2019 Gas Gas: Inside The Upgrades

When manufacturers make sweeping upgrades to their bikes, they find themselves in bit of a quandary. On the one hand, they want to dazzle us with the sheer number of mods and improvements made to their new-model bikes. On the other, they realise that consumers have a pretty short attention span when it comes to PR guff and that shorter, sharper messaging tends to have more impact. Gas Gas, the Spanish manufacturer who specializes in two-stroke enduro (and trials) bikes, opted for the latter this year; for an abbreviated snapshot of the mods that’d appear on their 2019 enduro models: the EC250, EC300 and all-new EC200.

Having tested and pored over the 2019-model EC250 and EC300 at the recent media launch in Australia – and spoken with Gas Gas Australia’s technical guru, Lee Pearsall – we can now elaborate on the key mods found on these new bikes, and make a call about their impact and significance.

CYLINDER HEAD

LEE PEARSALL: On paper, the reconfigured cylinder head is probably the most significant upgrade to the 2019 EC range. For 2018, Gasser’s major race teams ran the GP model’s cylinder head (which had a slightly different configuration to the EC models), and the cylinders on the 2019 EC models sit somewhere between the two. Basically, the changes are to the dome volume and the squish band angle and size. It’s designed to make the power a little broader and more linear. It’s about tractability, not peak power; about making the power delivery easier to use by riders of varying abilities.
WE SAY: Without testing the 2018 and 2019 bikes back-to-back, it’s hard to say exactly how performance has been affected by the cylinder mods. But we reckon the difference is minimal, particularly because we tested the bikes at 500m altitude and they were already jetted a little rich, especially off the bottom. The jetting specs (which are set by the Australian distributor, and are a little different to what the bikes roll off the Spanish production line with) are the same as last year, but Gas Gas dealers will apparently be given an alternative, leaner jetting spec option (mainly the needle’s straight section multi-taper sections), which we’d like to sample. Even with that ‘fatter’ jetting, the 2019 EC250 and EC300 have punchier, more aggressive power than their class counterparts. It’s a ‘traditional’ two-stroke style of power, which makes the bikes lively and exciting to ride – especially on flowing grasstrack – but not as easy to use in tight, technical terrain. And anyone who’s grown accustomed to the 50% reduction in vibration from the new-generation KTM/Husqvarna two-stroke powerplants – thanks to the fitment of the counter-balancer from 2017 – will notice that the Gassers vibrate more.

DUAL-MAP IGNITION SWITCH

LEE PEARSALL: Aside from giving riders the convenience of on-the-fly power delivery tuning, the introduction of the dual-map switch has intentionally been designed to create a really noticeable difference in the power characteristics. As a company, Gas Gas comes from a trials bike background, so being able to deliver power precisely in any conditions is a key design objective for them.
WE SAY: Gas Gas’ EC models ran a bar-mounted map switch on the 2017 models, and then strangely dropped it for 2018. So it’s great to see the switch back for the 2019 bikes because being able to tune the power to suit the conditions (and/or rider ability) is a valuable feature on any powerful two-stroke enduro machine that needs to perform in a wide variety of conditions. And for 2019, the bikes’ ‘Sun’ and ‘Rain’ ignition maps are noticeably different. In the technical sections (and even much of the flowing trail) of the launch’s test loop, we preferred the user-friendly delivery of the ‘Rain’ ignition map. Also, being able to add or subtract preload to the power-valve spring gives you even more tunability of the bikes’ power. Going from standard (two turns out) to just one turn out on the power-valve spring definitely creates a more tractable style of power, with the smoother transition between bottom and mid-range making it easier to ride in slick terrain.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM UPGRADES

LEE PEARSALL: There have been upgrades to the stator’s windings, plus the earth wire – which is bigger for 2019 – now runs directly to the motor (previously, it ran to the subframe). The entire electric system has been made simpler and more compact. In addition to that, the 2019 bikes have been fitted with a more powerful lithium battery, and the speedo mount has been updated.
WE SAY: The electric-starter ran faultlessly all day at the 2019 bikes’ launch, but then we never had any starting or electrical issues with Gasser’s 2018 EC models. That said, a higher cranking-power battery is always a good thing. The simplified wiring harness now all sits conveniently on one plastic tray under the seat. Also, the DC-only output from the electrical system is notable because it tends to make the fitment of aftermarket lights or other electric accessories an easier job. The new speedo mount is more robust, plus it comes with little ‘wings’ that let you cable-tie any additional wiring to keep things neat.

