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View Full Version : We get "nasty" with a Gio 125cc Pit Bike!


Reveeen
07-13-2009, 01:08 PM
As I posted elsewhere, I have bought a GIO 125cc Pit bike to disassemble, and re-power a Jawa moped.

At the moment the "plan" is engine and front forks (including wheel and disk brake), I am primarily concerned with these items, and am going to document disassembly here (in words, pictures are not necessary), maybe giving some tips to those who own/purchase these things.

Handle bars: My handle bars are bent, for no apparent reason, the box is/was intact. The throttle housing is made out of cheap plastic, for rough usage this should be replaced. The brake master: one screw loose, the other over tightened (some thread damage), a metric tap and die set will clean this up. The good stuff: there is a brake light switch. Same for the clutch lever assembly, one over tight, one loose.

The engine: Exhaust bolts at head, one tight, one loose (the loose one is the one hard to get at). Clutch cable very light weight, no more than a bicycle brake cable. Carb has a real goofy top fitting (on the cable), and bolts loose (on the engine). Chain: size 428, not much of a chain, gold plating flaking off, master link removable with my thumbnail. In the old days we used to cook a chain on a stove (in my mother's frying pan, full of wheel bearing grease, the grease melted going into the chain) if you can't afford a chain try this to get some life out of it, replace the master link. The engine sprocket is loose on the output shaft splines, probably should be replaced right out of the gate. The engine mounting bolts are a size too small (diameter), it would not hurt to replace them, at the very least make sure they are tight.

The forks: Pinch bolts have thread locker on them (good), the bearings have no grease (bad). The head bearings weren't adjusted, just tightened down until they could not be tightened any more (hammer, and punch, I could see the punch marks).

Other stuff: The wiring harness does not match the engine harness (colour wise). The exhaust pipe comes out of the head, then necks down to a smaller size, a "performance muffler" isn't going to help you here. There is a neutral light switch installed, but the wires are cut off, too short to patch. 2 out of 3 bolts on the mag side cover loose.

I *think* I got what I paid for. (meaning: I'm not unhappy, I wish the quality was a bit higher, but I don't feel cheated.

katoranger
07-13-2009, 01:46 PM
Sounds about right for the typical abused pitbike.

I hav a lead on another one too.

Reveeen
07-13-2009, 03:46 PM
Sounds about right for the typical abused pitbike.

It's BRAND NEW IN THE CRATE, as recieved from GIO on Friday.

suprf1y
07-13-2009, 04:45 PM
I bought mine used, and it only had one problem similar to yours.
The steering head bearings were really loose, and wouldn't tighten up properly.
Eventually I took it apart, and found out why.
The top set was missing 8O

What are you going to be doing with the leftovers? :P

katoranger
07-13-2009, 04:57 PM
Nevermind. Sounds about right for a low-end china product.
:lol:

Allen

Reveeen
07-13-2009, 05:08 PM
What are you going to be doing with the leftovers?

There will be two kinds of left overs Jawa, and GIO.

The Jawa stuff really isn't worth much (unless you have one), and about the only thing that will be left over from the GIO is a "papered" frame, and some plastic (black).

katoranger
07-13-2009, 05:39 PM
You know that words are not good enough. We need PICS.

TurboT
07-13-2009, 07:47 PM
Yep pull out the camera big guy we need to pictorials. Some of us (me) don't visualize well we like big shiny pictures. :)

Weldangrind
07-13-2009, 11:42 PM
[The Jawa stuff really isn't worth much (unless you have one), and about the only thing that will be left over from the GIO is a "papered" frame, and some plastic (black).

I'll bet that NoName would be interested in the black Gio plastic; he bought my old bike. You could send him a PM if you're looking for a good home.

suprf1y
07-14-2009, 12:26 AM
I have that same bike.
I would have been interested in the plastic if it were white.
A new black front fender would be alright, since I had a little 'incident' last week. :P

Reveeen
07-14-2009, 11:12 AM
Ok guys............

I am on the east coast, so packing, and shipping, my cast-offs might prove to be costly. (someone arriving at my house with a wad of cash (just kidding) would be the best method)

Pictures: well ok, though I see no benefit of showing loose bolts, bent bars, or wiring colour mis-match. I have asked for a spot on the site to upload pics as this thing progresses.

Today's effort involved grafting the pit bike forks to my Jawa frame. The Jawa neck tube was about 1/2 an inch too long, so I cut 1/2 an inch of material off of the top (after removing the top bearing cup), taking everything above the all important id plate. Bearing races, Jawa/pit bike match well. No big deal. Pics to follow.

Notes on the front forks:
Top tree stamped FFO ROAD USE ONLY (not being quite sure what FFO means, I plan to cover this crap up with a plate of some kind)
Axle holes in the lower legs way oversize (something to do with FFO?)
2 different sized (length) wheel spacers, I tried it one way, didn't look right, tried it the other way, brake dragged, so back to the original way! A little grease on the wheel seals/bearings not a bad idea.

Next:
Back end. It would be nice to replace the rear shocks with something longer. Currently 320mm, maybe go as far as 380mm, I'm going to look around locally, if not then it's order from the US. But I will be attempting to hang the pit bike wheel in the Jawa swing arm. Once I have the back end under control I can see (by how the chain is going to line up) where the motor should go.

Weldangrind
07-14-2009, 11:33 AM
I think that FFO was supposed to say OFF. Ours was the same. If I was tempted to use it on the road, I'd grind that off and then polish it again.

Reveeen
08-11-2009, 06:24 AM
WELL!!!!!!!

I'm into a bit of a "fetch-up". Without major surgery this isn't going to work, so it is plan "B" time, the transformation of a GIO 125cc pit bike to a 1978 Jawa (semi-legally). The steering neck is cut out of the Jawa, and will be merged with the GIO frame later today, then it's re-assembly, the addition of the necessary bits (to be road worthy), and the road test.

Weldangrind
08-11-2009, 12:22 PM
The engine sprocket is loose on the output shaft splines, probably should be replaced right out of the gate.

That's by design; even Hondas are like that. If you study how the sprocket is mounted, you'll see that it only fastens to the retainer clip, because the sprocket holes are tapped. The splined sprocket is designed to float on the shaft, which allows for slight misalignment during articulation. The sprocket only needs to be replaced if you have a chain mismatch, or if you want different gearing. On that note, never use less than 12 teeth on a front sprocket.

I love that word "semi-legally". I have an electrician friend who uses the term "dislegal"; not legal, but not as bad as illegal.

Since you're using the Gio frame, beware of the rear sprocket. Not only is it stiff, the bushings are crap. You could replace the bushings with bearings, or you could replace the rear shock as we did. Also, the swingarm bushings should be replaced with Honda parts to limit swingarm lateral movement.

We need pics!