Pics of my (GEBE) bike in progress

Engine

Under seat. Love it. Massage and ride all in one!!!!

Kidding aside, that is my idea of engine position. Center or forward as you have seems best for optimum gas fill and fill ease, and balance. Thanks for posting the pics. Should add to everyone's GEBE "must haves" or dooz...we see lots of picswhere engine could be more forward and others stymied by brake thingy.

I might add, if you don't mind Augi, that one can use SS washers to slide drive wheel out a bit, if belt is not quite centered, or use on axle to adjust rack a bit, if axle is long enough.

Long rear axle (9-inch avail from GEBE) is on my list of "must haves." It makes engine r & r way easy with rear wheel always anchored with separate washers and nuts.

Your idea that Mary is about optimized is spot on. I had never thought of having a problem with brake positions and was very lucky I did not have it as it never occurred to me to check that factor. (Whew!)

It should be one of the items on the pre-buy fit checklist to optimize engine use. GEBE might have it on their site,but do not recall ever seeing that one. I added it to my list of "must haves."

Very good stuff...
 
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edited out as non-responsive...hive is correct & i misread.

tall fella that i am, the seat springs clear the air-cleaner by plenty :)
 
Mary's Belt and Seats

Mary,

One pic seems to show the belt might just be able to be run in front of and clear the brake pivot arm, but not sure, and not certain by how much.

Augi mentioned we must be careful about clearance, but it might be possible the belt may be positioned a bit higher and still run free with tension arm in place and not get hung up when the tensioner wheel is relaxed.

If it can, why not?

Moreover, the belt should be able to be removed from drive gear easily to free wheel pedal if needed, even without removing the drive-gear cover, but that should not be problem here.

As an aside two-cents, Most of our legs are short enough that we cannot raise seat enough to place motor under it, and getma lift while riding (pardon the humor attempt). The engine near the center of the bike does much for balance and control and the seat is usually the limiting factor, particularly on CF frame bikes and on bents where the seat is farther astern.

The centered engine placement also helps reduce the sway, particularly when the rider is very tall in the saddle, so to speak.
 
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ah, but the brake arms are usually right where my belt runs thru...no can do if you need the brakes...i didn't.

edited out as maybe too pushy.

mary, if you're interested i can help you re-position the engine for a better (imo) overall result, the tanakas sit real nice with the tank in back :)
 
mary, are you talking about centerline positioning?

the mounting brace legs must to bent to precisely match the width of your mounting points (axle)...forcing the legs in or out will cause the brace to flex, and it will not flex evenly tho it may appear it has. the only way to get your drivegear truly aligned is to offset each side independantly. the pic i hope is clear enuff and i exaggerated the leg-positions on purpose:
View attachment 4682
mount the left-side (drive) leg to the axle and properly bend-offset the leg to center (& level) the drivegear, then offset the right-side to properly mate to the other mounting point. a properly aligned strap will easily slip over the axle, without any inward or outward stressing.

Hi Augi,
Got some questions: Do you suggest my using a carpenter's level and setting it on top of the top bar of the mounting rack? Or do you mean leaving the engine bolted onto the mounting rack, then adjusting the Left side first and see where the belt is in relation to the drivering. I am real unclear about how to properly bend/offset the legs in order to get an optimun fit. So I assume you mean by bending the legs it would be a good idea to do that on a bench vise-grip.? I don't know what part of the leg I would need to bend.

In looking at the pics of bikes on the GEBE site, there are lots of engines that do not sit straight up over the back tire. My guess is that has not been what the real issue that was being talked about on this board anyway. I just misread/misinterpreted what was said.


It's late now but tomorrow, I will take another look at my project to see how taking the engine off the clutch and rotating it 90 degrees, then reattaching it-would look and operate. I wonder if Rif or you have posted any pics of this reconfiguration?

I hope I can get this thing settled by the weekend's end.

Oh, one more thing. I have the Tanaka 40 cc. The long part that is attached to a spring on the bottom end and takes the black ball on the top end--when I use it to tighten the belt along the drivegear-it will not stay up on it's own. It's always falling back down. Is that the way it's supposed to work?

Thanks a bunch!

Mary
 
using my previous picture of the drivegear as demonstration, how close to center are you? how much did you force-flex the legs? i'm asking because if you're within reason on the centering, leave it all alone & use hive's suggestion and just tweak the drivegear with a washer or 2.

otherwise, we can go thru using permanent bends on the strap to fine-tune...let us know if you'd like to do that...we'll help you get it as close as you can. i'd also be willing to do a real-time GEBE chat while you work on it. if your obsession is enuff to want to use levels to get it totally aligned...(mine is)...it's your baby, go for it :)

i think your belt is on the wrong side of the tensioner, this one is correct:
Mvc-093f.jpg
 
Augi, I think I get it...yeah!

