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

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.

Have fun and keep us posted!! :)

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

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

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

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.

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

Tabs? Have a photo?

I should have known better.... :lol:

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?http://i644.photobucket.com/albums/uu164/petecd/017.jpg[/code]

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.

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.

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.

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

Re: Carb or Throttle issue..suggestions?
 

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.

Re: Carb or Throttle issue..suggestions?
 

Hey Pete,

Our Beast has considerable throttle free-play as well (which is a good thing), but what's paramount is that the throttle opens and closes fully. If you need to adjust it, there should be a mid-cable adjuster downstream of the thumb throttle.

Regarding the bog, check the air / fuel screw. I can't remember where ours ended up, but gently turn the screw until it seats (counting the turns) and then back it out a different amount. That type of flow-chart approach will find the answer quickly. Theoretically, the ideal air / fuel ratio will produce peak idle rpm; so much so that you might need to turn down the idle and start over. The really hard part is finding a screwdriver to access that bloody screw under the carb. I think I ended up using a 1/4" ratchet and a #2 phillips bit, but I can't remember for sure.

Thank you both for the answers....i gave up late last night with the bike in the middle of the backyard...a few moments ago i ventured out side for a look see.....air fuel screw or idle screw (dont know which one if it even had both) is gone.....I clearly remember a spring loaded shiny screw before...and now, nothing.

This may explain why it ran around the yard just peachy for 30 minutes before crapping out.

I have no hope of finding said screw so I guess I'll just put the Mikuni on.

Thank You again

Pete

I only have a couple hours before I have to go in to work (yay).

EDIT: Yes, it was the carb, as well as the missing screw, the clip that sets the lean/rich mixture was off the needle...dont ask me how it ever ran in the first place.
MIKUNI: Nice piece, the slide looks to be coated, maybe Teflon? There are 2 issues, one small and one PITA...idle needs adjusting, fine...but the bigger problem is the choke.

I have read others comments where they say the bracket wont fit, but I have no choice but to try....the choke on the Mikuni keeps flipping ON...it does not have a big external return spring like the original did, just a very small internal one (I think) and a small detent. After 30 seconds of vibration the choke slips to the "on" position and stalls the bike....Takes no pressure to push the choke lever "on"...I think if a fly landed on it it would engage, so you can imagine what a few seconds of ATV vibration does to it.

The Mikuni has the same cable bracket and locating pin as the original carb...it looks like that arm will come right off the old one and on the Mikuni...lets hope so.

EDIT: Upon closer inspection it looks like a direct swap (choke bracket and return spring). the plastic choke lever is identical and the casting boss on the Mikuni is in the same place...

Looks like it can be done with the carb on. I know, better to take it off, but less risk of screwing up the slide-needle-spring if i leave it on...in reality it is only a Phillips screw and a spring. The choke cable is easy to get on the lever.

Forgot to mention..when I dissassembled the original carb, the throttle cable that is attached to the slide was NOT running correctly down the "inside" of the spring, but jammed between the spring and slide housing. It even has score marks on it.
When I removed the air filter, you could almost dump the gas out of it, which may be caused by a stuck float? On the other hand, the float moved freely and there was no grunge in the bowl at all.
Pete

Sorry, but I still have not figured out what machine this is? Sound like you guys like it, so I will be watching to learn more.

A Beast is a 200cc Gio sport quad. They're loads of fun, but take considerable PDI to make a reliable performer. Once you get past that, you'll grin all day long while riding one.

Just to add to what Weldangrind said, they do not take a considerable amount of money to prep, just your own labor and a few bucks in parts, probably less than a hundred. Sure, I value my time as well as anyone else, but I enjoy working on bikes as opposed to say,..raking leaves :)

Besides, you sure get to know your machine after ripping it all apart once or twice :wink:

IMHO the one MUST HAVE "extra" part is the 200cc/250cc Mikuni performance carb. I had one shipped with the bike but thought I'd break in it with the stock piece. Never again.

Moot point here since you swapped the carb, but I had a similar thing happen to a 50cc and forgot to mention for you to check that. However, the said 50cc wouldn't even start with the missing screw, so that's my out. :)

Hey, at least you had an out ;)

The root of the problem was me trying to break the bike in with the stock carb to save time. I chose to ignore the many, many horror stories because of course, MY bike is going be different right? HA!

Well, as my father used to say, 'Its a poor day when you don't learn SOMETHING".

Pete

I had some stupid issues with the 50cc carb, namely the slider was in backwards, and wasn't seating all the way to the bottom. When I started it it would scream and take off on me!! Bit of a head scratcher for me at the time, as I didn't have a lot of experience with motorcycle carbs.

Other than that, both my daughters quads have the stock carbs, and to be honest, I have ZERO problems with the running conditions of either, except for perhaps being a 'tad' rich.. nothing bad though. They run real well...but I also don't need a ton of power out of them for my 5 and 7 year olds. :)

I have other issues..mainly bad front ends due to crappy shocks and just recently, a rear axle issue..

I'm 6ft, about 185...if I stand on the pegs and lean/bounce the front end, i get about 1" of travel. I am not joking.
Performance shocks arent here yet but they HAVE to be an improvement. So my point is (as you likely know) if the suspension isnt taking the beating, what is? Lets guess :)

If the machine had of run OK with the stock carb I probably would have done more important things first, and there are many. Stock carb would have been fine.
In an earlier post i mentioned it arrived in REAL good shape, well, I paid for that with the carb :). Luck of the draw...I would have preferred a few smashed reflectors and a functional carb, but what can you do right?

