dschigoda

For cleaning my air filter, I have good luck with using "Simple Green" http://www.simplegreen.com/ . I dilute Simple Green with water, wash and rinse the air filter twice, let it dry, then oil it. The cleaner is eco friendly, and smells ok, it is safe to just pour it down the sink drain to dispose of it. No real smell, no flameable vapors, use it indoors, no need for rubber gloves either.

The manual for my street bike says to use kerosene to clean my o-ring chain. Hmmm.

Is the 2002 a Pro model? If the '02 is the "Edition model, I would think they would be very similar. Maybe the '99 has an added flywheel weight, different jetting, different fuel, gearingl?

If you always keep your finger on the clutch lever, you can stop, or limit that power in an instant. Just pull in the clutch.

I once restored a '78 Sherpa T. I had the frame sand blasted and powder coated. It looked great until I rode it a couple of times. It got bumped and scuffed from normal trials riding, and there was no way to "touch up" the powder coating! I should have just painted it with a rattle can. I later traded it for my GG 280. Dave

Yeah but... an nice looking dirt bike is an oxymoron. (Interesting question though)

Someone asked this question about the same bike, on this forum, about 3 weeks ago. Check the forum. Buy it - You'll like it! Reliable as an anvil.

In the first photo - he actually has Trials Tires on his bike!

Jon, Great photos! Can you show us the link to the website you mentioned? Thanks! Dave

I have an 2002 GG 280, and have planned to repack my muffler... but not done it yet. It sounds like most any other trials bike. What happens if you let it go too long?

Ok, one other thought... These are just my opinions, based on my life experiences. Just keep in mind this famous quote, and you'll be fine... "Opinions are like a**holes... everybody's got one!"

Trials bikes ridden at speed can be very tricky if you hit an unexpected bump. I have been riding on and off-road motorcycles for over 20 years and never broke a bone until one day I rode my trials bike through a field very quickly (to fling the mud off my tires so I could ride a rocky section better). I unexpectly hit a rock ( about 1 foot square) that was hidden by the weeds. It bottomed the front suspension with a bang. Then the rear wheel hit the rock, pitched up and hit me in the backside. The handle bars turned full lock to the left, I flew over the bars like superman while my bike was somersaulting behind me. Lucky for me, I landed in a soft spot, and only broke my right arm and partially tore my rotator cuff. Not looking and seeing where I was riding was the major problem here. But the quick steering, soft springs, and minimal high-speed damping of the bike didn't help matters.

Good point Jan! There I go exagerating again... Though I've heard from the guys I ride with that the first year or two that the Pro was out they had problems with their new clutch design. And they also seem to be a bit more fragile than the older GG's (bent shifter shaft, etc.). It could be just the guys I ride with (small sample size).

Did you get a 250, 280, or 300? Does the '08 have a red frame? The 280 Pro is the most common one where I ride. I rarely see a 250 or 300. How long have you been competing? What level are you at?

ICK!!!! I would like a red frame and polished aluminum everywhere else.

I think there is an online manual for that bike on the GasGas USA website.

I guess its a matter of a personal "value judgement". Sure, you could pay three times as much for a new bike, and maybe ride a little better (after you have practiced and competed for a couple of years, or more). But what do you actually get for the extra $5,000 spent? You might get a $7 hunk of plastic/trophy and your name and number on a spreadsheet somewhere? I guess it all depends on how much that is worth to you personally. Why one could invest the difference (in the price of a used versus an new bike) in the stock market and.... ...oh never mind. Its all good.

I have been riding my 2002 TXT 280 Edition for several years (I bought it used), and I really like it. My '02 is the same design as the '01. I just keep the air filter clean and change the tranny oil a couple of times a year (ATF from Walmart). Very reliable, good power, nimble enough, and is able to do things way beyond my abilities (Advanced). I re-jetted the carb per GasGas USA's recomendation, and it runs better than new. I just use it for Trials events and practice. I've replaced the brake fluid, fork fluid, rear tire, and upgraded brake pads in the front. I may replace the fan next month, as the fan bearings squeal sometimes. I may have gotten water in the fan motor at some point. I also repaired some nicks in the fork tubes (from getting tangled in barbed wire) and replaced the fork seals. My forks have been oil tight ever since (1 year so far). I don't think the bike has depreciated ($) one bit in the four years that I have been riding it. Make sure you get the Maintenance Video with the bike.

As a beginner, I would go with the cheaper bike (given that it is in good condition). That '99 GG is capable of so many things that it will take a typical trials rider a long time to even begin to learn what it can do. I have several video tapes of the experts/champs competing on these machines in '98/'99. They are doing way more difficult stuff than our Advanced (2 steps up from Novice) club riders are doing on brand new 2008 machines. As far as power goes, just keep your left index finger on the clutch at all times, no matter what. If the bike starts to get away from you, or you feel out of control, just pull in the clutch, and the power stops. Its that simple.

As the poet said, "Only God can make a tree," probably because it's so hard to figure out how to get the bark on.

Great comments. I agree with all of them. After several years of Trials riding, I finally got Dan's turning concepts last summer. Even though I knew what to do mentally, I still struggled with turns, until... 1) I was lucky enough to have an expert rider/trainer yell at me while I was riding in a section in an event, to get my outside elbow and knee OUT while I was turning, and 2) I practiced more tight figure 8's in the backyard, on the side of a gentle slope. These two things made a huge difference in my trials performance. Dave

For me, I don't think I would ever buy a new trials bike. Why? Because just about any trials bike made in this century is way more capable than 99.99 percent of the trials riders out there. I ride a 2002 GG 280 Edition, in the Advanced Class (U.S), and I am still just begining to scratch the surface of what this bike can do. These bikes are amazingly rugged and easy to maintain (compared to my vintage trials bike, and compared to my modern street bike).

I recommend taking a Yoga class. It is a lot like trials, it includes ballance, strength, conditioning, flexibility, concentration, centering, etc. Yoga really improved my trials riding abilities.

You can check if you loaded the correct amount by looking in the little round window on the right side of the tranny. It should be about half way up the window. In my '02 Edition, I've been using the cheapest ATF I can find at Walmart, and it works just fine. I change it 2 or 3 times per year, and clean off the drain plug magnet while I'm at it. Dave