Is the GEBE with Tanaka 40cc right for me?

[virginian]

I am 67 and live in the Northern Virginia suburbs just outside Washington DC, and I really want to get a motorized bike. Anyone out there from the DC area?

I have had pedal bikes all my life and have loved them and I still do. But now I can’t do the rides that I used to enjoy. I used to like rides of 50 to 70 miles, but now anything more than 30 to 35 miles leaves me exhausted.

And I have had to give up routes in the Blue Ridge Mountains that have big hills because they just frighten me now. These are climbs like 1000 ft in 4 miles (5% average grade) or 500 ft in 1 miles (10% average grade with short pieces at 16%). I think I could really have fun and enjoy these long hilly rides again on a motorized bike.

I have been thinking of the GEBE kit with their Tanaka 40cc engine. I have a good-quality front-suspension mountain bike to install it on. I want something that is powerful enough to climb the hills, easy to build (supposedly the GEBE is easy), reliable (Japanese engine, not Chinese), and quiet with low vibration.

Does the GEBE with the Tanaka sound like a good choice for me?

 

[Cabinfever1977]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[wheelbender6]

Welcome to the forum. I'm not very familiar with the Tanaka. Subaru Robin's have a strong following.
For hill climbing, a 2 stroke motor with a jackshaft shift kit seems to be preferred on this forum, as you can gear down on climbs to maintain your RPMs.
Check out the legal forum and find some posts on your VA laws. Some states
have engine size limits, some are electric only, and believe it or not, Hawaii is gas only.

 

[seanhan]

The GEBE with Tanaka 40 is awesome ..
My Tanaka is a great engine. Top notch quality, same with the GEBE...

The best tip is " if you buy a GEBE buy there 105G rear wheel "
if you do you will have a great experence !!! If you dont have a good rear wheel you will have problems and not be a happy camper .. trust me on this one ,, i been there, got the tee shirt.... IMO the GEBE is the best you can get ...

 

[virginian]

I ended up getting the Tanaka 33cc for a front-suspension mountain bike because GEBE told me it was their quietist motor and would be able to power my 160 pounds up steep hills without any problem.

On my first test ride, I was a little nervous about how it would handle. I planned riding slowly for a short distance around my neighborhood. But I took to it like a duck to water.

Wow! What a hoot! So much fun! Fabulous! I loved it from the first minute! It was so easy I just took off and did an effortless 10 miles. It is fast! Easily 25 mph at way less that full throttle. At least 30 mph or more at full throttle. I’m not sure because I did not want to push it too much. Coming out of a tight curve, the acceleration is incredible. It gets to 25mph in seconds. On the most difficult hill of the ride, my speed never dropped below 18mph.

I pedaled the entire time. I am a life-long cyclist and I love pedaling. It just seems right for a bike and I want the exercise. I am not sure how much of a contribution my pedaling made however. When starting from a stop, I pedaled to about 10mph before touching the throttle. Getting to 10mph on a bike should be nothing, but the GEBE system and motor really created a strong drag that made it hard to get to 10mph. Not sure what that is all about?

For pedaling, I kept the bike in its highest gear - 42 teeth in front and 11 rear (except for starting up and climbing big hills). At 25mph, that gives a pedal cadence of just over 80/minute. Any faster than that and I found it hard to keep up with the motor. If I had to exert too much force on the pedals, I just squeezed the throttle a little more. What a thrill it was to easily pedal up a hill at 25mph! Without the motor, the best I could have done going all out is about 10 to 12 mph, and I would have been exhausted at the top.

I also did what you recommend. I did buy the very heavy duty 105G rear wheel from GEBE, and put on good tires - the 2 inch Serfas Drifter S. This gave a good solid ride with excellent stability. The bike took bumps easily. Even at 30mph on a road with an irregular surface, I felt like I had perfect balance and stability. I would be comfortable going faster. On my road bike, 30mph on that rough road (I would need a downhill to get that speed) would have started to feel unstable and I would not want to go much faster.

 

[seanhan]

Cool !! you will be glade you got the Tanaka .. I am
btw the thing gets a lot more power after 500 miles...
have fun !!!!

 

[virginian]

I can't wait to get that extra power! But the back roads here have been snow covered for a week so I can't add miles. But I am really anxious to get in some more rides.

 

[Otero]

Anyone know the best place to buy a tanaka 40cc. I've built my own belt drive
that runs just fine with a honda gx35cc, but I'd like a bit more oomph cuz I
plan to be riding over a lot of mountain passes. I pedal as best I can, but I've
had major traumatic injuries to both legs.
I know monster scooter parts sells them, but I'm hoping for a better price. It
just doesn't make sense they want close to $400 when a chainsaw with
tanaka 40cc is just $300. I don't want to tear up a chainsaw and try to adapt
it, but I'm thinking there must be somewhere I can get a surefire cheaper.

 

[scotto-]

Anyone know the best place to buy a tanaka 40cc. I've built my own belt drive
that runs just fine with a honda gx35cc, but I'd like a bit more oomph cuz I
plan to be riding over a lot of mountain passes. I pedal as best I can, but I've
had major traumatic injuries to both legs.
I know monster scooter parts sells them, but I'm hoping for a better price. It
just doesn't make sense they want close to $400 when a chainsaw with
tanaka 40cc is just $300. I don't want to tear up a chainsaw and try to adapt
it, but I'm thinking there must be somewhere I can get a surefire cheaper.

Maybe Google BladeZ scooters......they were standard engines on all of their earlier stand-up scoots, but are no longer made.
I've owned 2- 47R, 2- 40cc, 1- 33cc and 2- 26cc Tanakas and can tell you they are a very well made, clean burning Japanese 2-stroke engine with lots of HP parts made for them not too many years ago. They were expensive, but as they say, you pay for what you get........very true with the Tanaka!

I still have several, but they are currently in use. Good luck with your search.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Keep your eye on Ebay for deals.

 

[5-7HEAVEN]

Keep your eye on Ebay for deals.

I bought an NOS (new-old stock) 2.8hp Tanaka 47R engine there for $291. That was a heck of a deal, when 33cc Tanakas go for almost the same amount.

Here's a great bargain:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scooter-Bic...470?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a6f9d9906

 

[Otero]

It's taken a while, 5-7, but I finally scored a new-in-the-box Tanaka
PF4000 for $250,(a $100 under staton's price). Now I just need to
decide whether to put it on my belt drive or my ultra modified
friction kit. Either way, I should get good low end & a top of about
32 mph @ 8000 rpm. I'm leaning to the friction since I pedal a lot
and that system is easiest to disengage.
Anyway, I'm happier than flies on anything you won't see in a
Geico ad.