Australasian Dirt Bike – May 2019

REAR GUARD

HOW TO RIDE / ADBGARAGE / WE RECOMMEND / TECH / KIDZ KORNER / USED RIDE / FACTORY RIDE / READERS RIDE / HERITAGE / ACTION / OAS / BUYERS GUIDE

I’VE BEEN GETTING more

time on the Gas Gas EC300

long-termer but, being a softy,

the heat has been a bit of a

challenge for me. Keeping

breakfast down isn’t easy when

heat stroke kicks in but I’ve been

inspired by Toby Price’s

legendary effort at Dakar.

He won the world’s toughest

rally with a broken wrist in

temperatures regularly nearing

40 degrees and here I am

complaining about 35 degree

days in Sydney – one large mug

of concrete please, barman.

With Mitch getting closer to the

target weight for his Honda

CRF450L (page 92) we’ve been

spending less time on twin track

and more time on the singey.

This is where the Gasser

shines and, even though I’ve

barely changed anything, it still

feels like it’s getting better and

better, it could be the KYB

suspension bedding in. The

Gasser is proving itself to be a

goodbikeforafewreasons;the

engineisversatile,ithas

comfortableergosandthe

standardequipmentisunreal

fortheprice.

Butwhatmakesitgreatisthe

wayithandlesruttedcorners.

It’sareminderofwhyitwasmy

favouritebikeatthe300cc

two-strokeshootoutlastyear.

We’vebeenridingarutted

singletrackoflate.Youknowthe

typewhichhasasingleline

throughtightturns,oftenwitha

treeontheinside.Thesetight

trailstakesomeefforttowrestle

Last month I fitted the new

seatcover from Strike Seats

and only managed one

quick ride with it onbefore

I was due back at my desk

THINGS KEEP GETTING BETTER ON THE GASSER

BACK IN

THE SWING

a bike through, but not so much

on the Gasser.

The engine is so torquey I can

be pretty lazy with the gears and

I’m not constantly chasing the

front wheel through turns. Once

it drops in, it almost feels like it

steers itself and all I need to do

is wind on the throttle. If I feel

the front wheel trying to climb

out of the rut I squeeze a tiny bit

of front brake and it sorts

things out.

SHOVELLING

Last month I fi tted the new

seatcover from Strike Seats and

only managed one quick ride

with it on before I was due back

at my desk to start shovelling

towards deadline.

This month I’ve managed

more time in the saddle. I don’t

sit much when I ride because my

unusually long legs have

nowhere to go, but I found

myself parked in the seat more

than normal in the singletrack. It

couldbebecauseI’mgetting

lazy,I’munfitfromChristmasor

I’mgettinglazy.I’dliketothinkit

wasbecausethepleatsinthe

seatkeptmeplantedupthe

SOFAR...

HOURS:

13

MODSTHISMONTH:

None

MODSNEXTMONTH:

Oilchange,service

GAS GAS EC300

RRP

$12,490

WARRANTY

Six months parts and labour

DISTRIBUTOR

Gas Gas Motorcycles Australia

INTERNET

gasgasmotorcycles.com.au

1.Ollyis refusing to get the tyrelevers

working on the Michelins

2.Strike seatcover has made life

easier in the saddle for him

3.Chain needs some adjustment

front, even when I was gassing it

hard to keep up with Mitch on

the tree-levelling CRF450L,

which acts as a good tool for

cutting in tracks.

Speaking of which, Mitch and I

swapped bikes for a couple of

kays because I wanted to get a

feel for the CRF450L straight

after the Gasser. It did reveal just

how unsettled two-strokes can

be in loose, rough terrain.

The Gasser dances around

over rocky patches whereas the

CRF450L just punches through

like an ocean liner. It’s a

drawback of lighter bikes but the

upside is sharper handling.

The stock Michelin enduro

tyres are holding up well, I have

a set of Dunlop MX33s ready and

waiting but I’m going to hold off

until I’ve worn down the stock

hoops some more. It’s time to

give the bike a service so I’ll

change the gearbox oil and

tighten the chain as it’s getting a

bit too loose. I also need to fi x

thedouble-throttlesituationI

havewiththegrips.Sadly,

havingtwogripsthattwist

hasn’tmademeanyfaster.

DigitalEditorOllyMalone

1

2

3

116 |MAY 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au