| Author | Message | ||
     Paralegalpete |
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoWlQ2hz-3Q | ||
| Windrider |
I guess the pics say it all.... | ||
| Trevd |
Looks like a.... good time?? Please post a picture of the new belt installed, and you continuing to have a good time... | ||
| 7873jake |
What did your stopwatch/sundial say for how long it took to be back upright and moving again? | ||
| Rays |
LOL on the sundial comment. Man, I bet you were glad you packed a spare belt. Thanks for sharing - it makes my daily commute just that little bit duller.  | ||
| Swampy |
Wow, right in the middle of the road! Looks like one of those epic adventures so many of us dream about. I have a friend that is a FED Motorcarrier and was up in Ontario to do a audit on some trucking company. He owned a Jeep and started out on his way up into the area where the company was located. He said every once in a while a big logging truck would come barreling down the road AT him going a high rate of speed taking up the whole road making him have to take evasive measures to keep from getting run over. When he got to his destination and got introduced he was commenting on how fast the truckers were going and how they had almost run him over. The fellow he was telling the story to asked him where he came from, and when he heard from the south he started laughing then explained that there is sort of an unwritten rule of the roads concerning direction of travel on certain days, such as one day everyone goes south, the next north and so on. He was told he was going the wrong direction. | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Well folks time to tell a little of the story, I'm somewhat embarrassed but here goes. First off my original trip plan was to visit with my brother near Sudbury Ontario and spend two days on the logging roads staying at a hunt camp in Biscotasing and then on to Elliot Lake. We would then part ways, he back East to Sudbury and me West to Sault Saint Marie and then North up around Lake Superior and down into Michigan (to meet some friends from a sportster forum) Day one from Sudbury was glorious, the roads were rough in places but nothing the Uly cound't handle, early in the day we saw a few logging trucks but after that nothing, no cars, people or anything for 150 K. The roads we were on were not being used by logging trucks and were starting to get overgrown. We got lost once and ended up on some really rough stuff but managed to outwit our gps and find the road through, About 10k from the breakdown we met a couple of dozers widening the road, I guess they were planning on logging that area this winter. It got really dicey on that stretch as the dozers had left deep sand all over the trail. The belt snapped during hard acceleration, I thought at first I had hit the rev limit but in fact as my brother pointed out the belt had snapped. I actually was looking forward to being able to replace the belt on the road as I had carried the damn thing and all the tool for months, Things started to go south pretty fast. Remember all that advice here about putting the new belt on in the comfort of your garage? You get to see if you have the right tools, you get to learn how it's done and your left with a spare belt that has been a little stretched and worn. I didn't heed that advice and as a result was not able to change the belt on the side of the road despite our best efforts. First I didn't have a big enough allen wrench to loosen the pinch bolt, I then broke my ratchet on the axle. Ended up using a hammer and adjustable wrench that my brother had to loosen the axle. Loosened it 15 times and still could not get the belt close to the front pulley, never-mind above the tensioner wheel. At 23 turns the axle popped out of the other side of the wheel. Sand and grit was getting into everything I couldn't get the tensioner wheel off because I didn't have the socket and of course I broke the ratchet on the axle. It was starting to get late in the afternoon, and we did not want to spend the night in the bush with the bears. It was 70k (30 dirt and 40 paved) to the nearest gas station with a tow service and of course no where even the station would have cell service. My brother took off for The Watershed Restaurant and Gas Station (so named because on one side of the road the water goes to the Arctic, and the other side to the Atlantic) So I hunker down and prepare for the minimum 3 hour wait for him to come back My goal during that time is not to be eaten by a bear and to try and get the axle threaded back into the wheel. Note: I have the 2010 wheel, don't know if that made it more