A popular brand even although it has suffered financial hardship, Gas Gas are set for a return. The new Gas Gas TXT 300 Racing, the model most awaited by the fans of Trial and two-stroke engines. The new models of the Gas Gas TXT 300 Racing will begin production in March in the renovated facilities in Salt under strict quality standards of both manufacturing and of components, as the Girona factory emerges with this strong commitment in the manufacturing of all products.
2016 Gas Gas Racing 300 – Photo: Gas Gas Motos
Highlighted by a sincere commitment to quality and for constant improvement of its TXT 300 Racing model, next week, we will reveal this new flagship of our brand in the sport of Trial, at which point full details will be available with specifications of this new model in which Gas Gas has devoted a special dedication of attention to every detail.
Also Marc Colomer has joined the Development Team at Gas Gas Motos.
Gas Gas relaunch in Gerona 2016 – Photo: John Hulme/Trial Magazine UK
Early morning shot of Trials Guru’s John Moffat interviewing Richmondshire District Council’s leader, John Blackie, an enthusiastic supporter of the Scott at the start line. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK
Well what can I say? The Richmond Motor Club (Yorkshire) Ltd have excelled themselves once again by promoting what has got to be the best and most popular trials event in the UK calendar, the Scott Trial.
Finish line chat with Alexz Wigg who was second overall, a fine result. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK
Trials Guru was there in the form of John Moffat who acted as start and finish field commentator, keeping the spectators and supporters informed, rider comments both at the start and finish and of course acted as auctioneer for the Scott Charity Auction on the Saturday night at the Richmondshire Cricket Club pavilion in the town. Over two thousand pounds was raised on the evening alone.
Moffat on the microphone, auctions off Adam Raga’s one piece trials suit – Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK
Ian Austermuhle was a popular winner and at the presentation he spoke highly of the club and John Lampkin of Beta UK for all the support he has had from the Silsden based importer.
Moffat had a pre-trial dinner on the Friday night, in the company of Trial Magazine’s John Hulme, Gas Gas UK importer, John Shirt and Scott winner (2012), Michael Brown at a local restaurant and it was a very informative evening indeed. It is quite different to have access to people at the centre of the sport in an informal manner and much was learned about the intricate workings of the sport from the in-depth conversations that took place that evening.
Top men! Alexz Wigg, (Gas Gas) on the left, was runner up to Scott Trial winner 2015, Ian Austermuhle (Beta). Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK.
The trial itself was run in near to perfect conditions the course being covered very quickly by the top riders and it came as no surprise that local rider, Jonathan Richardson was first home to set standard time, the bench-mark from which all other riders lost marks accordingly.
Seventh place man, Sam Haslam (Gas Gas) shares a joke with Runner-up, Alexz Wigg (Gas Gas) before they head off for a well-deserved pint after finishing the Scott. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK.
The Scott committee ensure that strictly no-one is aware who sets standard time and who has lost what, on observation until the results are read out in reverse order at the presentation.
It was Austermuhle that looked confident at the finish. Richardson doubted that he had saved sufficient marks for a repeat of his 2011 victory.
Local rider, Jonathan Richardson (Beta) from Skeeby set fastest time, but had to settle for a fourth place overall. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK.
Doug Lampkin, always the 100% professional blamed himself for the mistakes made when interviewed by Moffat at the finish line.
Doug Lampkin (Vertigo) seen here at Whaw Bridge, came home in a fine third place, the lowest scorer on observation. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK
John Sunter was well up on time, but knew he wasn’t fastest man as he was in the previous year.
James Dabill rode straight through the finish enclosure, spoke to no-one and promptly put the factory Vertigo straight in the van, walking briskly back to the Secretary, Diane Horner’s office, to hand back his riding bib without a word. It was a disappointing day at the office for Dabill finishing a lack-luster thirteen place overall. James would not be happy at that.
