| Author | Message | ||
     Hughlysses |
I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I had to change a tire over the weekend and was surprised to see fairly extensive cracking on the belt on my 07 Uly with ~7500 miles. (I did put another 300 miles on the belt yesterday without incident.) I had previously inspected the belt this summer when I replaced the original rear tire at ~3500 miles. At that time, IIRC there were no cracks at all in the belt. Now, there are cracks in every "valley" between the teeth. The shop manual seems to state that any cracking which exposes the fibers in the belt indicates failure is imminent. Is that how the rest of you read it? The shop manual for my S3 has some very helpful pictures showing acceptable and unacceptable cracks in the belt. Wish they had something similar in the Uly manual. Thanks in advance for any info. | ||
| Etennuly |
My belt has shown those cracks and edge wear for over twenty thousand miles. It seems that if none of the teeth are gone and the belt isn't actually split it is good to go(for now). | ||
| Hughlysses |
Vern, Thanks for the input. I'm thinking about leaving this belt on but going ahead and getting a spare belt. I had an ordeal with a flat tire last week (I couldn't get a plug to hold) and I'm probably overly paranoid about breakdowns right now. Hugh | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I have some cracks as well. I've had them since I started looking at 3,000 miles. I've got over 15,000 now. I plan to replace my belt at 20,000 miles and keep the old one as a spare. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I'm in the same boat. My belt has some small cracks in the rubber, and some chaffing from rubbing on the guard, but it's still going strong. I'll probably replace the belt next year sometime. | ||
| Irelage |
What is the price of a new belt? Do most people carry a spare? | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I believe it's $120 | ||
| Hughlysses |
$162 from American Sport Bike; I ordered one today (along with a voltmeter). | ||
| Adrian_8 |
I pd. about 140.00 from the dealer and just cary it it in the top trunk. Went on a 6,400 mile trip and thought safe versus sorry was good to have one just in case...I snapped one doing a 3rd to 2nd wheelie once.. | ||
| Rays |
Hugh, I first noticed cracks between every tooth (jagged looking like a fine tear) at the 16,000km service (~9600 miles) and to be honest I hadn't really looked very closely before that. They appeared to be exactly the same at the 32,000km service (~19,000 miles). At the 40,000km service the cracks still looked the same but the belt was nowhere near as tight as it used to be - I could easily turn the idler by hand with the reduced belt tension for example. I ordered a spare from the US (because Buell Australia didn't have a single spare in the country) and the belt finally popped shortly after at almost exactly 43,000 km (~26,700 miles). I swapped the belt out on the side of the road and the new belt was a tight son of a gun to fit under those conditions so I plan to run this one to 20,000 miles as suggested by FB and then swap it with my replacement (it was eventually replaced under warranty) and carry the worn one for roadside repair if required(assuming of course that fate doesn't bite me with an early rock sneaking past the guard). I would keep an eye on the tension of the belt as well as any cracks as an indicator of impending failure. I might add that as a first time Buell owner I am more than satisfied with a belt life of 43,000km, $0 spent on chain lube and an absolute joy for day to day maintenance. I apologise in advance for any belt - chain squabbles this may induce.  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Ray, Thanks for that info; that's exactly what the cracks in my belt look like. That's a good tip about checking the tension with the idler pulley. If I can get 20,000 miles out of it I'll be very satisfied. (Message edited by hughlysses on November 27, 2007) | ||
| Dr_greg |
If I can get 20,000 miles out of it I'll be very satisfied. Not me! I'm nearing 40,000 miles on the original belt and I wanna see how far it'll go. Its appearance hasn't really changed in the last 39,000 miles... Plus I read about some Harley guy who averaged over 100K miles per belt. Of course I carry a spare belt/tools  | ||
| Hughlysses |
Dr_greg, Is your belt showing any cracks? I read an article on that Harley rider with the 100k+ belt too. Guess I need to start washing mine religiously. | ||
| Scooter808484 |
Mine broke on me a couple of weeks ago at 12k miles. Even post mortem, I couldn't find any cracks, holes, rub marks or anything else. I could kind of see some cracks by bending the belt severely, but I don't think you'd have seen them when on the bike. I'm pretty easy on the bike, so I was kind of at loss for what happened. Got it replaced under warranty. I figured I'd try and get a year out of that belt, then buy a new one, replace it and carry the old one around as a spare, so I didn't have to worry too much about storing in a too tightly rolled position. | ||