difficult to get slack for the belt After about 3O minutes, I hear the roar of my brothers bike, he had met some old folks 17k up the road. They were picking blueberries. One of them had a pick up truck. My brother convinced this guy to come back and take my bike to the Watershed. His wife didn't like the idea as he had spent the day before fishing with his buddy and today was the day he was to pick berries with the woman. Bob a retired engineer was happy to help out and was a really interesting knowledgeable guide to the area. I paid him well for his time and trouble. My brother had called from the payphone one of his employees in Sudbury to come with a truck and trailer to pick us up. We had a 2.5 hour wait and then a 150k ride back to Sudbury THe next day I called the Sudbury HD (not a buell) and explained my predicament and they refused to help me out. I trailered the bike to my Dealer in Owen Sound and will be back on the road on Monday. I feel like a dum bass. (Message edited by paralegalpete on August 07, 2010) | ||
| Hughlysses |
Sorry about your difficulties. For future reference, you do know the belt has to go on the front pulley first, right? It has a flange on the outer edge to keep the belt from walking off. Next question is are you sure you have the right belt? It shouldn't have been THAT hard to get on. Go ahead and get another belt on order, and avoid repeating your mistake!  | ||
| Itileman |
+1 on the "right belt." I had a new belt in my garage for six months. Went to have it put on with new tires and wheel bearings and the dealer said it was the wrong belt. Had bought it from them.  | ||
| Scodill |
Ouch Pete If the tensioner was still in place I imagine that it would be impossible to get a new belt on. I think that you should have been able to remove it with the adjustable wrench.......but that's all water under the bridge now.....sorry to hear that it all went pear shaped. | ||
| Brucespoint |
Looked like a Fun Ride from the Helmet Cam! Good Clip... Still learning the Geology up here, Oldest bedrock on the continent, I Want to explore it Well! did you take a GPS fix where you broke? milepoint? Not much "sand" up in the Shield, most fill used for road building would be fresh crusher material, and/or pit blasted & dug, sharp edges still, if deep/loose a Lot more likely to nick the belt I'd think. Shale wears down pretty quick, but Fresh is Nasty stuff. Were you picking through or on the gas while in the active dozed area? Get Sprocket deep? What were the 10k after like? I've pulled away from a few roads round the shield when they just looked too much like shards fill, No spares Yet! But on order, Do NOT want to be Bear Bait either! Beautiful Area, But NightTime Driving/Riding Not Healthy in Moosey times!!! Crash Test Dummied That! Rider Hit one west of TB just this week, have heard of others doing so also. I picked up a Trail bike to explore them with locally, wondering if a chain conversion is in the future for my Uly. b. | ||
| Mnrider |
Looks like a great ride up to that point. I've seen on here where folks have just stuffed a big rock under the muffler to jack the bike up for belt changes. Hope you get going soon. | ||
| Rotorhead |
I love adventures like yours. The ride started at home, but the adventure started at the time of the belt break. i had a belt break story also in the middle of a ride and a fellow badwebber helped me out of a jam 2000 miles from home. Although yours was much more remote it is an adventure you'll love to tell about for years to come. | ||
| Eulysses |
Nice tires. Which ones are they? They look thick enough. Euly | ||
| Eulysses |
Nice tires. Which ones are they? They look thick enough. Euly | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Well I'm back in business, but have put the Uly up for sale, I don't have any regrets, but want a bike with a chain drive, a proven track record and a dealer network, no more belts for me. This was the second broken belt that has spoiled the remainder of a trip. I know that part of it was my fault for not being prepared but a master link seems way easier. THe last time on my sportster I got as far as Wawa the tires are the Dunlop D616 and I'm really impressed with the dirt performance. | ||
| Trevd |
Pete, I can't say I blame you for selling... I only have so much patience for vehicles letting me down, and if one were to do it twice for the same problem, I'd be looking to get rid of it too. From what I've seen, you'd probably be better off with a more "off-road" oriented bike anyway. I'm just glad my Uly hasn't let me down yet... I like it too much to have to get rid of it! | ||
| Trevd |
