Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I year's Gas Ga s JT2 5 w as the wo rl d's best-selling trials bike. Like th e American Harley-Davidson fact o ry, Gas Gas so ld eve ry JT25 th at it cou ld produce, and the red bikes bearing Tarres' nam e could be found in signi fican t numbers at trials even ts across the globe. But w ha t about this year's ]T25? Th e 1993 seas on m arked T arre s ' d ebut aboard the Ga sser s, bu t it wasn't until the '94 pr od uction line that his influ ence could be seen . This year m arks his secon d ye ar of input, bu t su rp ris ing ly, the bike lo ok s m uch like la st yea r's. But don't let the mellow looks fool yo u - the newest JT features a number of refineme nts. They may be small chan ges, but over the years, we have learned tha t a little can eas ily eq ua l a lot. Let's start with the obv iou s. Gon e is the po lished, chrome-lookin g frame of las t year, and in its place is a brushedsteel unit that is significan tly larger than the '94 versi o n . In addition to being mo re rigid, the large 50mm square steel tubing (last year's wa s 40mm) now h as ro unded edges that aren't as likel y to offend the rider's knees. Also, each of the perimeter frame's spars are now single cu rv aceous pieces th at integ rate th e swingarm pivot. Last year, the Contact's m ain frame rail s w er e s traigh t, w ith a cast swingarm piv ot piece weld ed on '; Of course, a refined subfram e su pports the rear end of the bike, and this ye ar's footpegs are positioned 5mm further back. Mated to th e new fr ame is a n e w banana-shaped swingarm - th e second new design in as man y yea rs. According to Ga s Ga s, the new design allows for easier access to the shock linkage , and provides improved handling and grea ter obstacle clearance, particularly in sharp rocks . Change s in th e engine d epartmen t are just as exte nsi ve . An all-new cylinder, head and piston make up the new top end , w hich - by th e wa y - is n o longer painted florescent red . This ye ar, o nly the ignition cover and righ t-side crankcase are co lo red . Th e bi g new s, . tho ugh, is the addition of water jacke ts in the case area surrounding the crankshaft. In addition to increasing the cooling system 's capacity, the new design is claimed to allow the motor to run cleaner and with gr eater consi stency. Gas Gas al so promi ses le s s v ib ra tion and smoother power delivery with the radical new design . To further capitalize on . the wa ter-cooled crankcase, a new radiator fan module keeps the tiny ventilator spinning twice as fast as its predecessor. Handling the new engine's exhaust are a new pipe an d silencer. Suspension-wise, our test bike cam e fitted with a set of conventional Paioli forks, but reports from Spain have future '95 unit s coming with G as G as-buil t forks . Apparently, the Italian Paioli factory is having a tough tim e kee ping up with foreig n d emand fo r suspension units, as it has its hands full producing fork s for Italian motorcycle and scoo ter factories. In order to keep the Contacts rollin g off the production line at a steady rate, Ga s Gas took m atters into their own hands. The Gas Gas forks have reportedly bee n gr eatly influ enced by Jap anese suspension technology . Time w ill tell how well the new forks work... But w hat about the ot her little nicn a cs ? Detail ch an ges are plen tifu l. A new forged alu minum rear brake pedal is better tu cked away, and claimed to resist impa ct-d amage better than last year's. Th e rear brak e ca liper is now affixed to the swingarm, making rear whee l cha nges easier and qu icker. Aiding th e "quick change" ben efit are dif ferent w heel spacers, which will now stay put inside the hub seals w hen the wheels when I tried to make the bike ove rhea t. Ap pa rently, the new cooling sys tem and faster radiato r fan are migh tier than even the most grueling loo ps . Th e pow er of th e n ew moto r is peppy, and is as strong' as most rid er s w ill ever need. Only the most advanced riders wi ll wish for more power - I've hear d th at Tarres likes his bike to hit a lot