But it was a smiling Austermuhle that hoisted the Alfred A. Scott memorial trophy aloft on the Saturday night to much applause and cheering by the knowledgeable crowd who filled the Cricket Club in Richmond, victory after nineteen years of trying was finally his.
A happy winner, Ian Austermuhle gives Trials Guru the low down on his Scott Trial day. Photo credit: John Hulme, Trial Magazine UK
All we can say is, roll on Scott Trial 2016.
Scott Trial 2015 Top Ten results –
Winner: Ian Austermuhle – Time: 3 Observation: 39 Total: 42
Trials Guru is always looking for something new or old, unseen or forgotten….
‘Kimages’ photographs are copyright: Kimages/Kim Ferguson, Fort William.
We have just added two new ‘selections’ on the front page which link into photo collections of ‘Kimages – Trials Photos‘ and ‘Heather Mead – SSDT Photos‘.
Both are female photographers who have built up a sizeable archive of trials photographs over the last couple of years, particularly at the Scottish Six Days as these are Scottish based photographers.
Kim has lived in the Fort William area most of her life and has a love for motorcycle sport and trials in particular having grown up with the SSDT passing her door-step. Her brother rode in trials too, so there are family connections.
Heather became involved taking photos at the Parc Ferme in Fort William, a place that is usually inaccessible to spectators, so we can see SSDT competitors preparing for their daily battle with the terrain and elements.
SSDT 2013 An official goes over the route card with rider 20, Ian Thompson – Photo Copyright: Heather Mead Photography, Dingwall.
Heather Mead and Kimages (Kim Ferguson) have recently given Trials Guru permission to display their handy-work. Please remember photographs are copywritten and are the property of the photographer, so please be respectful of that. There is no implied permission to post these images anywhere else unless by express permission of the copy-holder. This also applies to our other photographers, Jimmy Young, Armadale; Jeremy Whittet; Neil Sturgeon; John Hulme; Iain Lawrie, Kinlochleven or any other images on this website.
Trials Guru have used some individual photos, which are the property of Mortons Media, Hornchurch this was done with their prior and express permission, for legal reasons, these are not for onward publication.
‘Gas Gas Motos Ltd (UK)’ headed by John Shirt Jnr are the official UK importers and spares distributors for Gas Gas Motorcycles in the UK. Please note: The financial situation in Spain does not affect the UK company who are very much ‘open for business as usual’. Photo courtesy of Trial Magazine.
From Gas Gas Motos, S.A. Girona -Official press release.
Dear customers, partners and friends,
We are contacting you with this update regarding the current situation with the company.
As you all know, in recent months the company has gone through several legal proceedings in order to renegotiate the debt and to continue operations. Unfortunately, despite the valiant efforts made to achieve this goal, it has been impossible to reach and finally they have declared to proceed with the liquidation of Gas Gas Motos SA.
In this process, the current management team, the receivers and the council representatives of all employees are working full-throttle to collect all of the necessary information to begin the process of selling the factory and to close the subsequent sale process with potential buyers in the fastest way possible.
The target set by the sale of the production unit is to be able to reactivate the Gas Gas Motos factory in a way that allows us to produce our motorcycles, both enduro and trial, and ensure a solid and sustainable long term viability of the company.
During this stage of the sale process of the production unit, we at Gas Gas will make our utmost efforts to ensure the level of service in the areas of spare parts as well as in the after-sales department in order to avoid penalizing our customers during this period.
From Gas Gas, we convey our sincere thanks for your support during these months and wish to convey our total conviction on the feasibility of satisfactory results during the production unit sale process.
Best regards,
GAS GAS MOTOS SA.
Please note: The situation concerning Gas Gas Motos SA in Spain does not affect the UK company ‘Gas Gas Motos Ltd (UK)’. Gas Gas Motos Ltd (UK) are still operating and serving customers as normal at this time.
ALL GAS GAS RIDERS MUST REGISTER WITH GGUK BEFORE THE EVENT. Please phone Andy Hipwell on 01298 766814 or email him .. andy@gasgasuk.com
Andy will need all your details…..name, address, riding number and credit card details.
