200cc Gio beast Review, Problems, Repairs, Upgrades.
#1
10-05-2008, 02:02 AM
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200cc Gio beast Review, Problems, Repairs, Upgrades.
I have had my GIO BEAST for almost 4 weeks now. It has seen trail and back road duty, no jumps, no water over 4 inches deep. I have not yet burned 2 complete tanks of gas. These are the various problems I have had, along with the repairs, and upgrades that I have done. The information here is from countless hours spent, I hope it can help fellow gio beast owners and maybe even help the manufacture build a decent quad.
Initial assembly.
-Tighten everything. (wheel hub nuts, tie rod ends loose even though installed already.)
-Use a tape measure to set toe and set camber by eye.
-Change engine oil right away (15W40 rotella seems to work nice)
-Front bumper would not fit, had to grind out the mounting holes.
-The seat takes some carefull tweaking on the front tab or you will break it if you force it.
-My carb came without the idle screw (fell out in shipping) so I was sent a replacement carb. (it idled very poorly).
-Rear rack brackets would not line up without some more grinding.
-Tire pressure needs to be set (they come very over inflated).
-carb setup, seems to work well at about 3 turns out on the idle screw and the middle notch on the main jet needle.
Problems (P.) and repairs (R.) or upgrades (U.)
P. The rear swing arm is not straight from the factory and with a little use it bends at the rear drop outs. The rear swing arm bushings are to soft and deflect under load which causes the rear axle alignment to be even worse. The rear axle alignment issues throws the chain off the sprockets when you need it most. The chain is junk and broke pretty quick.
R. U. The rear swing arm was removed, straightened and re enforced. While I had the welder and cutting tools out out I lengthened the swing arm about 2" and put 3/4" heim joints in to replace the weak swing arm bushings. The rear chain was replaced with a DID O-ring chain (428 series) which is now longer than stock to work with the lengthened swing arm. The shock mount was cut off of the rear axle and re mounted on the swing arm to work with the new length. The new shock mounting location was on the new metal added to re enforce the rear axle drop outs.
P. The front springs are much to hard and don't allow any articulation so even small bumps twist the steering out of your hand.
U. Remove the shocks, compress the coil springs, disassemble the shock and cut 2 coils from the spring.
P. The front shocks are sold as adjustable air shocks, but they are not adjustable and they are a fake. The "remote" oil reservior on the side is nothing but a hunk of aluminum, nothing in it.
R. I had a long battle with Giovanni about these shocks and the false advertising that was written about them. When I finally proved my point they stopped contact. The solution is for them to install the "upgrade" shocks they stock as the factory item if they wish to advertise them as adjustable air shocks.
P. The shock eye bushings are beat out already
R. I have not figured out one yet, I think I will ebay some used yamaha banshe shocks.
P. The rear axle bearings are a sealed type plus they have an external seal, the external seal is put in dry, and the machined surface they run on is rough. The seal has already torn and one axle bearing is rough.
R. Replaced rear axle bearings and seals with parts from local Kaman Brg. Store. I removed the side seals from the new bearings and just used the outside seals, I then installed a grease nipple in the middle of the axle housing. I then pumped the whole housing full of grease. You have to be carefull not to pump the seals right out, but with with a little pump of grease after a ride it will push all the water out and the bearings should last for a long time.
P. The brake (starter) switch has failed.
R. Currently just jumped the circuit
P. When the chain broke the front sprocket cover got broken
R. Hopefully Gio will send me a new one, but they have not reponded to any emails since the front shock debate.
P. The choke sticks open, so even when you apply the choke it does not apply unless you give it little tap at the carb.
R. I little lube has worked so far.
P. The air filter is not sealed around the edge of the foam and it allows un filtered air in.
U. Installed an aftermarket air filter.
P. The clutch cable bracket at the engine end is not aligned properly and if left alone would eat the clutch cable.
R. Bend clutch bracket on engine to correct geometery.
P. The rear fenders buzz and rattle against the rear rack.
R. Drill some small holes in the fenders and ziptie them against the rear rack bars which makes the fenders much stronger and stops the noises.
P. The engine vibrates pretty bad at certain RPMS.
R. None that I know of, an un balanced single cylinder engine is not easy to fix.
P. Muffler is very restrictive, the muffler is a dead end design with tiny little holes drilled in the core pipe.
U. Section muffler, redesign exhaust flow using fiberglass and baffles that do not reduce the exhaust flow but do still maintian reasonable sound levels. Weld muffler back together.
