Re: I need some advice regarding keeping my GasGas 125xc

I just found and corresponded with the two-owners-ago guy who had my
125xc. I've determined the guy who sold it to me was a lying sack of
***, and was fully aware of the hidden issues that the bike has.

And yet, you blame Gas Gas.

JFTR, I'm not 'blaming' anybody - I'm just trying to figure out
whether or not to keep fighting with this POS. I wanted to try out a
125 to see if I liked it, that's all. I bought it to try, not to
fix. And yes, I'm pissed that I got fucked by a kid whom I trusted,
and no, I'm not blaming the bike for being in such sorry shape - all I
"blame" the bike for being so hard to work on. I'll admit, I'm a
little jaded, but when a 3 minute job requiring one wrench turns into
a 25 minute job requiring 3 due to a 1/16" clearance issue, I consider
that an engineering failure.

I bought the GasGas for two reasons: all the GG fans keep saying that
they are the cat's ass (but never really say why). I wanted to see
what the big deal was about (so far, can't say I'm on board). I also
DO really dig the hydraulic clutch - I've been having a fair amount of
clutch hand strength problems ever since my carpal tunnel surgery, and
would hang on to the bike for that reason alone - AAMOF, that is what
I've been telling myself to keep myself going this long.

Also, for those who think that the 125 is problematic for being a 125
and think I should've bought bigger: Firstly, I like to ride my XR400
like a 125 and beat it's brains out. Unfortunately, when I ride like
that, the bikes weight and heavy clutch toast me in a quarter-mile.
The power from a 125 is fine - riding with limited power output is fun
and a challenge in these here gnarly parts. The LAST think I want is
a big-bore 2-stink. I'm half tempted to graft my son's CR80 motor
into a full-sized frame someday - it has plenty of power when you
scream it's guts out - that would be a fun 180 pound bike.

My concern with power is that the bike is truely gutless - like overly
(obscure 'Raising Arizona' reference). When I say that the bike makes
less power than my son's CR80, I am not exaggerating. I didn't think
that a potential crank seal leak would make much difference in
operating characteristics, but I could be wrong. I drained the tranny
fluid yesterday and was about 50cc short, after burning probably less
than a gallon of fuel. That is enough oil to change the mix from 32:1
to ~20:1. Will that cause the bike to burble everywhere then barf at
WFO? Beats me. If the motor is actually supposed to be a strong
runner, then I'd feel better about it.

To conclude: I'd really rather keep the thing, believe it or not, but
I don't want to throw a boatload of time and money at it, then end up
with something that is still crap. Right now, other than clutch, the
chassis/suspension is in very good mechanical shape thanks to my
marathon rehab effort so far. I don't get a chance to ride much
anymore, so I'm already up to 3-4 years of riding before I break even
on the wrench to ride ratio on this thing. It would be nice to have a
bike laying around that I could take out for a couple of hours every
once-in-a-while w/o having to spend half a weekend wrenching. Worse
of all is that I have no idea where to get parts (now that Jim is out
of the game), so replacing even a minor component becomes a PITA.
Right now, the clutch is out, and I'm looking at the crank bearing and
seal. I think that the seal replacement is a simple pull n' plug, but
god knows where I can find another - hopefully the bearing shop
carries an equivalent. If I decide that I want to replace the clutch,
where am I going to find one of them? Dean, where do you buy your GG
stuff? Are there any active dealers still in New England?

While typing this, I think I figured out what I'm going to do. The
two most crappy features of the bike were a dragging clutch and shitty
power. Now that I've seen the clutch, it's not suprising that I'm
having trouble with it. I'm going to give the bike another shot, and
see what a crank seal does for the power characteristics. I'll
probably clean up the clutch components just to see if it helps the
clutch drag problem - I don't have anything to lose and at least the
clutch is easy to get into. If changing the seal makes the motor run
like it is supposed to, maybe I'll be happy and all of this will
become moot.

I think I'll ask this in another post too, but does anyone know (from
a mechanical engineering standpoint) what the impact of having wider
clutch basket grooves are? If I file a clutch basket such that the
clutch plates have 1/16" or so of clearance, will the system
experience greater stress?

The clutch plate tabs slam back and forth while accelarating/
decelarating inside the basket grooves, so if the free play of a tab
in it's basket groove is increased an order of magnitude, would the
impacts be greater? I don't know that the crank is accelarating much
during that period of time, so it might not matter, but I really don't
know anything about engine dymanics. OTOH, the plates are moving the
distance of the grooves now, so maybe it doesn't matter...

- GasGases are pretty much worthless on the used market in the
northeast, I don't know about elsewhere in the country.

Here we explore the difference between value and marketability. I'm guessing
it's just harder to find the right buyer.

If you look around, you'll find that the resale market up here for GGs
is terrible. Based on what I've read in forums, all of the die-hards
who buy them consider them a disposible item. There's just no demand.

and I can buy a late-
model CR125 in mint condition for $2k.

Get that too.

I'm thinking that myself. If nothing else, my son will be ready for
one next year (if I haven't killed him by then - 14y/os can really
push your buttons...)

JayC

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