2021 Gas Gas 250

It’s fun, it’s fast, it’s the all new Gas Gas mc250. Our lead resident test rider Mike Sleeter put the mc250f through its paces at Fox Raceway. The mission for the KTM group with the all new Gas Gas models is to have a lower barrier to entry for customers with the mc250f and mc450f models with the msrp being roughly $900.00 cheaper than the Husqvarna and KTM. How did they get the price down with our compromising performance It’s very simple as soon as you look at the bike. They went to a silver wheel wrapped in a Maxxis tire, cast aluminum triple clamp, a simpler straight forward header and mid pipe, there isn’t a dual setting map switch on the handlebar. The question is did the KTM group lose performance making these changes?

The Powerplant on the 250 is good but I felt I just wanted a little more throughout the entire RPM range. Is it slow? Absolutely not! but I want more response and more snap. These days the 250 class is about having a powerhouse motor and I feel that mc250f is lacking a little bit on the front side and top end Power. Although the mc250f does not have a dual map switch on the bar the tune of the ECU is clean and efficient with no bog or stumbling through form the bottom to the top. The gearing on the mc250f has me scratching my head. I found myself having to shift to 3rd gear mid turn at some points and I don’t like that. The motor isn’t strong enough to stay in 3rd though the entire turn so I would like to see a smaller rear sprocket to hold second longer. The header and mid pipe on mc250f are a very straight forward design and I believe that it is one of the key components to making the bike smooth and easy to ride but like I said before I’d like to see more bottom end snap. 

Let’s talk chassis. The Gas Gas is using the staple 4130 chromoly chassis with WP fork and shock with a European/Global setting unlike the KTM and Husqvarna. Once I hit the track, I was very impressed with the comfort and traction I had. The Austrian brands tend to have less comfort then the Japanese models at slower speed with a bit of a harsh feeling on slap down landings. The GAS GAS mc250f had great comfort for me in both the shock and fork. I would say the enormous amount front end comfort comes from the cast aluminum triple clamps. The cast clamps flex and absorb energy much better than the billet clamps that come on the KTM and Husqvarna. I started with 10.2 bar in the AER fork but after I was comfortable and wanted to push the bike a little harder upped the fork pressure to 10.4 bar so on track, I was 10.6 bar. Why start at 10.4 if I want 10.6? The WP AER fork builds 0.2 bar in pressure once the fork heats up on the track. The mc250f has a little more engine breaking and a tighter gear box then the 450 so the fork setting is a little more critical. Once I made the change on the fork to hold it up on breaking, big jumps and rough sections the bike was slightly out of balance on the exit of turns just like the 450. To get a better balance for this I went a half turn in on the high-speed adjuster on the shock so it wouldn’t get as deep under load. Both of these changes also helped with better control in the roller sections and high-speed berms. Unlike the 450 once I upped the fork pressure, I did lose a little compliance on the fork entering rough sections. I would like it to settle more into the turns without so much wheel movement. This might not seem like a big deal but the seat on the bike is also really good. When I would seat bounce the seat form would hold up with my butt hitting the subframe rails, but it retained good comfort on small chop unlike the KTM seat. 

The details on the Gas Gas models are not to be overlooked. When it comes to the controls the Brembo brakes and clutch lead the way with the best feel and power. The Maxxis tires are a great touch with a very soft compound with an enormous amount of traction giving you an almost factory feeling tire. The only down fall is it where’s out quick, but it should be a soft race compound. The Neken bars are good but the bar pad has to be changed as soon as you can get your hands on a new pad. The stock pad is half of the size of what a rider is typically use too. The ODI lock on grips lead the class in lock on grips and are personal favorite grip when it comes to grips in general. The diameter is great for all hands and the comfort is on par with a traditional grip. The look and ergonomics are something to not be overlooked. The Gas Gas has a beautiful deep red plastic kit with a forward thinking simple graphic set that is sublimated into the plastic. The feel of the bike from an ergonomic standpoint is good. Easy to move around on the bike with no issues of snagging my leg on the shrouds in deep ruts or jumping.

My final impression of the Gas Gas mc250f is that I feel they have brought to market an all new model in a very short time. It’s not a KTM or a Husqvarna. It really does stand alone with its comfortable chassis feel and very easy to ride powerplant. The exhaust, intake direction from the plastic design, and mapping all play a part to the easy to ride power plant. The mc250f doesn’t have some of the features and benefits of the other Austrian models, so the question is do they lose the quality and performance on the Gas Gas by eliminating, Billet clamps, a map switch, a Euro suspension setting, silver wheels, and Maxxis tires? In my opinion NO they did not. This is a great bike with some more upside with a cost of almost $1,000 cheaper than the KTM and Husqvarna, but I think to get back to being the leader of the 250 class the Austrian group needs some more power from a-z. It truly has become a horsepower contest. We will wait on delivery of our bike for us to give a long-term test and some do’s and don’ts for the Gas Gas mc250f

 For more information and specs visit MotonOnline.com

Photos by: Anthony Sansotta

Rider Mike Sleeter

Height: 5’8

Weight: 168

Level: Pro

Track: FOX Raceway 

Conditions: Large jumps, rough rutted

Temp: 75 degrees