GASGAS EC515 FSR
GASGAS EC515 FSR | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Production | 2008 - |
Engine | Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve |
Ignition | Integrated in the injection system. |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Frame | Deltabox built with elliptic profile CR / Mo tubing. |
Suspension | Front: 45mm Marzocchi forks Rear: Progressive system with Öhlins shock absorber |
Brakes | Front: Single 260mm disc 2 piston caliper Rear: Single 220mm disc 1 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 90/90 -21 |
Rear Tire | 140/80 -18 |
Wheelbase | 1475 mm / 58.1 in |
Seat Height | 900 mm / 35.4 in |
Weight | 118 kg / 260 lbs (dry), |
Fuel Capacity | 8.5 Liters / 2.5 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Multi disc in oil bath, hydraulically operated..
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 90/90 -21 front tire and a 140/80 -18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 260mm disc 2 piston caliper in the front and a Single 220mm disc 1 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 45mm Marzocchi forks while the rear was equipped with a Progressive system with Öhlins shock absorber. The EC515 FSR was fitted with a 8.5 Liters / 2.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 118 kg / 260 lbs. The wheelbase was 1475 mm / 58.1 in long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
GAS GAS EC 515 FSR
Gas Gas has been building fuel-injected dirtbikes for seven years now. The
pint-sized Spanish factory has shown it's not scared of this new-fangled
electronic stuff, and in fact it was Gas Gas who first produced a street-legal
EFI dirtbike a move that put it years ahead of the pack.
Now the baying hounds have caught up, with companies such as Husky, Sherco
and Aprilia selling EFI enduro machines, and Suzuki having fitted it across its
motocross range.
However, Gas Gas has stayed one step ahead. Changing suppliers from Magneti
Marelli to Kokusan, it also went to a battery-less system.
Now the battery supplies charge to only the lights and the e-start; all
engine management electrics are powered by the stator. In fact, you can
completely remove the battery and the bike will still fire from the kickstart.
Why you'd want to do that is beyond us, but it's good to know that when the
poo hits the fan, your ability to return to the cars is not dependent on a lump
of lead made in China.
And the stator itself is no ordinary stator. It's a high voltage, low inertia
unit nothing unusual there but rather than the usual 12 windings it has 16.
Half are dedicated to recharging the battery and the other half to supplying the
charge to run the engine control module (ECM). Five hundred degrees of rotation
about three quarters of the four strokes charges a condenser sufficiently to
power up the fuel pump to three bar (45psi) and boot the engine into life.
Now if you're geeky like me and can't get enough of this, the nerd stuff
doesn't end there. The Kokusan is not only battery-less but runs a manifold air
pressure sensor, something the Magnetti Marelli didn't.
Yawn if you must, but this has big implications for the ECM. This extra
sensor monitors air pressure waves in the inlet manifold and allows the ECM to
determine if the correct fuel mixture is being supplied.
The upshot of this is that once the ECM parameters are downloaded there is no
need for re-trimming the EFI. It's set and forget. Small mods that improve
airflow, like new exhausts and opening up the airbox, or even performance losses
caused by wear, are automatically taken into account. Only when you delve deep
into the engine's interior and start transplanting vital organs is it necessary
to play with ECM parameters.
And here again the Kokusan delivers. Engine management programs can be loaded
as fast as you can boot up a computer. This has two direct effects. First, as
new updates become available your dealer can download them into your bike at the
next service. Second, power-tuners are now able to develop their own programs to
either beef up the standard delivery or match their own in-house cam profiles
and head specifications with appropriate ECM programs. The future has arrived.
IT'S ALL NEW
Looking at the EC 515 FSR, it's impossible to tell it apart from the 450 without
the aid of the stickers on the swingarm. And like KTM, the only difference
between the 450 and the big-bore is the dimensions of the pot.
We think it's a handsome bike, but that's a step down from early Gassers,
which we thought were stunning. Gas Gas has gone to a more contemporary, angular
styling reminiscent of KTM, with one-piece rearguard/sideplates, V-grooved front
guards and radiator shrouds that cover the black tank.
We like the switchgear, which is worlds ahead of anything else we've seen.
Rather than the stone-age boulders of plastic with embedded buttons waiting to
be smashed by the first low-side, Gas Gas has given us a tiny round dial with
inbuilt LED lights neatly tucked away behind the bars. It's a thing of beauty.
The various displays that were on the speedo are now incorporated into the
dial as LED lights. The Acewell speedo has been replaced by a much more
attractive, color-coded Trailtech speedo.
The cockpit is minimalist, functional and attractive. At last someone has
given us what we want.
BUT WHAT'S IT LIKE TO RIDE?
The EC 515 FSR is slim, low and feels light in the hand, and that's a
good start. It's immediately comfortable, which inspires confidence, and that's
desirable on a bike sporting an open-class engine with the added performance of
EFI.
The suspension is handled by an Ohlins at the rear and a Marzocchi 48mm
Shiver up front a package that has worked well for Gas Gas in the past. Gas
Gas was keen to inform us it's done a lot of work on the valving for the Shiver
to improve the action's suppleness and progression.