P. Wiring plugs are junk, they fall apart and cause all kinds of odd problems. To make things worse there are no wiring diagrams, and wire colors change at random as you follow one circuit.
R. I have not done it yet, but all the connections need to be replaced and a wiring schematic needs to be published.
I am sure there are more that I have forgot and will update as I remember.
Initial assembly.
-Tighten everything. (wheel hub nuts, tie rod ends loose even though installed already.)
-Use a tape measure to set toe and set camber by eye.
-Change engine oil right away (15W40 rotella seems to work nice)
-Front bumper would not fit, had to grind out the mounting holes.
-The seat takes some carefull tweaking on the front tab or you will break it if you force it.
-My carb came without the idle screw (fell out in shipping) so I was sent a replacement carb. (it idled very poorly).
-Rear rack brackets would not line up without some more grinding.
-Tire pressure needs to be set (they come very over inflated).
-carb setup, seems to work well at about 3 turns out on the idle screw and the middle notch on the main jet needle.
Problems (P.) and repairs (R.) or upgrades (U.)
P. The rear swing arm is not straight from the factory and with a little use it bends at the rear drop outs. The rear swing arm bushings are to soft and deflect under load which causes the rear axle alignment to be even worse. The rear axle alignment issues throws the chain off the sprockets when you need it most. The chain is junk and broke pretty quick.
R. U. The rear swing arm was removed, straightened and re enforced. While I had the welder and cutting tools out out I lengthened the swing arm about 2" and put 3/4" heim joints in to replace the weak swing arm bushings. The rear chain was replaced with a DID O-ring chain (428 series) which is now longer than stock to work with the lengthened swing arm. The shock mount was cut off of the rear axle and re mounted on the swing arm to work with the new length. The new shock mounting location was on the new metal added to re enforce the rear axle drop outs.
P. The front springs are much to hard and don't allow any articulation so even small bumps twist the steering out of your hand.
U. Remove the shocks, compress the coil springs, disassemble the shock and cut 2 coils from the spring.
P. The front shocks are sold as adjustable air shocks, but they are not adjustable and they are a fake. The "remote" oil reservior on the side is nothing but a hunk of aluminum, nothing in it.
R. I had a long battle with Giovanni about these shocks and the false advertising that was written about them. When I finally proved my point they stopped contact. The solution is for them to install the "upgrade" shocks they stock as the factory item if they wish to advertise them as adjustable air shocks.
P. The shock eye bushings are beat out already
R. I have not figured out one yet, I think I will ebay some used yamaha banshe shocks.
P. The rear axle bearings are a sealed type plus they have an external seal, the external seal is put in dry, and the machined surface they run on is rough. The seal has already torn and one axle bearing is rough.
R. Replaced rear axle bearings and seals with parts from local Kaman Brg. Store. I removed the side seals from the new bearings and just used the outside seals, I then installed a grease nipple in the middle of the axle housing. I then pumped the whole housing full of grease. You have to be carefull not to pump the seals right out, but with with a little pump of grease after a ride it will push all the water out and the bearings should last for a long time.
P. The brake (starter) switch has failed.
R. Currently just jumped the circuit
P. When the chain broke the front sprocket cover got broken
R. Hopefully Gio will send me a new one, but they have not reponded to any emails since the front shock debate.
P. The choke sticks open, so even when you apply the choke it does not apply unless you give it little tap at the carb.
R. I little lube has worked so far.
P. The air filter is not sealed around the edge of the foam and it allows un filtered air in.
U. Installed an aftermarket air filter.
P. The clutch cable bracket at the engine end is not aligned properly and if left alone would eat the clutch cable.
R. Bend clutch bracket on engine to correct geometery.
P. The rear fenders buzz and rattle against the rear rack.
R. Drill some small holes in the fenders and ziptie them against the rear rack bars which makes the fenders much stronger and stops the noises.
P. The engine vibrates pretty bad at certain RPMS.
R. None that I know of, an un balanced single cylinder engine is not easy to fix.
P. Muffler is very restrictive, the muffler is a dead end design with tiny little holes drilled in the core pipe.
U. Section muffler, redesign exhaust flow using fiberglass and baffles that do not reduce the exhaust flow but do still maintian reasonable sound levels. Weld muffler back together.
