| Author | Message | ||
     Erikh425 |
So I bit the Buellit and bought an 07 that I found here locally. It has been snowing since i picked her up so I haven't even gotten the chance to roll it out of the garage for pictures. I guess that is the joy of living in Northern MN. I am in the process of changing all of the fluids, and giving her the once over. One of the things that I really want to have on hand is a spare belt. The belt that is on it now only has about 100 miles on it, so my plan is to ride this belt for at least a thousand miles to stretch it out a bit and then change belts and keep the used for a spare. So, I have been to American Sport Bike and some other sites and they all seem to run about the same, but if anyone has a great place to purchase, or any other belt guidance that would be great. Thanks in advance, Erik | ||
| Motorbike |
I bought my new belt from my local (90 miles) Harley Dealer. He gave me a deal on it because I bought the bike there new. Otherwise, I would buy the belt from American Sport Bike. I have purchased and few things from American Sport Bike and have always had top notch service. I have also spoken to Al on the phone and he has given me great technical advice on a couple of issues. Great guy to work with and he really knows and likes Buells! Thanks. | ||
| Erikh425 |
Cool, Thanks, I have read some great things about Al from American Sport Bike here. When I need some help I will give him a ring. | ||
| Murf2 |
Eric, I posted to you Advrider post. Murf | ||
| Teeps |
The best deal is there is NO "DEAL" so to speak. That is, you're not going to find a new belt from a reliable source for 20, 30 or 40 percent off the retail price. I bought one a few years ago, from Al, it was around $170 plus tax and shipping. | ||
| Froggy |
Your only real sources for an OEM belt is a dealer, or a 3rd party reseller like American Sport Bike. In all cases you are going to pay MSRP, sometimes you might get lucky and a dealer will have a sale or other promo, but otherwise expect to pay the full price. The main difference between American Sport Bike and a dealer is that American Sport Bike usually has the stuff in stock, so if you are ever in a pinch and need something now, you won't have to wait 5-300 business days for the dealer to get it. | ||
| General_ulysses |
At first I thought 170 clams for a belt was a bit pricey. But then I was thinking how much a new Tsubaki o-ring chain and sprockets would cost. Plus all the upkeep a chain needs along with the greasy grit and grime they usually fling. Then I decided $170 wasn't so bad after all. I just got an 06 with 5600 miles on it. How much do I need to worry about the belt snapping? Should I just go and get a new one and carry this one as a spare? And what about that aftermarket tensioner? Worth it or can I get by without it? | ||
| Teeps |
General, Belt life has been a crap shoot at best. That is, the mileage at failure has many variables. Some riders report breakage at less than 10k miles; while some go tens of thousands of miles before a failure. If you have a place to store, a spare belt and tools to change it, on the bike. Then, by all means change this belt out and carry it as a spare. Personally, I am not a fan of the spring tensioner. Buell did not (EBR does not) skimp on engineering or cost, thus, IMO, if it NEEDED a springy tensioner; Buell would have installed one from the get go. (Message edited by teeps on April 08, 2013) | ||
| Cyclonedon |
My dealer has a sale, 20% off msrp twice a year. If I can wait, I purchase there, if I need it now, I purchase from who has one in stock. | ||
| Xbimmer |
For anyone who thinks Buell Uly belts are pricey: http://www.bikebandit.com/2006-bmw-f800st/o/m20842 #sch695006 I love those 800ST's but it was stuff like that back in '06 that pushed me in other directions... | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
General ULY, My 06' Uly's belt lasted 25,000. When it snapped I was less than 2 miles from home and so I walked home. Towed the bike home with my son's 07' ULY. Belt looked rotted at the break. I believe that if you do a bunch of wheelies the belt will snap sooner than later. I gave up on the wheelies. Get yourself a spare. Mine snapped a week before one of the Buell Homecoming events and so I had to scramble to get it ordered and installed in time to attend the Homecoming. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Bowel Movement on Wheels I tells ya. BMW I'll take belts over chains any ole day of the week. My 1997 Electraglide has the original belt. | ||
| Erikh425 |
Thanks for all of the info. The belt currently has 100 miles or so on it. I want to buy a new one, put a couple thousand on the old belt, then switch belts and keep the stretched out used belt for a spare just in case. Thanks Again | ||
| Skifastbadly |
I think I hold the record for broken belts here, so I'll chime in. Again, I repeat from ADVRider, buy from American Sport Bike so we can continue to depend on Al to be in business. You should certainly carry a spare belt with you and the tools required to change it because it can make the difference between being inconvenienced and screwed. I can replace a belt in less than 30 minutes unless someone's helping me, then it's more like 45. Tools required include the torx to remove the plastic parts, an allen wrench to get the frame 'bridge' off, a different size allen wrench to loosen the right footpeg bracket, yet another size allen wrench to loosen the axle locking bolt, and a socket/breaker bar to loosen the axle. All of this stuff fits under the seat. The only question is, where does one carry the belt? I fold mine and keep them in my panniers. People have suggested that the reason I break so many is because they shouldn't be folded, so the last time I got a new one in, I installed it immediately...never been folded. The spare is in the bag as an emergency. | ||
