GEBE external tank

GoldenMotor.com

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
I'm thinking about getting myself a GEBE but I'm concerned about the dinky gas tank. Is there a way to use a peanut tank?

I've been working a ton of overtime with the holidays and Ferguson (I'm an engineer at a st. Louis TV station). We're spending a ton on the kids this Christmas and I'll end up with a necktie and underwear. I recon I'd buy myself something. I was looking on cl for an old school moped but those can be a crapshoot. China Girl? I'm not that good of a mechanic yet. 4 stroke? Maybe. What I've wanted for years and what got me into researching this world mof MB is the GEBE.

It costs more but I figure I'd spend the same amount fixing anything else I get. The only issue I have is the small tank and the fact that they are so awkward looking. When I do get one I hope to paint the engine shroud to match the bike. Can I do that?

Sorry if this post got a bit wordy.
 

SuperDave

Member
Sep 24, 2011
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Panama City Beach, Fl. USA
Welcome Thxcuz to the exciting world of motorized bicycling! Ask Santa for a metric wrench & socket set if your serious about this hobby, and make sure to get some allen wrenches too! Its hard to beat the feeling you get rolling down the road (or sidewalks even) while astride a mechanized abomination you assembled with your own two hands! The sun on your skin, the wind in your hair, the chewy bugs in your teeth, the pronounced numbness in your hands and buttocks from motor vibrations, the buzzing sound of the engine assaulting your eardrums, even the carcinogeous stench of 2-stroke fuel, all of it captures the pioneer spirit of our ancestors when they mounted motors onto their bicycles cause their legs were tired of pushing pedals! Harken back to the age of 70 hour work weeks(no overtime or days off), handlebar mustaches and hula hoop dress skirts that reached the floor! Ah, the nostalgia, who needs the expense of antiseptic, sterilized, emasculated refinement embraced by today's modern motorcycles when you can do it for a fraction of the price? Kudos for joining us! If you possess any functional brain cells left (lets be honest here, if all this sounds like fun & a good idea, there MUST be something wrong with you), a helmut may be needed if you want them to remain undamaged.

Because it is an air cooled engine, it will get hot, so my recomendation is to use engine paint called VHT (Very High Tempature) available at most reputable auto parts stores for your motor shroud.

When I 1st painted my China Girl jug, I used 250° VHT paint, but after a dozen runs on it I noticed it blistering and flaking on the jug fins and blackening near the spark plug on the head. Since then I have used the 500° VHT paint (more expensive) and it has held up well.

I am not familliar with Gebe, but I suspect they are probibly comparable to a China Girl in regards to fuel economy, which is about 100 to 125 miles per gallon, perhaps even more. Unless you intend to embark on a trek exceeding an hour's journey, why would you need the extra range?
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
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Moosylvania
Painting the shroud should be fairly easy. I don't think it gets that hot and is more a guard. But high temp is good advise.
So could ruff it up with sand paper and spray with rattle can paint. There is a real art to that, but if ya don't like it, just do it again. Could leave the inside alone, me thinks. (They are black, right? will kinda disappear)

For a tank, lots and lots of options. Would be a cool build for a DIY "can tank." Easiest option would be water bottle holder, spare gas container. Like the regular ones on the down tube.

Can't be the first time it has come up with those engines for GEBE and would ask them if there are any pre made, bolt on options. Worth a shot, any way.

Which kit are you looking at, Tnxcuz?
 

thxcuz

Active Member
Jul 26, 2012
340
42
28
St.louis
I'm looking at the 2 stroke. It's smaller and slightly cheaper. I've had several scrubbers but they've lost their charm for me. I want something with more umph.
 

Dan

Staff
May 25, 2008
12,765
115
48
59
Moosylvania
Love rack mounts. Any kind. All the fuss, fumes and vibes are behind ya. Regular pedal width. I could never figure out why they aren't more popular.

My next project is gonna be a saddle bag mount like Dave's "Junk Yard Dog" for just those reasons.