The 300 Pro features a Chrome-Molybdenum tubular frame with Marzocchi 40mm aluminium right-side-up front forks with 177mm travel and is completely adjustable for compression and rebound. The rear is a Sachs hydraulic mono shock absorber, adjustable only by rebound and spring preload with 164mm travel. While this might sound like a little amount of travel, it seems to be pretty progressive when you come off drop-offs and the bike sags into the travel.
The heart of the GasGas is a 294,1cc single-cylindered, 2-stroke, liquid-cooled engine with reed valve configuration and the clutch is a 1/3 hydraulic-diaphragm-system which controls the 6 speed gearbox with precision. The little Dell’Orto PHBL26BS’s fuelling was pretty good. The bike started up quickly from cold, with the choke activated, and idled well with it de-activated. The 2.5l tank is not large by any means but will see you with at least 2-3 hours riding or around 30km in total range. The reserve is pretty useless, however, and I would estimate it only being about 4 drops… this gives your around 1.5km until it runs dry and yes, I did test it.
With a dry weight of only 67kg and a seat height of 650mm, it really feels “bicycle-like”. It goes where you want it to go. The gearbox is a little notchy, but as with all trial bikes, gears are usually selected before an obstacle rather than shifting on the fly. However, when you do get to top gear, there is still ample power and speed to get the front wheel up without any trouble. The bike is also not slow. I seem to think that a 100kph+ top speed is certainly possible, but why you would want to travel at those speeds is really beyond me.
The rear Michelin Tubeless Trial tire really works well. I’ve never experienced as much grip down or up any gradient on a bike. It’s like the 4 wheel drive of bikes… except, only one wheel is doing the job. Pressures vary between 0.3bar and 0.8bar (where I rode it mostly) on harder terrain. The front brake is a conventional 185mm floating, 4-piston calliper that works like a charm and the rear a 150 mm disc, 2-piston calliper. The rear felt very strong and would really keep you stationary for as long as you needed.
The GasGas 300 TXT Pro is a great trial bike and it’s highly recommended if you are looking to get into the sport. Mototrials is also a great way to improve your technical riding abilities. The 300 TXT Pro retails for R59 999 and for more info or demo rides, please contact Rock Garden at 0861 250 300.
