With the desert race season fast approaching my GASGAS EC 250F long term test bike has not been high on my list of priorities. Desert coaching and preparing VIP Experience KTM race rental bikes has taken most of my focus. However, that does not mean the GASGAS EC 250F long term test bike has been pushed into the corner of the shed to collect cobwebs, quite the opposite. I’ve still logged close to fifteen hours on it the last few weeks.
During these hours of ride time the EC has ventured all over the countryside, from the river banks of Echuca, the red sands of Mildura and red clay of Griffith, a Speedway track on the family property and the sandy MX tracks of Free Flight MX park. Apart from some fresh Motorex cross power engine oil, clean air filters and a wash it needed nothing and has not missed a beat. Very impressive when you consider this is a small bore 250cc four stroke that has close to 90 hours on the meter. The way my schedule looks for the next few months I might not get time to do any additional maintenance other than what I currently am.
On to a different subject now that I have touched on previously. The more I ride this EC250F the more I believe so many riders are doing themselves way more harm than good when they choose a powerful big bore bike when they could potentially be on something like this. I know certain riders body physics, like a 100kg plus rider are ideally suited to a slightly more powerful motorcycle or if you live in the desert and are constantly riding high speed, long distances then a 450cc is more practical. But the rest of us who are blasting around on motorcycles that are way too powerful, meaning we are basically getting taken for a ride, and I believe we would all be way better off riding a 250F like this.
I have no doubt that my riding has improved since I picked up this GASGAS EC 250F long term test bike mid-last year and I keep finding myself making small improvements every time I ride it.
I put a lot of this down to the fact that I can be having an average day skill wise on the 250F, yet it does not punish me as it rides very gently. Then when I do start picking up my game and nailing more aspects of my riding it rewards me with as much speed as I can produce.
Ben Grabham