Hi Augi,

I took some shots of the GEBE mount. When I pulled the legs apart to get it on the axle, I really didn't pay attention to how much I was doing the pulling.

The engine was just a wee bit heavy and I was in an awkward position, just trying to get it on the bike. So, in order to try and answer your question, I took the engine off the bike and shot the engine attached to mount.

As it stands now, the mount slips nicely on both sides of the axle without any further pulling apart of the legs.

The belt however, is not centered on the drivewheel. It rides closer to the inside of drivewheel. I wonder about inserting a SS washer or 2 to bring the belt into alignment? I assume I would have to loosen the nut on the drivewheel and take it off? Then set the washer on the inside, just behind where the drivewheel goes and then put DW back on?

I'm feeling a lot better about this, think I'm getting the hang of it. :D

Oh, I saw Hive's post with the picture of his Tanaka 33/GEBE engine turned another way. The 4 bolts you mentioned-those are the ones that attach the GEBE clutch (?) to the engine itself. (Not sure of the vocabulary.) Right?

Anything I should be aware of when I do it? I think that's a great idea. As it is now, the pull-start sits away from my back. The way Hive has his mounted, the pull-start looks much easier to get to while on the bike, and the fuel cap is in a little better position.

Thanks again,

Mary
 

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ok. let's get the engine rotated, then you should be able to re-install the kit piece by piece with as much or as little help as you'd like. it seems as if the washer-trick will do it when the time comes.

if you want, this will be easier if you take the engine/clutch/mount assembly off the strap. disconnect everything and drain the fuel. now you can work on the floor with tiny bits scattered everywhere, just like me :rolleyes:

here's the pic i'm working off of, pay no attention to anything except the bolt-patterns and positions, which i know to be the same on both of our setups. anytime i get too much into it, tell me to back off and 'splain more clearly.

Mvc-093f.jpg
you will very likely find the bolts extremely tight, use an extension on your allen wrench...hex inserts for your ratchet would be best.

1-swap the 2 bolts designated in red, taking the L-bracket with the longer bolt to it's new position. note the bracket will be facing to the right for now, but will eventually be facing upwards when we're finished.

2-remove the 4 bolts designated in blue...all you're going to do then is rotate the engine thru 90degrees until the gastank is facing rearward...this will be a bit awkward, the bolts and holes are a tight fit...unless you have any more questions, you have figured out what's going on by now and are re-attaching the engine in it's new position :)
Mvc-096f.jpg

lemme know.

(corrections and additional info most welcome!)
 
Hi Mary, I won't even pretend I have much of a clue of what to do since I'm a frame mount fan. wandered in to the rack mount thread thinking about my next build and am embarrased that I don't recognize half the people in here.

Anyhow, I admire you determination to get this thing working. I too need a dictionary. You might see if Augi or someone with experience will do a live chatzy with you. I did one with Augi when my motor died http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=6812
My 11 yearold was typing for me and my 8 yearold was getting tools and parts for me, the four of us had a lot of fun and learned a lot of new words (good ones) At first I thought Augi was speaking a different language since I didn't know all the part names.
One of these days we will have to put together a MB picture dictionary.

Good luck. Wish I could be there to see the look on your face when that motor comes to life. It will be well worth all the strugles now and what you learn you will pass on to others in the future.
 
Hi Mary, I won't even pretend I have much of a clue of what to do since I'm a frame mount fan. wandered in to the rack mount thread thinking about my next build and am embarrased that I don't recognize half the people in here.

Anyhow, I admire you determination to get this thing working. I too need a dictionary. You might see if Augi or someone with experience will do a live chatzy with you. I did one with Augi when my motor died http://www.motoredbikes.com/showthread.php?t=6812
My 11 yearold was typing for me and my 8 yearold was getting tools and parts for me, the four of us had a lot of fun and learned a lot of new words (good ones) At first I thought Augi was speaking a different language since I didn't know all the part names.
One of these days we will have to put together a MB picture dictionary.

Good luck. Wish I could be there to see the look on your face when that motor comes to life. It will be well worth all the strugles now and what you learn you will pass on to others in the future.

Hi Scott. Not wanting to hijack this thread, but you have a fantastic idea there with the MB picture dictionary..
 
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