Beast arrived Oct 07

PCD · 10-09-2009, 02:57 AM

Only took the cardboard off yesterday, but from what I can see, it had a smooth journey. Hardware bag intact, reflectors good, shipping frame intact with no bangs or bends. The quality at first glance is not bad by a long shot. It looks well made in fact.

I hope to have the time this weekend to disassemble the thing down to the frame and put it back together, armed with a few Metric taps and some Loctite

I have not received any of the performance parts yet (Carb-Pipe-CDI-Shocks), so this is almost a useless update, but after saying hello in the Introduce Yourself forum, I thought I should at least follow up.

Took a chance on the Hard Case as well as the Winch, but those are fluff items for now. Unimportant.

Oh, winch is the GIO site 2000lb one. The manufacturers site says it wll do 500lbs at 25amps, so I'm hoping it will be alright, especially with a snatch block.

I will be using Honda 4 stoke oil if anyone wanted to know.

Cheers

Reveeen · 10-09-2009, 03:59 AM

I hope to have the time this weekend to disassemble the thing down to the frame and put it back together, armed with a few Metric taps and some Loctite

+10

Probably the best way to do it.

TurboT · 10-09-2009, 04:16 AM

Have fun and keep us posted!!

PCD · 10-09-2009, 04:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reveeen

I hope to have the time this weekend to disassemble the thing down to the frame and put it back together, armed with a few Metric taps and some Loctite

+10

Probably the best way to do it.

I was lucky enough to arrive at the forums here and research a great deal before purchasing, so I knew what the deal was before purchasing and am prepared to do it correctly. Once.

Thanks again.

Pete

Weldangrind · 10-09-2009, 11:43 AM

Are you saying that other members have shared their tales of woe, and that has helped you?

I can't wait to hear about your first ride report; you're doing this the right way.

PCD · 10-09-2009, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Are you saying that other members have shared their tales of woe, and that has helped you?

I can't wait to hear about your first ride report; you're doing this the right way.

Well, I was trying to be a tad more diplomatic than that...but yeah 8O

I will happily post details of my first ride but I suspect it may bore you folks to tears...it will be 2 hours of varied throttle position around the yard...

I'm of two minds about proper break-in...some people say most modern engines are pretty much broken in within the first 5 minutes and they go balls to the wall right away with no Ill effects.

Others follow the procedure to the letter. I think on this engine I will dump the oil instantly (Brake fluid as well) and sacrafice a litre of Honda 4 stroke oil for about 30 minutes of operation, dump it, use another litre and run a tank of gas thru it, dump it, refill, and call it a day, but that wont be til the end of this weekend at the earliest.

I also like to give it a few seconds of WOT just to let the crank, rod, and bearings know whats coming

. Sometimes you can baby an enggine too much. Like the proverbial "little old lady" who only drove the car to church on Sunday....first time the car gets floored the bearings and rods go "WTF???? never seen this rpm before...BANG".

YAY...Performance parts are here!!!! Will get some pics for my next post....hey, winch looks OK...not bad at all....OOOHHH CDI is gold anodized instead of blue, I can deal

.

Pete

waynev · 10-09-2009, 06:14 PM

I'll be watching this post as my beast shipped today, hopefully will get it by the end of next week, still bidding on hop-up parts though. Looking forward to the rest of the story on your beast.

PCD · 10-09-2009, 10:39 PM

Quick Update: Change of plans....Assemble-Adjust-Complete-Oil-Start, then tear down tommorow and reassemble.

So Far: Perfect and I mean perfect...steering centered, brakes needed NO adjustment as of yet...Batt was good to go after adding acid....let it sit 15 minutes then put charger on it (2 AMP!!)...charger immediatly read 75% and shut off in about 30 mins...All cotter pins engaging nuts properly...steering bushings crimped in nicely (Hi Weldangrind!!)....

Now look, i understand things are going too well...i suppose it will have a spun bearing on start up, but even the blind squirell gets lucky and finds a nut every now and then right?

One flat tire...hit it with 24psi for the bead...its been good for 3 hours so far.

QUESTION: I notice the tabs/ears for the upper A arms have been bent in due to overtightening but there is still longitudinal slop there...whats the opinion on a few spacers to eliminate that slop and put the ears back at 90 degrees for proper tightening..

I have been taking pics....

later

Pete
EDIT: I have a drain plug!! yay...too bad the skid plate access hole is an inch out of place..LOL

Weldangrind · 10-09-2009, 11:35 PM

Tabs? Have a photo?

