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As some may know im planning on turning in my yami wr250 soon (the one that loves to play up on me frequently) and the mechanic told me to look into the ec300 and throw it into the equation as he reckons its the ducks nuts of bikes and reliability at the moment. Its a bike i havnt really considered as i dont see many around. If anyone has got any input leaving your message below would be greatly appreciated  :)

It might be the Duck's Guts, but for who, an expert rider will ride this bike like there's no tomorrow, but an average rider will struggle with it. Think carefully when buying a bike that's a weapon. I'm telling you from my past experience, i had a 91 Ktm 300 "Weapon" and a mate had a DT200 and he shat all over me, except for the open stuff. So i sold it and brought a DT200 best thing i did back then.
Pete

Al ADB tested one in the JAN issue the short wersion was weapon racers kinda bike, performace orientated, comes standard with lots of sweet good bits basically buy and ride dont need to add much. Be careful with the buitique bikes and replacment part costs , before you buy price up some standard bits like , side plates , rear guard , chain guide , you know some of the obscure stuff that may get broken over the caurse of you marriage and you will have to buy EOM.

Alistar, the Gas Gas are a good bike, but as I said to ya at the HCR get the KTM 300, in regards what Pete said, the 2009 may have been a bit on & off to ride, I've never ridden one, so can't make a comment on that,the 2011 KTM 300 is very easy to ride plenty of bottom end power, & heaps of top end.
Only you can decide mate, what ever you do, get a stroker.

AS FRANKIE SAID GET WHAT EVER YOU WANT AS LONG AS ITS A  STROKER

Allistar don't be scared to lean on your dealer if your forking out 12 to 13 grand ask for a test ride. The dealer wants to sell bikes, if he tells you to bugger off tell him thanks for your time, and go and buy a KTM remmember you are one with the fist full of cash.

Nothing wrong with a WR450 or other 4 strokes Al ???
Don't limit your search to one type or make, like
Jeff said THEY want your money so squeeze the dealers

Jeff- the nearest gas gas dealer to me is only 20 minutes away and i did speak to them on friday and they have a new ec300 demo bike as well as a few acres of paddocks so ive already organised to take it for a test on monday.
Eric- i know theres nothing wrong with wr's well so lots of people tell me but lately the valves are having to get re-shimmed every 500-600 ks and with only 2500ks on the clock they have already been reshimmed 3 times and every mechanic ive spoken to are stumped as to why its doing it and they reckon everything that would relate to it is all fine. one of them reckons i got the 'friday' bike. i did have a ride on the wr450 last year but it seemed too top heavy for me. the bottom line is that i have little faith in wr's at the moment

I replaced my 05 EC300 with an 09 WR250 a bit over 12mths ago so I've gone the opposite direction to you. The Gassers have a good motor, pretty strong and linear power, easy to use. Reliable, no parts supply issues and parts are similar prices to anything else.

The WR has heaps better suspension than the Gasser, was never happy with the forks on the Gasser, had them revalved, played with the clickers heaps but could never get rid of the harshness, never had any confidence in the front end. The rear end of the WR is better also and the bike is generally much more stable and confident than a Gasser and I'm used to flighty 2 strokes. Overall very happy with change to the WR and much quicker on it.Mines coming up for 4000 k's without an issue, valves havent been touched. I'm an experienced rider with heaps of 2 stroke experience so have been pleased with similar maintenance levels to 2 banger.

If you want to go to a 2 stroke have a ride on KTM300 or a Berg. Mate has an 09 300 Kato and its a better bike than my Gasser was.

Cheers,

Trev

This is posted for Angus.

Alistair B - sorry to here your having valve troubles with your WR. I would have thought any good mechanic should be able to sort it out for you. Not sure where you live but if your on the East side of town Scotty's Dirtbike spares are very good, also Darren at Dirtworks knows that engine front to back.

As for the Gas Gas EC300, there are lots of good choices of dirt bikes on the market..your WR, KTM 300, Gas Gas 300...plus plenty more.

The Gas Gas EC300 is not an expert only 'weapon', nor is it an expensive to maintain machine.

I've been riding one for the last approx 5 years and spares for them are the same price as the 'other brands' and availability is good.

