Well I Did it now !!!

[rossfree]

I feel your excitement! I've only had mine now for about three months and I'm closing in on the 1000 mile club! Still a blast.

My Schwinn tires have held up well. No appreciable wear that I can tell after 900 plus miles. I do need to replace my brake shoes soon. They still have a decent amount of rubber but this is one place you don't want to neglect. I'll probably buy a package of them from Amazon so I have spares I can keep with me. And note: brake shoes are not made equal! You'll notice the difference between cheap and good shoes instantly.

Most importantly... be careful. Knowone in here can stress that enough. All it takes is one mistake. Just one. Very few get second chances. Even with safety gear you can get banged and scraped up pretty bad. People pull out in front of you, pot holes appear out of no where, an oil spot on a turn, a jogger in the dark, people passing you too close forcing you into culverts on the side of the road... this has all happend to me and many others in this forum. Be careful and stay safe.

And like Moutainman says...

...just "RIDE THAT THING!"


Ross

 

[Member 5549]

Another day of riding !!! Had a rear tire blowout today !!!
That schwinn tube only lasted 2 days!!!
went to walmart and got a slime brand tube the 5x thicker one, and also got a new bell kevlar tire. much better. Also my front wheel got loose.
so far all my problems have been with the bike and not the GEBE.
I passed the Sherriff and he did not pull me over so I guess it's ok to ride here......

 

[Member 5549]

Question about 2 Stroke Oil.
Anyone with a Tanaka Engine what kind of oil do you use..
Should I buy Tanaka oil or does it matter.

 

[flyer1]

Was that 32mph downhill? I hear the tanaka 32cc is stronger than the r/s 35.My top speed flat/normal is 28 mph w/ standard gear.

What do you attribute to the tire blowout,over-inflation maybe? I have had great luck with the stock tubes/tires so far.I replace the rear tube with a bell/slime "no flats guarenteed" deal, real meaty tube.

Can't comment on 2-stroke oil,though I think there are a host of options,any quality oil should be fine.

Have you checked the Texas M.B. laws? they are listed here,hate to see all the fun go away if a LEO gets a hard on for ya! .......Peace

 

[kenspice]

Well now, glad you are having fun! I have about 2500 miles on my schwinn Aerostar/35cc
and still have the same wheels, tires and brakes it came with. I change the oil often and keep things tight. I take it easy, 18/20 mph. Trying to save my tired 72 year old a**. Retired mech. so I know how things work. I know that you whippersnappers like to go fast and I did too when I was a baby (to me everyone under 50 is a baby). I guess what I'm trying to say is a bike is just a bike. The engine just makes it a faster bike. If you take care of it, it will take care of you and all that original stuff will last a long time. I've been riding about 18 months now and am going to take it elk hunting in the mountains this month. That should be a real test for the bike and me. I could see a few weaknesses when I put the thing together (the torsion strap on a full suspension bike) for one. So I made a few modifications that have worked just fine. Rambling again. Anyway, have fun and be safe. Ken

 

[Zev0]

The GEBE kit should have shipped with a couple of 6oz bottles of Lucas Semi-Synthetic oil. That is what is recommended. 50-1 for that Tanaka. No more, no less. Enjoy your ride.

 

[augidog]

i've been enjoying this topic...time to make sure about the oil.

quality semi-synthetic, tanaka-branded if you prefer, i highly recommend lucas-brand as having proven itself with my purefire 32 for over 4500 miles now. please don't get creative, trust tanaka to know their engines.

zev0 has it right...50:1 forever.

again, i'm enjoying the adventure as much as you seem to be

 

[rossfree]

2 days! Ouch!

For oil, just get a descent brand of 2-cycle oil. You'll recognize the names when you see them... pick one of those. Some of them have the pre-measure cup built into the top of the bottle... just squeeze it to fill up to the proper amount. Very convenient.

While your there... look for one of those 1-1/4 gallon plastic gas cans with the spring-loaded nossle. I love mine. You can tip it upside down and not spill a drop. Stick it in your tank and give it gentle pressure against the nossle and fuel starts to fill your tank. REALLY convenient!

The blowout is unusual. My guess is they didn't assemble the tube properly inside the tire... but it's just a guess.

If you use care when assembling the tube and tire... check for sharp areas in the wheel, cover the spoke nuts carefully, partially fill the tube, push it into the tire without kinks and get the tube stem straight, you should be good to go. The slime adds some insurance. If the stem starts leaning over as you fill the tube... stop... let the air out and adjust the tube again. It's that important.

And slime is a necessary evil! Just wait... you'll see what I mean.

I run my tubes at around 55psi (just slightly below the stated tire pressure high end). I think proper pressure can protect them... too little allows the tube and tire to move around a bit allowing rubbing (my opinion) and too much is asking for a blowout on any bad pothole.

I've had good luck with mine as many others have. Sorry it didn't work out with yours. But your finding the kinks (as the rest of us have done... mostly to do with the bike and not the engine) and you'll get them ironed out soon.

If you haven't picked up a good metric allen wrench kit yet you might want to do so. You'll only need a few wrenches out of them but your bike is likely metric, and the bolts on your engine are metric.

Eventually you'll probably want a couple of spare metric bolts the same size as what you have on your engine and bike. Another $3 investment in piece of mind.

This is all good stuff... are you writing this down?

Stay safe... have a blast!

Ross

 

[astring]

Another day of riding !!! Had a rear tire blowout today !!!
That schwinn tube only lasted 2 days!!!
went to walmart and got a slime brand tube the 5x thicker one, and also got a new bell kevlar tire. much better. Also my front wheel got loose.
so far all my problems have been with the bike and not the GEBE.
I passed the Sherriff and he did not pull me over so I guess it's ok to ride here......

Get thorn proof slime tubes and Serfas Drifter tires, and one of those plastic liners that go between the tube and the tire. Money well spent.

 

[Member 5549]

Went out tonight for a ride. need to adjust brakes !!!
32mph on the flat no wind..
need some velocity wheels and Serfas tires.
No spoke issues yet. But my wheels really Suck!!!
oh yea need new seat bad the schwinn seat is like sitting on a brick.
saw the Lucas 2 stroke oil for 17.99 a gallon. ( not bad )
Gebe has two kinds of wheels the Velocity and the 105G what is the difference except price. are the 105's stronger ??
anyway going on vacation tomorrow so no M/B till tuesday.. bummer what timing !!!