P. Wiring plugs are junk, they fall apart and cause all kinds of odd problems. To make things worse there are no wiring diagrams, and wire colors change at random as you follow one circuit.
R. I have not done it yet, but all the connections need to be replaced and a wiring schematic needs to be published.
I am sure there are more that I have forgot and will update as I remember.
#2
10-06-2008, 03:27 PM
Join Date: Oct 2008
Posts: 2
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200cc Gio beast Review, Problems, Repairs, Upgrades.
#5
11-28-2008, 09:35 AM
200cc Gio beast Review, Problems, Repairs, Upgrades.
there is one more problem the plastic fuel filter is to close to the head we were riding one day and my freinds fuel filter melted to head and almost caught on fire looked at my atv and filter was close to head please let every one know this
#6
11-28-2008, 01:28 PM
200cc Gio beast Review, Problems, Repairs, Upgrades.
i too own the 200 gio beast, i did an inspection on every squaree inch of it, loosened all bolts/nuts, loc-tited everything, replaced a handfull of stuff, added a bunch of after market goodies. with all the bad reviews on this quad, i gotta say, its one tuff little quad, i even did a 4-roll down an embankment, it landed on all fours, it fired up first try. this quad has been excellent to me, no problems whatso ever....
heres some pics of my gio 200 as well as some of my sons...
PICS OF OUR 200 GIOVANNI BEASTS
mine red, his white..
NEO
Ps, several other pics too...
heres some pics of my gio 200 as well as some of my sons...
PICS OF OUR 200 GIOVANNI BEASTS
mine red, his white..
NEO
Ps, several other pics too...
#7
05-03-2009, 06:32 AM
fixes
hi i would like to know how you fixed the front seat latching problem and if you had pics of that and the swingarm fix that you did.if you do could you post them here or email me the pics to jody4224@gmail.com
I have had my GIO BEAST for almost 4 weeks now. It has seen trail and back road duty, no jumps, no water over 4 inches deep. I have not yet burned 2 complete tanks of gas. These are the various problems I have had, along with the repairs, and upgrades that I have done. The information here is from countless hours spent, I hope it can help fellow gio beast owners and maybe even help the manufacture build a decent quad.
Initial assembly.
-Tighten everything. (wheel hub nuts, tie rod ends loose even though installed already.)
-Use a tape measure to set toe and set camber by eye.
-Change engine oil right away (15W40 rotella seems to work nice)
-Front bumper would not fit, had to grind out the mounting holes.
-The seat takes some carefull tweaking on the front tab or you will break it if you force it.
-My carb came without the idle screw (fell out in shipping) so I was sent a replacement carb. (it idled very poorly).
-Rear rack brackets would not line up without some more grinding.
-Tire pressure needs to be set (they come very over inflated).
-carb setup, seems to work well at about 3 turns out on the idle screw and the middle notch on the main jet needle.
Problems (P.) and repairs (R.) or upgrades (U.)
P. The rear swing arm is not straight from the factory and with a little use it bends at the rear drop outs. The rear swing arm bushings are to soft and deflect under load which causes the rear axle alignment to be even worse. The rear axle alignment issues throws the chain off the sprockets when you need it most. The chain is junk and broke pretty quick.
R. U. The rear swing arm was removed, straightened and re enforced. While I had the welder and cutting tools out out I lengthened the swing arm about 2" and put 3/4" heim joints in to replace the weak swing arm bushings. The rear chain was replaced with a DID O-ring chain (428 series) which is now longer than stock to work with the lengthened swing arm. The shock mount was cut off of the rear axle and re mounted on the swing arm to work with the new length. The new shock mounting location was on the new metal added to re enforce the rear axle drop outs.
P. The front springs are much to hard and don't allow any articulation so even small bumps twist the steering out of your hand.
U. Remove the shocks, compress the coil springs, disassemble the shock and cut 2 coils from the spring.
P. The front shocks are sold as adjustable air shocks, but they are not adjustable and they are a fake. The "remote" oil reservior on the side is nothing but a hunk of aluminum, nothing in it.
R. I had a long battle with Giovanni about these shocks and the false advertising that was written about them. When I finally proved my point they stopped contact. The solution is for them to install the "upgrade" shocks they stock as the factory item if they wish to advertise them as adjustable air shocks.
