| Author | Message | ||
     Rotorhead |
Anyone here change over to a chain drive from the belt? If so why the switch and was it worth it? I'm thinking about doing it but it is allot more $$ than a replacement belt. The only reason I'm considering it is for the ALCAN 2010. Allot of pro's and con's with both setups thats why I'm ready for both sides of the story. | ||
| Slaughter |
This is probably the MOST talked about subject on Badweb... except maybe choices of beer or underwear. Seriously, do the search, you'll find HOURS of reading material - there's TONS of info here. | ||
| Rotorhead |
I saw a guy at march badness that had one on a ULY. I was hoping he would chime in to his setup, cost, would he recommend it for off road use. First hand knowledge on a ULY is what I'm after. | ||
| Prowler |
I know that this belt failure thing has been flogged to death, but my concerns with the issue were put to rest with the installation of a "Free Spirits" spring loaded belt tensioner. I also believe that the tensioner reduces the load on the rear wheel bearings. Chain drive is a pain in the butt. | ||
| Reepicheep |
You probably already know the basics... Chains make gearing changes easier, and are a lot more maintenance. Chains are probably a little more debris resistant, though with 10k replacement intervals on a chain, I wonder if it is really a net gain. A chain would be easier to carry a repair kit for on the road (just a new master link), provided the chain did not rip out chunks of your crank case or swingarm in the process of failing. Cityslicker probably has more miles in much harder offroad then anything you will touch on the whole trip, and I think his conclusion was that a belt will be solid for about 10k miles, even off road. You could make a case for either for the Alcan trip, but were it me, when in doubt, I would leave the OEM setup alone. You could introduce a lot of unintended consequences by changing things, and I would hate for you to discover those things in the middle of freaking nowhere. Especially grizzly bear nowhere.  | ||
| Neurorider |
Prowler-do you have a link to info about that tensioner? or more info? thanks- 'doc | ||
| Svh |
http://www.trojan-horse.co.uk/prods/169.html | ||
| M_singer |
>>>>>>>>>my concerns with the issue were put to rest with the installation of a "Free Spirits" spring loaded belt tensioner. I also believe that the tensioner reduces the load on the rear wheel bearings. Chain drive is a pain in the butt. You may be right about that but there isn't enough collective experience to substantiate that in my mind. Buell seems to think that the chain tensioner will actually "increase" belt loading by increasing the lash from on off throttle/down sifting situations. | ||
| Lost_in_ohio |
If it was at Suches that would be Wolfridgerider. He used saintly's chain conversion. He likes it, I like to harass him about it. | ||
| Sekalilgai |
Yeah that was Mark's bike at MBV, but I thinks it has a belt back on it now..... Still racking up the miles Dave? (Message edited by sekalilgai on August 23, 2008) | ||
| Rotorhead |
I'm still Truck'n. The Army has my hands tied and the bike parked right now in a school for the last 2 months. I managed to get a run out to Cali up to NY and back down the skyway and Parkway before that. Wolfgang, Are you still running the chain setup? if not why did you go back to the belt? Where did you pick up the Saintly chain setup? | ||
| Buelldualsport |
What Rotor asked is a good question Also interested Buells to Alaska | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
I loved the chain...... but the right side bearing did not. The bearing went bye bye on my way home from MBV. I thought it was a the ole Uly bearing failure thingy... until... While at Homecoming I had a conversation with "Coolice", and told him I wanted to convert my race bike to a chain drive. With no hesitation he said it would eat the right side bearing.... Hmmmm... some food for thought.... I am back to the belt because I noticed the sprocket was missing a tooth at 10 pm then night before I was to depart for East Troy/Homecoming... Talk about a scramble to find all the parts to put the belt back on....  Thats my story..... I think I would buy an extra belt and be done with it.... IMHO.. BUT THE CHAIN WAS SO COOL!!!  | ||
| Adamd |
Race bikes eat bearings. They're considered consumables. I know this isn't MotoGP but still... | ||
| Aussiexbox |
 please somebody slap the person who mentioned "Chains"belts are the reason we buy Buells | ||
| Slaughter |
You just gotta remember that we have NO CUSH DRIVE. There is a lot of shock going into the rear through the sprocket and right side bearing that is NOT absorbed by rubber. Don't know what the figures really are but you have to figure changing the rear bearings into your "reliability" equation. | ||
| Red_chili |
Good observation about the cush drive, and the belt's ability to absorb a bit of shock that the chain cannot. I don't worry about it on my XR650R, but then, I run knobbies on it (shock absorption) and it doesn't make 103HP. | ||
| Rotorhead |
please somebody slap the person who mentioned "Chains" You know how when you were a teenager and your parents would tell your "Don't do that I know what's going to happen because it happened to me" and you say " Oh yeah it won't happen to me. You don't know what your talking about" Well I think I'm going to try this one out on my own with my own money. Now that my bike isn't covered under warranty and I can convert to a chain drive for less than a new belt, which BTW is on back order if I needed one anyway. This is an experiment and cool factor more that usefullness. I'm still a kid at hart and just want to play with my ULY "Erector set". This is a part of a build up for my ALCAN 5000 rig. I'm keeping all the original parts for the logistic vehicle that will follow us. | ||
| Rick_a |
The main issue with a chain and probably why they can 'eat right side bearings' is because they have to be set loose as all hell to avoid loading that bearing under suspension compression. It doesn't work well to have the final drive chain working as a bump stop. Tension needs to be determined by swinging the swinging arm through its travel and setting the chain to 1/4" slack at the tightest point. #2 is that there is nothing to dampen engine pulses and the final drive chain and primary chain both suffer a premature death over time. I've been using chains for around 15,000 miles. I've killed a couple chains and one primary chain (mind you it's a 520 chain not the more durable 530). The output bearing has suffered no ill effects, but I've always set the tension so that the chain can't bind anywhere in the swingarm's travel. | ||
| Chadhargis |
I always run my chains a bit on the loose end of the scale. As long as you can't pull the chain off the sprocket, it's tight enough. I cringe when I see guys running a chain too tight. They have no idea what damage they are doing....and that's WITH a cush drive to damp things. | ||
| Bigkuri |
I'm on my 2nd belt in 6000 miles. Did they not just release an improved 1125-based belt? | ||
| Rick_a |
Yes, I believe it's been out for some time. It supersedes all older part #'s. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Just lost my 3rd belt and now my pulleys are damaged front and rear, both requiring replacement.... outside of warranty anyways. Looking at chain. | ||
| Rotorhead |
City, I was watching your "adventure" with the drive belt and was wondering when you chime in. When I get the parts all together I will send on what I come up with and an install thread. no one is doing the kit thing anymore (in the us for less than the price of a belt) so I am parting one together. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
I know the KTM runs fine with a chain.... You know if I had that 450 dirt bike, I would abuse the CityX near as much as I do. Theres a dead Muell in the corner that I need to kick to make my dirty work bike. | ||
| Red_chili |
On the boards the KTM guys are always talking about the need for cush drive conversions though, for dualsported 450s etc. | ||
| Rotorhead |
Chili, Where you the one that snaked that voltage regulator from me off ebay this week? Good job if you did it was a great price and was hoping to get away with it myself.  | ||
| Sanchez |
Having owned several bikes with chains and a couple with belts, I'd say stick with the belt. It really is marvelous, especially with the tensioner pulley. It makes sense to run a chain on a race bike simply because it allows you to change gear ratios easily. Other than that, a chain is just a messy pain in the butt. |
