OFF-ROAD TESTING & TALES FROM THE TRAIL: INSIDE THE HOT ROD GASGAS EX300

This weeks Off-Road Testing and Tales from the Trail (OTT) digs a little deeper into the 
Dicks Racing EX300 Project Machine. There were substantial mods in the engine, and the 
suspension that elevated all facets of the machine.
The smooth and docile power band of the stocker is replaced with a super clean and very potent hit and blast into the upper RPMs.
An important part of the engine package is the head. Since the cylinder port timing is raised 1mm, the head has to be lowered to compensate. Compression ratio is also increased from stock. In addition, Torque grooves are machined into the squish band that aid in the complete atomization of the fuel/air charge before it is ignited. Added benefits are increased torque and detonation resistance.

 

Small grooves are machined into the piston that have holes that force oil into them. These are precisely located between the main and sub exhaust ports to virtually eliminate the possibility of seizure.

 

At this point, fueling must be altered to compensate for the engine changes. Dicks Racing chose to not only use a GET ECU but their Injector relocation kit as well. The kit comes with a 2 position map switch and WiFi tuning capabilities via an app on your smartphone. Dick set about installing the new intake manifold that holds both fuel injectors. The fuel hoses and connector were tricky to achieve proper fitment, luckily Dick sorted it out. With everything installed and running, the process of tuning the ECU for this specific engine package began.
This is the throttle body with Thunder Products dual torque wings installed. The original design had to be modified to work with the GET intake manifold mounted fuel injectors. This set up completely straightens the the airpath all the way to the reed valves, eliminating turbulence and increasing velocity.

 

Dicks Racing believes that the AER fork is too harsh initially and then ramps up too quickly. Both problems are caused by too much pressure (130-150psi) required to hold the front end up. His answer is a Hybrid AER fork design. The right damping cartridge is replaced by one that holds (1) .50 spring. Internally, the cartridge features a hydraulic BCD (bottoming control device) that really works, enabling a plush setup that eats the big hits as well. The left AER side fork has the pressure reduced to 60psi, relieving harshness while retaining the light weight and tunability of the original design.  The price is very competitive at $695.00 for the fork mods.
The Dicks Racing suspension is better for off-road hack and still takes the big hit quite nicely.
Ryan Koch tests the sharp throttle response on the Dicks Racing GasGas 300.

All services and parts are available from Dicks Racing: Dicksracing.com

 

 

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