Me personally, I don't like the PDS; And a friend of mine is a suspension tuner who is up to his ears in '05 ktm suspension right now; They change it every year and never quite get it right - this year they are overdamped and undersprung. Once set up they are okay - I still like the chassis and steering on the gasgas better;
In tight woods I feel like the gasgas is a "surgical instrument" and the ktm is a "blunt instrument". It's hard to explain, I feel like I am "riding" the gasgas; In comparison, when I hop on a ktm I feel like I am "riding on top of it". Even though the gasgas is a little heavier (especially the EC which comes nearly street legal), it feels light because it carries the weight very low and centralized.
Another nice thing about getting a gasgas is that the EC gasgas models are street legal in europe - to import them into the u.s. they just pull the turn signals off. If you live in a state where it is easy to get a plate - just bolt on turn signals - the wires are right there. Comes with horn, front and rear brake lights, hi-lo headlight, turn signal switch, rear fender extension with brake/tail light. I heard the newer bikes will all be in DE configuration by default this year (lighter and more GNCC race-able out of the box). Both configurations still give you a wide ratio six speed tranny.
On the downside, the gasgas is set up to fit a smaller rider. Some call it a 7/8ths sized bike. You used to have to buy a BRP top triple clamp to get more room in the cockpit. The last couple of years gasgas models have two mounting holes for the bar clamps - one further forward, there are also shims to adjust the height of the bar clamps. So, on newer gasgas models, tall seat foam and a good bar is all a taller rider needs (and sometimes pegs, but it is personal preference).
Another negative point on the gasgas is that there are two parts on the gasgas that don't hold up well - the kickstarter and the shifter. They use the same kickstarter as their trials models. It is very short and wears out very quickly. Replace it with one off of a pampera model (longer and steel) or a yz kickstarter bolts right on (identical splines and everything - looks like it was made for the bike). The tip on the shifter gets sloppy - but they are inexpensive to replace (around $35) - some will insert a steel bushing in the tip as a fix. Other than these minor "nits" - it is completely bulletproof.
On the issue of resale, all "exotic" bikes take a little longer to sell. First off, you have to have a sophisticated buyer - which the majority of the market isn't. It seems the best way to sell a used gasgas is to simply let a friend ride it for a bit and fall in love with it.
KTMs were in the same boat not that long ago when it came time to sell the bike. Magazine coverage and marketing have made the issue go away. The gasgas'ers are getting very good magazine coverage these days and its "exotic" label will fade away. In europe, gasgas is #2 behind ktm, and are relatively close in sales - I think they sell nearly 10000 bikes a year in france. They'll catch up in the U.S. too, this year will be a good year for gasgas. Good magazine coverage - good race results (a national enduro win), the enduro line is further refined and this is the year to buy for the updated 450 four stroke - it is lighter this year, all the bugs are worked out and it is rock solid. They have been confidently running the gasgas 450 in 24 hour endurance races in europe and doing very well. Look for them to do well at this years International Six Day Enduro.
- jeff