Gas Gas is a Spanish motorcycle manufacturer, specialising in off-road motorbikes. Gas Gas are best known for their trials bikes, although they also make successful enduro and quad bikes.
Gas Gas emerged from the financial demise of Bultaco when two agents, Narcìs Casas and Josep Pibernat, found themselves with a shop but no product to sell. So they embarked on a programme to manufacture trials motorbikes for sale in their shop.
Manufacturing
Gas Gas have manufactured and sold motorcycles since 1985. A majority of the Gas Gas models are still handbuilt at the Gas Gas factory inSalt (near Girona), Spain.
Gas Gas began manufacturing trials bikes in 1985, enduro and motocross bikes in 1989, and quads in 2002.
Championships and riders
In 1993, Gas Gas succeeded in luring the multiple world trials champion Jordi Tarrés away from Betaand he promptly won three successive world trials championships (1993, 1994 and 1995) for Gas Gas.
More recently Gas Gas have won the Trial Outdoor World Championship twice (2005 and 2006) withAdam Raga. They have also won the Trial Indoor World Championship in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 also with Raga riding.
Gas Gas have also been successful in the World Enduro Championship. Paul Edmondson won the 125 cc world championship in 1994 and the 250 cc class in 1996, Petteri Silván the 250 cc and the overall championship in 1999, and Petri Pohjamo the 125 cc class in 2003.
In 2006, British Enduro Champion Wayne Braybrook, riding a Gas Gas, was one of only two riders to finish all 80 miles of the Red Bull Last Man Standing event. 126 other riders did not finish the race.
Meaning of the name
The name Gas Gas literally means "to gas it" (to accelerate, give it the gas, turn the throttle - to go faster.) The Gas Gas founders have, at times, expressed misgivings about the chosen name inasmuch as that name causes confusion outside Spain. Others have joked that Gas Gas are so good that they had to name them twice. The slogan "Gas Gas = Fast Fast" was used by the US importer, Gas Gas North America, from 1999–2002 to try to help people understand the unique name.
Importing
Gas Gas bikes are currently imported into many countries in Europe and around the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South America, South Africa and the United States.
Models
Enduro/off-road
While the EC ("Endurocross") and MC (motocross) models are shipped worldwide, Gas Gas have manufactured specialized models for the United States off-road market. The XC ("Cross Country" produced from 1999–2002) and the DE ("Dealer Edition" produced from 2002–2006) models were successful attempts to customize the product to the US market.
The FSE and FSR are the fuel injected, four-stroke enduro bikes similar in appearance to the EC models.
Prior to 2007, each color on the EC model line represented the engine displacement range of the motor.
- Yellow – 125 cc and 200 cc.
- Red – 50 cc, 250 cc, 400 cc and 450 cc.
- Blue – 300 cc, 450 cc.
In 2007–2009, the company standardised to the colour red for all displacements and models. As of the 2010 model year, all standard EC models are black with red and white accents. The "Six Days" edition uses white plastics with red, yellow, and black accents. The "Racing" models are white with black and yellow accents.
Trials
The TXT models are specifically designed for trials riding. The TXT trials model line also used a similar color code to the EC line.
Quads
The Gas Gas sport quads are known by the Wild HP brand and come in two-stroke and fuel injected four-stroke models.
Prior to 2007, the Wild HP line of quads were available in choice of blue or red regardless of displacement. Beginning in 2007 the Wild HP line standardized to black.
