GASGAS Enduro Range 2024 Review

If you were to choose a location to test ride a bunch of new GASGAS enduro and cross-country models, where would you go? How about the home of Red Bull Factory GASGAS rider, Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders? Yeah, the bloke that races Dakar.

Chucky has a dirt bike paradise in the hills east of Melbourne where he has an endless selection of bush tracks along with a bunch of natural-terrain and man-made tracks that would make any off-road motorcycle rider drool like a dog outside a butcher shop. This was our location for the 2024 GASGAS enduro model launch and I was rather happy to be attending, not just for the selection of tracks on offer but for the extensive range of GASGAS dirt scooters on offer, particularly the new GASGAS EC 450F and EC 500F.

The 2024 GASGAS EC (enduro) and EX (cross country) models have been bolstered in the biggest possible way with the introduction of the EC 450F and the EC 500F. Yep, GASGAS has joined the big boy ranks of off-road. Not only that, the entire four-stroke and two-stroke range is pretty much all-new, with the two-stroke models featuring Throttle Body Injection (TBI), replacing the previous models’ Transfer Port Injection (TPI).

All models have a new frame, new sub-frame, new swingarm, new plastics, updated WP XPLOR fork (for the EC range), new footpegs, new Braktek brakes, new forged triple clamps, and – as mentioned – the new Throttle Body Injection (TBI), which replaces the Transfer Port Injection (TPI) in the two-strokes. The EX models also get the new and much-hyped closed-cartridge fork already seen on the 2024 KTM EXC and Husqvarna TE and FE models.

The EC 500F is the bike with all the hype for the 2024 GASGAS range and for fair reason. Firstly, this bike is all new and secondly, the EC 500F gives horsepower-hungry riders another option with a point of difference, that difference being its linkage rear shock system, as found on the Husqvarna, as opposed to the KTM PDS system. The other difference is the use of an aluminium sub-frame like the KTM, as opposed to the composite sub-frame on the Husky.

The EC 500F is a really nice bike to ride. GASGAS has refined the package off the back of its KTM and Husqvarna knowledge and experience. The right environment for this bike is in open spaces and it will excel in the desert, no doubt. It will suit your everyday trail rider who wants to head out on the weekend and have a good blap on the throttle and then still be able to tame it down and cruise on home. For open high-country riding and general trail riding, why not have a 500cc bike?

This bike is smooth but it has epic grunt – the sort of grunt that should satisfy those riders who drive a RAM 1500 or a Chevy Silverado! There are only a certain few who can competently race this kind of bike. The reason for that is the EC 500F has the sort of engine inertia that requires the rider to apply much more input to get it around corners.

GASGAS describes the effect of the new frame, swingarm and link point when under load with the term, ‘anti-squat’, which refers to the energy disbursement in the frame that is generated by the action of the rear wheel and subsequent action of the suspension. While the company’s efforts may be an improvement, I still found the EC 500F a handful to ride in the wet and slippery conditions we experienced on the launch.

The GASGAS EC 450F is fast. There would hardly be a rider in Australia who would be left wanting after riding this bike. It packs punch and has loads of power and, given a better set of tyres, I am sure it could be a really fun bike between the trees. What took the shine off these two machines for me is the EX cross-country models. The closed-chamber fork and the Dunlop tyres on the EX bikes really did make them much nicer to ride.

Of course, it’s not the end of the world having two really nice bikes that make huge bogs of power. I feel the EC 450F may be overlooked by many riders who simply think bigger is better and ultimately opt for the EC 500F. That is all well and good because, after all, the best bike for you is the bike you like the most. Which neatly leads me to the GASGAS EC 350F.

As good as the GASGAS EC 450F and EC 500F are, for me, as a 40-plus-year-old dad who loves off-road riding and racing, the EC 350F remains my pick for just about anything. In my opinion, the 350cc four-stoke capacity is king, whether it is a motocross bike, a cross-country model or an enduro machine.

This bike launch just confirmed my thoughts and feelings. The GASGAS EC 350F has excellent bottom-end power and a larger flywheel that makes it great on long descents. This gives it some engine braking but also assists in keeping the engine turning over smoothly on a climb.

This GASGAS EC 350F has plenty of bottom end that allows you to torque the bike through tracks but it also has a useable mid-range that is spicy but still has more. It has the revving capabilities of a 250cc machine and you can ride it aggressively if you want to.

I don’t feel like you lose anything by riding the 350. It’s not as if you need more grunt. And if you do have the grunt of the EC 450F or EC 500F, you have the rider fatigue that goes with it. If I can do everything the same on the EC 350F that I can do on an EC 500F but do it easier, why wouldn’t I?

The EC 350F is still exciting – it has a bark and it likes to rev so you don’t have to shift gears all the time. It’s lighter on the front tyre, easier to manoeuvre, and easier on your arms compared to the EC 450F and EC 500F.

I rode a GASGAS EC 350F to Cape York last year (the 2023 model), covering over 1000km and all sorts of terrain from tight and technical singletrack to flat-out straights. The 350 did that ride so easily and so well, and had no issue cruising at 110km/h on open roads, which amply demonstrated to me just how capable the GASGAS EC 350F really is.