A new range of off-road bikes rarely appears on the UK market, but 2022 was an exception: the young American brand GPX Moto now has a UK distributor based in Petersfield, Hampshire. The models cover the full off-road spectrum from trail to hard enduro, and the company ethos is that high quality, high specification and competitive motorcycles should be reasonably priced. Customers don’t have to sacrifice quality for a lower price point, according to GPX Moto, you can have both.
The backstory goes like this: GPX Motorcycles is an American family-owned company based in Utah. The original motorcycle company, Pit Star Pro, was formed in 2003. In 2017 GPX initially looked at developing a range of affordable off-road enduro motorcycles in the USA but quickly found that the cost of manufacturing in the US made this unfeasible. They then established a partnership with a factory in China to have motorcycles developed to their exact specifications.
GPX HQ and the distributors have daily contact with the factory, which takes on board any suggestions and makes modifications quickly, producing updates every few months. For example, recently, reports came back from customers that the speedo cables were a little too short and could get snagged behind the headlight, damaging the wiring. The factory immediately made them longer and pre-installed them to prevent potential damage from dealer assembly. Other improvements include O-ring chains, updated mapping and alloy intake manifolds instead of rubber. These were all recommendations from GPX in Utah. Even now, the TSE 300 two-stroke is undergoing power-valve modifications. GPX says the Chinese factory is very responsive and is run by long-term motorcycle enthusiasts who sponsor teams in Chongqing. The company claims the quality is now on par with anything produced in Japan or Europe.
James Brown from GPX Moto UK says that part of the reason why prices can be kept down is the fact that there is no major sponsorship programme in the USA, no massive headquarters with crippling staff overheads, no shareholder dividends to pay and no desire to dominate the market. “GPX is unusual in the United States in that they don’t advertise, they keep themselves to themselves,” says Brown. “That’s the main reason why GPX hasn’t been imported into Europe or elsewhere. I’ve been competing in off-road events since I was 14, and I’d never heard of them. When I stumbled across the brand, I thought it was a great opportunity to get a decently priced bike over here for the average rider to buy.”
Brown has got the European rights for GPX Moto, and he’s busy making sure that the brand is much more high profile than it is in its home country.
New dealer applications are welcome, particularly in Scotland and the Home Counties. Contact 07411 364803 or [email protected].
The GPX range
- GPX 250e – Air-cooled, four-stroke with electric start. Key ignition. LED speedo and data terminal. Zongshen makes the engine. Price £4950 with six month warranty.
- GPX 250 TSE – Counter-balanced, two-stroke Yamaha-licensed, Loncin-made engine with electric and kick start. Key ignition. LED speedo and data terminal. Radiator fan kit. Price £5150 with six months warranty.
- GPX 300 FSE – Liquid-cooled DOHC fuel-injected four-stroke. Radiator fan kit. Key ignition. LED speedo and data terminal. Zongshen engine. Price £5695 with six months warranty.
- GPX 300 TSE – Two-stroke, counter-balanced engine with electric and kick start. Radiator fan kit. Engine by Zongshen. Key ignition. LED speedo and data terminal. Price £5950 with three months warranty as this is a full-on race bike.
- GPX 450 FSE – Liquid-cooled, fuel-injected four-stroke. Electric start. Radiator fan kit. Key ignition. LED speedo and data terminal. Zongshen engine. Price £5750 with six months warranty.
All of these motorcycles, apart from the 300 TSE, can have the seat height lowered by 40mm at no extra cost. All models can be road registered by the dealer, and GPX UK has full parts backup.