1. Check spokes in both front & rear wheels for tightness as they may have worked loose since first being checked.
If you have the normal type rear wheel (pre 2011) with the sealing band make sure the sealing band is sealed properly BEFORE the event. Please don’t come to our mechanics on ‘way-in’ day with a leaking rim-tape. GET IT SORTED beforehand.
The latest type rear wheels fitted to 2010 RAGA, and all 2011-2015 bikes have the new band-less rear wheel which prevents the tyre leaking air. You must make sure that the spokes are also in good condition on these wheels.
2. Fit new MICHELIN tyres on the front and back. The heat generated on the road destroys tyres and only Michelins stand the abuse. It’s probably better to use the ‘normal’ X11 rear tyres because the new X-light is very thin on the carcass (crown) so there’s more risk of a puncture.
You can get the whole week out of one rear tyre but we recommend using two.
We also recommend using a thicker Enduro inner tube in the front.
We also recommend fitting new wheel bearings…..particularly the front.
3. Repack your silencer with some good quality packing wool. (We recommend SILENTSPORT). It’s a messy job but is well worth doing.
Even if your bike is relatively new we still recommend repacking it before the SSDT. Make sure you re-fit the plastic end can with silicone sealer. And use loctite on the 5mm screws.
Try and not sit on the rear mudguard / silencer because this can make the plastic end can come away from the silencer. You can strengthen this by adding rivets…see pic.
Also a GOOD idea is to add a rivet to the very end of the silencer to help strengthen the fixing of the small stainless outlet.
Fit both front pipe & silencer with new o-rings and silicone sealer.
Also check that the middle-box brackets have no cracks….re-weld / repair if necessary.
1. Check suspension linkage for excessive play & damaged seals, replace as necessary.
Check your ‘bump-stop’ rubber is intact.
2. Clean air filter box & make sure it is completely water tight, clean filter & refit after applying some (decent) filter oil.
On the Pros, it’s a good idea to split the two halves of the air box and seat and re-apply some decent silicone sealant before re-fixing the screws. We use WURTH RTV silicone.
3. Also a good idea (but not a must) is to drill a small 4mm drain hole in the bottom of the plastic flywheel cover & put PVC tape around where wires go into casing. Things can be very wet in Scotland and this will help drain any water that may enter your ignition/stator.Whilst the case is off check the flywheel nut.
4. Make sure all wiring connections are free from dirt & fitted together properly with silicone grease. If your thermostat switch is working fine then leave it alone. Its a good idea to make yourself a small link wire to bypass the switch and wire the fan direct if the switch fails. Only do this in an emergency because having the fan running all the time eventually destroys the small bearings in the fan motor.
5. It’s a good idea also to renew your head o-rings, especially on the two piece S3 cylinder heads. Its also a good idea to carry some head orings in case you cook your bike. If u empty the rad the next thing that fries are the head orings so because they weigh and cost very little, it’s a good idea to carry some.
6. Fit new front & rear brake pads.
Tighten ALL the brake banjo bolts especially the rear brake one because they tend to work loose sometimes. Also check the clutch banjo bolt on top of the cover.
9. Fit new chain & sprockets and the chain is correctly adjusted & it’s not too low-geared. The standard Pro gearing of 11×41/42 is ok but you may want to gear the bike up a little to help on the road sections. (check those sprocket bolts!)
DO NOT FIT A 12T front sprox on a GG PRO!
Remember —- one tooth on the front is the equivalent to four on the back.
When changing the front sprocket make sure the cir-clip is fitted properly.
10. The standard IRIS chains are no good for Scotland. Spend your money on a good quality heavy duty chain like Regina or Renthal for example. (there’s a lot of road work in Scotland). DO NOT USE AN O-RING CHAIN! Also renew the chain tensioner pad.