PCD · 10-10-2009, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Tabs? Have a photo?

I should have known better....

By tabs, I mean the ears and or brackets and or flanges (etc) that are welded to the frame and accept upper A arm bolts.

Think of a couch...remove the back...picture the cushions that are left (like a bench) as the bolt, and the two armrest/end pieces as the ears Im talking albout.

Like a U bolt sort of

Just follow the upper A arm in to the frame and see the mounting bracket...thats what i'm on about.

EDIT: Clarification

MmmmKK?

[/code]

PCD · 10-10-2009, 02:08 AM

SECOND UPDATE:
It's all done and runs spiffy. Setting tha tbtich up the right way took a lot of time.

Cant wait to take it all apart tommorow 8O

TIPS:
Watch your frigging hands on the welded shipping frame. Mine looked like Freddy from Elm street had a go at it.

I got my oldest son to help me lift the bike on to bucket before beginning work. It is a square pool chlorine bucket about 20" high and the bike balances nicely on the skidplate. Leaves you plenty of room and clearance to work.

Dont spill the little white container in the little white box packed around mid-frame...Hydrachloric acid, and besides after I spilled mine there wasnt quite enough left to hit the top of the plates in the batt. Charged up fine though, so WTF.

Only remove the bottom shipping frame bolts and you can lift the entire thing off with only 6 bolts.

Do not worry about what goes where. They generally leave one bolt installed where the others are supposed to go to help you out. For example, the rear rack mounts where the reflectors are and they leave 2 bolts installed and 2 bolts in a package for you.

Dont put your rear wheels on backwards..the tread design is meant to channel mud and water to the outside of the tire, not the other way around...Yeah, I almost did

Speaking of the rack..it is going to rub a hole in the the top of the rear fenders in no time as it sits right on the plastic. I suggest a little piece of weatherstripping abour 4" long on either side, between the rack and body work. It does not "sit" on the plastic body, but rub would be a better word..it is really mounted with 4 bolts to the frame.

You will need a long or flexible neck funnel for the oil. Dipstick location is awkward at best.

My dipstick looked like a dog had chewed and twisted the (crankcase) end. Manual says 0.9 Liters so I put in a liter and called it a day. Sight glass is totally covered / full.

Seat can be tricky..it has a tounge near the front and was bent on mine...the tounge goes under the little crossmember behind the tank and if you do the seat correctly it has NO movement whatsoever...to install, tilt the seat forward slightly (fron down, rear up) and shove it toward the tank so that tounge goes under the crossmember, then push the rear down and give tha back of the seat a smack to push it forward a little, then push down and the rear latch will engage....it takes 3 times longer to type this than actually do it, not hard after the first time.

On my bike, the brake lever only has to be engaged to start...not clutch, just brake. I have not tried to start it in gear yet.

The rear wheels are bolted on directly to the hub. The hub is drilled and tapped, but I will be putting Nylock nuts on the backside of them to ensure they dont back out.

THERE IS A WIRE RUN DOWN BESIDE THE RIDERS RIGHT KNEE, IT IS ACTUALLY PRESSED AGAINST THE EXHAUST PIPE AND WILL MELT! This 2 wire run goes to the brake light swith that is mounted on a bracket almost touching the pipe.
I spotted this last night but forgot to move it out of the way, and of course it melted when I started it up after changing the plug. Stupid me.
This is not the easiest thing to fix actually, the mounting tab/bracket is within 1/8" of the pipe and welded to the frame. Its short and stubby so bending it might break the weld...I guess i'll put some shrink wrap tubing on the wires and wrap a 1" strip of that muffler bandage stuff around the pipe in that location.

Spark Plugs..I have 3 different ones...2 NGK and one Champ...they all match up according to NAPA's huge spark plug book..more or less the same plugs except one is "L" for long electrode, etc...I will post the numbers on Sunday.. The plugs are slightly different llengths, but only from the insulator end...they are identical from washer to electrode tip.....NGK made a big difference of course..bike starts in 2 or 3 seconds and purrs nicely, and the Mikuni isnt even in yet.

Weldangrind · 10-10-2009, 02:35 AM

I'm with you on the tabs now. Did you bend 'em back? Did you shim them?

You can top off the battery with a little distilled water (but you probably knew that).

On your break-in question, I ran mine at a constant rpm for about 15 minutes to establish the cam and lifter relationship. After that, I rode it on the trails with varied throttle, while avoiding WOT. Now I ride it like it's hot.

