Words & Photos: Phil Suriano
For the best part of my adult life, I’ve wanted to ride from Cairns to Cape York. Over the years, several opportunities to do this epic ride have presented themselves, but due to work, travel or family commitments, the dream never came to fruition – until this year.
Before we knew it, we were on the road making our way to our first night’s accommodation – the Lion’s Den Hotel in Rossville; around 300km north of Cairns. Soon after leaving Kuranda, we were riding fire trails through Kuranda National Park, then passing Mossman en route to the CREB Track. Famous amongst 4x4 drivers due to its challenging terrain and beautiful scenery, the CREB Track covers around 140km through the world heritage-listed Daintree rainforest, taking in spectacular scenery at every turn and attractions like China Camp, Roaring Meg Falls and Wujal Wujal before ending in historic Cooktown.
In terms of giving our tour group a challenge, along with a taste of what the GASGAS EC 350F is capable of, the CREB Track’s combination of river crossings, gravel tracks, sand, washouts, slippery clay, hills and lots of red dirt was perfect. This off-road route is normally busy with adventurers, but we were lucky enough to have it to ourselves – a result of the late date for our ride, I guess. In fact, we saw very few people for our entire journey to the tip of Cape York, which I also put down to the time of the year we rode.
Given that most of us on this ride were unfamiliar with GASGAS bikes in general and the EC 350F in particular, we needed a few days to formulate an opinion on its capabilities. What we could make an early call on was the EC 350F's appearance, and most of us rated it a 10 out of 10. The 2023 model is very simple in terms of colour and graphics – except for the GASGAS logo in white, everything’s red, even the frame. One colour could be seen as overkill, but the bikes looked fantastic.
The headlight fairing was small and neat, as was the LED instrumentation that’s tucked in behind it, minimising the potential for damage. Keeping the tight and compact theme going, the indicators are small and the switchgear unobtrusive while still being fairly easy to use. Once in action, the GASGAS proved to be responsive, with impressive torque for a 350 single, and great manoeuvrability, even in the tight stuff.
The suspension was another area that put the EC 350F above the DR-Z – it’s like chalk and cheese. With 300mm travel from the front and rear factory WP set-up (XPLOR fork and XACT monoshock), I seriously struggled to bottom out the suspension and found it comfortably handled the conditions without negative feedback.
Juan tested the suspension much more severely than I could, riding up and down the famous Gunshot drop on the Old Telegraph Track, then jumped his bike approx. 2 metres from one flat section down to another. This seriously compressed the suspension, but the GASGAS took it in its stride.
On spec alone, how does the EC 350F differ from the DR-Z400s you’ve previously been using?
The GASGAS is a lot lighter, which means better handling in technical conditions as they haven’t got the same amount of weight. Suspension is better set up for the type of riding conditions we do, the handlebars are tougher and the rims heavier duty, so they can take a harder treatment. Being fuel injected and with an hydraulic clutch, it’s just a better, more modern package out of the crate, as well as being easier to work on.
Overall, the GASGAS is more compact and less susceptible to damage, with no rubbish on them that you have to remove or make allowances for.
How did the EC 350Fs perform on the first CYMCA adventure ride you did with them this year?
This was the first tour that we had on the GASGAS, with a great cross section of skills and riding abilities within the group. As such, we witnessed a large number of incidents, but the bikes held together extremely well, showing little wear.
If you had to pick one feature of the EC 350F you’ve been particularly impressed with, what would that be?
I’ll pick two! It’s light and really nimble, which you can’t look past as they’re both major benefits for the terrain we cover on our tours and the riders we lead.
Two weeks after the ride and with all of us back in our normal lives, the group's What's App chat was still pinging with memories and comments on what we experienced and the GASGAS bikes we rode. I was expecting this ride to be good, but the new EC 350Fs took it to another level – it was an epic six-day ride.
We all enjoyed the adventure and I’m sure those who follow our example will love it, too.