Drive ring question

cpuaid: i've swapped a ring or two onto various wheels, without a hitch...my original ring wound up on a few different wheels for countless total miles, and is still a suitable spare...the curved end of the 4-in-1 is for removing the ring from the spokes.

other ringstuff: while the stock slot on the ring is molded for a 14G spoke, and it's suggested that you drill the slot slightly larger for a 12G, we've been snapping it right onto 12G spokes as is...rings stays true & tight. if you ever wanna swap it you won't be able to go back to 14G. kinda like sloppy seconds. but it can still be used on another 12G wheel no problem.

with a multi-positional 2-stroke (i love my tanaka 40cc) you can scootch that engine way forward & under the seat for best c-o-g, unless you have v-brakes, in which case you can only get the belt so close to the brake mounting lugs.
 
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shawnshank, if you post some pics of your bike we can get a better idea of what you are your problem is and how to solve it.
 
top speed isn't the issue...ring & belt can handle any top-speed these engines can toss at them, and more.

speedometers here show "max-spd's" approaching 50mph (long downhills of course, we don't have the engines to do that on the level) and the last thing you worry about at 45+mph is the golden eagle drive-train. install it correctly and it'll be sewing-machine-smooth at any speed the rest of your bike can handle.

yup, we're gearheads, but let's not pretend that the drive-belt is anything more than what GEBE claims it is...part of an engine-assist kit. it's durable alright, but it can only be so wide to thread the gap between the tire and the stay of most bikes, so it's weakness is sudden-serious-torque.

i can pull off from a deadstop with the PF40/13T, but i can't afford to abuse belts (or clutch-shoes), so i pedal. "man & machine" is one of the wonders of this system, tho, because pedaling & throttling works just fine from a stop, and neither i nor the engine/clutch have to work too hard. my top speed averages 30-32mph. considering how much i'm hauling i'm ok with that.

our "stock" tanakas (which 3 of us have been riding for 2 years, basic intake & exhaust tweaks) put out a "usable" 7-8k peak for us, 33cc or 40cc...the 40 being a real workhorse in the lower range, the 33 being a rocketsled when it begins to peak. what speeds we manage to reach actually depend more on the obvious factors like weight, resistance, gear-size, and of course opinion...

den's tweaked a PF40 to do 16k, he says that 45mph was when he quit finding out how fast it is.

you can strap just about anything on there, but i suggest for monster-speeds you gear-down & pursue monster-rpm's instead of monster-torque...that's a slightly different approach than most expect, but it's the reality of this particular system...in my opinion, of course :cool:
 
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you can strap just about anything on there, but i suggest for monster-speeds you gear-down & pursue monster-rpm's instead of monster-torque...that's a slightly different approach than most expect, but it's the reality of this particular system...in my opinion, of course :cool:

That goes right along with my post about the Zenoah G43L engine. It will do over 12K stock and it has about the same power as a Tanaka 40. Wind it out on flat ground and you'll hit 45+ with the standard 13T gear. I don't think I need to go that fast, not to mention it's not legal here in Tennessee to go over 30 on a motorized bike.

I may give the G43L a try one of these days though. I have an extra engine waiting to be fired up. I mentioned it to Julie at GEBE and she said "bolt that sucker on there and you'll really be flying". They used to sell Zenaoh's and I'm sure they have tested this one, but the 12k rev limit would have made it way too fast. Gear it down and it would tear up spokes and belts.
 
O.k....a gearhead I am not so your losing me at times. Sloppy seconds I understand. That is a good analogy. lol
That said...I'm not sure if there is an answer to my question in here. Can the tanaka 40 gebe be mounted in the frame or is the belt not long enough? If it is a matter of the brakes on the rear of the bike I can work around that by finding the right bike.
The reason why I am asking is not only for c.o.g. reasons but also for asthetics.
I want to build something that looks more like a boardtrack in the future so I really want a frame mount setup. However, I love the GEBE 40 cc tanaka kit and want to use it but I can't find anywhere on here that says whether or not it can be frame mounted and if so, how to do so.
If it cannot, can you suggest a frame mount engine kit that will get me the same speed and reliability of the tanaka 40cc gebe kit?
FYI: I prefer a two stroke over 4 stroke.

Thanks
SS


top speed isn't the issue...ring & belt can handle any top-speed these engines can toss at them, and more.

speedometers here show "max-spd's" approaching 50mph (long downhills of course, we don't have the engines to do that on the level) and the last thing you worry about at 45+mph is the golden eagle drive-train. install it correctly and it'll be sewing-machine-smooth at any speed the rest of your bike can handle.

yup, we're gearheads, but let's not pretend that the drive-belt is anything more than what GEBE claims it is...part of an engine-assist kit. it's durable alright, but it can only be so wide to thread the gap between the tire and the stay of most bikes, so it's weakness is sudden-serious-torque.

