Four-Stroke Hunter: 300cc GasGas Drag Bike

“Ya smell it? That’s 2-stroke!!!”

The Punk’s Peak Race has become one of our favorite events to watch each year, an FIM-certified 1/4-mile sprint race up a twist of road high on Mount Jaïzkibel in the Basque country of Spain. The race takes place during the annual Wheels & Waves festival, with a view of both the Spanish mountains and the sea. There are 128 competitors (“pilots”) and four bike classes:

Pre-1950
Pre-1975
Post-1975 less than 1000cc
Superbike more than 1000cc

Many of the bikes are purpose-built machines, designed and fabricated in some of Europe’s most renowned custom workshops. Earlier this year, we featured the Aprilia “RS154” from Brice Augry of AG Custom Motorcycles — a bike we were lucky to watch him race in 2019. Punk’s Peak is almost like a hometown event for Brice, who studied motorcycle mechanics for five years before opening his workshop in Ascain, in the Basque country of France.

For 2020, Brice — a two-stroke aficionado — decided to build another bike for the race. He credits his friend and photographer @etcheverrigide for inspiring him to build a hardtail:

“The concept was to make a rigid, fun, and brutal 2-stroke 300 drag bike.”

The whole project was done on a bit of a whim, utilizing a 1998 Kawasaki Eliminator chassis that Brice “dragged from the bottom of the garden,” along with a 2004 GasGas EC300 engine that he bought in parts. The GasGas engine makes 50 hp in stock trim, but that output has been surely increased with a high-compression head, Boyesen reeds, Keihin 38, and Pro Circuit exhaust.

Unfortunately, C-19 put the kibosh on the 2020 edition of Punk’s Peak, so we’ll have to wait until 2021 to see whether this “Four-Stroke Hunter” can take the trophy home from Mount Jaïzkibel. Below, we get more details on the build from Brice himself, along with more photos from @etcheverrigide and @kayadaek_photography.

Two-Stroke Drag Bike: Builder Interview

• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.

Hello, this is Brice Augry, head of AG Custom Motorcycles, founded in 2019 in the Basque country. My passion came from my father who was a racing driver in the 70s / 80s. I started riding motorcycles 11 years ago, and after 10 years of mechanics, I decided to open AG Custom and really enjoy myself!

• What’s the make, model, and year of the bike?

This is a 125cc 1998 Kawasaki Eliminator 4-stroke from 1998, running a 300cc 2-stroke engine from a 2004 GasGas enduro.

• Why was this bike built?

This 300cc drag bike was built to run in the Punk’s Peak sprint race at Wheels and Waves, and at the same time to show what I can do.

• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?

The concept was to make a rigid, fun, and brutal 2-stroke 300 drag bike. It must be noted that this project was done on a whim. The chassis was dragged from the bottom of the garden, the engine was bought in parts. At the end of the day, what most motivated me to do it was my friend and photographer who rides a rigid harley — @etcheverrigide on Instagram.

• What custom work was done to the bike?

Practically everything was changed! Only 15% of the original Kawasaki Eliminator frame remains, including the fork and the two rims. The frame was changed to rigid, the wheelbase was modified, and new mounts were tailor-made to adapt the 300cc 2-stroke engine. The saddle comes from a Yamaha XV900 Bolt; the tank from a Peugeot BB 030; the brakes were updated and replaced with 4-piston caliper and Brembo master cylinder; the tires are Bridgestone. The engine’s bottom end is from a 2004 GasGas EC300, while the top end is from a 2011 with a high compression cylinder head, a Boyesen intake, a Keihin 38 carburetor, and a BMC air filter. Finally, a complete Pro Circuit Platinum series exhaust was added to this beast.

• Does the bike have a nickname?

“4-Stroke Hunter.”

• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?

Freedom! A bunch of friends, a good bike, a good road, and a good whiskey — here is the real life!!

• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?

All of it! It was a headache to run a 2-stroke in a rigid frame and get it not to vibrate too much. At least it’s alive and fun, and I must say that it works quite well.