Gas Gas 250 Mx

GAS GAS 250 MX

Quick Ride

Spanish flyer

AFTER SPANISH DIRTBIKE manufacturer Gas Gas exploded out of

nowhere and nearly swept Cycle World's 1997 Best Enduro Bike honors with its dazzling TT 250, we had high hopes for its 250 MX motocrosser.

We weren’t disappointed. The transition from enduro bike to MXer was relatively painless. Chassis-wise, the most significant modification was to the steering geometry, which has a half-degree less rake. Otherwise, the steel perimeter frame remains similar to that of Kawasaki’s KX250 (the plastic fenders, sidepanels and front numberplate are KX knock-offs, too). The liquid-cooled, 249cc twostroke Single, however, is more reminiscent of a Honda CR250 powerplant. In fact, bore and stroke are identical. The TT’s counterbalancer and ignition-mounted lighting coil are missing, though, ditched to reduce weight and speed throttle response.

Another significant difference is the MXer’s four-speed transmission (fiveand sixspeed units will be offered in the future). Right off the bat, the ultra-tall first gear gets your attention, but in the two races we entered, the Gas Gas still managed to nail the holeshot. Its engine may not have as much snap as many Japanese MX bikes, but there’s certainly a broad spread of torque. What’s more, overall gearing is tall enough to handle a high-speed grand prix without topping out. Supercross riders and cowtrailers, however, may find the gear spacing too wide. Our advice? Invest in a selection of sprockets. A solid thumbs-up, too, to the hydraulic clutch; it should be standard on all dirtbikes.

The bike is extremely stable at speed, and it turns well, too. The conventional Marzocchi fork and Öhlins shock are more softly sprung than we might like, but both boast excellent bottoming resistance. Test riders praised the infinitely adjustable shock, but complained about the fork’s comparative lack of tunability. Buyers will have a choice of WP or Marzocchi front ends.

Our red-and-black testbike was a pre-production example, but the production Gas Gas will be on your dealer’s doorstep by the time you read this. Such is the advantage of being a small company.

So, where does this leave the 250 MX? If you dabble in supercross and trail ride only on occasion, hold out for a fiveor six-speed gearbox. If, however, you’re a serious motocrosser who sticks mostly to natural outdoor venues, the $6149 Spanish ’crosser will run with anything around.

Jimmy Lewis