Gas Gas isn't the only European-based manufacturer to release new models at very aggressive RRPs on the Australian market for 2012, while maintaining (or improving) their machines' component spec. Husqvarna, Sherco and Beta have all sharpened their RRP pencils for their 2012 off-road models, all of which will retail at significant discounts to equivalent KTMs on Australian dealer floors. But when the guys from Gas Gas Australia informed us of the RRPs on their 2012 off-road line-up a few weeks back, we did a double-take. In fact, we called them up to check they hadn't inadvertently given us a wholesale price for the new and updated EC250F, which runs a current-model Yamaha WR250F motor. Sure enough, they hadn't.

At $10,699, this 250cc four-stroke enduro machine is $1300 cheaper than 2011 WR250F. Which is more than chump change! Sure, the 2012 EC250F may still run the 2011-model frame and swingarm, but when you consider it also gets a 48mm closed cartridge Marzocchi fork (the same quality fork that came on the EC300 Nambotin Special last year), an Ohlins 888 shock, the new linkage, hydraulic clutch, wave discs, black rims, etc, etc, it adds up to a value proposition that's gotta have Yamaha dealers looking sideways. When it arrives in Oz this March (the first time since the model has been available since 2010), it'll be fascinating to see what sort of interest they generate.

But what of the other four-strokes in the Gas Gas range? Well, it appears as if Australia won't get an updated EC450F for 2012, but an all-new EC350R may be on the cards for 2013. According to Gas Gas Australia's John Fretten, "The 2012 Gas Gas 450 will still use WR450F carb engine in some markets, but not in Australia - we'll be running last year's Gas Gas 450 engine. I believe Gas Gas has continued down that route with the Yamaha engine to free up resources to develop their 350cc enduro engine. I'd like to think it will be a 2013 model, but with the financial hardships Europe seems to be going through all over again, we'll just have to wait and see. That said, Gas Gas has done very well with their sales and market share, and insulated themselves against the downturn."

In Gas Gas's two-stroke range, the electric-start EC250 and 300cc machines are complemented by limited-edition R-models (kick-start 'Racing' versions) for 2012, which retail for an extra $200. According to Fretten, "Because we decided to up-spec the electric-start models to run the same suspension as the R, the differences between the two aren't as big as other markets. On the R models only, you'll find Renthal handlebars, Progrip race grips, a Talon rear sprocket, updated brake discs, a modified bashplate and different graphics. And because it's a limited-edition model, we've priced it accordingly."

And incase you're wondering why they're a few months late arriving in Australia, it turns out that the Spanish factory made an eleventh-hour call to dump the original cartridge-style air filter that was, in some ways, central to the hype surrounding the new bikes, which delayed production. "My understanding is that in the final testing stage," explains Fretten, "EWC pilot Ivan Cervantes told the factory that the cartridge system worked well, but limited airflow and horsepower at very high revs when he was riding aggressively. Even though all the marketing material had been released - including information about the radical airbox design - the Spanish factory thought it was prudent to delay production to fit a more conventional airbox."

The EC200 is still available for 2012, but it doesn't come with the electric leg.

2012 Gas Gas RRPs

EC200R: $9999.00
EC250 ELC: $10599.00
EC250R: $10799.00
EC300 ELC: $11399.00
EC300R: $11599.00
EC250 4T: $10699.00
EC450 4T: $11995.00