Sold my '05 Gasser 300...got a YZ250X

[barossi73]

A lighter bike is potentially faster,sharper.period.
That said the lighter the bike is,the more topheavy it becomes,especially if you are generously proportioned.this makes the bike much more sensitive to body position,esp in pitching back/forward and also noticeably twitchier at high speeds and more sensitive to body position when jumping.great for good riders,sometimes unforgiving for others
A slightly heavier bike can add a little stability,less twitchy,generally deflects less.esp at higher speeds which can make you confident to push a little harder.i also suspect the often maligned heavier gg swingarm,actually helps the rear hookup in some conditions.depending on rider ability and confidence,style of riding,conditions,and where the weight is carried,its possible a rider may pick up the heavier bike less frequently...and be just as fast

 

[Jakobi]

I raced a round of the local enduro this weekend. First time I've wished the bike was lighter!

Very technical track. 11km loop. I managed an average speed of 18km/hr and a max of 60-something. Rainforest conditions - clay, roots, rocks.. and it rained in the morning too.

I had to man handle her a few times getting in bad places due to some poor line choices... and it took its toll almost instantly. A lighter bike may have been less fatiguing.. perhaps. Better skills would trump it though!

 

[barossi73]

Dont get me wrong,i like a light bike too and would certainly consider the x if it had lights/6spd
Was just pointing out that it shouldnt be the primary consideration for buyin a bike and that there are some situations where its no advantage at all.
The market obsession with lightest will likely dictate that gg close the gap anyway.

 

[Jakobi]

I agree entirely.

I also don't agree with the weight shaving that comes at expense of reliability which can be seen with certain brands. IMO its about balancing out the attributes.

 

[CampX]

I loved my GasGas, it was a tank of a bike, in a good way. I seriously abused that bike, and never had a lick of mechanical issues with it. I guess you could say it had all its weight in the right places. And it still had more than enough power than I knew what to do with.
Now let's talk suspension. If I had kept the Gasser, I would have spent 1200 or so Canadian dollars to do the suspension. Not unlike what all the KTM dudes have to do with their brand new bikes, just to get them to ride nice in the woods. Haven't hit the 10 hour mark yet with the X, but I am giddy with the suspension. Ass end stays planted, front end doesn't hammer the piss out of my arms and shoulders. I'm riding trails in 4th that would have had me dumping down into 2nd with the GasGas, for fear of getting bucked into a tree. Stock. Haven't touched the clickers yet, may tweak rebound damping a bit, that's all.

 

[barossi73]

I cant argue with that although i havent ridden the x,the couple of fx's i threw a leg over felt very good and like you,both owners swore they hadnt touched it from stock.the front felt very predictable but a little more washy than the gg but that could have easily been tyre/press or the 4t factor loading up the front as i rolled off throttle.
It was nicely balanced for sure

 

[Jakobi]

FWW a newer Gas Gas with well setup Marzocchi 48 CC forks, or KYB SSS front end will give you a similar result too

 

[CampX]

FWW a newer Gas Gas with well setup Marzocchi 48 CC forks, or KYB SSS front end will give you a similar result too

I believe this, fully. I had looked at 2011 and newer EC300s, could have saved a bit of money over buying a new bike.....but I WANTED a new bike, period.

Did a 32km loop 2 days ago, and a 40km loop today. Riding wayyyyy faster than I ever have, actually keeping up (sorta) with my riding buddy (vet expert). Gonna race in a couple of weeks, Monkey Wrench cross country. Looking forward to it......

 

[memphis2857]

A must do on the 250x is, send the head to Ron Hamp and get the squish corrected. These bikes get horrible fuel mileage (30 miles per tank). My buddy has one and we tried everything to make it better and nothing worked until he corrected the squish. It was 1.9mm from the factory. When Yamaha tried to take the hit out of the motor they just put a thicker base gasket under the cylinder to lower compression and change port timing. When they did this it made the squish clearance terrible. Other than that the only complaint with the 250x is build quality, Yamaha really needs to bring the yz up to date. Phillips head screws in the stator cover, cheap captured nuts in the plastic that spins, cable clutch, the bike just feels very 2005.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gasgasxc]

I have to agree with alot of whats already been said.The X is nothing new.
Its a detuned Jap moto bike with a wider ratio transmission.Light weight ,excellent suspension, good brakes and handling.Dependable.Same old same old just a newer version.

Guys that ride Euro woods bikes ride them for a reason.Or 2 or 3.
Nothings changed.

I will tell you that far more riders especially experts and vets who are riding Euro woods bikes have ridden Jap moto bikes and have done everything humanly possible at great expense to make them woods racing machines.
Then diehard Jap moto guys have rang a true Euro woods bike out.
Gauranteed.

Theres a reason I ride a 20 year old TM 125E in the woods.
Its made for it.

 

[TheLetterJ]

Ya know... I've been down this road before. I've had my fair share of Japanese MX bikes and I've NEVER ridden MX, strictly offroad. I've had a lot fewer European bikes. With 6 scooters in the garage right now, the time has come to thin the herd a little.

I currently have a steel framed '02 (last year that they were CA green stickered) YZ250 with WR trans, hydro clutch, SSS suspension, 18" wheel, 265BB, flywheel weight,etc., the list of mods is very long. I'd say it is the best setup Japanese bike I've come across. I liked the way my Gen3 CR250 handled better, but this YZ is a better overall package.

Next to that is a plated XR400. Nothing special, but it's clean, and it just plain gets the job done.

Then there is my '01 GG300. I was in the middle of a refresh last year and had since been injured so I never finished putting the engine together.

One of those has to go. Can you guess which one?







The YZ is going down the road! Is it lighter? Yes. Is it a better race bike? For the most part. Is the suspension better? Undeniably. But that GG300 engine is a thing of beauty, by far my favorite engine for offroad EVER and I'm willing to make the other tradeoffs just to keep that engine. I could imagine that the newer GG's close the gap big time with suspension/chassis improvements, but I think it says a lot that I'm keeping a 15 year old bike over one that has been updated to "current" YZ250X specs. The XR stays because, well, it's an XR with a plate!

 

[CampX]

Raced the Monkey Wrench two weekends ago, A loop, 72km of awesome cross country. Flowy loamy stuff thru the trees, rock ridges, ass-puckering downhills, wide open fire roads with de-activation ditches every 500 feet, such a huge variety of terrain. Gas stop at 52km in, wasn't on reserve yet, probably could have got 60-65km on the tank. Bike ran flawlessly, elevation was 4000-7000', temp around 18 celcius. Wasn't completely beat up tired or sore at the end, suspension is the biggest game changer for me.
Yamaha is a very cautious company, they don't make big changes........but.......everyone wishes they would make a production YZ300X, can you imagine that? I would jump all over it.