Gas Gas Ec400 Fse
Gas Gas EC400 FSE
The next big Thump in EFI futures
CYCLE WORLD TEST
JIMMY LEWIS
FOUR-STROKE DIRTBIKES ARE NOW THE MAKE-OR-BREAK INGREDIENT IN many a small European manufacturer's lineup. If you don't have one, you aren't looking to the future. Sure, they may never totally replace the two-stroke, but right now Thumpers are capturing hearts and market share at an alarming rate.
Technology has taken four-strokes out of the history books-smaller, lighter and more powerful than the dinosaur Thumpers of old, and with electronic wizardry like digital fuel-injection and programmable ECUs. Cannondale was the first, and now Gas Gas joins the party. The low-volume Spanish manufacturer was set on equipping its brand-new four-stroke with fuel-injection, and it has succeeded brilliantly. Gas Gas's 3 99cc dohc Single has a lot of visual similarities to the Suzuki DR-Z400 engine, and some internal matches such as a common bore and stroke of 90.0 x 62.6mm. Both have ever-important electric starting, though the GG one-ups the `Zook with hydraulic clutch activation.
Chassis-wise, the 400 is similar to Gas Gas's two-strokes, based around a chromoly perimeter-style frame. Suspension on our $7295 testbike was Ohlins at both ends, an upgrade available over the standard $6795 WP fork-equipped model. New plastic gives the bike a sharp look with an interesting clear gas tank housing the fuel pump inside. Compared to a carbureted bike, there's very little in the way of fuel hoses cluttering up
the engine bay; in fact, the EFI is largely invisible. A truly quiet muffler (yeah!) keeps noise to an acceptable level, and a frill complement of lighting is standard on the bike—it’s streetlegal in Spain, though it would need tumsignals to sneak past some DM Vs over here.
Starting is very simple; just push the button.
Upon firing, the bike is ready to go in terms of throttle crispness and response, unlike the Cannondale, which takes a few seconds to get sorted. It is also a very quiet motor, sounding like an aggressive DR-Z. The MagnetiMarelli EFI system has a single injector with the ignition system integrated into its brain.
And Gas Gas got the settings right! This bike works just like a perfectly carbureted bike-you’d hardly know that there wasn’t a sharply jetted carb down there.
In terms of power, the 400 feels very “middle of the road.” Throttle response isn’t as strong as the Cannondale’s, nor is the build-up of power right off the bottom. It’s more comparable to a KTM, in that it gets traction and keeps it throughout the very linear pull of the motor. It revs out nicely, but feels as if there’s a bit of sign-off on top. But there’s deception afoot: In head-to-head runs against a Cannondale, both bikes were dead-even under all conditions. The Gas Gas’s power character was intended for European enduro racing, where off-camber and low-traction situations abound. More than likely a different, more aggressive program will be developed for the American market in the future. And if our experience with the Cannondale is any hint, it will be as simple as downloading an ignition map
from the Internet. Hey, plug and play!
Surprisingly, the EC400 isn’t all that light. At 270 pounds without gas, its on par with its competition and feels just about as heavy as the scale says. In slow going, the weight isn’t that bad; as you get aggressive the Gas Gas can feel a bit top-heavy. But the suspension was designed to work around this, and the bike stays planted. The Öhlins components suck up bumps without being too springy and without bottoming. Overall, the setup is soft, not intended for motocross at all, but a great compromise for trail riding. Though ground clearance is miles above any four-stroke’s from just a few years ago, the Gas Gas is a tad lower than some of the other current racing Thumpers.
Handling fits right into the program, doing everything average, nothing spectacularly. Turning isn’t razor-sharp and stability is about on par, but this is a confidence-inspiring ride, helped out by its ability to find traction even in the snottiest conditions. The cockpit layout is roomy and pretty narrow. Moving around isn’t a problem at all, but sitting is. The seat foam is too soft, allowing you to feel the frame rails.
We know the 400’s core package is durable. After riding the bike for a while and doing photography, we turned it in for an all-day thrashing by other moto-mag editors, then it was subjected to a few dealer demos, followed by the Gas Gas rep racing it at a national enduro and an ISDE qualifier. Then we got the bike back and took it out for a real beating on our usual enduro loops. Other than a high-pressure fuel line problem, the bike was trouble-free. The line is pinched >
between the gas tank and headstay, and should be remedied before you read this. Constantly chaffed, ours exploded, and we found out just how scarce high-pressure fuel line is out on the trail-nothing a length of radiator overflow hose wrapped with electrical tape couldn’t handle, though.
The hydraulic clutch is excellent and has a very light feel. The six-speed gearbox shifts fine, but the ratios are very close. First isn’t low enough and six isn’t tall enough, with a spread seemingly identical to the five-speed Cannondale or Yamaha WR. Brakes on both ends do a fine job without any hiccups.
A big plus on the Gas Gas is the addition of a radiator cooling fan for those times when temps rise and air isn’t flowing through the radiator. Ours came on a few times in first gear crawling trails and we never lost any coolant. But we also found out during a night ride on tight trails that the headlight, fan and repeated starting will discharge the battery. The auxiliary kickstarter is only there to help on cold mornings and will not self-start the bike with a dead battery. A bit more juice out of the ignition would rectify the problem; we hit some fireroads and the battery quickly charges up with some rpm. Also, there isn’t an idle adjustment except for throttle-cable tension, which isn’t very consistent. An adjuster on the throttle body would be an improvement.
Finish of the new Gas Gas is very glossy. And it held onto its shine and stayed looking good a lot longer than we thought it would. The nickelplated frame helps here. The motor seeped a small amount of oil here and there, but it wasn’t anything to be alarmed over, something that we’ve seen plenty of times before on nonJapanese motors. Also, the Euro-spec muffler should be
GAS GAS EC400 FSE
$7295
Gas Gas Motors of America
upgraded to a spark arrestor-equipped unit for the U.S.
Placing the Gas Gas in the moto-marketplace is very easy. It is as good, if not better, a trailbike than the Suzuki DRZ400 while possessing the ability to go out and be a competitive enduro racer, as is, right out of the box. Gas Gas has solidified our view that fuel-injection is in dirtbiking’s future as the storm clouds of impending emissions regulations gather, with the added benefit of amazing tuning potential. The 400 is like most Gas Gas motorcycles we’ve ridden: No fireworks, but it does everything so well that you end up riding a whole lot better. As Gas Gas starts pushing bikes here in the U.S., watch them grow. □
