it's the 20/20 gasps gasps Ranger a
fight we have been super came to ride as
several of us think this might be our
next five it falls into what many called
the hybrid class it's not quite a full
enduro bike
due to its slight trials influenced
softer suspension a detuned engine for
Less top end power but more grunt tight
turning circle a lower seat height and
slightly lighter than its interior
cousin the theory all this makes the
bike suitable for anyone into slower
hard terrain or short riders for short
legs for inexperienced riders
it might also suit anybody wanting to
transition from four strokes into two
strokes but avoid the aggressive nature
of the two-stroke and zeros the good
news we had five riders test of the
Ranger over two days and we agree it
certainly meets those expectations a few
things we didn't like but overall plenty
to like about this neat package and it's
certainly going to challenge its main
competitor the beater cross trainer
first up Kayaba
suspension it's not the famously
brilliant Triple S setup of its big
brother it's slightly softer and works
great for the ranges intended use by up
the speed a few times and it still
worked great
I'm sure if you get too aggressive you
will find its limits quickly I have had
my feet across trainer suspension
completely revolved and Reece sprung
and it still can't match this Rangers
stock setup I suspect this is why the
rain just still feels quite stable at
speed whereas the cross-trainer does
become quite skittish once you are in
third gear the two-stroke pipe it's up
nice and high and tucked away well if
you are into hard enduro you may want
the carbon fiber guard the clutch
incredibly light and perfect for all the
slipping required in slow terrain all
plungers should be this good Takasago
rims from Japan these have a great
reputation
however we were advised just to keep an
eye on spoke tension more than normal
just for the first few rides apparently
they do loosen off easily
before bedding in overall the handling
was impressive a low seat height great
suspension a tight turning circle make
it a joy to ride on harder and slower
tracks but it was quite at home in the
faster flowing stuff too
power delivery very user friendly and
it's a smoother engine than the
cross-trainer
it does have less punch at low revs
something I missed due to our style of
riding but I think many riders would
actually find this better if they are
less experienced or not aiming to ride
snotty terrain all the time some claim
that rejecting and changing the base
gasket can increase the low-end
grunt substantially I'll chase this up
possibly do an update video later the
ergonomics we had five different riders
from short to tall everyone was
comfortable our shortest rider did note
the Ranger is 2 centimeters high up then
his cross trainer but pointed out the
gas gas seat is actually quite thick
there's plenty of scope for cutting the
seat down a long way at the other end of
the scale I am ridiculously tall but
still felt comfortable on the Ranger
especially as the rear panels flare out
a lot so it's easy to grip the bike with
your legs and get a lot of stability
what else a very very slick gearbox
Nissen brakes we're good the clear tank
a big plus over the cross trainer as you
can see your fuel level at a glance the
bike feels light even though it packs a
few more kilograms and the beaded cross
trainer and also for some reason gas gas
are claiming the range weighs three
kilograms more than its full enduro
cousin EC 300 we compared the two on our
industrial scales and actually found it
was 2 kilograms lighter we don't know
why gas gas is claiming a drive weight
of a hundred and eight kilograms just
good to know it's not that porky what
else is there to like the price in
Australia it's eleven and a half
thousand dollars plus on roads making of
one of the cheapest euro dirt bikes on
the market and in addition to the usual
six month warranty there's also a
two-year manufacturer's past defect
warranty so what don't we like the
starter motor it's the old KTM style
that caused so much grief for KTM owners
in the past so far the gas gas one seems
to be more reliable than the Austrian
design nonetheless there are more
in parts involved so there's just more
to go wrong over time on the plus side
it's very accessible and you can do the
well-known sweat mod to increase
reliability as mentioned the Ranger is
slightly heavier than the cross trainer
well there you really only notice it
when picking the bike up I think most
owners would happily pay a bit extra for
a lithium battery which could knock
another one and a half kilograms of the
weight irrelevant for most riders but if
you are into snotty rocky terrain then
these frame rails are just like the bead
across trainer once they can get bashed
by rocks
unless protected by a suitable bash play
in my experience the stock michelin
tires work fine but they were terrible
in the mud and clay for our two days of
testing the shorter knobs packed up with
mud rapidly and turned into slicks if
you mainly ride mud
you might need to turf these tires fast
so there you have it guys if you are
thinking of a two-stroke but don't want
the crazy fast
enduro thoroughbred then this is likely
to tick all the boxes it's definitely a
worthy competitor for the Vita cross
trainer and could suit some riders even
better
due to its superb suspension and better
handling at speed we are really spoiled
for choice nowadays
you
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