PCD · 10-10-2009, 10:21 AM

Have not modified the tabs yet, but I am going to. I see no reason to have any front to back slop there. As long as the arms move freely up and down it should be good.

I have some distilled water around somewhere to top it up.

The bike is 50% taken apart again but I have a boatload of other stuff to do atm.

I will set up a new photobucket account for the pics later as I dont remember my L&P from old one.

Cheap trick: I removed the header pipe and painted it with a $15.00 rattle can of high temp aluminized silver header paint from C/T. As well as adding a little shine, it should protect it nicely.
Scotchbrite the pipe, brake cleaner, then paint away.
The exhaust gasket can be reused if you are carefull, but if you have ordered the performance pipe, you get a new one anyway.

Have to pick up a UniFilter as per Welndangrind today

EDIT: Not much today, busy with yard crap. Purchased a needle tip for my grease gun to fill up the rubber boots, re:steering and load some grease in the swingarm bearing area. They are are going to be replaced anyway, but I'd prefer some grease in there for now.

Oh, to get your "ownership" type papers, write down the VIN which is located on the front of the ATV, go to GIO Bikes site, go to "MY GIO" and find your invoice....right in that area you can input the VIN and get a couple pieces of paper to print out. Might be helpful if you want to register the bike for taking off private property, etc.

Had a few people drop over today...the bike was like a magnet...I told em the truth, under $900.00 to the door (the way it sits now)...most were shocked...I suppose they expected it to fall apart just sitting there because it came from China. I explained that these big Chinese factories can crank out 300 bikes a day and are ISO9001 certified (I believe it). Now, I know ISO and I know you you can write your own very lax set of procedures (lax or tight doesnt matter, just have to FOLLOW what you write) but still I think China is halfway up the bellcurve. Maybe they wont have quite so meteoric of a rise as Japan did, but that engine for example is pretty nice fit/finish wise...seriously.

PCD · 10-11-2009, 07:13 PM

Alright, so I only had time today to installl pipe and ignition and finish reassembly...so original carb still on.

Bike idles fine but give it the gas and she bogs out...even putting around in first gear you have to feather the throttle or it dies.
The thimb throtttle does have 3/4" of free play (how to adjust?) but I think this is a classic carb problem.

With the yardwork, Thanksgiving, etc I could really save some time if anyone knew the quick answer. Sure, i could give up and put the Mikuni on but I dont have time right now and thats a chickens way out...this must be fixable.

I would really appreciate any insight on this (float-slide-etc).

Thanks a bunch!

Pete

TurboT · 10-12-2009, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PCD

Alright, so I only had time today to installl pipe and ignition and finish reassembly...so original carb still on.

Bike idles fine but give it the gas and she bogs out...even putting around in first gear you have to feather the throttle or it dies.
The thimb throtttle does have 3/4" of free play (how to adjust?) but I think this is a classic carb problem.

With the yardwork, Thanksgiving, etc I could really save some time if anyone knew the quick answer. Sure, i could give up and put the Mikuni on but I dont have time right now and thats a chickens way out...this must be fixable.

I would really appreciate any insight on this (float-slide-etc).

Thanks a bunch!

Pete

Hey Pete,

Lots of talk on the forums about the chinese carbs being gummed up in shipping, and having crappy floats that need some cleaning and tweaking initially. You have a very typical problem and seen a lot of this complaint in the forums.

On both my 110cc and 50cc Gio's, they are extremely choke position sensitive. It's not a problem on my 110, since there is a lever under the handlebar, but the 50cc has a manual lever on the carb and it's a bleep sucker to get at. I'm not sure which setup is on the 200cc Beast, but it wouldn't surprise me if this is part of the problem.

I would play with your choke lever position some and see if that helps your bog problem before dissassembling the carb to look inside.

10-09-2009, 02:57 AM	#1
PCD Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newmarket On Canada Posts: 382	Beast arrived Oct 07 Only took the cardboard off yesterday, but from what I can see, it had a smooth journey. Hardware bag intact, reflectors good, shipping frame intact with no bangs or bends. The quality at first glance is not bad by a long shot. It looks well made in fact. I hope to have the time this weekend to disassemble the thing down to the frame and put it back together, armed with a few Metric taps and some Loctite I have not received any of the performance parts yet (Carb-Pipe-CDI-Shocks), so this is almost a useless update, but after saying hello in the Introduce Yourself forum, I thought I should at least follow up. Took a chance on the Hard Case as well as the Winch, but those are fluff items for now. Unimportant. Oh, winch is the GIO site 2000lb one. The manufacturers site says it wll do 500lbs at 25amps, so I'm hoping it will be alright, especially with a snatch block. I will be using Honda 4 stoke oil if anyone wanted to know. Cheers
	0