Also, I'm kind of sad to hear that The Shop in Sudbury didn't help you out. I grew up in Sudbury, and my dad and I both bought several bikes at The Shop when it was a Honda/BMW/Polaris dealer... They had a good service dept. back then, and I'm sure they would have helped you out 20 years ago. I guess now that they're Harley-only, they've got the disease and they don't feel the need to help others. It's sad... | ||
| Paralegalpete |
Funny, a few years ago when my sporty broke a belt in wawa I rented a pickup and took it to the Shop (at their old location) and they really took care of me. This time, they said they were booked two weeks solid and didn't have time to deal with my emergency. I also called the HD/Buell dealer in Barrie as I would be trailering the bike right by and this is what I was told, sorry don't know when we can get to it, me: but its a roadside emergency and I'm stranded on my vacation, her: everyone's on vacation and you will be trailering it in, hardly an emergency me: how bout I drop it off a k from your place and push it in? her: silence | ||
| Johnboy777 |
Hey Paralegalpete, Thanks for posting. Any chance a chain conversion could fit the bill? Just a thought. . | ||
| Paralegalpete |
I had a close look at the broken belt, almost every cog had a stress fracture , it was just a matter of time before this one went. I have a warranty claim in | ||
| Paralegalpete |
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| Skinstains |
Put a 530 on that bad-boy and eat rocks for breakfast, lunch & dinner with it. The whole belt idea is just stupid. Perhaps for someone who mainly uses their bike as an accessory to match their T-shirt it's OK, but for a bike that's expected to be ridden it's just a bad joke. That's why all the dirt and performance oriented bikes come with chains. I own six XB model Buells and they all have chains on them. Three of those have auto-oilers on them, and the other three are track bikes where oilers would not pass tech. insp. Itileman has seen one of them and may even have a pic he can post if you ask him nicely. I don't remember total cost of a conversion but I'm going to say it was under $500 including a DID X-ring 530 chain and the auto oiler. | ||
| Itileman |
I have seen, and I believe. Unfortunately, I never got any close up pix. It appears to work well as Skinstains rode a heavily loaded X from New Jersey to Western Montana and back home with a few more extras. | ||
| Eulysses |
How many miles on your belt Pete? Was it the stock 09 belt? I remember you were an early 09 with the orange bearings. Euly PS what is the chain source? Erik Buell Racing? (Message edited by Eulysses on August 12, 2010) | ||
| Paralegalpete |
12000 miles (20000kms)on the original 2009 belt | ||
| Mnrider |
My buddies DR 350 spit the chain out last week. Plus you have to oil the damn things. | ||
| Neroadnetime |
I got an 08 buell now..I hope I never have a belt snap. I also had a 1993 FLH. the belt only lasted 115,000 miles, I had it changed out as the dealer told me I was on borrowed time. I keep it on the wall as a spare in case the new one brakes. My Buddy has the bike now. The "new" belt has about 70,000 miles on it. If you think it's never seen gravel roads...think again... http://www.youtube.com/user/AnyRoadAnyTime#p/u/15/ qwdtpMJq-ew Like I said...I hope I have good luck with the Uly...I do enjoy that bike! | ||
| Rcf2 |
Sad to hear your story but will work as a good advise for me to replace my belt with something like 20,000km and learn how to change it. Since I have absolutely no plans to replace my Uly (best cost x satisfaction available) this become more important after your experience. | ||
| Jphish |
Paralegal - Sorry for your troubles. The Uly is still my favorite beast, HOWEVER...Not always my first choice for adventures off the beaten path, for the very reasons you enumerated. I did a 13K mi Uly trip this spring, with no breakdowns. But it was mostly pavement and in relative civilization. Not the case in NWT the year before - Uly left me in a tough place to go kaput. I bought an 06 Tiger last year with 3K mi on the clock for well under $6K. Chain driven, MUCH better tire (including TKCs, Hiedenau, Tourance etc) selection for those logging roads, parts more readily available, and while the 955 triple may have a little less 'grunt', it has ALL the acceleration of the Uly, and then some. Its a top heavy monster but very compliant & capable, even on some pretty rough stuff. GREAT adventure machine. Might be a plan B option. Good luck to ya either way. "Better to have owned a Uly & cried, than to have cried and never had one"...or something like that. |
