Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

,TE T. S 1995 Gas Gas JT25 (Right) A bicycle-style computer is mounted in the fuel tank shroud. The dig ita l computer has speed, top speed , mileage and clock functions. Trick. (Left) The JT is narrow and easy to mane uver on. (Above ri ght) Once bro ken in pr operl y, the suspension soaks up everything th rown its way. From small rocks to large drop -ofts, the Contact handl es it all. Gas Gas Contact JT25 : Specifications List Price: =~ $5195 Displacement: 237.9cc Engine type: . . .Uquid-cooled single-eylinder 14 with th e sto ck setti n gs, that is, until I rode Hallsted ' s machine. In comparison with the '95 Beta, th e Gas Gas forks feel a bi t h arsh, and tend to d eliver m ore jolts up through th e rider's arms . As t ime progressed , h o w ev er , the Paiol i forks proved to break in ju st fin e. Out back, the ] T' s suspension actio n is p l u sh enou gh to soak up any obs tacle encou ntered in a sect ion, and at th e same ti me fi rm enough to h andl e m y occasional m otocross anxiety attacks on the loop. As a pac ka ge, th e Gas Gas ]TI5 is an excep ti onal m achin e. True, the bike m ay not be as refined as som e of its competition, b ut with a little extra ti m e and effort, th e bi k e can be set u p to fit you like a glove. And besides, I'm no t on e to question the ju dgment of the r ei gn ing Worl d Champion. two-stroke 71 x 60mm Bore I stroke: N!A 26mm Dell'Orto Compression ratio: Carburetion: ignition: Electronic 6 Transmission speeds: Starling system: Kick 1.04 gal. 53.2 in, Fuel capacity: Wheelbase: Rakellrall: Sell height: N /A Front tire: Rear tire: Front wheel travel: , Rear wheel travel: FrOntbrake: Rear brake: FlnaI drive: CIIImed dIy weIgbt: ' ' ' 27.75 in. 2.75 x 21 4.00 x 18 6,8 in. 6.8 in. Disc Disc Chain 171.61bs. Are you? Gas Gas trials, m ot ocross and enduro machines are imported in to the U nited States exclusively by Gas Gas USA. They may be reached a t 7801 Eastside D r ., Kansas City, MO 64152,816/741-7615. 1-:\ Bits and.piece, ' s While CycleNews believes theforegoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the performance or safetyof the tehiclets). The reader should makehis or her uum investigation. 'Bend a lever in a crash ? No problem . T he, aluminum levers can be bent back into a decent shape with ease'. ' . Keep a close eye on ' the reersuspenslon li nkage bo lts:..Make sure they 'are. well . Keep a ' close' ey e' on 'the rear ~ ubiram~ g rease d and tightened regularly - or' else . bolts, 'as they have a' tendency' to loosen up. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way. The Thankfully, compa rable metric units can be found at any . well- stocked hardwa re ' store . ' tower shock bolt fell out 'of our Contact, and what resulled wasn't pretty. Most of the shock' , While you're there, buy a bottle of Loctite. ' linkage was ruined, as were most of the seals . and the botto m shock helm joint. A special . Our test bike came with a sq u ishy f ront brake, but after a few hours of hard riding thanks to Rising Sun Imports' Jim Snell for and a quick bleed job, they began to perform' supplying the replacement parts, .and to Bul tac o Parts Obsolete's John Thomson for , at an acceptable level. . .handling the repairs. . Because ot the new water-cooled crankcase, additional water li nes are required to com-. And speaking of John Thomson, the G.as Gas plete thesystem . One of these lines ruris ' dealer has a.hokey-sounding: yet q uite effec- from the bottom of the lett-sicecase. up nve setup tf p . Thomson drill s out the rear . betwee n the ignition cover and countershatt fender subtrame holes, and Instead of the . sprocket, and up and over the center cases: stock· nut-and-bolt combo , uses disposab le ' What's so odd about that?'lnstead of tradiplastic rivets (found at any auto parts store) . tional radiator line, the hose closer resembles to fasten the rear fender to the frame. Why? regular tuel.line" and seems rather vulnerable In a crash, the rear fender ,wllI no,": have the to crash , damage . We .must admit; though, . tendency to break away from the bike, rather that we have yet to experience any problem than breaking off the bike. A new rear fender with the hose. . , ', .. costs n!"arly $90. ' . ' , . . . A spark arrestor is required in the state of, Don't like ihe corporate sponsor lcigos on the ' California: as well as in many other states ·rear fender and fuel tank shroud? Too bad, ' across the natiori. We had the opportunny to . Don't even think about removing the stickers , try two different legalizers, asboth Bultaco • they're covered with a clear coat of,var-' . Parts Obsolete and Observed Trials Products nlsh. Also. take care when filling the JT25 produce sp ar k arres tors for the Contact. gas tank '- ov erflowing gasoline 'onto ' the Though they both perform the same duty, the · 'shroud will cause the clear coating to peel. If.. . two 'units are extremely d ifferent. The BPO ' ·you do spill,' be sure to wipe off the excess unit.is a small.SuperTrapp-type multi-disk unit' petrol quickly. that bolts onto the end of the stock .silencer, ' .while the OTP vers ion ' replaces the' stock silence; altogether. We must admit that we . Workin g on .the Gas GasIs a breeze: .No tools are needed to clean the air filter - all , preferred the "stock" look of the $150 OTP., you nee d to do is remove :the, fu el tank' , unit, but the less expensive $5,5 BPOpart shroud and lift the tank out for easy access to ' ' was much easier on the pocketbook. Bultaco the airbox. When uncratednew, the fOOtpegs , Parts Obsolete can 'be .cont acted at 22608 , 'are left unmounted. Sadly, insiallin g them can ' Anza. Torrance, CA 905.15, 3 101375 -2722. be either a simple : or nightmaristr - affair. ' Observed Trials Products can be .reached at ' Some of the pegsslip ' right in, while others . 13347 Gideon .Ct ., .Lak esl de, CA 92040, require e~ens.ive grindiryg: ' ,,' . . . 6191561-8452. . "

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