Once the show is rolling the initial nimble feel is confirmed. The big FSR
tips into corners better than any big-bore on the market, even the previous
title holder, the lovely TM 530.
The slim profile and low seat height make moving around on the bike and
getting your legs out easy. The front wheel goes exactly where you point it and
it stays there. It will carve up the tight line or blast the wide line with
equal ease. Gas Gas has made this bike handle well in the tight bits without
sacrificing any straight-line stability.
The big Gasser comes with the same Adler slipper clutch fitted to the 450 FSR
for the last three years. The slipper has two major effects: clutch pull is
ridiculously light (most riders ask if it's still connected), and the engine
braking effect of the big-bore engine is removed.
This might sound like a detrimental side-effect, but once accustomed to it
you realise it dramatically increases the stability of the rear under hard
braking, and during corner entry. And that can't be underestimated on a bike
this fast.
The work the factory has put in with the valving has reaped plenty of reward,
and this 48mm Shiver is the best conventional Shiver fork it's served up.
It's still a shade behind its 50mm big brother, and the Ohlins, but it's a
good, honest, hard-working unit. Both the front and rear soaked up the jittery
stuff well, and also coped with our regular diet of water bars and rock steps.
We were hitting obstacles as fast as we dared, and not once did the big Gasser
step out of line.
When you buy a big-bore you're after something that stirs the blood. This
bike won't disappoint. From idle, the engine pulls hard, in fact to say it pulls
like a 14-year-old is doing it an injustice.
No, this engine has enough torque to send a Collins class sub into orbit. The
power is strong and immediate. Let it work a little and you get into a mid-range
that threatens to change the Earth's orbit. From here the bike freely revs to
the limiter while making strong, useable power. Hills? What hills? Point the big
Gasser at a climb, wind on the power and watch the hill get sucked under its
front wheel.
There's not a shadow of doubt, this FSR is fast and you know it the second
you wind the grip. But it's not intimidating ooohhh, sh*t! power unless you do
something stupid. However, overstep the mark and things will go wrong very
quickly.
Getting on the gas early is easy, and the combination of predictable power
and scalpel-sharp handling takes all the hard work out of it.
IS IT GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY?
A modern enduro bike is not a cheap item. A new European four-stroke will set
you back around $13,000 by the time you put it on the road. So what do you get
for the money when you hand over the readies at your local and friendly Gas Gas
dealer?
Like all European bikes it comes with a quality alloy muffler that actually
works, something that most of the Japs can't seem to manage (and that we'll harp
on about until they do).
The standard bars are quality Hebo tapered alloy units and attached to them
is switchgear that's second to none in terms of design and practicality. A
stainless steel exhaust system (that resists rusting), quality plastics and Hebo
grips round out the package.
Mechanically, you get class-leading EFI technology and an Adler slipper
clutch (a $1000 aftermarket accessory on any other brand) so on purely a
bang-for-buck level this bike is good value.
The Gasser comes with plastic handguards and a bashplate too. In reality they
do little more than look pretty, so we'd replace them with more substantial
units as soon as we wheeled the bike home. We'd also bless this machine with a
decent set of radiator guards.
Other than that it's the usual four-stroke ownership demands. A regular oil
change with quality oil and frequent air filter maintenance are both compulsory.
The FSR motor has certain similarities with Suzuki's DR-Z400 mill, strange as
that may seem, and has shown itself to be equally robust. However, we have an
inkling that the EC 515 FSR is going to cost its owner a small fortune in rear
tires. Chains and sprockets won't set longevity records either.
Is this the best big-bore ever made? In my opinion, there's not a shadow of a
doubt. And all the Mad Monkeys believe they were on something special.
It was fast, furious and hell fun to ride. It's like riding the 'Kingda Ka'
roller coaster. You scream, holler and laugh all the way, then you want to do it
again and again and again...
Source
Make Model | Gas Gas EC 515 FSE |
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Year | 2008 - |
Engine Type | Four stroke, single cylinder, DOHC, 4 valve |
Displacement | 515 cc / 31.4 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 100 x 63 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Lubrication | Wet sump |
Induction | Magneti Marelli Injection |
Ignition | Integrated in the injection system. |
Starting | Electric & Kick |
Max Power | |
Max Torque | |
Clutch | Multi disc in oil bath, hydraulically operated. |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Frame | Deltabox built with elliptic profile CR / Mo tubing. |
Front Suspension | 45mm Marzocchi forks |
Front Wheel Travel | 295 mm / 11.6 in |
Rear Suspension | Progressive system with Öhlins shock absorber |
Rear Wheel Travel | 320 mm / 12.6 in |
Front Brakes | Single 260mm disc 2 piston caliper |
Rear Brakes | Single 220mm disc 1 piston caliper |
Front Tire | 90/90 -21 |
Rear Tire | 140/80 -18 |
Wheelbase | 1475 mm / 58.1 in |
Seat Height | 900 mm / 35.4 in |
Ground Clearance | 290 mm / 11.4 in |
Dry Weight | 118 kg / 260 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 8.5 Liters / 2.5 US gal |