VIDEO: WHY GASGAS KEPT WP’S XPLOR FORK

Why did GASGAS’s enduro models retain WP’s open-cartridge XPLOR fork, while their KTM and Husqvarna counterparts moved to WP’s closed-cartridge XACT fork back in 2024? Several reasons…

When the new-generation enduro models from GASGAS arrived a couple of years ago, they were conspicuous for a new component they didn’t get – WP’s all-new closed-cartridge XACT fork, which headlined the sweeping changes made to KTM’s and Husky’s 2024 enduro bikes and has been very well received by the market ever since.

So, why did GASGAS’s enduro models retain WP’s open-cartridge XPLOR fork? Just how far has the XPLOR fork evolved in the past couple of years? Is it well suited to the new-gen bikes’ anti-squat chassis design, with its stiffer frame and much-updated triple clamps? And, with the benefit of two years’ experience under our belts, how do the XPLOR and XACT forks stack up when it comes to comparative performance and versatility; for whom and in what type of riding conditions?

Now that we’ve taken delivery of a 2026 GASGAS EC300 GP project bike (which comes with a heap of special componentry, and the latest iteration of WP’s 48mm XPLOR fork), we’ll be able to make direct comparisons between the two and answer those questions. In the meantime, though, we called on the KTM Group’s technical guru, Rob Twyerould, to help us put WP’s latest open- and closed-cartridge forks in better context…