11. Check the coolant is topped up, condition of the hoses & clips are O.K.
12. Remove carburettor & the float bowl, blow all jets out with airline & refit. Usually, the standard jetting is fine for Scotland. A good idea is to change the ‘float jet’ from the std. 200 to say a 300 to allow more fuel when you’re abusing the bike on the road. Sometimes the bigger float jet can affect the performance in the sections running rich and sometimes a smaller pilot jet (33) is needed. Also keep your filter clean and try and stay away from deep water because you’re engine wont like it.
13. If you use a Keihin Carb (standard on Racing models) we recommend using the richer slide #3 to make the jetting richer mid range and safter on the road. The #3.5 makes the bike nice and clean in the sections but makes it very weak on the road.
14. If you want piece of mine regarding fuel tanks then we do the large capacity ones which all the Team use. http://www.trialendurodirect.com/products/BIG_TANKS_FOR_PROS_53.html This is not just so we can make money either! Its peace of mind for you. You may get stuck on the moors, get lost or your bike might fall over whilst viewing a section. If you use a Keihin carb then these use even more petrol on the road.
If you have a 2013 PRO RACING/REPLICA FACTORY/STD or RACING 2014 model then you must ask for the tank that fits that model because the coil is mounted in a different place and so needs a modified tank.
If you can’t afford a tank then Id advise carrying at least half a litre in your rucksack….which is not actually allowed….oops.
The petrol stops are perfectly situated nowadays thanks to the army and many GG riders manage on the standard tanks.
15. YOU MUST USE THE CHOKE ON THE ROAD. Keep easing off to the ‘rich’ spot is the best technique. Tip; vary your speed and throttle when you are on the road. Holding the throttle in a constant place on any 2 stroke is fatal. The engine will run very weak, detonate and easily seize up.
Always ride a long with a finger hovering the clutch lever. If you feel the engine tighten or if the piston ‘nips’, pull that clutch lever fast ! If you seize the piston, don’t panic. Let the engine cool down a little and try and push the kickstart down. If the kickstart is absolutely solid, you are in trouble ! The cylinder needs to be removed and renewed with a new piston. If the kickstart will push down, you’ve been lucky. Start the bike and carry on, steadily for a while. The engine will rattle but usually quietens down after a few miles.
16. Fit new handlebar grips with glue and also wire them on.
There are many grips on the market and we love both the Renthal and S3 Brands.
I would use either Renthal mediums or the new S3 ‘6 Days’ grips
From 2011 model onwards we fit a larger rubber ring around the rear shock absorber to help stop water entering the airbox, we have these in stock at GGUK.
DON’T forget a front mudguard flap and wider the mudguard with Duct-tape !
19. If you normally use a cylinder head spacer kit, then we recommend you remove it for the Scottish. Sometimes these can leak when the cylinder reaches high temperatures for along time (road/moors)
If you are used to riding with a head spacer and want that nice soft power for the Scottish we HIGHLY recommend the new S3 ‘low compression’ head inserts.
YOU MUST PREPARE YOUR BIKE FULLY BEFORE YOU GO UP TO THE TRIAL
EACH YEAR WE EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS FROM RIDERS WHO DO NOT BOTHER TO DO THE JOBS LISTED ABOVE.
SOME THINGS MAY SEEM UN-IMPORTANT BUT THEY ARE ALL THERE FOR A REASON.
The SSDT committee are quite strict in the paddock regards to anyone else working on your bike so make sure you are able to carry out the work yourself.
Our SSDT service that you register to enables you to use our facilities, buy spare parts and get advice. It does not get you your own personal mechanic for the week.
GGUK services / shop in the paddock open at 9am on Sunday May 3rd.
Our staff will not be there and no parts/service is available on Saturday May 2nd.
The GGUK squad March 2015 – here to look after you!
Many thanks to John Shirt Jnr and his team at GasGasUK for providing Trials Guru with this information.
The Premier Trial Website – Recording the History of the Sport 'Established 2014'
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