Gio Beast Limited First Impressions

[northerndad]

Hello Everyone,

A little history - I am not a mechanic. I grew up half in the country and half in the city. My dad is very handy so I picked up a lot from watching but my day job is in front of a computer. We moved to northern BC for affordable living, and ever since getting here I've wanted to ride with my wife and 2 boys, aged 3 and 5. I decided on china rides because I could afford them (or justify the expense is more like it) and I've been wanted to learn more about mechanics and get my hands dirty.

I started watching the Gio auctions (www.giobikes.com) last year, and have been reading everything I can on the different china ATVs you can get here in Canada. I bought a Tao Tao 150B from a dealer in Prince George a few weeks ago, and have taken it out on about 5 short trips with the boys. I took the plunge and got a Gio when I won an action for a Beast Limited. The price was right - about $100 under the usual selling price.



On monday the Beast showed up, and I unboxed it that night, and spent a few hours over the last couple days assembling it. Here are some highlights from assembly:

The easiest part: putting on the handle bars, once I got some instruction and did it right!

The hardest part: putting on the muffler. It was a comedy trying to get the bolt to go through the bracket and rubber washer I was installing to reduce vibration. I needed 4 hands but made do with 2 hands and other body parts as available.

The wierdest thing: trying for 1/2 hour to get a cotter pin in, thinking it was a bad nut, and then discovering that the hole through the bolt was crooked.

The most satisfying: A tie between getting the engine running, tightening the last bolt late last night, and riding it down some trails with my 3 year old doubled on mine, and my wife riding the Tao with our 5 year old - and seeing the massive grins on their faces!



The First Impressions - Assembly to Riding

The Beast Limited seemed to be an improved model over the 'original' Beast. According to Gio marketing it has better shocks, rear axle, brakes, and carb. It is apparently very similar to the Gio T3 - but with different styling. For the rest of this review I'll be comparing it a lot to the Tao, since we have them side by side a lot.

The first thing I noticed about the Beast is that it is a lot smaller than I thought it would be. I read the measurements online and sure enough it is the same size - within an inch or two - of the Tao, but it seems a lot smaller. The seat is narrower and shorter, and the rear rack is also shorter and as a side note more fragile and with less weight capacity than the Tao. It has fewer body panels which also contributes to it feeling smaller. An important note I think is that the space for your bum on the Gio seems designed for a skinny 15 year old. I can barely squeeze in, and there is no way a woman with hips could fit on the beast with the rear rack on.

Despite the smaller feel, it also seems very sturdy, and the welds seem better than the Tao. The frame appears to be a better, heavier design and I don't worry that I'm going to break it. The engine in the Beast is a 200cc china engine and it is noticeably larger than the 150cc GY6 Honda clone in the Tao. The 200cc engine makes more of a purring noise that took a while to get used to. The Beast is harder to start and as noted many times before, this engine runs rough until it is warm. I've adjusted the fuel air mix but haven't been able to find the sweet spot yet (any tips?).

The shocks on the Beast look really impressive and sound like they are amazing. Wow! Gas shocks! The fact is though, they don't absorb shock as well as the plain jane shocks on the Tao. The Gio shocks are nice and stiff, which I like since I am 6'4" and 240lbs, but it also feels like you're just riding on springs with little or no absorption. On the Tao, when you press on the shocks they depress fairly easily and then you hear a little "weesh" as they gently return. On the Gio, when you press a shock and release it, it violently springs back up.



A number of parts on the Gio are exactly the same as the Tao (the battery and neutral/ reverse lights, handle bars, nuts and bolts, etc), and others stand out more. The throttle and brake/ choke levers seem much heftier and heavier duty on the Gio. The Gio comes with front disk brakes which are head and shoulders above the lame front drum brakes on the Tao. The Gio also comes with a 500-series chain and honda-style rear axle which makes me feel much more confident than the weak 400 chain and chinese rear on the Tao.

