We Ride The 2010 Gas Gas Off-Roaders

Remember Gas Gas? The small manufacturer in Spain that produces trials and off-road motorcycles? Well, they're baack! Okay, okay, Gas Gas never really left, but it certainly seemed that way – at least here in the United States and with the company's off-road bikes.

Gas Gas, which started out building trials bikes – very good ones, I might add – decided to test the off-road waters in the early 1990s, building its first off-road bike and hiring off-road superstar Paul Edmondson to race it. Right off the bat, the bike proved to be successful enough to convince Gas Gas to continue on with the project. And we're glad they did. Gas Gas went on to established itself as one of the top off-road manufacturers in the world, despite suffering its fair share of lumps and bumps along the way, one of those potholes being unable to secure a reliable distributor here in the United States. Just when it seemed Gas Gas was going to make a solid run in the United States, it suddenly disappeared. And this scenario seemed to repeat itself over and over again. This time, however, Gas Gas says it's here to stay and ready to make a big push in the United States after having reached a new arrangement with one of its original importers, Gas Gas USA (that's the new name). Gas Gas USA, with Dale Malasek at the helm, is the long-time importer of the successful Gas Gas trials bikes.

To prove that its new commitment in the United States is sincere, Gas Gas held its first ever new-model launch in America with its 2010 off-road lineup being showcased. They flew members of the American moto media to Bedford, Indiana – the site of the latest OMA National Cross Country race – to sample some of its latest off-roaders. Promoter Bill Gusse of the Moose Run fame performed his magic and laid out one of his typical gnarly off-road loops for us to give the new bikes a workout.

To make the launch happen in a timely fashion, Gas Gas nabbed the first few bikes off the 2010 assembly line in Spain and had them promptly shipped to Indiana. When we showed up at the OMA site, we were met with four very trick-looking Gas Gas models waiting for us to ride: the EC 450 and 250 four-strokes, and the EC 250 and 300 two-strokes. Unfortunately, we will have to wait a little longer to ride the 125 and 200 two-strokes, and a few of their other bikes.

The 2010 Gas Gas off-roaders are the most changed since 2005.

All of the ECs feature a new unique-looking Delta Box Microfusion frame made out of chromoly steel. The trick-looking black frames appear to be two tubular frames welded on top of each other, but are, in fact, one solid unit with bolt-on aluminum subframes. Even though the mainframe looks radically different, Gas Gas techs told us the dimensions are nearly identical to the previous frame, which was already a near clone of the old-style Kawasaki KX perimeter steel frame. However, the new frame features some of the latest mating techniques that yield stronger welds and fittings, resulting in a stronger and longer-lasting chassis. The four-stroke frames, however, have a new 26.5-degree off-set, which the two-stroke frames have had since 2005. The EC 125 and 200 two-strokes, and 250 four-stroke share the same frame except for different engine-mounting tabs, while the 250's, 300's and 450's frames are nearly identical, as well. All of the frames, however, are very similar in overall design.

Another benefit from the new frame is better footpegs, which are now mounted more securely to the frame and fold up further.

Speaking of things that fold, the brake pedal no longer folds back at the tip, but it can now be adjusted forward. (If you like the old folding brake pedal better, you can replace it with the previous unit. It bolts right up.)

The EC 250 four-stroke is the company's first 250cc off-road thumper, and the one we rode was the first to touch American soil. Its powerpant looks very familiar, and that's because it is – it's the same motor that powers the 2006 Yamaha WR250F, but without the infamous "gray" wire in the wiring harness. The Keihin carburetor is the same, too, but with different jetting specs and a non-functioning leak jet. Gas Gas considered simply sleeving down its 450 motor and putting it in the 250 frame, but felt the negatives (mainly, added weight and less power) outweighed the positives (cheaper to build), so Gas Gas bought out Yamaha's inventory of WR250F motors and fitted them in its bikes. Gas Gas is, however, currently working on its own 250cc four-stroke motor, which probably won't see production for another year or two. So, for now, the Gas Gas gets a proven Yamaha motor. Not a bad setup, really. In fact, my message to Gas Gas is: "Take your time with that new motor, guys, 'cause the WR motor is pretty darn good."

It's so good, in fact, that it feels even better than the actual '06 Yamaha WR250F did, and Gas Gas claims they did nothing to it, other than the aforementioned jetting changes and removal of the gray wire. Yet, the Gas Gas feels more tractable and controllable at low rpm than the WR. And it still feels quite strong in the middle and on top, too. It's been said that you can take the same motor and put it in two different frames, and it will feel like two completely different motors when it comes to power characteristics, and this might be a prime example of this.

Gusse laid out plenty of tight, twisty, first/second-gear-type trails for us to ride and the 250 felt right at home on them. The motor never stalled, was easy to work, and was a great workhorse. It was the bike I wanted to be on when it was time to head out on the "A" loop.

And even when the trails opened up for the grass-track section, the 250F Gas Gas was more than capable. It's a very fun bike to ride.

As expected, the Gas Gas also shifted well, and clutch action was excellent, too, offering a smooth feel and light pull.

Like the WR, the Gas Gas uses an electric starter and a back-up kick starter. We tried both ways and the bike always fired right up.

The EC 450 has its own Gas Gas motor, which features fuel-injection and a six-speed transmission with a hydraulic clutch. The fuel-injection system is made by Gas Gas, but if you ever need to replace a nozzle, your local Harley-Davidson dealer will have them.

I found the 450's motor to be remarkably easy to use and surprisingly smooth. Throttle response is snappy, too – you can certainly tell that it's fuel-injected. Nice.

