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VinceDrake · 09-14-2008, 01:21 PM

Gentlemen, I thank you! You do me honour! I am not worthy... :oops:

But more to the point I've had good luck with the Giovanni machines, more or less, and have assembled a bunch of them for my clients. The little 50cc Gio seems to be better built that their larger machines, some of them are going on 3 years of hard service, and still fine....

***BUT!*** (Sphinkter)

Something I've noticed with all brands of smaller atv's, ZMC, Zstar, and GIO, They all suffer from *rank* toe change under compression! i.e. If you set the toe to 1/8" unloaded, with a 200lb bum on it, it will measure up to 7/8!" For a small, cautious rider, this is not a huge deal, as the front suspension never sinks that far under normal riding, However, If you, or a larger kid is going to play on it, it makes them steer like a drunken camel, with a busted toe! Also, jumping with a heavier rider is dangerous, as you never really know where they are going to land, if you know what I mean?

As well, Avoid the 49cc 2 stroke machines. They're Crap. All Makes, all Models. I personally have never seen one go more than a month without either barfing the clutch, or murdering the piston/cylendar. Yup, they're super cheap, but just not up to the task. At all. Pain in the arse recoil starting, poor performance, Smells bad. Maybe that engine would be good on a weed wacker, or chainsaw, but not on a low-speed high-torque application, like an ATV...

Incidentally, the bushings in the front suspensions of all the units we've worked on are crapilicious. So as time goes on, even without damage, the wheel alignment changes pretty dramatically. Not a failure, just something that has be adjusted regularly, to keep them steering halfways decent.

But really, (This is going to make me really popular!) Usually, I've found the failure is not with the machine, usually it's with the parent/child. These things have a speed governor for a reason! I mean, the ZMC 50cc with do 30mph with My 255lb but on it! Also, Kids don't like to tell you when something is broken, or not right with the machine! They want to ride, not fix! Serveral times at the shop, we get a real bent one in, Little Johnny took a tumble, and Daddy says, "He took a tumble, and said the brakes went out and he wiped out!" Well, you look, and there's no brake pads, or fluid left, Neither happened overnight. Just poor maintenance.

Stay on top of them, and really I think they're just fine.

So there's something for Heather to read, if she ever comes back.

I personally wouldn't worry about a foot brake too much... A better option would be to move up to a 110 with front and rear brakes. As the kidlies get older, a single rear disk, just isn't enough-- IMHO, YMMV, ILP, etc.

--Vince

09-14-2008, 01:21 PM	#19
VinceDrake Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Saskatchewan Posts: 491	Gentlemen, I thank you! You do me honour! I am not worthy... :oops: But more to the point I've had good luck with the Giovanni machines, more or less, and have assembled a bunch of them for my clients. The little 50cc Gio seems to be better built that their larger machines, some of them are going on 3 years of hard service, and still fine.... *BUT!* (Sphinkter) Something I've noticed with all brands of smaller atv's, ZMC, Zstar, and GIO, They all suffer from *rank* toe change under compression! i.e. If you set the toe to 1/8" unloaded, with a 200lb bum on it, it will measure up to 7/8!" For a small, cautious rider, this is not a huge deal, as the front suspension never sinks that far under normal riding, However, If you, or a larger kid is going to play on it, it makes them steer like a drunken camel, with a busted toe! Also, jumping with a heavier rider is dangerous, as you never really know where they are going to land, if you know what I mean? As well, Avoid the 49cc 2 stroke machines. They're Crap. All Makes, all Models. I personally have never seen one go more than a month without either barfing the clutch, or murdering the piston/cylendar. Yup, they're super cheap, but just not up to the task. At all. Pain in the arse recoil starting, poor performance, Smells bad. Maybe that engine would be good on a weed wacker, or chainsaw, but not on a low-speed high-torque application, like an ATV... Incidentally, the bushings in the front suspensions of all the units we've worked on are crapilicious. So as time goes on, even without damage, the wheel alignment changes pretty dramatically. Not a failure, just something that has be adjusted regularly, to keep them steering halfways decent. But really, (This is going to make me really popular!) Usually, I've found the failure is not with the machine, usually it's with the parent/child. These things have a speed governor for a reason! I mean, the ZMC 50cc with do 30mph with My 255lb but on it! Also, Kids don't like to tell you when something is broken, or not right with the machine! They want to ride, not fix! Serveral times at the shop, we get a real bent one in, Little Johnny took a tumble, and Daddy says, "He took a tumble, and said the brakes went out and he wiped out!" Well, you look, and there's no brake pads, or fluid left, Neither happened overnight. Just poor maintenance. Stay on top of them, and really I think they're just fine. So there's something for Heather to read, if she ever comes back. I personally wouldn't worry about a foot brake too much... A better option would be to move up to a 110 with front and rear brakes. As the kidlies get older, a single rear disk, just isn't enough-- IMHO, YMMV, ILP, etc. --Vince __________________ "Sometimes it is better to say nothing, and let people think you're an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it."
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