Overall the Gio just seemed better assembled than the Tao. The only loose nuts and bolts were the ones for parts needing to be put on - every other nut and bolt that I went to tighten was already very tight. This impressed me, because the Tao came from the dealer with many loose nuts to tighten, and I expected to do a lot of loctiting but didn't have to (I will check again after a couple rides).

I also noted some parts on the Gio are just better designed - little things like the foot brake. On the Tao, it is held on with a bolt that needs to say loose for the brake to work, and could fall off at any point on a trail ride. The Gio uses a bolt, washer, and cotter pin.

The Gio did come with some problems - the reverse light is broken, and perhaps more seriously the rear end looks like it was messed up and someone tried fixing it with some blunt instruments and washers (see below photo):


On the road and trail the Gio was a bit of a challenge for me. I was spoiled on the smooth GY6 automatic transmission from the Tao and stalled the Gio many many times, especially while trying to take off in 1st gear. On the most difficult spot on our ride I stalled and just couldn't get the Beast out without stalling (partly my getting used to manual shift again). The Tao made it no problem. It seems that the rear axle on the Gio is not straight, as I noticed and felt some wiggling on the pavement. On the trails the Beast seemed competent and offered up a firm ride.

Other notes on the Gio - I thought the tires would be larger based on the photos, but they are the same 10" rims as the Tao and the tires are more or less the same size. The headlight on the Gio is nice, with a real high and low beam! Wow! It also has a real running light. As a comparison, the Tao has some black painted lights for low beam, and some clear lights for high beam - real high tech (I have ordered in some real lights for the Tao, LEDs).



The Gio certainly is a winner on the value front. It would be hard to find a better deal then $1,100 including shipping and taxes for such a machine, dropped at your doorstep, brand new, in northern BC.

So far I would recommend this to anyone who is mechanically inclined and doesn't mind modding and tweaking to get the bike to where they want it. Our most significant upgrade so far can be seen in this photo:



Yes, it is true - anything with Hotwheels on it is WAY better. That coming from 2 small experts in everything with an engine.



Signing out for now,

Nothern Dad aka Jacob

[northerndad]

I grinded off part of the rear rack to create more room for my butt, and capped off the ends with rubber bushings. Also in this pic is a repair kit I'll be bringing with me everywhere

[katoranger]

Going to make a suggestion for a toolbox that is water resistant and sturdy. Should fit you rack nicely too. I don't think that little storage container will hold up to long.

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-028001.../dp/B000KN470Q

[northerndad]

Originally Posted by katoranger

Going to make a suggestion for a toolbox that is water resistant and sturdy. Should fit you rack nicely too.

Thanks for the tip! This is temporary, but knowing me I'd probably hold off on getting a real one until it fell apart on a trail, so I prob should get one now. I think crappy tire carries Stanley boxes, will have to check next time in the city.

[MICRider]

It's a good looking rig! Neat that they kind of copied the Mini-Beast color scheme with the black and orange. Also cool that they are spraying them now, my Beast (not limited) has color moulded plastic and it's fading like a booger... Even parked inside all the time! I don't anticipate you having the same problem since your's is sprayed. I'll bet you guys have tons of good trails around there as well, enjoy

[northerndad]

Jess took the kids out for a few hours today, so I ended up taking the Beast for it's first extended ride, into territory I wouldn't take it with my kids. Included a lot of mud, some steep grades, and obstacles like stumps and fallen branches and trees.

I did take some pics but not of any of the tough stuff, I was too busy dragging the beast out of the mud! Here are a few photos though.










I broke the skid plate today :(


it got pretty muddy but was ok after driving through some grass to clean it off - I'll wash it too, don't worry![/img]

I am really worried about the clutch! I am having a hard time riding it through the tough stuff with the gear ratios the way they are.

It starts with stalling out in mud or going over some tough stuff - for example I was going through a narrow section with lots of roots, rocks, and an old tree stump, which was buried in mud. I hit the stump and stalled. I could not, for the life of me, get it started and out of there - and I am worried about riding the clutch which seems to be the only way. I stalled out in tough spots four times and each time had to drag it out.