P. The shock eye bushings are beat out already
R. I have not figured out one yet, I think I will ebay some used yamaha banshe shocks.
P. The rear axle bearings are a sealed type plus they have an external seal, the external seal is put in dry, and the machined surface they run on is rough. The seal has already torn and one axle bearing is rough.
R. Replaced rear axle bearings and seals with parts from local Kaman Brg. Store. I removed the side seals from the new bearings and just used the outside seals, I then installed a grease nipple in the middle of the axle housing. I then pumped the whole housing full of grease. You have to be carefull not to pump the seals right out, but with with a little pump of grease after a ride it will push all the water out and the bearings should last for a long time.
P. The brake (starter) switch has failed.
R. Currently just jumped the circuit
P. When the chain broke the front sprocket cover got broken
R. Hopefully Gio will send me a new one, but they have not reponded to any emails since the front shock debate.
P. The choke sticks open, so even when you apply the choke it does not apply unless you give it little tap at the carb.
R. I little lube has worked so far.
P. The air filter is not sealed around the edge of the foam and it allows un filtered air in.
U. Installed an aftermarket air filter.
P. The clutch cable bracket at the engine end is not aligned properly and if left alone would eat the clutch cable.
R. Bend clutch bracket on engine to correct geometery.
P. The rear fenders buzz and rattle against the rear rack.
R. Drill some small holes in the fenders and ziptie them against the rear rack bars which makes the fenders much stronger and stops the noises.
P. The engine vibrates pretty bad at certain RPMS.
R. None that I know of, an un balanced single cylinder engine is not easy to fix.
P. Muffler is very restrictive, the muffler is a dead end design with tiny little holes drilled in the core pipe.
U. Section muffler, redesign exhaust flow using fiberglass and baffles that do not reduce the exhaust flow but do still maintian reasonable sound levels. Weld muffler back together.
P. Wiring plugs are junk, they fall apart and cause all kinds of odd problems. To make things worse there are no wiring diagrams, and wire colors change at random as you follow one circuit.
R. I have not done it yet, but all the connections need to be replaced and a wiring schematic needs to be published.
I am sure there are more that I have forgot and will update as I remember.
Initial assembly.
-Tighten everything. (wheel hub nuts, tie rod ends loose even though installed already.)
-Use a tape measure to set toe and set camber by eye.
-Change engine oil right away (15W40 rotella seems to work nice)
-Front bumper would not fit, had to grind out the mounting holes.
-The seat takes some carefull tweaking on the front tab or you will break it if you force it.
-My carb came without the idle screw (fell out in shipping) so I was sent a replacement carb. (it idled very poorly).
-Rear rack brackets would not line up without some more grinding.
-Tire pressure needs to be set (they come very over inflated).
-carb setup, seems to work well at about 3 turns out on the idle screw and the middle notch on the main jet needle.
Problems (P.) and repairs (R.) or upgrades (U.)
P. The rear swing arm is not straight from the factory and with a little use it bends at the rear drop outs. The rear swing arm bushings are to soft and deflect under load which causes the rear axle alignment to be even worse. The rear axle alignment issues throws the chain off the sprockets when you need it most. The chain is junk and broke pretty quick.
R. U. The rear swing arm was removed, straightened and re enforced. While I had the welder and cutting tools out out I lengthened the swing arm about 2" and put 3/4" heim joints in to replace the weak swing arm bushings. The rear chain was replaced with a DID O-ring chain (428 series) which is now longer than stock to work with the lengthened swing arm. The shock mount was cut off of the rear axle and re mounted on the swing arm to work with the new length. The new shock mounting location was on the new metal added to re enforce the rear axle drop outs.
P. The front springs are much to hard and don't allow any articulation so even small bumps twist the steering out of your hand.
U. Remove the shocks, compress the coil springs, disassemble the shock and cut 2 coils from the spring.
P. The front shocks are sold as adjustable air shocks, but they are not adjustable and they are a fake. The "remote" oil reservior on the side is nothing but a hunk of aluminum, nothing in it.
R. I had a long battle with Giovanni about these shocks and the false advertising that was written about them. When I finally proved my point they stopped contact. The solution is for them to install the "upgrade" shocks they stock as the factory item if they wish to advertise them as adjustable air shocks.
