Gas Gas 200

I've been riding a 99' EC200 since last Feb. and have been very pleased with the bike. I think it's the best handling bike I've owned. It turns great and is very stable at speed over rough terrain. I ride it about 50 mi. every weekend and I've never gone into the engine and seems to be very reliable. Parts are the easiest I've seen to get and reasonably priced. Power is very smooth but has plenty on tap if needed. As far as comparing to a KTM 200, I suggest you try and get a test ride on each and see which suits you best. They are both great bikes but different in many ways. I had a 98' 200EXC and I like the 99' GasGas better. If I had to choose between a new 02' GasGas XC200 or Ktm 200EXC, it would be a tough choice.

I don't know the specifics about the 200. But as far as GG in general thay are great bikes. VERY reliable. Parts availability is not a problem. I can get parts from Smackover faster than I could get parts for a Suzuki I had. When I say parts I mean filters, add-on parts etc. I've never really bought alot of replacement parts. Two is it. They are very reliable bikes.:)

Checkout this thread: http://dirtrider.net/forums3/showthread.php?threadid=27390&highlight=gasgas

Rick

I had a 99 200mxc that I raced mx with and did really well in the sr. class in 2000. At the end of the year I had a chance to trade it for a GG ec200 and I did. I liked the KTM, but the GG is easier to ride and turns so much better than the KTM, and also the parts are less expensive and are easy to get.I really was'nt looking for the GG, but the chance came up to trade, so I looked into it and I'm glad I did.

Tom in Pa.

I had a chance to ride a 99 200 exc and a 2001 EC200 earlier this year. I was in the process of deciding on a new bike. The exc was as hard to ride as my 360xs in some technical stuff, it was jetted spot on and hit realy hard, the EC on the other hand was very smooth in the power and deceptively easy to go fast on. If I had to choose between the two I'd be heading for the gasser. In the end I decided I was too lazy to ride a 200 and ordered a TM250. But I suspect my wifes next bike will be an EC200

I love my '99EC200:) I've had it for about 15 months and will keep it through '02. Turns great, has lots of power for a 200, and does just about everything well.

No major mechanical problems so far. I ride with KDXfile every week and we beat our bikes on the Clanton enduro trail every weekend that we aren't racing. Other than the plastic parts that I tend to break off on trees and rocks, I've only had to do the basic maintenance. You can get parts at Smackover or from DirtBike Supply in Bham. If I order from DBS on Monday, I have the parts on Wed.

I own a 2001 XC- 200. The bike handles and turns like no other bike I've owned. The bottom end isn,t what you'd find on a KDX, but has more then a 125. I have no regrets buying the bike. I don't thinbk you'd be sorry buying either bike.

a great GG dealer in Arkansas, http://www.smackovermotorsports.com :)

Thesmackover bulletin board has a wealth of info and is very active if you have any questions or need any help dialing the bike in. The board is under "talking smack" on the smackover web site www.smackovermotorsports.com

jeff
'01 gasgas ec300
www.lt-racing.com GasGas Performance Accessories

Re: smackover?

Originally posted by HGaither
Where is Smackover? Or what is Smackover?

Click to expand...

If you own a GasGas you have got to know about Smackover, it's in the oath you took when you got the bike.;)

Seriuosly they are a great shop, they will talk to you about your problems. They are not always trying to sell you parts either.They will take the time to help you out, even if it includes not selling you anything.

I ride an '01 300XC and love it! Handles like a dream in the tight woods.
Motor is very strong yet delivers very smoothly. Has been very
reliable so far.

I've been extremely pleased with my EC250. I bought it used and it has been abused somewhat, so it does have a few little annoyances. The suspension is superb, handles great. Runs strong and reliably. I'm having some gear box issues which I hear are somewhat common on the older machines (mine's a 1997). The counter balanced motor makes the power very smooth and reduces the vibration. The brembo binders still suprise me at times too :eek:

Hey Harvey Its Zac.Come on man you gotta go orange!!Just kidding!!!