When you test ride one you'll see it's not an expert only 'weapon' and can judge for yourself it a Gas Gas and two stroke is for you or not. If you see me on a ride your very welcome to have a spin on mine.

If your thinking of changing bikes I'd definitely consider the Gas Gas in the short list..but nearly all the bikes on the market these days are good. If you wanna know more about riding/owning a Gasser feel free to give me a call (0425 762 506).

Hey Al how much 2 stroke experience do you have ?

Quote from Trevor B ::The WR has heaps better suspension than the Gasser, was never happy with the forks on the Gasser, had them revalved, played with the clickers heaps but could never get rid of the harshness, never had any confidence in the front end.

No the WR doesn't have HEAPS better suspension than the Gasses, it has suspension designed for the average rider and that's why they sell so many. Yes the Gasser has harder suspension for a reason, it's made to be ridden hard and take those hard hits like the erosion jumps and big hits, my 570's suspension is very hard, but when your in "Super Spastic mode" it rides and takes the big hits with ease. In my opinion if you don't or can't ride a bike with firm suspension your waisting ya money, keep with the softer bike until you can ride the ass off it then look at something balistic. Read my first post about the KTM300 and the DT200.
I have ridden gasser before and yes they're fab bikes, but don't get the idea that it will turn you into a great rider, it more than likely spit you off more often than a softer bike.

If you can get your head around the harsh suspension, and ride the bike harder and harder you will benefit from the suspension without a doubt. I still have a RMX250 and have spent a lot of time manipulating the suspension even putting harder springs in the F/R but when you ride it hard, it still doesn't work as well as the Berg's suspension.

Here's something to think about: I can ride a smaller cube bike quicker than my 570 and have a ball, BUT i like the GRUNT of the 570 and the lay back and crack the throttle feeling. Go on a AMTRA ride and try all different bike and you will get a feel for what different brands offer.

Just my thoughts.

Well Said Pe-air  ;D ;D ;D ;D

Trevor- I wish my bike was as reliable as yours! First ride yesterday after getting the valves worked on its now blowing smoke so im ready for a new bike this week! As for the valve problem i took the bike to Main Jet in Thomastown (nicely recommended by Matt Richmond) and i told Lee about the shocking history Ive had with it and it had him stunned. I told him to get to the bottom of it and he checked the carbi float, the timing as well as anything else that could lead to poohouse valves and he could not find a thing out of whack. He said even with poor maintenance the the valves should last 2500ks before needing to get re-cleared but the bottom line is he reckons ive got the 'friday bike'. I did test a ktm300 last year and i really liked it except for the vibration but those who have them say its easy to get use to.
Will- I had a new cr80 for a 2 years when i was a kid and that was an animal! I experienced the nasty end of power band a number of times. I also tested the ktm300 last year as well as taking Zeb up on his offer to swap bikes for approximately a 10k flat section on the way out to the fuel stop at the HCR so as to answer your question i do have 2-stroke experience.
I also spoke to Dave and Colin at riders edge and they both said the resale value of the ec300 isnt all that great but the 300exc holds their value more. Dave has a ktm300 himself.
By the way guys thanks for all your input much appreciated. If youve got anything else to say dont hold back :)

Ali-star the way your ridin lately the wr s not keepin up ,so i think you need a husky power plant

Pete, the problem with the suspension on my GG wasn't that it was too firm it was quite the opposite. The fork was undersprung and the initial travel was underdamped causing it to blow thru the first part of the stroke leaving it doing most its work in a spikey midstroke. I had the fork revalved to try to firm up the inital travel and reduce the midstroke spike but with little success. I think it actually needed heavier springs as well as more revalve work. I know another guy who had his forks revalved 5 times and still wasn't happy with them, he moved on to a crf250x and has been happy since, pretty handy rider too. There a couple of guys on DBW who replaced their GG's entire front end with one from a crf in order to get their front end working satisfactorily. Mine was an '05 with 45mm shivers but it seems the later ones with Sachs forks also have issues. Darren White at Dirtworks machines up his own parts to get these working, he evidently can get the shivers working pretty well too.