| Uly_dude |
Welcome Erik. Nice to see another fellow Minnesotan join the asylum. I get up to duluth on my Uly every now and then. You're going to luv your bike, but there's alot to learn. Just keep your eye on this forum at least once a week. I'll send you some pics of how I store my spare belt under the seat. It's pretty easy. A long time ago I made a list of all the potential problems that could leave me stranded with this bike. Over the last 3 yrs I've been checking em off one by one. And adding farkles at the same time. It's a disease. You'll learn. | ||
| Erikh425 |
Thanks Uly Dude, I already have the sickness. That is one of the reasons I bought the Uly. I love to tinker with stuff. I bought a new bike last year and by the time it had 400 miles on it I already had taken a sawzall to it to "make it better". During my lunch break today I added battery tender leads, and cleaned up some connections. Yeah, the sickness has set in  But with 4-6 inches of snow in the forecast for Friday and again on Sunday it will be a bit before I get the Uly out. | ||
| Uly_man |
The older AKE belts are cheaper than the AKF belts but a AKF belts is the one you want as is the last version. Its a known fact that the belt tightens a fraction as the rear wheel goes up. This is what the FST was designed to stop but I do not know if it helps and I have had two of them. On my 06 bike I found the belt got tighter, yes no joke here, as the bike got (very) hot. 7K on two belts and never did bad things with the bike but they were the older type belts. Lots of things can effect belt life. You Guys are lucky as they cost $300 odd here. | ||
| Nillaice |
IIRC somebody had found an aftermarket source for these and posted about it on here with pics and everything. Not that they were 5 bucks each, but it was another supplier | ||
| Uly_man |
Ok forgive me if I am wrong as it was a while ago but? I first had a AKD belt on the 06 bike and then a AKE. Both marked as only Buell and not Goodyear as well. The AKE belt on the 10 bike is a Buell and Goodyear marked belt and NOTHING like the old AKE belt. Its WAAAAY stiffer. I have a spare AKF belt and it is the same. I seem to recall Goodyear were asked to design the belts for the new "R" series bikes and then took over production of all Buell belts. At the moment the 10 bikes belt is fine at 7.5K but then again you can never tell when they will go. Always keep a spare and take it with you on long trips as well. HD should never have said they were a "lifetime" item but saying that I got two belts out of them for nothing so I have no reason to complain on there service. | ||
| Froggy |
They are a lifetime item, like the headlight bulbs, stators, or wheel bearings. They do not have a scheduled replacement interval, and if it goes under warranty it will be repaired at no cost to you. That said, I've replaced more bulbs, stators, and wheel bearings over the years than belts. | ||
| Uly_man |
I guess thats about the country the bike is sold in. In the UK a lamp, drive chain, brake disc and even wheel bearings are considered to be consumables and as such most bike dealers will not change them under warranty. In fact many do not care much once they have had your money. But as always there are still some who are good. Black Bear, UK are one and I thank them for all of there help. | ||
| Argentcorvid |
There are several industrial belt suppliers (goodyear being one) that have belts that might fit, but no telling how they compare in strength to the 'F' belts. you need a "synchronous drive belt" with 14mm pitch, 1890mm total length (135 teeth) and 1-1/8 inches wide. (Message edited by argentcorvid on April 10, 2013) | ||
| Hughlysses |
At least a couple of guys on ADVrider are running aftermarket belts. IIRC, the one they found was significantly less expensive than the OEM belt. I haven't seen any reports on how they're holding up. | ||
| Erikh425 |
In my search I found a guy on ADV (The name escapes me now) who had a thread about an aftermarket belt he was trying. The last mileage he had posted was around 7000 miles I believe. I will see if I can find it. The weather forecast is for another 10 inches of snow here tonight, so I should have no shortage of time to think about belts and other accessories. Grrrrrrrr | ||
| Argentcorvid |
That's where I got the specs for the synchronous drive belts. The guy in the ADV post had one made by Fenner, which is apparently based in the UK, and don't sell much in the US. US suppliers are Goodyear, Gates, and Browning (and many others). | ||
| Teeps |
Google this: Belt-Drives-1-1-8-POLY-BLT-14-MM-135T there are many results. Note: I have not sourced nor used any of these belts Uly belt specs: 1 1/8" wide 14mm pitch 135 tooth(?) count. | ||
| Argentcorvid |
Thats right, I forgot that the belt width was a stumbling block. 1-1/2" is a common width, 1-1/8" is not. | ||
| Motorbike |
The weather forecast is for another 10 inches of snow here tonight, so I should have no shortage of time to think about belts and other accessories. Grrrrrrrr Here is the latest weather forecast for Minnesota:  I haven't even had my bike out once this year..... | ||
| Erikh425 |
I saw that posted during last week's snow storm. Mother Nature is a fickle b__ch this Spring. I had one of my bikes out in March for an hour and that was it. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Thats right, I forgot that the belt width was a stumbling block. 1-1/2" is a common width, 1-1/8" is not. It probably wouldn't take more than 3 or 4 hours to trim one to the proper width with a Dremel and a cutoff wheel.  |
