200 RR for an old, slow "racer" ?

General Announcements, General Questions, e.g. What bike do I buy?, etc.

200 RR for an old, slow "racer" ?

Postby Anders » Fri Oct 28, 2022 12:41 am

hello,

I did a quick introduction of myself in the Welcome thread.
I have been riding GG EC200 for years, my latest is a 2015 model.

Is there anybody here with experience from that era of Gasgas bikes that can say something about the differences between my EC200 and a new(ish) Beta rr 200?
I am very pleased with the GG, but its getting old. I can of course keep it going for a while, but sooner or later it will be too old.
In addition, I have injuried my right knee and my GG is kickstart only. So far (5 months after my injury) I am still unable to start it using my right leg. I could of course buy all the Rieju parts and build a electric start for it, but... You get the idea. Perhaps a new bike is a better idea?

I have always user Rekluse auto clutch on my GGs. I understand that Rekluse don't offer them for the 200rr. The only altarnative I have found is EFM. EFM claim they can deliver for the 200rr, by reworking OEM parts that I have to send them. Is there anybody here with experience of EFM clutches?

And last but not least, the suspension. On the GG, I have a very fancy Reiger B46 shock, the best I ever had on a dirtbike. And Marzocchi PFP 48 forks. I even have a set of second hand Ohlins cartridges on the shelf, I have never come around to installing them. I think the suspension would be the main reason for keeping the GG, as I forsee a lot of revalving / testing iterations to get any new bike as good as the one I have in that department. Even a 2023 200rr with KYB in both ends would have to go through that process. I can do my own forks, but the shock would have to be outsourced.

I'm not in the habit of buying new bikes, all my bikes thus far have been secondhand. I have understood that the 2019 Betas are the last ones on one era, the 2020 models are somewhat different chassis-wise. As the first year of 200rr was 19 (afaik), I presume buying a 19 model is not the best choice?
Are there significant changes between '20, '21, '22 models? I know that the '23 RE comes with Kyb rear shock. Are there other significant changes from 22 to 23?

Any thoughts?
Anders

2015 GG EC200 Racing
2006 GG EC200
1998 Bimota Supermono
1986 Duc Mille S2
1975 Guzzi sidecar hack
1961 Morini Corsaro 125
etc
Anders
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2022 9:01 am
Location: Kongsberg, Norway

Re: 200 RR for an old, slow "racer" ?

Postby pscook » Sat Oct 29, 2022 6:48 pm

First thing, welcome!

Second thing, new bikes always! Doesn't need to be "new," but new-ish, I guess. I can't speak to the difference from the EC200 as I had a couple of GG300's (XC300 2001 and then an EC300 2011), then went four stroke. But, I rode a Husky WB165 with a Rekluse and another with an EFM, and while I can't tell the difference, the EFM owner said that it was much better for the small displacement engines, for whatever reason. And regarding quality, it's still ticking after many years in that 165.

Last, I can't speak to any differences from year to year with the Beta, but I would assume that they are very similar to the larger siblings, as I would think that Beta wouldn't want to mix too many different configurations across the models.
pscook
 
Posts: 47
Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2020 5:37 am

Re: 200 RR for an old, slow "racer" ?

Postby Placelast » Tue Nov 15, 2022 2:49 pm

My GG experience is limited to briefly riding friends' Gassers. None were 200s - only 250s; one with Ohlins and the other with completely stock suspension. They seemed to work well; the one with Ohlins superior.

I've had three EFMs, on a 1997 RMX250, 2017 Sherco 300 4T, and 2004 Husky CR125. He is a one-man shop and does superb work. Last time we talked he was on a Xtrainer. His design is best for keeping the maximum number of drive and driven plates in the clutch assembly - closest to factory specs.

I have a 2019 200RR, and bought it specifically as the later years had turning-radius limitations and a seemingly (too) tall overall seat height. Being 5'9" with a 32" inseam, they put me beyond my comfort limit. Certainly the newer years have been fine tuned in small ways though not significant by my seat-of-the-pants rides - yes: I've demoed them. Only you can determine if the newer are worth the extra $.

2019 was the first year for the 200 though it is based upon the 125 which was a second-year model in 2019.

I have resprung mine, and to be fair it should be revalved before I can say the Sachs are good or not. My tuner insisted I ride it before he services and move shims even though it is obvious to me the valving doesn't match the lighter springs for my 150lbs.

FWIW, I will be 69YO first of the year and still ride reasonably well though have demoted myself to do sweep.
Placelast
 
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2020 8:23 pm


Return to General Discussions & Announcements

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 66 guests