P. The shock eye bushings are beat out already
R. I have not figured out one yet, I think I will ebay some used yamaha banshe shocks.
P. The rear axle bearings are a sealed type plus they have an external seal, the external seal is put in dry, and the machined surface they run on is rough. The seal has already torn and one axle bearing is rough.
R. Replaced rear axle bearings and seals with parts from local Kaman Brg. Store. I removed the side seals from the new bearings and just used the outside seals, I then installed a grease nipple in the middle of the axle housing. I then pumped the whole housing full of grease. You have to be carefull not to pump the seals right out, but with with a little pump of grease after a ride it will push all the water out and the bearings should last for a long time.
P. The brake (starter) switch has failed.
R. Currently just jumped the circuit
P. When the chain broke the front sprocket cover got broken
R. Hopefully Gio will send me a new one, but they have not reponded to any emails since the front shock debate.
P. The choke sticks open, so even when you apply the choke it does not apply unless you give it little tap at the carb.
R. I little lube has worked so far.
P. The air filter is not sealed around the edge of the foam and it allows un filtered air in.
U. Installed an aftermarket air filter.
P. The clutch cable bracket at the engine end is not aligned properly and if left alone would eat the clutch cable.
R. Bend clutch bracket on engine to correct geometery.
P. The rear fenders buzz and rattle against the rear rack.
R. Drill some small holes in the fenders and ziptie them against the rear rack bars which makes the fenders much stronger and stops the noises.
P. The engine vibrates pretty bad at certain RPMS.
R. None that I know of, an un balanced single cylinder engine is not easy to fix.
P. Muffler is very restrictive, the muffler is a dead end design with tiny little holes drilled in the core pipe.
U. Section muffler, redesign exhaust flow using fiberglass and baffles that do not reduce the exhaust flow but do still maintian reasonable sound levels. Weld muffler back together.
P. Wiring plugs are junk, they fall apart and cause all kinds of odd problems. To make things worse there are no wiring diagrams, and wire colors change at random as you follow one circuit.
R. I have not done it yet, but all the connections need to be replaced and a wiring schematic needs to be published.
I am sure there are more that I have forgot and will update as I remember.
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#8
03-26-2010, 08:13 AM
I Just bought one of these units, am am having alot of the same issues. I too lengthened my swing arm and reinforced it, I upgraded the chain to an RK racing chain. Got rid of the junk bars on it and put on a decent set of Blade bars. Ordered a twist throttle for it. I bought the unit used with less then an hour ride time on it. The fellow who owned it said the clutch went in it after an hour. I pulled it apart and discovered the clutch was wrecked due to slag in the case from the mold process. This is a direct copy of a 80's atc 200 engine. I verified this when I picked up the clutch disks direct from Honda. Part Number 22201-gf6-000, there are other numbers that fit but this one is the most common in Honda 4 stroke engines. I have worked on many Honda's before and this is built almost exactly like a Honda. Still in the process of putting it back together will post pics when done.
Cheers C.B.454
Cheers C.B.454
#9
06-06-2010, 11:27 AM
hey chevyboy. good info. heard many times it's a honda clone engine for sure, just not sure which exact model. i have a beast also. i dont beat the crap out of it, but i like exploring. it's a decent all around beast for a grand, you cant complain... i have done some fixin and up grading but nothing really serious yet. i havent got into swing arm modification yet...
latest mod i'm almost done (just have to weld it to the frame now) is a metal battery box support. i guess i'm a lil tough pulling the thing out of the back of my truck, and really should have taken the battery out, but it ripped the plastic box on one side. i made up a support box to go around the plastic and weld onto the frame.
ordering up a mikuni carb shortly too. kinda tired of dickering with this crap one. i have turn my idle all the way in and work the chock half on/off till it warms up a bit. even with adjusting the jet needle height a few times, still hesitates pretty often. need a new air filter too.
latest mod i'm almost done (just have to weld it to the frame now) is a metal battery box support. i guess i'm a lil tough pulling the thing out of the back of my truck, and really should have taken the battery out, but it ripped the plastic box on one side. i made up a support box to go around the plastic and weld onto the frame.
ordering up a mikuni carb shortly too. kinda tired of dickering with this crap one. i have turn my idle all the way in and work the chock half on/off till it warms up a bit. even with adjusting the jet needle height a few times, still hesitates pretty often. need a new air filter too.