Hi,

I own both a KTM 200 exc and an GasGas XC200....

In a drag race the KTM will blow away the GasGas (5 bike lengths or more) in a short open stretch, but in the tight woods it is a little different story.

The GG is like an electric motor (smooth) and is lower and handles better..

So in the woods it is easyer to go fast on the GG.

If I did much motocrossing I would get the KTM...

If Woods riding the GG....

They are both great bikes, but there are far more aftermarket products for the KTM....

Parts are less expensive for the GG.... but dealers are not as plentyful...
but the dealers are generally smaller and give great service and personal care...


Good luck choosing and which ever you will have a great bike......

If you like riding the bike that everyone looks at and ask what is that and do you like it the GG is the one to ride, there are far more KTM's at any event.

thanks

Vern Egli

Posted by vegli

In a drag race the KTM will blow away the GasGas (5 bike lengths or more)

Click to expand...

Your kidding right????? I really don't want to start anything here, but I find that rather odd........

Rick

I am looking for a new (2002) bike and the ktm exc200 and gas gas ec200 in in my list of mabees, keep the comments coming I need more info.

Hi Rick,

Those were my thoughts exactly when I first got the GG. I had the KTM for a while (6 months) and had tried about 5 different pipes on it and settled on the Doma (by far the best for my riding) and had the jetting very good also. I live on a 2700' grass runway at an airport so we took them out (with my boys) and "run" them(I can do that because I own it so dont try this at your local airport). I thought that my son was riding the GG wrong so we changed between bikes and the results were the same. I thought that it had to be jetting or something, and so did Jim at Smackover. I tried many jetting combos (running LTR kit now) and got it better but still the same results.

The Gearing on the two bikes is very different so I am not talking about flat out runs (ktm goes 83 to 88 depending on pipe that I am running, and the GG does about 70 tops according to my computer) we are talking about runs up to about 60, and the difference was 5 or more (maybe 7 or more) bike lenghts.

I have given much time and thought to the "problem" and came to a few conclusions.

1. The sod runway is not exactly like "real life" racing in the dirt, so might be a little skewed.

2. There are a number of factors that play into the outcome, one is the flywheel, the GG has a lot more and thus does not rev a quickly.

3. The pipe on the 200 is the same as the other GG's I have heard and so there has to be a compromise there. ( talked to Doma and they have pipes for the 250, and 300 but not the 200. They are tring to get a hold of a 200 and wil then build me a pipe and I think that would really free things up).

4. Porting is a lot different on the two bikes.

That all said, when we get into the tight woods I can go faster on the GG (and my sons also, they make me ride the KTM, and they fight over the GG) so I am not dogging the GG, in fact I am waiting on the GG 4 stroke as my next bike I think...

5. I will pull the topend off this winter and see if ther is something "wrong" in the GG but I do not think so.( the only thing that I have had to do to the GG is change the shift shaft were it fell over while warming up and somehow bent. and that was only about 85.00 with gaskets and shipping)

If you are at dirtweek 2002 I will let you ride them both and you can judge and see if it is just my GG or not (compared to yours).

For you info My GG is about as fast in a drag as my older "woodsed" KX 250.

I am not trying to start anything either, just what I find with my bikes

Thanks

Vern

Vegli,

Try the LTR jetting kit on your GG200 it really wakes the GG up. The only problem is that some of the "electric" engine disappears. I had to drop two teeth in the back to help keep the front end down and/or the back end from braking loose coming out of tight turns.

doma

Hey Vegli,
I was wondering of all the pipes you tested which pipe gave you the most bottom-end?I would think the Doma.I appreciate the help!!