I know what its like to ride firmly suspended bikes, a number of years ago I had a couple of road reg'd KX250's, left the suspension standard on them, didnt respring or revalve just softened them off on the clickers. They were a little bit harsh in the snotty stuff but were surprisingly good.

Yes the WR is softly suspended, almost mushy actually but its surprising how well it works. I found I was bottoming mine pretty heavily in the open stuff, not just off erosion jumps but also hitting stuff hard. When i blew the fork seals i had Dirtworks revalve them while he had them apart, no more bottoming but still regularly use every mm of travel. The thing with the WR is that even when you've bottomed metal to metal it is still 100% predictable, no deflection, no kicking. I have a copy of ADB from 2008 which has a shootout of 5 bikes of various capacity including the EC300 and the WR250. 5 riders of various skill levels from trailrider to clubman to pro rode the bikes around a timed enduro loop, every rider was faster on the WR than the GG. The TE510 set the fastest time tho'. ;D

Alistar, cant beleive you've had such a bad run from a WR, definately must be a Friday bike, these things are usually bulletproof. Hope i haven't put you off a GG too much, they are a good bike, probably one the best motors I've owned and I've had heaps. Probably best to get a ride on one and make up your own mind.

Good luck with your decision, its fun choosing.

Cheers,

Trev  

Al please do not take offence to this, but you are only a small guy, so if I were you, I would buy a KTM 250, but this is only my opinion. I have riden Frankies 300 a few times, and its a lot of bike in the slow slippery stuff. One of our more experienced club members only purchased a Berg 250 and he reckons it has enough. But at the end of the day it's up to you, and you are the one who has to live with the bike for a few years, not me or anyone else. Good luck with what ever you decide to do. Will

I tested an ec300 this morning at K&J Thomas in Whittlesea and it is a nice machine to ride. Real punchy power which you would expect from a 2-stroke and it handled with ease. I know its hard to get a real indication from riding a bike in a paddock but i did like it though. Trevor whos the main dude selling them wasnt there today but i will be intouch with him later in the week. I then went onto Evolution motorcycles in Epping and got some pricing on the ktm300 but never realised that there is a bit of work that needs to be done before it gets handed over to you and the amount of 'essential extras'.

and will i was about 67kg 6 months ago but for some reason the scales this morning told me 79kg :o

That's the extra "Talent" you have aquired form riding?
Al

you,ll have to use wills userer name soon

Those essential extras are a pain in the ass but if he wants to sell a bike bad enough you can get them cheap as a complete package , best time to get them is when you are buying your bike .... go the stroker .

I wouldn't worry about that AL, you are now the weight you should be. But from now on, you'll have to watch what you eat, or  you'll end up like me or Will ;D

Al and Seano- i believe its called inner core rider strength ::).
Zeb- the price the salesman gave me said that there is no way they would ever sell it for that price they would do a better deal but was good for a rough indication. he also told me theyre selling the 300exc like hot cakes lately depending how true it is or not but whatever bike i choose im gonna shop around for a good deal though.

Inner core rider WHAT  .....  yes we all know you wont get ripped , us older blokes just worry about you younger members its a parent thing I think .. Go gettem knackers   :D ;D 8)

Uw a parent thing Zeb, talk 4 yourself, we just dont want Alistair to get stuck with a ride he may regret buying later on. Take it all onboard Al but at the end of the day you buy what feels right to you. Will

Big bore 2 strokes are great, just get em jetted to suit your riding style and then its all about throttle control. The KTM has the adjustable power valve to further refine your riding experience how about the EC?

With the suspension I'm guessing there would be more places to go to for correct revalving etc of the KTM but these new bikes have so much built in adjustment that unless you are way above or below the standard weight range you should be able to make it good for you with a methodical approach.

Definately get a day in the bush before you buy and before you go out adjust the clickers to out of the box as per hand book and set up the ride height to suit you, this can make a big difference to the handling if it's not set up.

Enjoy!!

Hi Al. Just to throw another cat in amongst the pidgeons there is also the TM 2 strokes with the torque controller(which I have seen and is a pretty cool thing.) Anyhow good luck with trying to choose! Here is a link to a 300cc enduro shootout dirt action did. http://www.dirtaction.com.au/_webapp_306270/300cc_Enduro_Comparo

G'day Al, If you havent bought something by then.................... have a squirt on my crf250x at Zeb's level 1 in a few weeks time.

