RACE TESTED: 2021 GASGAS EC 300
The GASGAS EC 300 is a bike that is undoubtedly designed to go places. But which places in particular…well, I’m glad you asked. Just so happens I found out exactly where this bike thrives and where it perhaps could do with a little extra loving.
There are some good things about hitting another Level 4 Lockdown – it gives me time to do things that I’ve been putting off due to time constraints and regular work commitments. Like writing this article for example.
I have had the pleasure of housing the EC 300 in my garage for about 3 months now and it’s been a bit of an eye opener. I haven’t spent a significant amount of time on a 300 2T in my riding career so this was going to be a learning experience for both myself and the Gasser.
Click Here to read about my First Impressions on the EC 300.
I had also just come off the GASGAS EC 350 four-stroke which I was a huge fan of. Again, my first long-term experience on a 350F. I bloody loved it – especially the engine. And it seems the Austrian platform know a thing or two about engines as this was also a standout feature of the 300. Though I didn’t really appreciate how good the power plant was until I learnt a few things about it, and also set it up for the different kinds of riding I was partaking in.
I had really only been mucking around on the 300 for a long while at trail rides and messing around with mates. As you might have read in my First Impressions piece, from the get-go I had installed heavier springs to the bike before I even rode it. This was because with the 350, it was under-sprung for my weight and that was really the only aspect of the bike letting it down. So with the 300, I wasn’t going to hamstring the bike with my extra winter weight like I did on the 350.
Hard Enduro Racing
I figured that an event that was technical, tough and relatively slow in speed was going to be not only where the GASGAS shined, but also lent towards my aging skills on the bike. And with my balls-out pace somewhat lacking these days, the racer in me still wanted to do well. So the Rodney Motorcycle Club Enduro Cross event on July 25th was the race of choice, and I packed up the Gasser and headed North, to what seemed like Alaska, and braved the wintery forest-floor of the treacherous Dome Valley.
Obviously it rained…a lot the night before…and then some more the morning of, just to make sure this was going to be a real test of man and machine. I figured new tyres were gonna be the goods so a brand-new set of Maxi Grip SG1’s went on the 300 and I was damn happy I did. The race format for the day was going to consist of two, 1-Hour races with an hour between to reset.
Dead engine starts these days aren’t so critical as 95% of bikes have electric start. It’s not like 15 years ago when maybe 30% of dirt bikes had the magic button and you were leaving your goggles wellbeing in the hands of a bike that may or may not kick over in gear! Or, like I did, you think the bike is in gear but you leave it in neutral. And as the hooter goes off you fire the bike into life, drop the clutch and find the rev limiter while everyone else takes off.
After that terrible start I still managed to enter the bush section of the race in third, after the full sweep around the moto track, which gave the riders a little separation before the tight stuff. Now, if I thought the traction I was getting from the SG1 tyres was good on the moto track, it quickly became apparent that these were even better in the virgin bush section. It was no longer than maybe 30 seconds before I moved into second while negotiating an off-camber corner, and not long after that passing into first up a muddy and slippery, short hill climb. It was now clear track, although I was already totally covered in mud!
I would like to take full credit for this riding performance, but I must admit I had a lot of help this day. Not only were the Maxi Grip SG1 tyres sticking like glue to the Dome Valley clay and muck, the GASGAS EC 300 engine was so smooth and so tractable that I was as times, struggling to get the back wheel to spin up. You see, what the Austrians have designed in regards to this 2T engine (which comes on all three platforms) is magnificent and easy to tune. Not only can you change power valve springs to suit, you can adjust the tension to really home in on what kind of power delivery you get and want when twisting the throttle.
For this particular event, I got some advice on power valve adjustment and ended up going in two full turns from flush. Screwing the adjuster in increases the time it takes for the power band to kick in – effectively giving you a longer bottom end and torquey drive – which was exactly what I wanted for this race. At no point did I run out of traction and drive as others were struggling all over the track. This is probably the best aspect of the EC 300 – the engines ability to really deliver its power exactly how you want it.
I ended up winning both races for the day and I really have to thank the grip from the tyres and the tractability of the engine for a lot of assistance.
In these conditions, the suspension was almost perfect – with the heavier springs from P1 Moto. It was plush, soaked up all the tree roots, holes, rocks, ruts and logs while not bottoming out much at all. And combined with the nimble chassis, the comfortable ergos and how easy the bike is to gel with, it was always going to be a winning combo in those conditions.
My only gripe the whole day was the seat, which became very slippery when it got muddy. So an upgrade to a grippy seat cover would be one of my first buys here.
Cross Country Racing
So, after establishing that the EC 300 is a killer in the hard enduro scene, I wanted to see how the bike handles the faster pace of some XC racing. I already had a little inkling that the suspension was not going to be valved for high-speed racing, so it was the rest of the bike that I really wanted to put to the test. My mate Jono Hill hit me up about riding the final round of the Motomuck 2-Man series and as I had not raced that series for many, many years, I decided that it was going to be the perfect opportunity to throw some speed at the 300. And what a day of highs and lows its was.
The track was to be a mixture of around 70% sand forest and 30% farmland. I figured that with Jono being the younger of us both he would take the reins and do the start. Alas he had other ideas and I found myself on the start line in a sea of angry racers, ready to funnel into a 3m wide gate. I managed to get the holeshot in my grid and get some clear air going into the bush section.
I had adjusted the power valve to come on a little stronger, winding the adjuster out by half a turn, making the setting 1.5 turns in from flush. With the sand quite the power sapper I wanted the power to come on a little quicker and a little harder when I needed it. This proved to be a pretty good setting for my riding style, which is standing up and weight over the front letting my head dictate when the bike is going.
