GASGAS MC250 2-STROKE PROJECT: BEHIND THE BUILD

The Motowhips GasGas MC250 build started off as a very simple race bike build, but then something happened that was almost out of our control—a chain reaction.

Test rider Chase Marquier at the controls of “Chain Reaction.”

Every build starts out with a plan. Some follow that plan and some, like our GasGas MC250 project with Justin Myerson at Motowhips, take on a life of their own. This build was just supposed to be a couple of engine mods, some bolt-on items and graphics. As you can see now, that plan was thrown out the window.

It all started with Justin taking off the top end to do some minor modifications internally and clean it up a little on the outside. Of course, once that was done and it was put back together, the cases looked dirty, so out came the engine for a full tear-down and cleaning. While the engine was apart for the cases to be cleaned, it would be a crime in the Motowhips world if the transmission wasn’t polished. And since additional power was being produced, Hinson clutch components needed to be in the bike for race-durability purposes.

This is about as close to a factory-level GasGas MC250 two-stroke as you can get.

Now that all this work had been done internally and the outside of the engine looked like a work of art with specialty coatings applied in key areas, Motowhips couldn’t bolt everything back together with OEM hardware. Almost every bolt was replaced with titanium units from Mettec. With the engine all back together and basically as trick as it can possibly be, it went back in the chassis, but as you can probably guess, the crew at Motowhips thought the engine looked out of place sitting in a used, scratched-up frame, so once again the engine came out!

The main frame and swingarm headed off to powdercoating, and naturally the OEM colors had to go. The main frame would go from red to a light grey, and the swingarm got a new look with a satin black finish. You can probably guess what happened next—yes, other chassis items also needed to be upgraded.

The Bill’s Pipe carbon silencer got a little extra polishing from the Motowhips crew.

Justin made this one-off carbon fiber piece for the bottom clamp to keep dirt from building up in the machined-out pockets.

The OEM wheel was replaced by units from Dubya USA, featuring Kite billet aluminum hubs, stainless steel spokes, aluminum nipples and black D.I.D Dirt Star rims wrapped with Dunlop MX33 tires. Up front a heavy-duty Dunlop tube was used, but in the rear a Dunlop C-series mouse was used to prevent any chance of a moto DNF due to a flat. The braking components are still Brembo units but have been upgraded to full factory models and feature specialty coatings done in-house at Motowhips.

The final major chassis upgrade came in the way of WP’s Pro Components suspension. The OEM air fork was replaced with a Cone Valve spring fork setup just like the ones used by Justin Barcia on the factory GasGas Supercross team, and the stock rear shock was also replaced in favor of a WP Pro Components Trax shock. Of course, Motowhips valved and sprung both for our specific application, but they didn’t stop there. In true Motowhips fashion, they added specialty coating to them as well. The build was topped off with an all-red Acerbis plastics kit and a completely custom graphics kit with gripper seat cover to match.

The Motowhips GasGas MC250 is a rolling work of art!

Just like its name, “Chain Reaction,” one seemingly minor action put a ball in motion that couldn’t be stopped. This machine has just about anything you could possibly desire on a GasGas 250cc two-stroke and probably some things you might not even know you wanted. Chase Marquier is the lucky test rider to race this machine, and we didn’t even need to ask him what he thought of the bike; the huge smile on his face said it all.

Carbon fiber top mounts, Mettec titanium fasteners, MW billet power-valve cover, Samco silicone radiator hoses, in-house engine mods and a VForce intake are just a few of the things done to this fire-breathing machine.

More high-end items this time in the form of Nihilo Concepts billet titanium footpegs.

The Motowhips GasGas MC250 is better than the stock version in almost every aspect. The power starts earlier on the bottom, pulls stronger through the middle and has more rev up top with a transmission that shifts like a hot knife through butter. Ditching the air fork for the WP Cone Valve spring fork and upgrading the rear shock with a WP Pro Components Trax shock made the MC250 have more rider comfort and a more connected-to-the-ground feel. If you are a GasGas, KTM or Husqvarna owner, we highly recommend trying WP Pro Components parts. We can’t deny that the attention to detail from Justin at Motowhips—specialty coatings, titanium hardware, carbon fiber protection and factory-level parts on this bike—was over the top and not something the average rider needs, but that didn’t stop us from wanting it all, either. Wait till you see the next project we have in the works with Motowhips!