10-09-2009, 11:43 AM	#5
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Are you saying that other members have shared their tales of woe, and that has helped you? I can't wait to hear about your first ride report; you're doing this the right way. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

10-09-2009, 11:35 PM	#9
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	Tabs? Have a photo? __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

10-10-2009, 02:35 AM	#12
Weldangrind Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Sardis, BC, Canada Posts: 25,977	I'm with you on the tabs now. Did you bend 'em back? Did you shim them? You can top off the battery with a little distilled water (but you probably knew that). On your break-in question, I ran mine at a constant rpm for about 15 minutes to establish the cam and lifter relationship. After that, I rode it on the trails with varied throttle, while avoiding WOT. Now I ride it like it's hot. __________________ Weldangrind "I figure I'm well-prepared for coping with a bike that comes from the factory with unresolved issues and that rewards the self-reliant owner." - Buccaneer
	0

10-11-2009, 07:13 PM	#14
PCD Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newmarket On Canada Posts: 382	Carb or Throttle issue..suggestions? Alright, so I only had time today to installl pipe and ignition and finish reassembly...so original carb still on. Bike idles fine but give it the gas and she bogs out...even putting around in first gear you have to feather the throttle or it dies. The thimb throtttle does have 3/4" of free play (how to adjust?) but I think this is a classic carb problem. With the yardwork, Thanksgiving, etc I could really save some time if anyone knew the quick answer. Sure, i could give up and put the Mikuni on but I dont have time right now and thats a chickens way out...this must be fixable. I would really appreciate any insight on this (float-slide-etc). Thanks a bunch! Pete
	0

10-09-2009, 03:59 AM	#2
Reveeen Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: orbital platform Posts: 741	I hope to have the time this weekend to disassemble the thing down to the frame and put it back together, armed with a few Metric taps and some Loctite +10 Probably the best way to do it.
	0

10-09-2009, 04:16 AM	#3
TurboT Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Surrey, B.C., Canada Posts: 2,185	Have fun and keep us posted!!
	0

10-09-2009, 06:14 PM	#7
waynev Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: London, Ontario Posts: 1,097	I'll be watching this post as my beast shipped today, hopefully will get it by the end of next week, still bidding on hop-up parts though. Looking forward to the rest of the story on your beast.
	0

10-09-2009, 10:39 PM	#8
PCD Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newmarket On Canada Posts: 382	Quick Update: Change of plans....Assemble-Adjust-Complete-Oil-Start, then tear down tommorow and reassemble. So Far: Perfect and I mean perfect...steering centered, brakes needed NO adjustment as of yet...Batt was good to go after adding acid....let it sit 15 minutes then put charger on it (2 AMP!!)...charger immediatly read 75% and shut off in about 30 mins...All cotter pins engaging nuts properly...steering bushings crimped in nicely (Hi Weldangrind!!).... Now look, i understand things are going too well...i suppose it will have a spun bearing on start up, but even the blind squirell gets lucky and finds a nut every now and then right? One flat tire...hit it with 24psi for the bead...its been good for 3 hours so far. QUESTION: I notice the tabs/ears for the upper A arms have been bent in due to overtightening but there is still longitudinal slop there...whats the opinion on a few spacers to eliminate that slop and put the ears back at 90 degrees for proper tightening.. I have been taking pics.... later Pete EDIT: I have a drain plug!! yay...too bad the skid plate access hole is an inch out of place..LOL
	0

