Gas Gas 2008
Published: 14th November 2007
Author: Dan Clark Photos by Sutty
Spanish Armada! With their five-strong feet-up fleet, Gas Gas have got something for everyone for 2008…
Despite having a killer range of bikes, 2007 hasn’t been the most successful year for Gas Gas on the world or British trials scene. The meteoric rise of Toni Bou and a freak workshop accident that left Shaun Morris unable to ride the final round of our domestic series has meant silverware in the Spanish manufacturer’s trophy cabinet has been conspicuous by its absence.
With ’07 being a year to put behind them the engineers at the Torremirona factory have moved on and built an even better batch of trials bikes for 2008. Changes include new shape mudguards, a new racier looking headlamp, FIM-legal fully enclosed front disc cover, smart new graphics, a new radiator, revised frame geometry with all-new engine and footpeg placement, a beefed up gearbox and finally changes to the kickstart mechanism.
While it’s fair to say that Gas Gas haven’t exactly reinvented the wheel with their new TXTs they have refined what’s already a well refined range of bikes to help keep ’em ahead of the competition.
In my opinion Gas Gas have got a great and very complete range of bikes – 125, 200, 250, 280 and 300 – that are all very easy to ride, incredibly light and ridiculously easy to work on if you feel the need. Utilising top quality parts such as AJP brakes, Marzocchi forks, Sachs shocks and so on these bikes are ready to ride straight from the crate with little or no adjustment needed.
With the chassis, brakes and suspension on all the bikes being the same – which isn’t at all uncommon for trials bikes these days – I’ll tell you how that feels first before moving on to the different engine sizes.
Unlike back in the day where we had to ride some real unforgiving, poor turning monsters there’s no such thing as a bad trials bike anymore. The Gas Gas TXTs follow that rule too – they turn well, have great brakes and most importantly of all come complete with a flat sump guard.
The suspension is equally as sweet the skid plate, handling high-speed hits with ease and offering constant tyre to ground grip in slow speed rocky sections too – good all-round performance. Moving on to the different size motors…
There used to be a time when schoolies could hop right on to a 250 and fire through sections with little or no rider skill involved. Now, 12 to 17-year-olds are limited to 125cc bikes. Not only has this helped make the nippers better riders as they can’t rely on a big handful of throttle to see them through but it’s ensured that the manufacturers are knocking out better and better 125cc bikes – it’s a real win-win thing.
The 125 Gasser is one of the best youth bikes on the market – along with the ’07 onwards 125cc Beta Rev-3 which I also really rate. The power is amazing and you can either really labour the motor that never feels like it’s gonna give up and stall or get the motor singing. There’s a plethora of power at high revs and if you get your body and the bike working in unison there’s not a lot that will or indeed can stop you!
The 200 is a bit of funny one. Out of the whole range I’d say it’s quite possibly the bike that’s suited best for clubmen riders but because it says 200 on the swingarm and Raga, Morris or Colley never ride anything smaller than a 250 hardly anyone’s willing to go out and buy one.
With a soft but still very punchy power delivery the 200 is easy to find grip with and you can actually ride it through a section without it wanting to pull your arms out of their sockets or run away with you. I can only recommend you try one for yourself because I’m sure you’ll like it as it’s much more useable than the 250 or 280.
While the 250 might be a little less usable for the masses, it’s actually my favourite bike of the bunch. The carburation is perfect which means it’s possible to get the nice smooth power down to the ground to get up and over any obstacle in your path.
Like all the TXTs the 250 turns well, doesn’t do anything unruly and if I’m honest is a super functional trials weapon that feels light and easy to ride.
For expert riders it’s a toss up between the 250 and the 280 – they’re both great performers with bags of power. In the wrong hands the 280 can do more damage than good as it’s a bit of an animal and is certainly capable of putting a few hairs on your chest.
The 300 on the other hand is the complete opposite. The engine note sounds so grunty when fired up and when you hop on you find that’s exactly what you’re getting – grunt! Bags and bags of low-end power means you can chuck it in a high gear and just putt-putt-putt along putting all that torque to good use. Rev it too hard and you’re wasting your time – this machine’s all about using good throttle control to keep the bike driving forwards.
Specs
TXT 125 PRO
Capacity: 124.8cc
Bore and stroke: 54mm x 54.5mm
Front suspension: 40mm Marzocchi
Rear suspension: Sachs
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Dell'Orto PHBL26BS
Gearbox: Six-speed
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Dry weight: 68kg
TXT 200 PRO
Capacity: 175.3cc
Bore and stroke: 64mm x 54.5mm
Front suspension: 40mm Marzocchi
Rear suspension: Sachs
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Dell'Orto PHBL26BS
Gearbox: Six-speed
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Dry weight: 68kg
TXT 250 PRO
Capacity: 247.7cc
Bore and stroke: 72.5mm x 60mm
Front suspension: 40mm Marzocchi
Rear suspension: Sachs
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Dell'Orto PHBL26BS
Gearbox: Six-speed
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Dry weight: 68kg
TXT 280 PRO
Capacity: 272.2cc
Bore and stroke: 76mm x 60mm
Front suspension: 40mm Marzocchi
Rear suspension: Sachs
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Dell'Orto PHBL26BS
Gearbox: Six-speed
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Dry weight: 68kg
TXT 300 PRO
Capacity: 294.1cc
Bore and stroke: 79mm x 60mm
Front suspension: 40mm Marzocchi
Rear suspension: Sachs
Front brake: 185mm disc
Rear brake: 150mm disc
Carburettor: Dell'Orto PHBL26BS
Gearbox: Six-speed
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Dry weight: 68kg