Jotagas 2014 Mods

[telecat]

Bit of info. There IS a Filter on the fuel tap. No need for an in line on a Kehin. Discovered this after the Nut holding the tap fractured trying to get an in line on. DOH!!

[gasgas249uk]

Bit of info. There IS a Filter on the fuel tap. No need for an in line on a Kehin. Discovered this after the Nut holding the tap fractured trying to get an in line on. DOH!!

Ok. Still running standard. Can't bear to have another spare carb lying around and spending130 on what I've already got

I've just gone down to 38 on the rear to get the speed up on road trials. Talon make trick looking rears.

I've just modded the rear chain tensioner and wheel to stop it rubbing slightly on the rear tyre when your in mud running very low psi. It's surprising how much power it can sap.

Just small changes. Bikes running great. The rider is letting it down though

[gasgas249uk]

This made me happy .

Kev won't mind me saying this. On Saturday we went out practising. He is Kevin Nolan ,a very very good rider. He's expert level and I've never seen anyone hang off a bike like Kev fighting and waiting for grip. A truly ace rider whose mostly know for winning the Normandale last year on the modified swm.

He is a much much better rider than me. He always has been

Any way...... he took out a brand new demo sherco 300 and I was on my Jotagas 300 14 model. . We set up a simple section consisting on going down a slippery step hill and then back up again.

I was first on loose leaves with loam underneath. The Jtg went straight up for a clean. 3rd gear riding on the bottom of the revs.

Kev tried no less than ten times on the sherco and couldn't touch it AT ALL.

He jumped on the Jtg and was straight up for a clean. He repeated it on the sherco and again had a big five. He could get out and had to push the bike out with me pulling. Then I cleaned it again.

The sherco was absolutely crucified in this comparison test.

Tyres were the same along with pressures.

We worked out what was going on. The JTG power delivery is totally flat. The sherco is sift for the first 300 rpm them comes in with a rush and the exhaust barks. Nothing incredible. We're not talking mx bikes here , but the sherco wanted to deliver to much power.

Kev was gutted. Everywhere he rode on it , it was spinning out.

It's no mystery.. it's the power delivery. The Sherco had way more power. Great for enduro or rocks in Spain but not mud in the uk.

Later we tried a different section requiring traction and again the sherco didn't grip on the slippery base. Kev immediately said' let's go' in disgust after cleaning it on the JTG. He picked up straight away and was straight on the phone to Steve S for a new bike.....lol.

Remember ... he hadn't set up my JTG at all.

So from this direct comparison with no advertisers to keep happy... out of the crate the JTG is much much better.

Kev came ready to buy the sherco. he's desperate for a new bike , but after this out went straight back.

On this one day the JTG made me better than Kevin Nice one.

[telecat]

Chris came to the same conclusion about the Sherco. It is soft initially but then the power arrives. The Problem is by the time it does you're doing something else!!

[kramit]

Chris came to the same conclusion about the Sherco. It is soft initially but then the power arrives. The Problem is by the time it does you're doing something else!!

Perhaps James has crossed the line between fiction and non fiction? Could the JTG be that good? Or the interview with Andrews has made him dizzy !

(Thanks James........loved the interview)

[chewy]

Been running a 250 for a year now..riding minimum 16 hours a week, fall off a lot on rocks here in S.France so its a bit scuffed but mechanically only maintainance has been lube and filters..and it runs as sweet as a nut.had rear master cylinder rubber disentigrate last week....In all that time I have come to love my Jotagas and will buy another (2015) as it suits me. Handlebar position (turns and stays in better with bars forward) radically affect steering and my golfers elbow but I am getting on a bit. If I had my workshop facilies here I would have made a top yoke to carry the bars further fwd. and then been able to pull the bars back so as not to stress my arms so much and retain the leverage ratio. Only washed the bike twice in a year as it,s only dust here; after 40 years of 2 hours riding around a closed 10 section 4lap UK trial and then 2 hours cleaning the bike it is clear to me that as the UK climate is (shall we say) unique and some problems with trials bikes are unique to UK. Travel broadens ones perspective so they say, it must be difficult to make a bike to suit all riders in all conditions.

[cabby]

I'm really keen on a jotagas, thinking of holding off til the 2015 models come out, my main decision as it stands is 250 or 300. I don't need a 300 but have a thinking of using it in 3rd most of the time rather than mostly in 1st with my Sherco 250 I have at the moment.

[telecat]

2015 Model will have a different Shock I gather. I have heard a few rumors as to why but it isn't down to Jotagas wanting to change. The Ohlins will be availabe as an option still and We have just had one delivered by SXS for fitting next week. 300 even with the Delorto has plenty of poke. Way more than the 2011 300 Gas Gas with a Kehin so a 250 could be what you are looking for.

[cabby]

I thought they came with Olle shocks as standard ??

[gasgas249uk]

Your right about a possible new shock but it is still in testing with Jordi Pasquet. I have ridden a bike with the new shock for two hours on 4 of 5 occasions . Its spot on but for me I couldnt tell any difference .The current shock can be adjusted so much you can cater for everyone . Perhaps a super duper rider will see a difference , but not me.

The current standard Olle shock is still being fitted to new Jotagas's at the factory when i visited this week so the supply of Olle is good.

