I have it on good authority that the phrase ‘Gas Gas!’ is the Spanish equivalent of WFO. With a long history of producing world-class trials bikes Gas Gas has earned a reputation for building torquey, if somewhat unfinished, motorcycles. Over the years Gassers have become more reliable and easier to service, without losing focus on doing what they do best; cover very technical terrain in a hurry. Right away we noticed the 2010 EC250 Six Days Edition had a higher build quality than previous models we’ve had our hands on, along with gorgeous looks and sensible engineering.

The six-speed, power-valved two-stroke engine is wrapped in a cro-moly perimiter frame, with a linkage-mounted Sachs rear shock (like a Husky) and Sachs inverted forks. The fuel is carried as low and as far back as possible between the frame rails to help centralize weight. Under the engine cases you’ll find a decent plastic skid plate. Gas Gas claims a dry weight of 222.6 pounds.

From this side you’ll see the fitting for the most excellent juice clutch ever, a six speed transmission, o-ring chain, adjustable power-valve and 38mm Keihin carb. Jetting was an issue with our test bike. It was so fat, in fact, that it barely ran and spooged gorp all over itself. We ended up using a JD jet kit with the leaner (Red) needle in the third clip, a 180 main and 2.5 turns out on the air screw. We would have gone leaner yet, but hey it wasn’t our bike to expariment with. Gas Gas’s Steve Shannon gets kudos for solving our jetting woes, and for the record we ran the bike at 500’ above sea level, 21’C and on 91 octane pump gas mixed 50:1 with Amsoil.

Here’s a peek at the Excel rims and trick anodized hubs. The bike feels light, and is small enough that even little spodes like your’s truly can touch the ground with both feet. Tall riders might find the bike too cramped, but for the rest of us the Gasser’s ergonomics are a refreshing change in a world of tall, fat and heavy thumpers!

I don’t know what we were expecting at first. A YZ250 perhaps? In any case, the Gasser felt slow. In fact, the KX250F we finished testing a day before had much more yank everywhere. The Gas Gas has very, very smooth low end power that morphs into a totally flat powerband. Being old two-stroke lovers we expected some kind of ‘bark’ in the midrange. Nope. It just felt flat, like a souped-up KDX220 or a really clapped out YZ250 turning a huge flywheel weight. After burning around our secret hare scramble course I argued up and down that I was faster on the 450F I’ve been riding lately. Ryan Rainville shook his head and broke out the stopwatch. Guess what? I was almost three seconds a lap faster on the ‘slow’ Gas Gas! Hmmm…

On the motocross track a few things became apparent. 1 -The Gasser doesn’t respond to bursts of throttle or clutch abuse to get the snap to jump over things. That big trials-like flywheel fights you when you need a sharp, hard burst of power. I have been assured that with different powervalve settings you can make the bike’s powerband a little snappier. 2 -The suspension at both ends also felt fluffy and underdamped. We tried different compression settings at both ends and got it to work decently but never as well as we’d hoped. Gas Gas does sell a ‘Race’ version of this bike, with an Ohlins shock and bigger Sachs fork that feature stiffer spring rates and heavier damping. 3 -The bike didn’t turn as precisely as we thought it should. We ended up sliding the forks up in the clamps 5mm and moving the handlebar mounts to the furthest forward position. That helped. Better tires would help even more, because the bike comes with the same crummy FIM-Spec tires that most every other Euro-Enduro bike comes with.

So, on the motocross track the Gas Gas EC250 felt small, underpowered and soft. The fast guys didn’t like it there, not one little bit. But this old writer managed to chase down and even push some guys he can’t normally keep up with, without getting arm pump and without having a heart attack. Once again, a giant head-scratching ‘hmmmm…’ is in order.

Everything ‘clicked’ when we took the bike to some hilly, tight singletrack. The suspension was focused, (though we’d love to try the race version) and the compact size of the chassis and smooth powerband conspired to make us suddenly change our feelings toward the Gas Gas EC250. This is a woods bike that doesn’t really like doing anything else but rip between trees, but what it does like it does really well.

Our old favourite bike out here was the KTM 300XC (not the XC-W.) By comparison the Gasser was easier to ride and more confidence inspiring. It doesn’t stall, ever, and the ultra-light clutch is fantastic. But is it faster through the trees? Probably not, especially for a Pro. But it’s really close, and that’s a whole lot better than most of our other 2010 test bikes have fared at this location.

If this bike were ours we’d ditch the funky spring-loaded kickstand and find someone who could stiffen up the fork damping. What’s a Sachs fork like inside? Anyone know? Anyone? We’d also drop a tooth off the front sprocket. But man, this thing is so close to the class leading KTM 300 in the woods. The KTM has a big edge in overall versatility, but if all the world were second gear singletrack the Gasser would be the bike that makes spodes look like they know how to ride and good riders more good-er-er.

So, by now you’ve gotten the gist of what we think about the Gas Gas EC250. It’s like a souped-up and modernized version of the old KDX220s everyone loved. Gas Gas build quality has gone from sketchy to excellent. If you are mixing motocross or faster hare scrambles into your riding program this bike might not be your best choice. Maybe the 300cc version would do better at that stuff, but we haven’t yet tried one. Anyway, if you are a hard-core woods rider who is small enough to fit the compact size of the Gas Gas EC250 it is most definitely worth a very, very hard look.

Thanks to Ultimate Toyz (You can find their link on our home page) and Gas Gas Dealer Rick Golding (905-922-6617) for providing and prepping our test bike. Specs and Canadian dealer info can be found at http://www.gasgaspacific.com/ We also need to thank John Grant for wandering around in the woods with his camera!

Our man in B.C, Steve Shannon, knows how to cook with Gas Gas after capturing the National A Advanced title in the CEC series for them in 2009. He sent over a few tuning notes that might help anyone interested in these motorcycles. Plus he has some great news for us about the ISDE!

”GasGas also offers a ‘Nambotin Replica’ EC300 that comes with Ohlins TTX front and back, FMF Q Stealth silencer, Renthal bars and a few other goodies. The GasGas has a wide ratio six-speed tranny. In terms of top speed it will outrun a KTM300 (XC or XC-W) in the open stuff while still being able to crawl through the nasty sections. That high top speed comes in handy at enduros like the ISDE where you can cruise on road sections. If you don’t like the big flywheel effect you can change to a Kokusan 2K-2 ignition, which has a flywheel with about a fifth of the moment of inertia. That’s what the plug on the ignition side of the engine case at 10 o’clock is for. Personally, I like the heavier ignition better because of the anti stall and smooth power characteristics.”

“It’s not too difficult to open up the cockpit for larger guys. Guts makes a taller saddle, Fastway offers pegs that can be lowered 10mm, then add a bar riser.  I’m six feet tall, but due to my long, ape-like arms I prefer to get my bars low, straight and forward. I’ve heard the Sachs forks are very similar to some Kayabas, but the base valve uses an oddball 7mm ID shim. In B.C Rider’s Edge works on Sachs forks, while in Washington LT-Racing (www.lt-racing.com) specializes in GasGas suspension. Tory and I got official word last week - we’re both going to the ISDE!”