Thanks

Zac

I have owned both the KTM and GG 200 and yes the KTM would beat the GG in a drag race. Great, who drag races enduro bikes anyway except for fun with your friend which usually ends up in a crash and a accident. But if you want to race enduro's and go faster than you ever have then go with the GG (Especially if it is a tight enduro) I had my GG for only 1 week and went to a Texas/Colorado Co-sanctioned enduro in New mexico at 8,000' and got 1st in the 200 B class and 2nd overall in the B class. I was even 13th overall in the event of 300 men and I am a girl. When I walked up to get my trophy noone could believe it. At that time I was the only person in the enduro circuit racing a GG, now there is about 10 this year. I hadn't even had but 30 miles on the bike before the race. The bike is really easy to handle. It does NOT have as much bottom end as a KTM but because it handles better you can ride it faster and don't need the bottom end. This year I actually switched to the 250 but got the XC instead of the EC. Now it has more power and still handles like a 200. Go to a KTM250 and it does not handle like a 20 at all. I rode the 2002 GG 250 at this years ISDE and loved it. Getting parts has been VERY easy from Smackover and Very Affordable. Check them out. Come to Colorado and you can ride my 200, 250 or my trials bike.

Nicole

Hi,

I agree with Nicole is that in the woods the GG handles better and is easyer to go faster, but as stated in my original post if I was going to do a lot of motocross where there are a lot of short "drag" races I would choose the KTM...


Lemming:

Thanks, I am running the LTR jetting kit and yes it did help...
Note that my GG is a 2000 xc200 and I was told at that time FMF only made one pipe for all models and now they make one for the 200 and one for the 250/300 so I am sure that would help.. (I am tring to hold out for a DOMA)

Zac:

For my KTM I have both FMF's(fatty and burley), Dynaport, stock and Doma...

The Doma has more bottom and more overrev (3 mph faster on topend is why I say that) then any of the others...

vern

Others on smackover's board some have reported having trouble with the reeds sticking to the reed cage and hurting performance - you might want to pull off the reed cage and check them. Those who have gone with the motowest carbon fiber reeds have been happy with bottom and mid improvement (but I think you need more...). I have a set but haven't had time to install them. Motowest's contact info can be found at www.motowest.com - they are also sold through smackovermotorsports - www.smackovermotorsports.com

On the topic of pipes
I am pretty sure the euro GG 200's come with a messico pipe that is designed specifically for the bike. I have heard that this pipe performs much better than the fmf gnarly pipe on the 200 (that is actually designed for a 250). The motowest pipe "looks to me" like it would work better on the 200 than the gnarly pipe - but probably not as good as the messico. The messico performs well - it is very light (2-3 pounds lighter than the fmf) and downside is that it is not as durable - the messicos come nickel plated for 2002 - hopefully they are a little more durable as well. The one on my 300 works *very* well. This pipe is *very* expensive to purchase from gasgas - not sure if it can be obtained for less through messico directly, or one of their distributors.

I have a call into Lanston Racing to pick up a doma pipe and am looking into dyno testing the various pipes on my 300 - I have the messico (came stock), fmf gnarly, and motowest right now. Hope to get the doma soon. DEP also makes a pipe for the gasgas 250 and 125 (nothing listed for 200). As far as I know - FMF does not make a pipe specifically for the 200.

Girlrider - Which exhaust were all the european hotshoes running on their gasgas bikes in at the the french isde? What did you have on your bike there?

jeff
'01 gasgas ec300
www.lt-racing.com GasGas Performance Accessories
www.smackovermotorsports.com GasGas Parts Warehouse

Every bike we saw had the Messico. None of them felt that the FMF or any other pipe was necessary. I also noticed that Noone ran a pipe guard. I had the Messico on my bike. The bike ran a little different than mine here in the US (Which is a 2001) but I think that has mostly to do with the fact that the race was at 4,000' and I live and ride at 8,000-12,000. The bike was also geared a lot faster for that race since a lot of it was on the roads. As far as I know and understand all the bikes that Don Knight has shipped over here (The importer) do not come with a pipe so he can put the FMF on it. Both my 200 and 250 came with the FMF. My friend bought a 300 that was a chase bike at the ISDE and it does have the Messico. I would probably choose the FMF if it was me.