Twice while shifting the gear seemed to stop shifting - and I would shut it down, and start it again and they'd work again. Almost like they were slipping, but just not able to get it to gear up or down.

Also the engine/ clutch makes quite the rattle at faster speeds, but purrs at lower speeds. I'll check the bolts and all, but I sure hope that I'm not killing the little beast! I didn't feel like it was too extreme today, but the rattle and clutch problems made me worry it was going to explode on me or something.

Jacob

[Weldangrind]

I recommend that you try synthetic oil; I bet that will smooth out the shifts considerably. You could decrease the front sprocket size to move the power down low. That might negate the need for clutching. How many teeth on the front sprocket?

That country is stunning. I was just chatting with a buddy from Church a few minutes ago, and mentioned that you are from Hazelton. That's close to his old stomping grounds, because he's a Terrace refugee.

[northerndad]

Hey Weld,

The northerners are everywhere! I would always run into people from the north when I was living in the city. I met my wife in Victoria at a party, she is from a couple hundred clicks down the road (fraser lake).

I just pulled the cover and the front sprocket has 12 teeth.

I heard that you can't put synthetic in these because it'll make the clutch too slippery?

Increasing the front sprocket size sounds like a perfect idea, I was just lamenting to my wife that I wished 1st was super low and 2nd was more like 1st, and so on - it is obvious that this bike is geared a bit more for speed (why?) and less for trails. I also agree with the other review on this forum that the jump from 1st to second is too much.

Can you recommend a place to get a bigger front sprocket online? I have to order pretty much everything in up here, there is a great small engine mechanic here who has tons of chinese tav experience, I'll ask him too.

Oh and PS - I was adjusting the chain tension today and one of the bolts snapped at the nut! Got to get a couple new ones this weekend.

With a bit more work I think this bike will be great though,

jb

[Weldangrind]

The claim that synthetic oil is detrimental is a myth. Regular engine oil that is labeled as energy conserving has friction modifiers that will make a clutch slip. Four stroke motorcycle oil (synthetic or conventional) does not. Spud has put 40,000 miles on his China bike using synthetic Rotella. Hard to argue with that.

If you remove the front sprocket and measure it, we can guide you towards a replacement. You'll need to measure the width and height of the grooves, and provide a major and minor ID. Make sense?

How many teeth on the rear sprocket?

[northerndad]

Awesome, I will definitely get synthetic next time then! I know I can use it in the 150 GY6 too, though probably not needed.

I won't have time to pull the sprocket off (or do any work on it) for a few days, maybe a couple weeks (got lots of work coming up starting tomorrow) - but I will definitely let you know when I do and get you the info.

jb

[Weldangrind]

You can maximize on the efficiency of the GY6 with regular synthetic car oil. The friction modifiers are fine in the GY6 because it doesn't have a wet clutch.

[northerndad]

I've got a quick oil question. I went to the auto supply place, and the only 15w40 synth they have is heavy duty, for diesel engines. There was quite a bit of debate in the shop weather 10w40 synth atv oil would be ok, or if the 15w40 synth heavy duty would work?

So far I've just bought generic 15w40 from crappy tire. Does the heavy duty 15w40 synthetic work?

Also, why is it that these chinese ATVs call for 15w40, when all the ATV oil at crappy tire and the local shop is 10w40?

Thanks!

jb

[MICRider]

I think the 10W40 or the 15W40 diesel oil would both work fine. My preference is the Rotella 15W40 (diesel engine oil), but I don't use synthetic... Just plain old dino oil for me

I'm guessing that the manufacturer specs 15W40 because the air cooled engines run a little hotter than their liquid cooled counterparts.

[northerndad]

Hey thanks for the tip on the oil. I'll pick up some of the local 15w40 synth (the diesel stuff), try it in the 200cc and see if the clutch works better.

Here is a pic of the front sprocket - it has 12 teeth and the chain is a 520 I believe but not 100% sure.

[Weldangrind]

I use 15W40 Rotella also.

Once you get us specs on that front sprocket, we can guide you towards a larger replacement to move the power up a bit. As you say, when you have time.