NEKEN BARS

LEE PEARSALL: The new Neken tapered alloy handlebars have a slightly flatter bend and offer more flex than the Renthals used on the 2018 models, while being just as strong. Also, there’s a new bridged upper bar mount this year for added strength.
WE SAY: There was nothing wrong with the 2018 bikes’ Renthal TwinWall bars, but the new Neken bars gives the cockpit a cleaner, simpler look and better visibility of the instruments. While they are a tad flatter than their predecessors, they’re still tall enough to give the average rider a strong triangulated stance on the bike, and noticeably more control around flat corners when sitting. And the bridged upper bar mount definitely helps prevent the bars from twisting in their clamps in the event of a crash.

BODYWORK TWEAKS

LEE PEARSALL: A tab has been added to the right-hand sideplate to better secure the rear of the airbox to the rear guard.
WE SAY: The added plastic tab makes sense because the 2018 bikes were prone to losing their airbox covers in extreme terrain, but time will tell if this small tab is enough to rectify the issue. The design makes the sideplate cum airbox lid a little fiddlier to re-fit, but that’s a small price to pay for the practical benefit promised.

“The Gassers’ Kayaba suspension package – the twin-chamber fork in particular – was difficult to fault in 2018, and remains superb for 2019.”

FASTENER UPGRADES

LEE PEARSALL: The Nutserts in the bottom of the radiators (used to secure the radiator shrouds) now have brass inserts, and both the oil filler plug and drain plug in the gearbox’s cases are now 10mm hex-head bolts.
WE SAY: The new brass inserts used for the radiator shroud mounts makes a lot of sense because these bolts tend to get removed a lot and can have their threads easily stripped when you’re in a hurry. And the hex-head bolts now used for the oil filler cap and drain bolt are much more user-friendly than the previous Allen-head bolts, whose heads were prone to filling with mud.

SUSPENSION SETTINGS

LEE PEARSALL: The upgrades to the 2019 Kayaba twin-chamber fork – a small increase in the compression float – is designed to make the action a little plusher in the first part of the stroke.
WE SAY: The Kayaba suspension package – the 48mm twin-chamber fork in particular – was difficult to fault on the 2018 Gassers, and remains superb for 2019. The suspension is so versatile and forgiving, it works for riders who weigh anywhere between 70 and 110kg; offering a magic carpet ride over the small bumps, and yet excellent resistance to bottoming on big hits and jump-landings. We couldn’t notice any obvious differences in the fork or shock’s action between the 2018 and 2019 models, but then we didn’t have time to play with the suspension clickers too much at the launch. There’s a reason that the cost of a set of second-hand twin-chamber forks have gone from $300 to more like $700-$900 in recent times: people have realised they’re damn good!

“The 2019 EC250 and EC300 have punchier, more aggressive power than their class counterparts. It’s a ‘traditional’ two-stroke style of power, which makes the bikes lively and exciting to ride.”

IN SUMMARY

LEE PEARSALL: With the 2018 bikes being an all-new platform for Gas Gas, the mods made to the 2019 range were primarily to fine-tune a bunch of little things. As the new-generate bikes were so well received, Gas Gas wanted to refine them rather than change the core character of the bikes. We’re all about offering a top-of-the-line specced bike with a really aggressive price point.
WE SAY: The refinements made to the 2019 bike are all positive. Individually, none make a massive difference to performance, but collectively they add up to a significant improvement, particularly from a reliability and ease of maintenance point of view. Given the 2019 model’s top-shelf component spec – especially the KYB suspension – they appear to offer very good value for money. Now we’d like to get our hands on a long-term project bike so we can live with a new-gen Gasser and make comments like that with more conviction.