Ossa Pros And Cons

[toetoe]

i have wanted a new sherco for quite a while now but recently the ossa as caught my eye, i am hoping to buy a new bike in around a months time, it looks very easy to clean and i quite like the idea of the easy start, i can't afford a new one but i have seen 2012-13 in my price range so i was hoping for some honest answers on the good and the bad points, things like are spares easy to get hold of and are the spares a reasonable price, are they easy to maintain, is there well known problems that you know of.

[canada280i]

I will dived in here as I have had two ossa's myself, the first a 2011 model that certainly had some starting issues that were eventually addressed between the updated maps and the easy start system. I also heard that some early bikes had gearbox issues but I never had any problem mechanically or otherwise with my 2011. I like the bike so much that I traded up to a 2013 Factory R last year. I am in Canada and am fortunate enough to have the importer less than an hour away so spares are generally not an issue for me. Trials tribulations in Church Stretton I believe are relatively close to you and are fantastic to deal with, I am in Canada and they have shipped parts to me very quickly. They also seem to have a very extensive stock of parts as can be witnessed on their website. LIke most modern bikes the spare parts can be quite expensive depending on what you break, I don't thnk the plastics are outrageous, in fact I think the most overpriced part I have seen is the gear change lever, although the one for a gas gas pro is a direct fit at half the price so there are options. IN my opinion the good outweigh the bad, I would buy another.

JSP on here has also had two ossa's so would be another candidate to give you an opinion.

I will sit back now and wait for the naysayers......cue: dabster and Eddie Lejeune

Edited June 3, 2014 by canada280i

[toetoe]

thanks i will have a look at Trials tribulations, i have had a look through the ossa forum and there doesn't look to be a lot of people complaining about certain problems, just run of the mill, the same as most of the others, they certainly catch my eye when i see one at a trials or practice, very well thought out.

[437]

I bought a used 2013 280 six months ago and whilst i had some minor teething problems when first got it, its been a good bike. It had the 9v easy start fitted which worked OK but having read the threads I upgraded this to o a 12v Li-ion battery and starting was better still. There is a definite starting technique that once mastered gives first time start (needs a quick sharp prod). The previous owner had also tweaked up the tickoverup a bit on the TPS set screw (which means the EFI cant baseline - so don't be tempted) but a TPS reset along with 2014 mapping downloaded by Cambs Trial Sport quickly fixed that niggle with the added benefit of dual mapping. They are also sensitive to clutch pack tolerance but thicker steel plates are now available and mine has done 6 months of regular use with no issues.

The best bits of the bike in my opinion - excellent suspension, really stable, super smooth linear power, grips well, easy to work on and best bit of all - the architecture means that the rad never gets blocked, there is no carb to clean and after 6 months of riding most weekends the air filter is still spotless.

My one gripe - Ossa clearly don't understand what primer is and as a result the frame/swingarm paint readily falls off which is a real shame as the rest of the build quality is excellent in my opinion. Fortunately frame and swingarm guards are available to keep them looking good.

Ive literally just upgraded to a 2014 300i and one trial in and I love it!!!!

Hope helpful and go for it.

[nigel dabster]

If you buy one in a month be sure to get a very good price as the new ones are just around the corner.

Birkett had some new 2013's for sale so you could get one of those very cheap i'm sure.

second hand values need to be taken into account if you are ever going to sell it.

[jsp]

I'm on my second ossa, first one was a brand new 2012 bike which was excellent

had to fit the 9v easistart system as I dont seem to have the knack of starting ossa's.

I now have a 2013 factory replica and its awesome, this bike will climb anything, I

sometimes feel it running away from me but not very often. Trials and tribulations

have enough spares to nearly build a new bike, and most items are next day delivery.

I check the air filter every week but it only needs cleaing ever 2 or 3 months, no

carb to clean or fiddle with !!!!

[jimw]

Great engineering & grip and carburation is always spot on plus unbelievable warranty (2yrs on most parts) - has transformed jsp's riding - just waiting for him to land on his a*** (is a*** really not allowed! Is **** allowed? nope definitely not - not even a first letter) and let the rest of us catch up! Having said that I've got a new bike so mine will be up for sale in a week or so (280 2013 with 2012 head and 2014 gearbox) - PM me if you want any more details. Cheers Jim

Edited June 9, 2014 by jimw

[dadof2]

#7 " carburation is always spot on" I know what you mean even though they don't have a carb. I would however question if the fuel air ratio is always spot on.

I watched some of the Richmond BTC at the section just above AGs house. On the BTC course a sharp blast up a steep soil mud bank and over a root needed a good burst of acceleration and revs. Both Billy Bolts Ossa and another ceased to accelerate properly on the final approach to the root. The engines made a dull blurty note a bit like a mix of 4 stroking and detonation. BBs bike clearly lacked speed at this stage.