10-10-2009, 02:08 AM	#11
PCD Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newmarket On Canada Posts: 382	SECOND UPDATE: It's all done and runs spiffy. Setting tha tbtich up the right way took a lot of time. Cant wait to take it all apart tommorow 8O TIPS: Watch your frigging hands on the welded shipping frame. Mine looked like Freddy from Elm street had a go at it. I got my oldest son to help me lift the bike on to bucket before beginning work. It is a square pool chlorine bucket about 20" high and the bike balances nicely on the skidplate. Leaves you plenty of room and clearance to work. Dont spill the little white container in the little white box packed around mid-frame...Hydrachloric acid, and besides after I spilled mine there wasnt quite enough left to hit the top of the plates in the batt. Charged up fine though, so WTF. Only remove the bottom shipping frame bolts and you can lift the entire thing off with only 6 bolts. Do not worry about what goes where. They generally leave one bolt installed where the others are supposed to go to help you out. For example, the rear rack mounts where the reflectors are and they leave 2 bolts installed and 2 bolts in a package for you. Dont put your rear wheels on backwards..the tread design is meant to channel mud and water to the outside of the tire, not the other way around...Yeah, I almost did Speaking of the rack..it is going to rub a hole in the the top of the rear fenders in no time as it sits right on the plastic. I suggest a little piece of weatherstripping abour 4" long on either side, between the rack and body work. It does not "sit" on the plastic body, but rub would be a better word..it is really mounted with 4 bolts to the frame. You will need a long or flexible neck funnel for the oil. Dipstick location is awkward at best. My dipstick looked like a dog had chewed and twisted the (crankcase) end. Manual says 0.9 Liters so I put in a liter and called it a day. Sight glass is totally covered / full. Seat can be tricky..it has a tounge near the front and was bent on mine...the tounge goes under the little crossmember behind the tank and if you do the seat correctly it has NO movement whatsoever...to install, tilt the seat forward slightly (fron down, rear up) and shove it toward the tank so that tounge goes under the crossmember, then push the rear down and give tha back of the seat a smack to push it forward a little, then push down and the rear latch will engage....it takes 3 times longer to type this than actually do it, not hard after the first time. On my bike, the brake lever only has to be engaged to start...not clutch, just brake. I have not tried to start it in gear yet. The rear wheels are bolted on directly to the hub. The hub is drilled and tapped, but I will be putting Nylock nuts on the backside of them to ensure they dont back out. THERE IS A WIRE RUN DOWN BESIDE THE RIDERS RIGHT KNEE, IT IS ACTUALLY PRESSED AGAINST THE EXHAUST PIPE AND WILL MELT! This 2 wire run goes to the brake light swith that is mounted on a bracket almost touching the pipe. I spotted this last night but forgot to move it out of the way, and of course it melted when I started it up after changing the plug. Stupid me. This is not the easiest thing to fix actually, the mounting tab/bracket is within 1/8" of the pipe and welded to the frame. Its short and stubby so bending it might break the weld...I guess i'll put some shrink wrap tubing on the wires and wrap a 1" strip of that muffler bandage stuff around the pipe in that location. Spark Plugs..I have 3 different ones...2 NGK and one Champ...they all match up according to NAPA's huge spark plug book..more or less the same plugs except one is "L" for long electrode, etc...I will post the numbers on Sunday.. The plugs are slightly different llengths, but only from the insulator end...they are identical from washer to electrode tip.....NGK made a big difference of course..bike starts in 2 or 3 seconds and purrs nicely, and the Mikuni isnt even in yet.
	0

10-10-2009, 10:21 AM	#13
PCD Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Newmarket On Canada Posts: 382	Have not modified the tabs yet, but I am going to. I see no reason to have any front to back slop there. As long as the arms move freely up and down it should be good. I have some distilled water around somewhere to top it up. The bike is 50% taken apart again but I have a boatload of other stuff to do atm. I will set up a new photobucket account for the pics later as I dont remember my L&P from old one. Cheap trick: I removed the header pipe and painted it with a $15.00 rattle can of high temp aluminized silver header paint from C/T. As well as adding a little shine, it should protect it nicely. Scotchbrite the pipe, brake cleaner, then paint away. The exhaust gasket can be reused if you are carefull, but if you have ordered the performance pipe, you get a new one anyway. Have to pick up a UniFilter as per Welndangrind today EDIT: Not much today, busy with yard crap. Purchased a needle tip for my grease gun to fill up the rubber boots, re:steering and load some grease in the swingarm bearing area. They are are going to be replaced anyway, but I'd prefer some grease in there for now. Oh, to get your "ownership" type papers, write down the VIN which is located on the front of the ATV, go to GIO Bikes site, go to "MY GIO" and find your invoice....right in that area you can input the VIN and get a couple pieces of paper to print out. Might be helpful if you want to register the bike for taking off private property, etc. Had a few people drop over today...the bike was like a magnet...I told em the truth, under $900.00 to the door (the way it sits now)...most were shocked...I suppose they expected it to fall apart just sitting there because it came from China. I explained that these big Chinese factories can crank out 300 bikes a day and are ISO9001 certified (I believe it). Now, I know ISO and I know you you can write your own very lax set of procedures (lax or tight doesnt matter, just have to FOLLOW what you write) but still I think China is halfway up the bellcurve. Maybe they wont have quite so meteoric of a rise as Japan did, but that engine for example is pretty nice fit/finish wise...seriously.
	0