The Gecko Sport Range: Local is Lekker

South Africans are an innovative bunch. Whilst we do not build motorcycles or cars, we do have the distinction of building some of the best military hardware around - like the G4 long range gun, the Rooivalk helicopter and various other bits and bobs. Paging through the magazine the other day, we came across a vehicle that could easily be used for military application, the Gecko Sport. It looked to be lots of fun, so we arranged to meet the inventors at HNK track for a test ride...

What is the Gecko Sport?

An alternative to a quad, a bike or a side-by side. This family was not keen on the traditional method of exploring the bush, so they came up with a very affordable package which seats two. It is, essentially a Pipe car, built locally at a factory in Rosslyn, Pretoria. There are other buggys available on the market, but these guys are focused on providing a vehicle with spare parts that are available almost anywhere in SA.

Chassis:

The Gecko Sport chassis is loosely based on the VW Beetle. It is manufactured in house from 38ml pipe, which is bent and Co2 welded. A tough roll cage is incorporated for safety purposes. Interestingly, at the test, we had one of the very first machines that had been sold along with the latest one - and it was interesting to see how much progress has been made since the early days in terms of weld neatness and overall build quality. Beetle suspension is fitted, with 15 inch wheels shod in Pirelli Offroad tyres. Whilst the tread is not as aggressive as a quad or dirtbike tyre, they say that it is sufficient to do the job required for a buggy like this. Drum brakes take care of the stopping duties, however, disc brakes are an option if you would prefer to go that route.

Two bucket seats are slotted into the front - both fitted with a four point safety harness. We reckon that side-by-sides should come out with the same, it just makes sense. Easing yourself into the cockpit, you will find that the dashboard and interior is pretty Spartan, this is an off road machine - not too many extra bells and whistles, just a temp gauge and a rev counter.

A speedo is an optional extra. The fuel tank is slotted into a diamond mesh steel cage which is fitted where you would usually find the bonnet. They have also fitted a water cannister into a nook right at the front of the gecko - not for cooling, but to add weight to the front of the car for hill climbs and so-on. Above this, they have made a pocket where the spare wheel bolts in.

The Gecko comes standard with an A-arm for towing - a great idea because you do not need to load her onto a trailer. They have fitted tail and brake lights with a jack plug which slots straight into your vehicles wiring. I was surprised to find that although you need to squeeze yourself into the seat, the interior is pretty roomy and comfortable. Everything is laid out pretty logically, the drivers seat is adjustable - then it's just a case of getting your feet onto the pedals and taking off. The one that we drove has a manual gearbox, same as an ordinary car, so driving is no problem. The roll cage appears to be pretty sturdy and you do feel pretty safe.

Powerhouse:

They have chosen two of the most readily available engines on the market to power the Gecko Sport. You have the option of a Nissan 1400, or a 1600 VW beetle mill, complete with wiring and charging systems. The motor is slotted into the compartment at the back - it's all pretty neat and tidy with the frame wrapping around for a bit of protection. The Nissan unit is water cooled, so the radiator is slotted in front of the engine, behind the seats with a large fan fitted to keep things cool. The Volksie motor is Air cooled, so it appears to be far more compact. The air intake on the Nissan was placed quite high up, with a 4x4 replaceable filter - a good idea for when you need to cross water and muddy terrain, service components like spark plugs and oils filters are easily accessed. Interestingly, the owner of the Nissan powered Gecko was with us on the day. He mentioned that his original motor started smoking, so he replaced it with a low mileage exchange unit. The cost? R6000 - cheaper than overhauling the original.

Gecko Sport can offer these vehicles in manual or automatic configuration - and they are busy working on a 4wd system on later models. Should be interesting

Drive impressions:

The Gecko is slightly bigger than your average ATV - it measures in at 2.9m long and 1.4m wide.

Flat tracking:

HNK offers a huge variety of terrain to test any off road vehicle. The first spin was on the flat track. Because the Gecko is so light - 600 kgs to be precise, the power to weight ratio is quite something - and she accelerates a lot more briskly than your average Nissan 1400 bakkie. Because the wheelbase is wide, and all of the mass is concentrated quite low, she feels remarkably stable through the faster corners. We flung her around at a rate of knots and came away pretty impressed. You can step the ass out under hard acceleration and cornering, but she never got out of shape or felt as though she wanted to tip or roll. One thing that we did notice was the lack of any protection from dust and debris flung up at the passengers by the front wheels, we mentioned this to Johan who manufactures them, and he showed us some photos of later models which incorporate front fenders.

Offroad:

At the back of HNK, there is a huge old Quarry which offers lekker rutted sections, stony hills, big puddles - you name it. We took the Gecko sport - and - within reason gave everything a good shot. Because the Gecko's ground clearance is not a big as - lets say a Yamaha Rhino, you are slightly more restricted - but we were really surprised at where you could go. If you take the obstacles slowly - you can pretty much get through anything really. We took a trundle through dongas, up some fairly stiff hills, down rocky passes - and we came to the conclusion that the Gecko goes where most people would think twice about taking a bakkie of 4x4. Because it is smaller and more compact, it is also pretty versatile off the beaten track - heaps of fun - and once again, we were impressed with the overall stability and handling characteristics.

Conclusions:

Local is definitely lekker. The Gecko is huge fun. Well made and a great alternative for exploring the bush. Because it is manufactured here, from parts that are readily available from any spares shop, it makes perfect sense. We are trying to scrounge one to use on the Quads 4 Quads ride from JHB to Ballito and back - then we will get back to you with a long distance report.

Nissan powered Gecko Sport: R45,000 ex VAT.