VOL. 55 ISSUE 13 APRIL 3, 2018 P79
together with GasGas' own Geoff
Aaron who gave us the oppor-
tunity to spend some time riding
the EnduroGP 300 at one of
our favorite off-road riding spots
in Southern California. When
we rode the standard XC and
EC 300s in similar terrain a few
months earlier, we were im-
pressed, big time. They (the pre-
Torrot models) went from being
good trail bikes to what we have
now—competitive race bikes—
seemingly over night. The 2018
EC/XC's new backbone frame
(formerly a perimeter frame),
higher quality KYB suspension
components (as apposed to
Marzocchi forks and a Reiger
shock) and pretty much all-new
engines did wonders for them.
The latest EnduroGP performs,
as we expected, the same—only
better. However, the difference
isn't dramatic.
Our testers had plenty of good
things to say about the Endu-
roGP 300. They were quick to
point out the GP's impressive en-
gine, praising its linear power de-
livery that "was almost like riding
a four-stroke," said one tester.
It has outstanding "lug-ability" in
the tight and technical situations
yet will open up smoothly and
without hesitation when you grab
a handful of throttle for the faster
sections. Although this bike has
tons of power, it doesn't come
on like an explosion anywhere
in the powerband and doesn't
have that sometimes scary big-
bore two-stroke hit that we've
experienced with some other
300cc two-strokes in the past.
Instead, the GP's power is deliv-
ered smoothly, predictably and
controllably—perfect for those
long and challenging special-test
sections.
Vibration can be an issue with
big-bore two-stroke engines.
KTM, though, found a solution
by incorporating counter-balanc-
ers into their 250 and 300cc
off-road two-stroke engines,
which they started doing in 2017.
This has raised the bar way high
in the anti-vibration department.
Even though the GasGas does
not have counter-balancers,
vibration isn't too bad. Before the
2017 KTMs, we might've gone
as far as to say that the GasGas
feels almost "vibration free," but
now, because the standard has
The KYB forks get
new anti-friction DLC
coating. We like the
factory look of the
black coloring.