Initially the bush section was a beautiful flowing section, using 2nd and 3rd gear right in the meat of the power. I was feeling really fresh and fast and smooth and starting to drop the guys behind me. Memories of the past me came flooding back and all I could think about was the podium speech I was obviously going to be delivering come days end. Then…in the blink of an eye…I was flying through the air, no longer attached to the bike, on a trajectory towards a sandy bank. Welcome to Endo-Land. population ME!
Thud! I hit hard and fast and confused. What the fudge just happened?
I slowly picked myself up and remounted as my whole grid flew past me. It took me a good 2-minutes to shake off that crash and get back into some kind of groove that resembled racing. It had knocked the wind out of me and to be honest, quite a bit of confidence too. I still had no idea what happened. Did I run out of talent? Did the bike do something funny? Did I not see a tree stump? I had no idea what was going on, but I decided to try shake it off and continue the task at hand – which had gone from giving the best winning speech ever to just goddamn finishing!
Thankfully the bike had no damage and was really great in the tight flowy sections of the track. The frame, positioning and feedback from the chassis made it so easy to weave through the trees and put the bike exactly when I wanted it to go. The torque of the engine was pivotal to keeping me up on the sand and at a good pace with relative ease. Tree roots were obsolete, banks were scaled easily and apart from the crash being quite deflating, I wasn’t getting tired at all. Classic traits of a great enduro bike.
But then came the sand whoops!
As good as this bike is in the tight stuff, unfortunately the stock valving in the suspension lets it down when it comes to sand whoops, G-outs and high-speed hits. The WP XPLOR dampers up front and a WP XPLOR shock that runs through a linkage system, quite simply, is valved for technical riding – not speed. The sand whoops being a great example, where both ends would go all the way in, then all the way out, then all the way in, and then all the way out again. This made the bike very unstable and hard to control. Almost every time I had to get on the brakes to stop the bike darting off into the trees. And this is also with the heavy springs for my weight. It just appears there is not bottoming resistance, which is a bit of an issue if you want to go fast over wallowy terrain.
Getting out onto the farmland section was much better when talking speed. The 300 handled the big G-outs so long as there wasn’t many in a row and the suspension was able to reset. Square edges were also a bit harsh through the front end, while the back coped much better. I think it’s just a matter of understanding what this bike is designed for in stock trim. And going balls-out over that type of terrain isn’t it.
The power delivery over the farmland however was superb. It was muddy and slippery and tacky and everything in between. I could use the torque and drive of the engine through the mucky stuff and feather the clutch, cracking into powerband down the straights. I was able to make up quite a bit of time on the farmland and absolutely loved how fun the GASGAS was here.
The race carried on while Jono and myself started gaining the places back I had lost when I ate shit. The eventual series winners Damon Nield and Brandon Hoskins were our benchmarks for the event, but knew it was going to be a tough ask beating these in form youths. But as it turned out, the pressure from our pre-race banter was too much for the young guns and a costly mistake by them was enough for us old boys to take the Teams win for the day.
Post Race thoughts
The GASGAS is as if KTM and Husqvarna boned, and had a little red head child. It’s more affordable than the KTM by around $1000 and uses some different parts to achieve that. Brakes and clutch are Braktec and the bars and rims look to be unbranded Neken and Excel products. Plus it weighs more in like with the Husky than the KTM with the linkage.
Suspension wise the valving is set for Enduro work, absorbing the trail nasties that the woods/trail rider will encounter. Great for trail riding but will need some attention for racing. The fork is split with compression damping on the left and rebound damping on the right. This makes adjustments so damn easy!
The engine is what you really want this bike for. It is incredibly stunning how smooth this engine performs, even when you are abusing it. I challenge anyone else to make a better performing and customisable 300cc engine. If so, then I’m willing to try it.
No skid plate or hand guards is a bit meh. I understand it helps with the price point but come one – it is an Enduro machine.
And there we have it. Race testing this GASGAS EC 300 was thoroughly fantastic and satisfying and eye opening and fun and all the rest. I would buy one of these bikes – and that says quit a lot. I would instantly have the suspension done, protection added and seat covered, and end up with quite the weapon of a bike. I initially preferred the GASGAS EC 350F – but now I’m not too sure. I guess there is no harm in having two bikes, right?
Cheers again to Troy at P1 Moto for the suspension spring upgrade - it was definitely needed. Located on the North Shore of Auckland, Troy can help you out (no matter where you are) with anything moto related. So get in touch if you need some help, advice or just a chat.
Images by the talented Click n Shoot Photography
2021 GASGAS EC 300 Specifications
ENGINE
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed
STARTER: Electric starter
STROKE: 72 mm
BORE: 72 mm
CLUTCH: DDS wet multi-disc clutch, Braktec hydraulics
DISPLACEMENT: 293.2 cm³
CHASSIS
WEIGHT (WITHOUT FUEL): 105.8 kg
TANK CAPACITY (APPROX.): 8.5 l
FRONT BRAKE DISC DIAMETER: 260 mm
REAR BRAKE DISC DIAMETER: 220 mm
FRONT BRAKE: Disc brake
REAR BRAKE: Disc brake
FRAME DESIGN: Central double-cradle-type 25CrMo4 steel
FRONT SUSPENSION: WP XPLOR-USD, Ø 48 mm - 300mm travel
GROUND CLEARANCE3: 60 mm Travel
REAR SUSPENSION: WP XACT Monoshock with linkage - 300mm travel
SEAT HEIGHT: 960 mm