2019 Starts Here Gas Gas – TRS Scorpa - Beta
It’s a very bold, strong, vibrant colour scheme that gives the potential owner the ‘Red Alert’ on the all-important showroom floor for the 2019 Gas Gas TXT Racing range. Component-wise it sells itself; such is the high-end specification of aftermarket products fitted as standard equipment. It’s available in a wide range of engine capacities from 125cc, 250cc, 280cc to the 300cc. 2018 has been a very good year for the Spanish brand, taking wins in the TrialGP class in Japan with Jeroni Fajardo and Jaime Busto on the TXT 300cc as the only riders to defeat the world champion, Toni Bou. In the Trial2 class, which is limited to a 250cc two-stroke or 300cc four-stroke, Great Britain’s Dan Peace was the only rider to break the grip of the Montesa/Honda machines. Six feet tall and finely tuned, he showed just how good the performance of the 250cc Gas Gas is with a win in the intense heat of Portugal. It’s the new 2019 model which we have carried out the ‘Quick Spin’ on. Still, a regular rider in all major events having spent a few years on the world championship scene, Dec Bullock now competes on a 300cc Gas Gas. With less power on hand than the 300cc, we wanted to see how the 2019 250cc model would cope with a good selection of hazards.
Gas Gas TXT Racing 2019 – what’s new
With two new riders in the Trial World Championship in 2018, further innovation and development complement the 2019 machine range with refinement in key areas. Both Jeroni Fajardo and Jaime Busto have influenced the 2019 model range, along with vital input from the various global importers. Improvements in both performance and maintenance have proved vital to keeping it at the cutting edge of machine sales.
In the case of the engine, you cannot see what has been changed, but it’s good news for general servicing as new crankshaft bearings that ensure the correct lubrication is delivered have been fitted, and can now be changed without splitting the crankcases.
To improve performance and reliability of the clutch new Kevlar discs are fitted, with a new spring and new variable preload for better adjustment. The clutch cover is now two-piece, which facilitates the ease of removal and inspection of the clutch assembly and discs by simple removal of the outer cover.
Detail
Attention to detail is also evident around the new rear swinging arm, which has a new more effective brake master cylinder and a new disc protector anchored directly to the brake calliper with a new guide for the rear brake hose along with a new sprocket protector. The side stand is now designed to be applied more easily by the rider’s boot, and the chain ‘slipper’ can be replaced without removal of the swinging arm assembly. The all-important chain tensioner is also easier to maintain and has even better protection from exposed rocks etc.
The new relationship between the frame and swinging arm for the progressive linkage suspension system provides a perfect balance between stability and traction. The reaction capacity of the high-end performance Ohlins rear shock absorber in the most demanding and uncompromising hazards for the rider has to be a massive plus point. The redesign of the linkage improves suspension reaction and also incorporates new double seal bearings.
Also new is the rear brake lever, which has a better mounting bolt and location. As with all new models new ‘Racing’ aesthetics and a new front mudguard brace finishes off the Gas Gas package for 2019.
Quick Spin with Dec Bullock
After some minor changes for rider comfort we handed over the red steed to Dec to put it through its paces: “The main attraction of the Gas Gas, be it any of the models in the range, is that everything is easy to use. Easy access to the fuel tap and the choke lever may not seem important, but it really is. Carburetion is easy to adjust, as is the engine tick-over screw; all little things, but quite significant ones. The ease with which you can flick the new rear-mounted side stand up with your boot, the rear brake pedal position, the gear selection all tells you that someone back at the Spanish manufacturer’s headquarters is listening to just what the rider requires. I moved the handlebars slightly forward and adjusted the front brake and clutch lever positions for my rider comfort, but that was about it. The aluminium kick-start lever is a little high, but it fires into life very easily from hot or cold with a strong sharp ‘prod’.
“Gear selection is very smooth and clean, which I like. Once the gear required is selected that’s it; it’s in gear with a nice feel to the lever. This 250cc we were
using was taken from the official Gas Gas UK importer John Shirt Jnr. The suspension settings were left as they were supplied after the pre-delivery inspection (PDI) had been carried out.
“Despite the use at a recent test day it still looked very new, which is always a good sign. Wash and go is the way forward, and it’s always satisfying for any owner of a new machine that it looks this way for as long as possible”.
Strong and solid
“Anything that looks well usually goes well, and the ‘Gasser’ is no different. Rider comfort is second to none, and you do feel confident very quickly. I rode up and down the original Hawk’s Nest gully a few times to warm everything up before moving down to the river. It’s surprising, even while riding up and down here, just how neutral the whole package feels, it’s a kind of strong and solid feel between your feet encouraging you to bend your legs and work with the machine as one.
“Everything is found very easily, such as the rear brake pedal, and the clutch action is second to none when they are used together for machine positioning.
“Onto the larger rocks and steps in the river at this demanding venue you will always be rewarded the more effort you put in. The suspension works very well as a package with the aluminium Tech branded forks at the front and the Ohlins at the rear. With river levels very high at the Scott Trial my 300cc model, which has the same suspension was excellent as, on many occasions, you could not see what you were hitting, and it absorbed it very well. The feedback from the Ohlins to the rider is very consistent, aided by the superb cooling features achieved by the extra amount of oil it contains.
“With a small, compact feel, body positioning can be achieved in a very comfortable manner and is rewarding to the rider. In the river at our test venue the slippery rocks highlighted just how good the precision of the clutch action is when feeling for grip or just wanting to ‘nip’ the clutch before jumping up a step or over a rock; yes I was very impressed”.
Is a 250cc for you?
“Many riders are riding machines with more than enough power for them. Anyone who attended the Trial World Championship round at Silsden and the big rocks at Addingham Moorside earlier in the year will have seen just what can be achieved in the Trial2 class on a 250cc. The power of a modern two-stroke is very rider friendly, and it’s more of rider technique where the difference is made.
This 250cc we had for the ‘Quick Spin’ today is very much at the top of its game. If you’re not sure about which capacity machine to go for, then try them all, but I can guarantee that this 250cc will tempt you back time after time”.