projected

Thanks Tim.

Good to hear on the 300. I rode on Saturday and Sunday and had a great time, the power is very controllable on what I've done so far. My BMX/freestyle moves are not transferring over quite as easily as I hoped they would.... a rigid bicycle at 30 lbs is quite a bit different than soft suspension and 150 lbs. I had a lesson on Sunday and went over a ton of basics, I'm really Glad I did the lesson. I know now that I need to dedicate hours of riding on flat ground just to get the basics down. Thanks for the post.

Thanks for the info Biff. I've got friends coming out tomorrow to snowboard for a week but it's been in the 60's down where I live near Denver. I ordered a 2009 300 (dumb move but I'm only going to live once so.....) and it's supposed to be ready to pick up by Wednesday of this week. If the weather holds I'm getting a lesson from a multi-time CO state champion on Sunday, I'm trying avoid developing as many bad habits as I can. My first competition is on April 19th and I can't wait. Thanks again everyone for the advice, I'm sure I'll have more questions once I start riding and working on my new GG. Did I already say I can't wait?

When you say the motor won't turn over are you saying that it's locked up or it won't fire? As an easy first step I would pull the pipe off and look into the exhaust port with a flashlight to see if the piston/rings have any scoring.

Thank you very much for the equally "long winded" post Tim I appreciate everyone's feedback, and husky I agree 100% on tranny fluid. It is literally a 5 minute job on a 2T and if running ATF it costs nothing. As far as air filters I always have 2 or 3 for bikes and keep a fresh one in at all times. I was thinking that there might be something GG specific maintenance wise but there doesn't appear to be. I took a half day from work today and met up with a guy who sells GG about an hour and a half away. He met me at a local riding area (about 5500 ft elevation) and he brought a 04 300 pro and a 05 Montesa. I really liked both bikes and didn't find the 300 difficult to ride at all. I was surprised at how nice the Montesa was, I actually really enjoyed the power delivery. Granted we were just messing around in some washes with vertical lips on top to jump out. But he also showed me some basics on how to do bars to the lock circles. SO MUCH FUN!!! Especially when someone tells you the proper technique. I was also psyched when he told me he thought I would win in the novices class, I only know one way to find out Now I'm torn between the 04 300 and a new 09. I am so confident that I'm going to be addicted to this sport that buying the new bike does not scare me. I'm just not sure that paying exactly twice as much for the 09 is worth it for someone such as myself. The 04 does not have much use on it and seemed to run just fine (as far as my unknowing trials riding ass could tell). Anyway thanks again for the responses and I look forward to any others, especially on the displacement and altitude. Did I mention how awesome trials is? I'm sure I don't have to tell you guys though.

I've been searching and reading about Gas Gas for days now and I have a few questions. Some basic info about me: - I race Enduros at the A level and have ridden dirt bikes most of my life. My favorite trails are the most technical singletrack I can find. - I grew up racing BMX bicycles all over the US in the expert class, as well as doing bicycle freestyle. Many of the tricks that trials riders do are similar motions to what we used to do on freestyle bikes - I love competing and hope to ride as many trials events as I can. - I have never even ridden a trials bike - I live in Colorado and will be riding from 4000 ft (Moab Utah) up to 11000 ft, but mostly 8-10K ft Questions: - Over and over I read that GG's are reliable if they are P.D.I.'d properly and if you do the proper maintenance. No one really specifies the "proper" maintenance. Is the proper maintenance any more than correct jetting, frequent transmission oil changes, and clean air filters? If I am missing something please let me know. - Originally I was drawn to Gas Gas 250 Pro because I'm a beginner and it seemed like the perfect size. I'm getting mixed opinions on engine size and the altitude that I will ride at. A guy that goes to all the events in CO is recommending the 300 over both the 280 and 300 for High altitude riding. He is saying that once I advance the 250 won't have enough power (at higher altitudes). They also claim the 300 is very easy to ride due to its torquey nature, the 280 is very snappy and more difficult to ride, and the 250 is perfect for sea level or lower altitudes. I know I should ride the bikes and I hope to get the opportunity soon. Would I really outgrow a 250 at altitude once I become more advanced? - What are the year to year changes on the GG pro's between '04 and '09? I haven't been able to find a list of changes from year to year. Sorry for the long post, I appreciate any feedback.