i can pull off from a deadstop with the PF40/13T, but i can't afford to abuse belts (or clutch-shoes), so i pedal. "man & machine" is one of the wonders of this system, tho, because pedaling & throttling works just fine from a stop, and neither i nor the engine/clutch have to work too hard. my top speed averages 30-32mph. considering how much i'm hauling i'm ok with that.

our "stock" tanakas (which 3 of us have been riding for 2 years, basic intake & exhaust tweaks) put out a "usable" 7-8k peak for us, 33cc or 40cc...the 40 being a real workhorse in the lower range, the 33 being a rocketsled when it begins to peak. what speeds we manage to reach actually depend more on the obvious factors like weight, resistance, gear-size, and of course opinion...

den's tweaked a PF40 to do 16k, he says that 45mph was when he quit finding out how fast it is.

you can strap just about anything on there, but i suggest for monster-speeds you gear-down & pursue monster-rpm's instead of monster-torque...that's a slightly different approach than most expect, but it's the reality of this particular system...in my opinion, of course :cool:
 
i see i got the basic questions answered, tho...analogies are good ;)

if you want to know how to use a stock 2-stroke utility engine inframe with a gebe belt...fabrication is the only way i see it happening. there is no golden eagle inframe option.

so, my bike has extended stays and i "could" place my engine under the seat & directly in front of the rear tire, but pedal-interference is an issue, it will be the same with your in-frame tanaka (wider cranks? yuck, imo, unless a quality 1-pc)...belt-length is another limiting factor...but, mechanically, yes it could be done. in my imaginary build, with your asthetics in mind, it would be an in-frame tanaka to a jackshaft on the seatpost that drives the belt.

if you use any belt, then i see the possibility of the whizzer sheave being a handy item, you can find v-belt pulleys you could adapt to the clutch output, and you can easily find belts long enuff for that rig. i suspect a 40cc may require some serious reduction to drive it, tho.

the reasons we get so much speed out of so little displacement are the simplicity, lightness, and minimal drag of the golden eagle setup.

sorry, i don't know of a kit that gives you what you're looking for, but that doesn't mean it's not out there.
 
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2 relpies are better than none. I see augidog posted while I was still typing.

The non-gearhead answer is no. There would be no way of mounting the engine inside the frame without some major fabrication. Then you would have problems with the length of the belt. I have seen some custom in-frame installations with a Tanaka that use a chain drive. When mounted in the frame the engine is really too wide for use with pedals.

The only in-frame engines available that I know of are the Chinese "Happy Time" type. You already know about the quality.

COG issues and pulling wheelies doesn't appear as a common problem with GEBE bikes. I can corner on my GEBE bike just as well as I can on my 18 lb road bike, and the front wheel stays planted on the ground just fine. I am 6' 2" and have long legs. For the GEBE, I use an XL frame and have the seat post jacked way up, so my legs are fully extended with my feet flat on the pedals. My COG is way high, but it has no effect on handling.

I can understand wanting to build a cool looking bike. As a suggestion, you could always fix any issues that you have with your GEBE, use it for long rides, and build a Happy Time to play around with and customize.

I'd love to see a pic of your GEBE bike.
 
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Thanks for your hlep guys I appreciate it. I guess a HT it will have to be. At least I'll save some money.

Here is a pic of my current ride. The seat post is a suntaur which sort of acts like a sea saw when you hit the bumps (so sweet if you can find one) which is why I had to give the motor a little distance from the seat. Unfortunately, when it rocks back under my weight or when I hit a bump, it shifts my center of gravity even further toward the back wheel. I'll just deal with it. I love the post it's like riding on a cloud.

Here are a couple pics of my bike.

my bike 1.JPG
my bike.JPG



2 relpies are better than none. I see augidog posted while I was still typing.

The non-gearhead answer is no. There would be no way of mounting the engine inside the frame without some major fabrication. Then you would have problems with the length of the belt. I have seen some custom in-frame installations with a Tanaka that use a chain drive. When mounted in the frame the engine is really too wide for use with pedals.

The only in-frame engines available that I know of are the Chinese "Happy Time" type. You already know about the quality.

COG issues and pulling wheelies doesn't appear as a common problem with GEBE bikes. I can corner on my GEBE bike just as well as I can on my 18 lb road bike, and the front wheel stays planted on the ground just fine. I am 6' 2" and have long legs. For the GEBE, I use an XL frame and have the seat post jacked way up, so my legs are fully extended with my feet flat on the pedals. My COG is way high, but it has no effect on handling.

I can understand wanting to build a cool looking bike. As a suggestion, you could always fix any issues that you have with your GEBE, use it for long rides, and build a Happy Time to play around with and customize.

I'd love to see a pic of your GEBE bike.
 
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shawn'...that tanaka can be rotated 90deg on the mount for a much better fit behind/under the seat...my opinion is you'd like the change.
 
That a nice looking bike there. I looked at the Electra before I bought my Novara. You seem to have done a nice job building your bike.

As augidog says, you can rotate your engine to look like mine and that will help with the weight. You can also get more gas in the tank with it rotated.

Here are some pics of my build:

img3462q.jpg

img3461y.jpg

img3463t.jpg
 
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