h arder than the s to cke r . Fo r mere m ortals, however , the Co ntact's po wer ou tp ut is just fine. Unl ike its bigger ]T35 brother, the ]T25 is a quic k revver, and a rid er wh o is skilled with th e clutch can really ma ke thezipp y little motor shine. Th e bi k e is eq ua lly a t h om e bein g chu gged ove r obstacles in first or second gear, as it is bein g revved to th e m oon and ridden in thi rd . Be ing o f th e motocross rnindset, I p refer the latter. Bringin g the bike to life is sim ple, a bit of choke an d a manly stab at the tiny kickstart lever are all th at are neede d to co nj u re up the b ik e' s pl ea sant, q ui et exha us t note. One of my favo rite things abo ut the bike - and most modem trials bikes, for th at matter - is the hydraulic clu tch. The Gas Gas ' lever pull is smooth and light, and the clu tch has incred ib le feel. There's never any doubt as to wh en the plates will grab . Transmission action is positive, yet not nearly as smoo th as th ose o n th e Beta o r Mo n tes a bi k es. (Above) The Contact is very well balanced. (Right) The moto r may look the same on the outside, but it is rad ically different than last year 's. (Below right) The new banan a-shaped sw ingarm prov ides greater obstacle clearance. are removed from the bike. Up front, the axle bolt was elimi n ated in favor of a th read ed fork leg. In ad ditio n to aid ing quick wheel changes, this design provides less surface to becom e snagg ed on obstacles. A r ede si gn ed chai n te ns io ner is lon ger and claim ed to be stro nge r, while the airb ox was refined to provid e be tter airflow and supe rio r water-resistance. Cosmetically, th e Contact seems to ha ve been toned down considerably. We a lready mentioned the tamer brushed finish of the fram e, and also gone are the ga udy, eye-bog gling Ga s Ga s logo s of last season. In their place is a set of plainJane w hite logos. Every Ga s Ga s sti ll comes complete with a se t of co rpo ra te spo nsor logos, ranging from Fortuna cigarettes to Hewlett Packard computers. But e nou gh techno -w eenie s t uff w ha t' s the bik e like to rid e? Let's sta rt w ith so m e b ack ground first. The la st tim e I threw a leg ove r a Gas Gas ]T25, I was th ou sands of m iles away in Andorra covering la st September' s Tri a l d e s Natio ns . " I'm a begin ner!" I cried, and felt quite ina dequa te wh en it came tim e to pa ss judgeme nt on th e machi ne. Since then, however, I've spent near ly as much time ab oard a tr ials bike as m y MXer, thanks to a " d is ti ngu is h e d " p air of ho use gu ests I had durin g the holidays. Oklahoma's Matt Moore - ranked eighth . in the U.s. - graced illy humble abo de with hi s presence between Chris tmas and New Yea r' s Day, a n d Oregon's Lonny Ha llsted - ranked sixth in the Ll.S, - followed in the first two weeks of 1995. After th ree weeks of, "Try thi s!" "You ca n do it," and " I'I l catch you if you don 't m ake it!" - I fou nd myself bruised and scarred, bu t much more confident in m y trials riding, as well. A t the n ext even t, I made the jum p to the Intermediat e class and actu ally fared quite well . Thanks, gu ys . N eedles s to say, the '9 5 JT25 and I ha ve been getting along just fine. While the n ew engine d e sign is claimed to resist loading up better than last year' s, I must ad mit tha t I never encountered such problems in Andorra . I did, however, have a prob lem wi th the '94 bike ove rheating on the loop - especially o n the faster paved sections. No such problem w ith the '95, though, even Shifting or finding neutral while balancing on th e bike is a breeze. And speaking of b alancing , the Gas Ga s is the fir st bike which I was ever abl e to balance a t a s ta n dst ill for an extended period of time . With Professor Hallsted a t m y s id e, shou ting o u t instructions, I fo und th e Co ntact bal anced and fairly ea sy to kee p upright. For the sake of comparison, I didn't have as m uch luck aboard Hal lsted 's personal Beta Techno. Suspension-wise, I was q uite happy 13

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