Gas Gas EC300
...will be my next dirt bike. Tasky's is now a Gas Gas dealer so I got a chance to look at the new 2011 EC300 in person and it's nice. Really nice. I was chatting with Jeff about it, and specifically how the engine would compare to my Husqvarna TE250, as well as to my past 2-stroke experience. One of the things I still really miss about my old KDX200 was the fast mid-range snap; if you needed the front end in the air, there was no need to anticipate, slip the clutch, rev the engine then pop the clutch back out. But the thing I sure don't miss is the soft low-end. So I asked Jeff how the EC300 would compare to the TE250. He smiled and said "this thing is a torque machine. It pulls off the bottom like a 450 4-stroke, and then, well it's just smooth, tractable power across the range." They're designed to be enduro/trail machines, so they have a very broad power band without the peaky mid-range that a 2-stroke MX bike has. Oh yeah, and they have a two-position ignition map switch.
FYMF!
ReplyDeleteOh, and also, if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.
ReplyDeleteYeah...we'll have to see. Maybe I'll get a deal on a 2011 this fall. With the JD EFI tuner and the 310 kit on the TE I suspect that's pretty much the pinnacle of 4-stroke "small bore" trail/enduro performance. It's crazy that a 2-stroke would have more torque than a 4, but I keep reading that the EC300 does. I'd dig more torque, and really love shedding some weight.
ReplyDeleteWow. The Gas Gas EC300 has more torque and less weight than your Husky TE310? This sounds like next week's obsession coming on.
ReplyDeleteAlso note: I added a target="_blank" to the link so it opens in a new tab so our large and growing audience doesn't get lost from thedirtycrew.com.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's sweet. More torque, more HP, less weight, similar high-quality components. The lower weight and higher HP is typical 2T vs 4T, and the "more torque" part appears to be what you get when you step up to a large bore, trail-tuned 2-stroke. Much simpler engines too.
ReplyDeleteA simple 2T engine is divine. I could freshen it even in my garage!
ReplyDeleteI'd really love to ride one of these on the freeway for a photo opportunity.
Yeah, super simple. And with the way we ride I bet one could go a couple seasons on the same piston and rings.
ReplyDeleteFrom a Cyclenews.com review "The 300, with its slightly larger displacement, is almost like riding an automatic in that you never need to shift it; you just leave it in second or third gear and let the motor do all the work. The bike seems impossible to stall and is super tractable."
ReplyDeleteAnd from Thumpertalk "I have a new 05 EC300 and love the low end grunt. I also have a 06 CRF450X and I think MY EC300 has more low end than my Honda."
More low end than a 450(thumper) and lighter than a 250! Oh my.
Add in a Rekluse performace clutch and I bet that would be the most fun dirt bike on the plant. I think I need one too. Oh my.
ReplyDeleteI think you do as well, MotoBum. I think I miss the "electric" power of a trail/enduro 2T, and I'd love the low end grunt of a the Gas Gas. I bet it's a gas, gas, gas!
ReplyDeleteThe Dyna ring sounds like the hot ticket for auto clutches. You get a fully adjustable (from the clutch perch) auto clutch that has the ability to be adjusted out entirely. Like if you had to bump start a bike, or found your self stalled on a steep hill really wishing you could use the engine as a rear brake while you get your shit sorted out.
You bring up a good point about the electric power. Will Gas Gas move from the old tech 2T to the new electric dirt bike format? Will they have to change their name from Gas Gas to Electric Electric?
ReplyDelete