But you can also detect a bit of that FI on/off jerkiness that is usually only noticeable at walking speeds (Honda CRF450R-ish). I had the motor stall on me a couple of times in slow-going situations, once resulting in the handlebar poking a deep hole into the ground, but that was probably more my fault than the bike's. But I wouldn't call the Gas Gas more prone to stalling than anything else, especially at anything above one mph. If you do kill it, no worries, it always starts right up with a tap of the button.

We certainly got the chance to test the bikes in some seriously tight, leg-paddling sections, and, on this rather warm and humid day in the Indiana woods, I got the Gas Gas to heat up pretty quickly, but it never boiled over thanks to a radiator cooling fan that often kicked in. The hydraulic clutch held up to the heat as well –  much better than I did.

The EC 450 hooked up nicely on the dry trails, despite pumping out gobs of horsepower. It has a wide and broad powerband, and the six-speed transmission seems to be mated well to it.

The EC 250 four-stroke, as well as the 125 and 200 two-strokes, comes fitted with 45mm Marzocchi forks, while the 450 is fitted with a 48mm Sachs fork. The suspensions on both bikes – the 250 and 450 four-strokes – are plush and effective. I was in no rush to make any kind of setting changes on either machine. Overall, I was impressed with the four-strokes' suspensions.

The 250 and 300 two-strokes are awesome machines, as well. They share the same suspension components, frame, bottom-end and six-speed transmissions (in fact, all of the ECs have six-speed transmissions, including the 125 and 200). Unlike KTM's 250 and 300 EX two-strokes, the ECs don't have electric starters – at least for now. We're told, however, that by around December, the 250 and 300 two-strokes will be offered with kick or electric starting, your choice.

Unlike the Gas Gas four-strokes, the 250 and 300 two-strokes feature ignition control – a switch on the right handlebar that adjusts mapping between two settings – "hard" and "soft." The soft setting mellows out the power considerably to give you better throttle control in wet conditions or when the ground is just plain slick. Hard gives the bike a more noticeable hit in the powerband, right around bottom- to mid-, which livens things up quite a bit when traction is at a premium and trails are fast.
I was certainly able to feel the difference between the two settings on both bikes – the ignition control isn't just a gimmick. On this day, I found myself preferring the soft settings for the tight and dry trails, especially on the 300. Either way, the 250 and 300 two-strokes have fantastic motors, both able to chug way down low in the tight stuff, yet put out plenty of power on top for when the trails straighten up. Both bikes are extremely versatile and easy to control.

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. And, yes, it's plenty fast.

Another unique feature for both of the  two-strokes is that they are offered in a "race package." The EC 250 and 300 Race models are different from the "standard" models in that they come with an Öhlins shock (rather than the standard Sachs), an upgraded Sachs fork that offers preload adjustability and stiffer settings, more aggressive wave disc-brake rotors and different brake pads. Graphics are different, as well. They also offer a slightly bigger price tag. (Pricing for the 2010 Gas Gas models has yet to be announced, but Gas Gas tells us they will, for sure, be competitively priced.)

The 300 we rode was the Race model with the more aggressive Öhlins shock and upgraded Sachs forks, but for my 180 pounds, it was way too stiff for my taste. I simply got beat up on the rough sections of trail, yet the bike still felt rather stable and controllable – just incredibly stiff. Gas Gas claims the shock and fork need significant break-in time before things start to smoothen up, at which time you can start seriously dialing in the suspension. (These bikes only had about an hour break-in before we got to them.)

Even the standard 250 two-stroke, with the Sachs shock and fork, was a little on the stiff side, though far more tolerable than the 300.

The four bikes we rode share many of the same components and features, such as new machined triple clamps that are not only stronger and lighter (not to mention better looking) but provide for more adjustability when raising or lowering the fork tubes.

The bikes also share Hebo tapered handlebars, black-anodized D.I.D rims with red hubs, headlights, dropdown LED tail lights, and meters made for Gas Gas by Trail Tech.

I found all of the bikes we rode to be extremely comfortable, having excellent and well-placed controls and pleasing handlebar bends.

M12 (front) and S12 Michelin tires are standard equipment and are FIM-approved, which means they're also DOT-approved. They're the same tires as before.

All of the bikes will come with plastic handguards, but, for whatever reason, a couple of our bikes showed up guard-less.
Fuel tanks are new, too. They're now one-piece units and have brass inserts on which the radiator shrouds can now be secured: No longer do they screw directly into the plastic fuel tank. The shrouds also taper inward at the front, which reduces the chance of catching tree branches and twigs as you're whipping through the woods, so you don't have to heat them up and bend them in yourself anymore. I had no issues with the new radiator shrouds, but my Sidi boots hung up badly on the edge of the right airbox cover. This could be a problem with other boots as well.

When the Gas Gas off-roaders come to America, they will be designated as "closed-course" bikes but will be fitted with U.S. Forestry-approved mufflers that will most likely be supplied by FMF.

As far as weight, Gas Gas claims the EC 250F weighs 248 pounds, the 250 and 300 weigh 252 pounds, and the 450 model weighs 270 pounds, all full of fuel. You might notice that the 250F weighs less than the two-strokes, but the two-strokes hold more fuel.

Yes, the 450 is not featherlight, but the bike hides its weight well on the trail. It's a well-balanced machine, and I wouldn't hesitate to ride it in a tight enduro, even if the risk of lifting was high. The 250 thumper and the 250 and 300 two-strokes are also well balanced and feel very light and nimble.

Now that the company's traditional summer break is over, the Gas Gas factory is pumping out the new 2010 off-roaders as we speak. Gas Gas says we should expect to see the bikes to start arriving here in the USA in the next month or so. We will also soon see a 450cc Gas Gas supermoto, and a street-legal version of the EC 450 four-stroke.

Welcome back Gas Gas, even if you never did leave.