aggressive character through
headlight and taillight omission
and a full FMF exhaust system.
Additionally, the XC saves a bit
of complexity and weight with a
streamlined wiring harness that
eliminates the additional control
switch at the bar and the wires
that come with it. A Renthal
Twinwall handles the control
duties on the XC—adding a nice
ergonomic upgrade over the
somewhat awkward and com-
pact bend of the stock EC bar.
Our EC test bike was fitted
with a spark arrestor whereas
the XC was not. GasGas of-
ficials told us neither would be
coming with a sparky when
they hit dealerships. The spark
arrestor likely had a little to do
with the power delivery differ-
ences we experienced with the
two bikes.
That's really the difference
between the two. But it's quite
interesting how much some
lights, a wiring harness, exhaust
and a handlebar can do to the
power and handling character-
istics of a bike.
The EC rides, as you'd pos-
sibly predict, with the smooth-
est power delivery and least
amount of outright excitement
VOL. 54 ISSUE 30 AUGUST 1, 2017 P95
We are
impressed
with the
GG's KYB
suspension,
both front
and rear.
of the two. It produces great
torque and resists stalling in the
technical stuff with the best of
them. We repeatedly lugged
the bike out of technical uphill
turns without a problem—the
bike grabbing traction and pull-
ing forward every time. It really
does hold that magical 300
power character right in the
sweet spot.
The EC is a bike that can pull
serious torque duty in technical
off-road. As you accelerate, the
power really wants to put trac-
tion down and the bike resists
spinning out through the rpm
Both bikes feature GasGas-
built exhaust pipes with FMF
mufflers; you'll have to supply
the spark arrestor, though.