I'm not saying "buy a honda" but you might decide that the power / weight etc of a ( well set up) 250 four banger suits your riding.  I've ridden the 300 ktm a bit & it's a good thing, but I just don't feel confident on ém when things get tight or gnarly. (plenty of others absolutely love ém, so its probably just my short legs !!!)

I don't know who your Yamaha repair people are, but they sound like drongos ! WR's  are about the most reliable dirt bike on the planet ! If you want to persevere with the Yammy, give the blokes at Christensens Motorcycles  ( Waragul) a call, These blokes have been racing , riding,& running top level race teams with WR"s for years. Ask for Steve Cooper.

Woops, I just re read your ealier post.......... Keg at Mainjet knows his stuff, he is not a Drongo. & he couldn't find anything  ???????????????

Or to throw another cat amongst the pidgeons, why not consider a Sherco?  There's a few EC 3.0i-F's creeping into the club, I've taken Marl's bike for a good ride and whilst the suspension has been changed to suit Marls and not myself, I found it to be a cracking bike to ride, I loved it...  Good balance of power and light weight...

But shame about the WR 250, my 2003 model still purs away nicely....

Why isthe WR250 and average trailbike these days? They rip and are cheap. Listen to the wise words of Trevor B. But if you want something different just get whatever and set it up to suit.

Pat I loved how my wr rode but the headaches it has caused me mechanically just got too much for me especially for a bike thats meant to be one of the most reliable on the market and with 3 different mechanics not 'figuring' out what kept on buggering the valves. My old man did suggest getting a new wr250 but it just didnt sit right with me so i thought its time for me to move on from it.

I know where youre coming from. I had a XR400 that was a a pile of crap, nothing but problems when everyone else's went well. I sold it in disgust and bought a TTR250. If relieble and resale is a big concern definatly look at the KTM/Husaberg 300. What about a KTM 250EXC-F?

It did cross my mind goin another 4-stroke was actually hopiing to hold out for the new 350 exc but after doin some talking around i found out that the post 08 ktm 4-strokes needs an after market piston because the factory one some people have had to replace every 1000ks. I want a bike that i can buy that is easy to work on and doesnt need anything done on it from the time it rolls out the shop in order to make it a reliable machine. I had a honda cr80 for a couple of years when i was a kid so i thought id jump back into the 2-banger world. After making enquires into 4 different 300 2-strokes and looking heavily into 2 of them i made up my mind and if my hand heals in time im gonna keep it a secret until Zebs Tynong ride.

i finally made up my mind and found a deal that i was happy with so i put down a deposit on a new machine this arvo. only hints are that ive joined the 2-banger revolution and its a 300

Good luck with that !!

Ten bucks it's a Kato.

I reckon It'll will be a HUSABERG TE300 if Al can find one ....

Bet its the most popular brand named akin to a fruit colour.

I'll bet that it's either a Berg, a Kato, a Gasser or a TM  !

Don't go sweep at Zeb's ride ( I'll sweep instead).......... You'll want to ride the thing, not fluff about all day !!!

dont let zeb see your prediction... you left the husky off that list  :D.

thanks for the offer steve i dont mind doing tail but seeing it will be my first ride on it ill want to take it easy first up anyway and seeing how i feel may ask for a tailman swap for the arvo  :P. anyway im hoping my hand will heal in time for it  :)

Yeah I noticed that Grandpa left the huskoid of the list but its OK no hard feelings ....  Listen knackers slashed hand or not once you throw your leg over you will feel no pain just the joy of riding in the beutiful aussie bush on a 2 banger .... So put the hand excuse away you will be on the start line at tynong. 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Bloody two strokes !, the fumes from them have affected my memory......... !!!

So its goimg to be a nice new  :

             Huska-Hussa-Teema-Kata-Gassa

Remember Al, that is a horrible experience to crash or scratch up your nice new bike. So, in order to save you any heartache, we should all throw mud & rocks at it & bash it with sticks before you even get it off the trailer !!

;D ;D ;D Just give Pommy Mat a ride on it he has been pretty good a crashing this year.

My money is on a ktmaberg.