Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126044
By Jody Weisel here used to be a big di fference between tiddlers and men's machines, b u t suddenly the 250's are being ridden like 125 's and the big bores like 250 's. The new Ossa 250 GP is a 125 wi th 25 0 po wer an d spee d. Ossa released th e ne w gen erat ion Phantom about a year and a half ago to rave reviews on power, weigh t , and handling while bei ng so undly booed in the suspension department. Normally when a factory goes back to the drawing bo ard they do a partial repai r . th at comes out half-fast, or a total rebuild that destroys the earlier models good points ' while correcting it's . . faults. Not so with Ossa. The Phantom came with a conventional rear suspension tied to oil dampened shocks and an aluminum swingarm. It was out of' step with the changing modes of modern LTR technology. It was similar to building a light, fast hula hoop that only went half way around. It simply wasn't up to the marketing whims of a fickled audience. The new Ossa GP has long travel Betor gas shocks mounted at a 45 degree 'll'gle on a chrome moly swingarm. The rest of the frame remains as close to the successful formula as p ossible. The bike was lengthened an inch and one quarter to tame the mo st vicious horsepower-to-weight ratio in the industry. Lots of machinery on the track today puts o ut beans, but few put them directly into the ground. Even with weak wristed Pirelli knobs the Ossa GP becomes a ' handful when yo u grab a handful 'of throttle. As the Ossa GP comes out of the box it's ready to go. It was perhaps one of the more awe inspiring motocross bikes we've tested in a long time. Teethed on Japanese inscrutibility and indestructibility only the aficionado could get into some of the earlier Spanish mounts. We marked off the hard starting, gear missing and tail end hanging peculiarities to Latin blood. No more amigo, cause this Spanish flyer starts on the first kick, thanks to a bright sparking Motoplat CDI, rare Iy missed a shift, courtesy of some off season factory R&D, and handled with fine line precision. What sort of blasphemy is this? A:re we trying to say it's better than an RM, YZ, CR or other alphabet concoctions? Yes, it is, The GP, an alphabet derivative of Grand Prix, is rated X for expert. Anyone else had better be prepared to spend a lot of time on the ground. Experts had better be prepared to spend some time on the ground. Ossa has combined an ultra light front end with a big chunk of mid-range traction potential. The bike is short shifted through all five gears with the front end pawing clear air all the way. A sloppy shift, a misplaced touch of over-eagerness and it 's hello terra-firma. All the power is useable, so if you don't know how to use it you're in trouble. We had our doubts about' the suspension since it is a combination of items that didn't impress u s very much on other packages. The shocks are similar to the gas Betors found on last year's Montesa, which weren't very impressive. Orr the Ossa they are. The front forks are eight inch plus Betors that work well. After a couple of weeks the springs sag and the forks lose their snap. A couple of top out springs brought ours back around, but a good set of springs would be the hot set-up. A ride on the Ossa GP reminds one of his first ride on the first CR- 125 Honda a couple of years ago. The bike accelerates so quickly that the mind is left behind. Two corners into the track you're three corners behind. The Ossa will lay through a berm with the best of them, bu t with it's light steering and precision the rider can go inside or under any corner he wishes. The bottom line The negative aspects of this machine are few ; fiberg lass fenders that will probably self destruct. Ossa has plastic front fenders available. A downpipe is a thing of the past, but Ossa tried to tuck one underneath. No kill button could get the rider or the engine killed. The handgrips were universally disliked, but that doesn't mean you 11 hate them. On the affirmative side the overriding factor is the amount of effort the racer wants to put in. This is a serious piece of racing equipment and leaves no room for sloppy thinking or sloppy riding. If you want to put your mind into getting around the track fast then this is the best motocross machine built this year. But if you think racing is recess at the funny farm you'd never cut the mustard on this bike. • 42 • Spain's rocketship - The Ossa 250 GP is a ho lesh ot specialist wit h the cre de ntials to liet y o u the rest of the way. arou nd the track in high style. (R ight) Twi n sp ring gas Beton ho ld up the rea r, w hile (far right) t he fro nt end is light enough to hold itself u p. The Ossa is a f ib reglass flye r t hat will cu t y our lap t ime s down or move y our laun d ry bill up . It 's all in the wr ist. ace ready out of the crate" has become a popular phrase in motorcycle adve rtising and journalistic tirades. The easiest way to put the proof to the pudding is to take a look at wh at the factory boys are riding. At the Ossa factory the only American National Motocross rider is Kenny Zahrt, the one time boy wonder , who is trying to work his way back to the top. Kenny's Ossa, which is prepared by Mid-Valley Ossa, has made three major alterations to his Ossa 250 GP. The first was to install a Mid-Valley up-pipe that not only eliminates the banged cones and dinged welds, but also adds another thousand rpm's to the top end: Secondly, Kenny dropped his shocks into a more radical angle than stock to increase the rear wheel travel beyond eight and one-half inches. Fox Shoxs with two springs are used. Finally Zahrt 's GP has . Marzocchi front forks mounted because he believes they work better than the stock Betors, an d we agree. The rest of the bike is finely detailed with some carving to expose the countershaft sprocket, a chain tensioner and personal touches. Weight saving was not one of the objectives as the bike was considered to be right.