VOLUME 59 ISSUE 16 APRIL 19, 2022 P73
The cross-country GasGas EX
300 is right at home between the
tapes. It wants to go fast.
C L I M B A B O A R D
Nothing about the EX 300 is plush. You
can tell right away that this motorcycle
is tuned for racing. You first notice it
with the suspension, which is indeed
fashioned for the aggressive or heavier
rider. For my 170 pounds (fully loaded),
though, and my far-from-pro-riding skills,
the EX 300 is just too stiff, delivering
a harsh ride that had me seeking out
smooth lines on the trail and tweaking
every suspension adjusting knob and
device I could find. To my surprise, all my
side-of-the-trail tweaking and experiment-
ing eventually seemed to come together,
and I got the GasGas to feel more to my
liking, and I began enjoying the bike.
Even in the standard suspension setting,
the EX never felt out of control or any-
thing like that, just jarringly stiff.
The engine, however, was far more to
my liking right out of the crate. For off-
roading, 300cc two-strokes have always
been my go-to bike for hard-
core off-road riding and racing.
It's early April and
GasGas has already
revealed its 2023 off-road
line. The 2023 EX 300 is
the same motorcycle as
the 2022 but with less
white plastic. So, if
you find a '22, don't
wait, nab it.
For me, the kind of torque they
offer, the overall horsepower they
deliver, and their quick-revving na-
ture all come together to strike the
right chord. Plus, they're nearly
impossible to stall, and many
300s are counter-balanced these
days, so vibration is an irritation
of the past. The EX has all these
things, indeed. So, what's not to
like about the motor?
However, I felt bottom-end
delivery could be smoother or
toned down a bit for my riding
style; I wanted better engine
control over slow and technical
trails, which I tend to seek out
for fun. Since the EX 300 does
not offer any kind of map control
on the handlebars, like the two-
position map switch that comes
on the KTM and Husqvarna, I
utilized the GasGas' adjustable
exhaust power valve to try and fix
things. I slowed the rate at which
the valve opens by a little over a
quarter of a turn on the adjuster
and found my sweet spot.
The fuel-injected EX 300 has
plenty of power overall for me.
Some feel the carbureted 300s
have better top-end; this might
be so, but I have never come
back from a GNCC or hare
