Yet only three months later, in a detailed investor document published by Pierer, we see GasGas is already gearing up for a surprising leap straight into the deep end of the street market with two 800cc models, one a straight-up naked bike and the other an adventure touring bike. 

From the sketch in the management presentation,  we see that the new adventure bike leans toward the sport touring side of the spectrum, similar in form to Ducati’s 1260 Multistrada. Despite the image being blurred, it seems the bike is shod with 17” cast wheels, though a skid plate, hand guards and a bit of extra ground clearance let us know it’s intended to go down some dirt roads. 

Since KTM seems very comfortable cross pollinating its engines and components, we can assume this new bike will be powered by the same 790cc parallel twin KTM uses in its popular mid-weight Adventure series, as well as the upcoming Husqvarna Norden 901. Suspension will likely be WP, another brand housed under the Pierer Group umbrella, unless GasGas is going a budget-minded route.  

There’s no arguing KTM has been doing an impressive job growing the Husqvarna brand and we expect no less from its involvement with GasGas. And while this sudden foray into street machines might seem off-kilter for the dirt bike manufacturer, keep in mind how Husqvarna threw us all for a loop with its edgy 501, and then 701 Vitpilen and Svartpilen urban bikes, additions that have upgraded the brand’s reputation and vibe for the better.  

The only hitch is in wondering just how thinly KTM can spread such distinct technology across so many platforms before it starts feeling duplicitous, like bikes from KTM, Husqvarna and now GasGas are more like flavors than brands. In that sense, it will be especially interesting to see how both GasGas and Husqvarna spin their latest models to create a sense of individuality.   

Interestingly, the majority of GasGas’s enduro and trial bikes are still being hand-built in the town of Salt, near Girona in Catalonia, Spain, and it appears that artisan operation will continue in the coming years. GasGas only started building bikes in 1985 as a phoenix operation that rose from the financial ashes of Bultaco, a brand all of us old timers remember with a grin. 

In addition to the 800cc Adventure Sport and naked models, GasGas will also release a 250cc naked street bike, and who knows, somewhere down the line perhaps we’ll see something even more distinctive in the dual sport category from this European brand. Something that incorporates all of its knowledge of what it takes to make winning trials, enduro and rally raid bikes. 

Until then, let’s sit back and watch how this new crop grows. With almost every manufacturer busily readying a new adventure bike or two, it’s bound to be a feast to satisfy the masses.  

Author: Jamie Elvidge

Jamie has been a motorcycle journalist for more than 30 years, testing the entire range of bikes for the major print magazines and specializing in adventure-travel related stories. To date she’s written and supplied photography for articles describing what it’s like to ride in all 50 states and 43 foreign countries, receiving two Lowell Thomas Society of American Travel Writer’s Awards along the way. Her most-challenging adventure yet has been riding in the 2018 GS Trophy in Mongolia as Team AusAmerica’s embedded journalist.