Haha yeah you just have to remember they make thousands of them a week, then they float over here in a container, knocked around being delivered to the warehouse, kicked around by UPS coming to you etc. There's bound to be something amiss through either shipping damage or world famous Chinese QC. You take the good with the bad.

I'm not surprised about the front end at all. Gio had mentioned some performance shocks for the 110cc, but I haven't seen them yet. I'm 6'6, 260lbs, and I can barely get them to move on this little machine. Tough for my little kids to control the smacks as it sends the things reeling. The hits are being soaked up by the 'A' arm, and it's loosening the bolts which connect the assembly to the frame. I'm constantly tightening. Again, it's rarely at speed hitting bumps, and I wouldn't want it to be the way it is. They were entry quads to see if my kids liked them, and if we got a chance to get them on them enough. We'll see as time passes how I can make them better etc. I've owned them less than a year.

Part of my "part-time" job (I'm an old retired fellow) requires I operate one of these:

http://www.toro.com/grounds/vehicle/...cro/index.html

I started the summer with a brand spanking new one.

3 motors, and countless parts, later I have come to the conclusion they aren't much better than what GIO sells, sure the Toro is a bit "higher" quality, but not high enough to merit the additional cost.

I did not google it $$, but I have a rough idea depending on model. Thats surprising really.
Based on your posts here as well as the GIO site, I see you're not exactly new to the mechanical world. By that I mean if i were required to use one of them it would be taken care of as Im sure you do as well. Even if you have a staff of mechanics I'm sure you check the oil and dont drive it in to the ground just beacause "the company" owns it.

So like I said, surprising to say the least because they are at least in the top 3 (or higher) for "reputation" and definatly price.

The first engine "made" oil. (I am sure the fuel pump diaphragm was letting fuel into the oil) I was told to operate it (by the dealer) until it would no longer "operate".
Engine #2 lost a pressure line between the oil filter and the oil pump (remote oil filter), possibly related to the engine change, but maybe not, the line just burst.
Engine #3 knocked from new, again I was told to operate it until it wouldn't move, I *guess* Toro won't pay warranty for fixes, just component replacement.

The front end has gone out twice, 1 steering box, 1 outer tie rod end.

The parking brake has never worked.

Usage: 1 hour daily, 1/2 on asphalt, 1/2 on smooth gravel road, maybe carrying 500 lbs MAX.

Not my money, if it was mine, it would have gone back. These are not like the Toro of old, it appears Chinese made, for sure "Asian made".

Wow. I would have camped at the dealer with a portable billboard until they replaced the entire machine if it were my dollars.

Too bad about Toro, I looked at a Titan a little while back (out of my price range though) and honestly, for the bucks, it didnt look all THAT great.

I think more and more people are starting to realize that the ONLY goal of a company is to enhance profits to the shareholders, not make great products, keep customers happy, etc.

The CEO knows he's gonna be gone in a few years so the heck with long term strategy...lets outsource to a third world country, lay off a bunch of workers, and we'll have a FANTASTIC third quarter profit.

Oh, lucky the thing didnt burn up with the burst remote filter line...I probably would have stood back and had a smoke while it cooked.

The workload you describe should barely stress the thing. Shame.

Pete

Your comment on American publicly held companies management is so accurate I worry about you being a CEO.

It took me a long time to realize there are much more important things in this life than money.

Sorry for no updates yet, no time to finish this up til Saturday. I'll be darned if I even touch a rake until this bike is done ;)

Hey I got a wife for that raking thing. Oh and she does other things also!!!

Heh.....yeah, I remember those days too....I'm seperated, but we are both still under the same roof...yup, its as fun as it sounds, but of course like everything else there is a story behind it.

Hey, it could be worse (just let me think for awhile)...

Pete

Pete your signature is priceless. :)

I don't know how you keep the wheel down on the 450 though. 8O My 250 is hairy enough.

...just love the empty wallet comment though.

The wheel cant be kept down. I will be selling it via my usual procedure, buy hi, sell low, take a loss ;). I just finally wanted the best you know? Give it a try. The thing is light years beyond me and in fact I paid a racer to set it all up for me...it has far too many adjustments for me to ever get right. I dont even know if that steering damper thing works well or not because you have to be extremely careful on that machine. Brutal is the word. But....but...the noise that thing makes screaming down the straights has be heard...it really does. Cops show up if I ride it around the block more than once.

The 150R is tamer but the same thing.

As for the empty wallet I could probably have put 1958-2009 instead :). I do my RRSP crap and stuff, but I suck with money. Always have. No self restraint...so...the way I get around it is lock myself in to a certain level of debt and pay it off.
If I had an extra 5 bills a week then I'd end up peeing it away....this way I at least have something to show for it.

Different strokes....etc.

Thank you for the link, very nice.

I believe from reading your posts you are old enough to remember the 73 Kawi 900.

I purchased one in 1978 at the age of 20. I was T-boned in broad daylight by a completely sober driver who "did not see" me.

My right leg was destroyed. Multiple compound fractures. I still have veins in my lower leg the size of airline hose.

Nothing on this planet would motivate me to ever ride the street again.

Off topic: Yes, the bike really did do 140. Please remember I was 20 and stupid.

you are old enough to remember the 73 Kawi 900

I used to own (and successfully hang on to) a Rickman framed H2, so, yes, I am old enough. I blew through the side of a Dodge window van on a Norton Commando and walked away.

Nothing on this planet would motivate me to ever ride the street again.

After many years rest I find myself liking small, light, low displacement motorcycles that I can ride @ the pin, scaring myself silly, but not able to hurt myself (too badly).