Here are a few photos of the factory that i took earlier this week.

Every bike JTG make , they have already sold.You can see the post it notes on the tank with the importers name

Jotagas employ 8 people.

These are the four assemblers.

Paco Roldan is in front of you. He's the funny guy and the workshop boss. He is one of the engine's designer and is constantly refining it - Paco showed me a number of small changes that are being made already to the bike and several that they have planned for next year. He has worked with JTG from the start and worked with GasGas before in R and D. It genuinely surprised me ,how much work the company is putting into developing this bike further.

I thought that the mould and castings were make so it was to expensive to change them ..NO , i was wrong, the boss Josep Pibernat is tech crazy and a proper driven workaholic. He really is a worker. Early till late.Passionate about bikes and tech.

Jotagas buy parts in at 50 at a time , apart from the swinging arms and chassis which come in smaller numbers. Small numbers mean that they can change design with suppliers easily and not be stocked with piles of parts that are expensive and also that they might want to improve , but cant.

Ossa , Merlin factory rider Joan Freixas is at the work bench. He has worked with the boss of Jotagas , Josep Pibernat since 1988 constantly . He assembles and tests everyone of the bikes along with Paco.

The other assemblers are younger guys . One is the well known long haired guy from Ossa. Remember him ?

Jotagas plans

Jotagas are planning to increase production now. They make 3 per day. They want to double this so that they make 1500 per year . They believe they have the best bike on the market and can sell these. Because of the increased costs in holding so much extra stock(800 parts per bike) Jotagas have had new investors. Once they reach the 6 per day , they will start production on an enduro bike. They have 2 prototypes.

Anna Pibernat is Josep's wife . She works in the store making sure stock is kept at the correct level and chasing suppliers.

Paco everyone of the engines himself. They have a huge perfectly flat stone block that they test every clutch plate , pressure plate and basket on to make sure they are exactly flat and there is no tilt. This stops clutch judder .There is a 10 failure rate on new clutch parts and these parts are returned. Paco showed me a complete engine assembly.

The factory is in Girona. Polished concrete floor. Digital door pads with sliding doors.They moved here because Girona is the centre of the trial World and they get most parts from within 60km. The foundary for the chassis and swinging arm is even made locally. Pibernat collected 20 swinging arms from the anodisers whilst i was there.They have lots and lots of parts

Jotagas still have the factory in Alcaniz , but they only weld the chassis and swinging arms there now.They have 2 full time alloy welders. I remember seeing this when i went there in 2012.

They left there because it was in the middle of nowhere and they had to drive 100 miles for a rear wheel bearing or anything . You get my drift. So ...why did Jotagas start in Alcaniz as they knew it was in the middle of nowhere ?

Because in the early days the local government gave them help with funding.

Josep Pibernat , is the boss of Jotagas. He started GasGas with Casas in 86 and left in 06 with his payout . He was the operations man at Gasgas and gave them their best days. He was the main man behind all the tech and improvement at Gasgas. He spends a lot of time refining parts. He brought up certain parts and explained the improvements he had competed. This guy is passionate , waves his hands about and is very serious. He is a charming man , but he is also a driven uncompromising business man and will let nothing get in his way. He owns JTG because he loves tech , loves the industry, and cant sit around watching daytime TV. Let me just mention again. He is driven......proper.....constantly talking about new ideas for the bike , small changes ...improvements....one diagram and a phone call to a supplier and theyre done. He knows all of the suppliers from his GasGas days. He's an impressive guy.

Sylvie Pibernat is Josep's daughter and she works in the office dealing with the usual office stuff.

Olga Pibernat is Josep's (Piber to his friends) other daughter. She and he husband own S3. I met them and their son and daughter. The kids already speak 3 different languages.

So there you have it.

[cabby]

That's a mighty impressive reply.

I have a question as a potential buyer, what is this talk of rear shock though ? Why change it ?

[cactusjack]

Very impressive, and very lucky to have the opportunity to be able to get the tour of the factory like that. Thanks for posting!

[gasgas249uk]

Piber states that its better. Its as simple as that . I didnt notice any difference and ive had 2 JTG. The 14 rear set with the Olle shock up is much better than the 13 set up with the same shock. Its stiffer. On the 13 if you weighed more than 12.5 stone you needed to wind up the shock spring fully to make it feel alive and easy to hop over. On the 14 , you dont have to wind the shock up. The position of the swing arm shock mount has been changed to make this difference.

Putting it simply , they're both too similar to split .

[telecat]

Very Interesting. I can think of one of two mods that for the UK would be useful. However we have continued "improving" the bike.

[telecat]

As stated in the Oops! thread another update added was the Costa Special Parts Bash Plate. The old one doesn't work so well with Chris riding!! Pictures on the Oops Thread. The rear Screws have been replaced by longer threaded screws with a Ny-Lok nut to hold the bash plate more securely. We also have a problem with oil coming up the breather. OSSA have a mod as they have similar problems and we are trying that out. It is just a Bigger diameter tube of about 10cm length slipped over the end of the existing tube. The problem is down to any oil getting into the breather drawing more up the tube. Capillary action is the technical term. Think of the Thorny Devil Lizard.