pipe for very long"
I had the same problem with my 12 and 13. I put the Leo Vince muffler on it and it made this transition very smooth.
 
I put the Cannon silencer on from Gofasters and it really woke the bike up. Never liked the Stealth. Replace it or cut it/gut it.
 
Thanks guys, I've looked into a cannon pipe. That's who did my suspension and the tuner promised me I'd love it. At first I was against a pipe because I nearly bought a freinds 08 ktm 300, that bike had a fatty\shorty and a powervalve combo that was hard to handle. But the more time I've spent on this bike, the more I think the midrange could use a boost. Like I've said, I can tractor this bike up the nastiest ledge rock around with barely a stall, or spin it up and fly through the smooth stuff. But after pacing a guy for a half a lap (harescramble), and I decide to make a move on him, the bike stumbles in the transition from pilot to main jet. I've since lowerd the needle one position and adjusted the air screw. It runs strong in the field next to my house, but I haven't had a chance to get it back on the trail to see how it acts in normal conditions (not wide open).

I just want to say thanks to all who have helped me with this beast. There seems to be fewer egos on this board than some of the others I've used. Wish I could meet/ride with some of you. Problem is, most seem to be over the pond. :)
 
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