C'mon guys, surely SOMEONE can answer my questions?

[Wez]

Hi all.

So i bought a new bike 3 months ago, had wanted a little toy for a while & I wasn't prepared to spend too much $$$ on a Jap bike.

It's labelled a 'TRAIL' but after looking through the Pure Dirt Forum I realised that it is identical to the VIVA 250.

Ok, so I'm a mod guy... nothing of mine can stay standard for too long!
I've done a few things to the bike so far, just wanted to get a few opinions on a couple of unanswered questions floating round in my mind.

Q.1. The standard sprocket setup was 15/54. Great bottom end torque, but the guy who sold me the bike convinced me to change to a 15/48 for longer gears & a better topend. 1st gear is now usable & 5th gear is quite a bit better. Is this a better gear ratio for moderate trail riding?

Q.2. The suspension. I weigh 100kg (220lbs)... I've left the rear spring adjustment as is (it's at about half way up the threaded shaft)... was gonna let the spring 'settle in' a bit before adjusting the ride height. Now, which rebound setting is best for trail riding, fast or slow?? Should the rebound in the front be the same as the back?

Other mods include: scrapping the stock handle bars & fitting a decent pair (tusk handle bar raisers are on order) as I'm 6.2ft tall & the bars are way too low when I stand, LOTS of red locktite, custom sticker kit, re-routing the front brake cable as it kept rubbing against my front tire when I braked, Polisport handguards, fitting an in-line fuel filter (which is already full of crap!!), bleeding the cheap brake fluid & putting some decent stuff in, also took the cheap airfilter out & replaced with a much bigger, better one, etc etc.

I'll post some pics soon & I'd appreciate some feedback.

Thanks guys.

Wez

[Wez]

Here's the bike (minus the custom sticker kit & bar raisers)..

[BrokenWarrior]

Hey dude,nice bike.Here in Canada those are called Giovanni,and while I`ve heard they have "issues",you seemed to have nailed most of them(air filter,weak handle bars,ect).Correct me if I`m wrong,but Africa is mostly flat plains is it not?If that is so,15/48 would certainly make more sense.Where I live the terrain is mostly hills and mountains so a higher(numeracle) ratio is better.My first China bike,a Hummer(a.k.a. "Shinetime"),is very similar to what you have with the exception of the suspension and wheels.When it arrives(soon I hope,back order) I will be in a better position to offer advice,but I will say you ought to dissemble the rear suspension linkage and thoroughly grease it(the Chinese don`t), and switch to a high quality fork oil (heavier)because the stock stuff leaves alot to be desired from what I`ve heard.Also,inspect your spark plug for evidence of leanness(white/gray buildup or heat damage) because those bikes were factory tuned with poor air filters and an upgrade can sometimes cause a lean condition.Look for old threads on carb tuning on this forum if need be.Hope this helps.

[winwun]

From personal experience I can advise if you are going to be riding trails where there is the likleyhood of the front coming up with you, you want to make the front suspension as soft as possible.

This would be for, like, steep hill climbs with water bars or rock ledges, on stuff like this, you don't want the front to be rebounding too aggressively.

[smithyUK]

do alot of trail riding myself original sprockets gave plenty of low end
torque changed 2 new set 2 give me more speed. doesnt work lol keep the bike set up 4 low end torque mate i find thats the best set up but i own a gy 125 dual sport.
hope this helps a wee bit
nice bike btw

[devinzz1]

please tell me what you did with the air filter and post a pic. thnks

[MICRider]

Originally Posted by devinzz1

please tell me what you did with the air filter and post a pic. thnks

Hi devinzz,

This is about a 2 year old thread and I haven't seen any posts by the original poster, so I'm not even sure if he checks the forums anymore. I suspect he put something like a UNI filter on, you can measure the outside diameter of the carb throat and buy a UNI to fit. The bike he posted looks identical to a GIO 250 dirt bike. A few of the members here have the Gio 250 and could probably answer any questions you might have.

Cheers,
Stew

[brentn]

Adjusting your preload on this bike is COMPLETELY USELESS with the suspension it comes with...

You might think that your doing the right thing, or buying heavier springs for your weight, but that only works well for suspension that is actually decent like Kayaba for example.

Just for everyones information...