| Dynasport |
34,000 (s)miles on my Harley belt so far. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
if you are riding off pavement,... that belt is about due. I lost mine at 9280, I now ride with a spare, at my 17500 service I will have a new belt put on | ||
| Dr_greg |
Is your belt showing any cracks? Yes, there have been cracks on the inside for quite some time. Haven't noticed them worsening, though. Frankly, I don't scrutinize it, I just wash it. | ||
| Murraebueller |
22,500 miles both on and off road,minor chafing on part of the edge, no cracks, still tight. I'll carry a spare when I got to Baja in February. | ||
| Jameslaugesen |
I'm on my 4th belt now (3rd replacement) in ~28,000km... of pure abuse. Never cleaned the belt as specified in the workshop manual (to reduce built up of grit in the teeth), and haven't replaced the wheel pulley despite chips in it's coating (which is also specified in the workshop manual). I'm happy with the milage I'm getting, I'd be lucky to get the same from a chain... I hate cleaning chains. I'm still very much against using an old belt as your emergency spare. I beleive packing the used belt will cause excess damage and make it more prone to failure. Once a used belt is removed, it stays in very much the same shape as it is on the bike. Which suggests to me that over time the materials form to the shape/angles/forces applied which it's on the bike. Eg, the cracks seen between the teeth could easily be opened/spread by bending the belt backwards, or even straightening a section which has formed into a natural curve. Dunno about everyone else, but I think it would really suck to have my only backup fail as well... seems a bit like an EPERB failing. If a new belt needs to be fitted anyway, why not put the new belt on in the first place? I've fitted 3 new belts so far (1 in the garage and 2 on the side of the road), and now have it down to about 20 minutes with all tools on the bike. The idlier pulley needs to be removed, but it's only 2 nuts. Then I use a strap over my knee to stretch the belt up while putting the pulley back on, just to avoid damaging the threaded studs. If you have the right tools, and keep all the threads in good condition with nikel antilock, it should be a piece of cake. I was a bit paranoid with the torque settings (with all the aluminium changing temperature frequently, with the oil in the swingarm, etc) so I "calibrated" myself to a torque wrench just to be safe. | ||
| Teeps |
Jameslaugesen, Do you loosen the rear axle during your belt exchange? | ||
| Od_cleaver |
Jameslaugesen, How do you carry your spare belt? Are you the fellow that rolls it up like a bandsaw blade? I can't see how a person could follow the recommended minimum forward and reverse bends and still get a compact package. | ||
| Adrian_8 |
You should loosen the axle to change belt....BUT>>>you must loosen the axle FIRST before you remove the swingarm brace or you can damage the swingarm and or brace from the tension the brace is under...(the brace is a section of the swingarm that comes off to allow the belt to be installed..located on upper right side of swing arm) and you did not get the proper allen wrenches from Buell to do it...do not find this out in the middle of BFE even if you have a spare belt. | ||
| Dickc |
What size is the rear axle pinch bolt? Do you have to raise the rear wheel to change the belt? If so how do you do that along side the road? I have read the manual on removing/replacing the belt but I have not done it. Could you provide a step by step how this is done and what needs to be removed when doing this along side the road? Thanks in advance, Dickc | ||
| Hughlysses |
Pinch bolt is 3/8" hex socket. I believe you can change the belt with getting the rear wheel off the ground. | ||
| Dr_greg |
The belt can be removed with the wheel on the ground. Just back out the axle 15 turns then remove the swingarm brace, etc. Although some leave the idler pulley assembly installed, I remove it. It gives you a little more slack and make sliding the new belt on much easier. If the pulley is not removed, I found it difficult to slide on the new belt without the "sprocket" teeth scraping (and peeling a little ) on the inside of the belt. | ||
| Etennuly |
You can use nearly any road side debris for a jack if you want to raise the rear wheel after loosening. Just lean the bike up onto the side stand until the back wheel lifts and slide what ever(log, bricks, blocks) under the muffler at the rear. | ||
| Dickc |
Thanks Guys, I appreciate the info. Dickc |
