| Author | Message | ||
     Saintly |
Hi, first post here. Found board via search for my belt problem. 2003 xb9r at 6k miles I started hearing a snapping noise coming from under me when accellerating full throttle. Had a kawi zx7 that made the same noise whenever its chain needed adjusting(skipping teeth on front sprocket). I took a good look at the tensioner pulley & discovered it to be non adjustable as well as "fixed" How does that work? Anyway by 6300 miles it was doing it quite often so I dropped it off at dealership with only 2 weeks remaining on my 1-yr factory warranty. Dealer kept it for FOUR WEEKS then calls me & says no problem found. I stressed that they must ride it hard & it will do it. I also stressed how much it sounds like the belt & please check the belt. No luck, they give me the bike back and now warranty is up. Made snapping/skipping noise constantly on the way home. I looked at the belt & saw 12 cracks on the smooth side of the belt parallel to the teeth. I called the dealer & they said thats normal that all belts develop those cracks. (this was last week) today on the way to work I snapped the belt. Shot it clean out the back. I found your board and a bunch of posts about these belts failing. The most interesting was this one about 3 types of belts: http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/32777/118488.html?1117909670 Can any one provide me with a buell part # for the 2nd design "03" belt? I'm going to try to fight it out with the dealer over this but I'd like to have as much info as I can before I call. Are there any buell bulletins on this subject? What do you think my chances are of getting them to eat this now that my warranty is up by 3 weeks? Thanks | ||
| Bbstacker |
You brought it in for the problem before the warranty was up and they did nothing. I may be talking out my arse, but I think they owe you something. My 03 9R has the factory belt on it with 7800 miles. Both times I've needed to take the belt off I've been very careful not to twist or bend it. Fortunately I found out they are sensitive that way before I ever messed with it. | ||
| Nevar |
Your dealer is full of crap. There should not be ANY cracks, anywhere. You need to go back there and raise some hell. Nothing to lose since its off warranty. I would start talking with them nicely but escalate if that doesn't work... Tim | ||
| Nevar |
Or contact Buell directly... Tim | ||
| Fullpower |
my FIRST belt failure (2004 XB12S) was at 6700 miles. dealer waranteed the belt. good thing i had a spare belt however, because it broke 350 miles from home at midnight. wife was only slightly amused when she showed up in talkeetna alaska at 7:00 AM with toolbox and spare belt. shortly after the fresh belt i fried the idler bearings, twice. first idler was waranteed, second time I just pressed in new bearings myself. quicker to fix it myself, rather than argue. also dealer is seldom open during the evening when i am off work and riding or fixing the bike. before the second belt was all the way to failure i switched the bike over to chain drive. Now running a Tsubaki 530 Sigma (oring) chain, vortex racing aluminum 50 tooth rear sprocket, and a sportster 21 tooth front sprocket. steel idler sprocket from industrial supply house, all pretty common easily available parts. bike has 13,700 miles on now. during a thousand mile day i will lube the chain twice, and might adjust the tension once. either action takes less than two minutes. in the rain i lube the chain more frequently, but dont consider it to be a hassle. i really like the idea of being able to ride the bike home with the same parts i left with.  | ||
| Bryanb |
Just replaced mine the part number is G0500.02A8R it sells for about $152.00 here in Texas. | ||
| Ingemar |
I believe the dealer should step up and make it good. Premature belt failures with the original belt guards installed ARE covered under warranty. Just mention the global warranty manual ... | ||
| Madsx |
First Gen belts had issues. This is well known and documented. Dealer should have changed no question. There is a new belt for the '03 as well as a whole new setup from '04 on that you can convert your '03 to. Check your wheel bearings also. They should be red and not... is it grey? Someone help me on this one or correct me if im wrong. Do a search you'll find it. Anyway, your dealer is wrong. Push the issue. Then find a new dealer if you can. | ||
| Truk |
Do you still have your belt guards on? I would assume that you have had at least one rear tire change. Did they dealer do it? Whoever did it if it wasn't done according to the SM it can cause belt failure? | ||
| Ivershay |
bulls#%& about the cracks being normal. take it back to the dealer and ask for the owner. dealers also have a "goodwill" program for this kind of thing. (Message edited by ivershay on June 07, 2005) | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
The Buell Customer Service number is: 414-343-4056 Ask for Roger Roesler, but anyone can help you. Calmly explain your problem. You are entitled to a new belt, under warranty, installed by the dealer. The dealer will pick the bike up, you ride it home. I hope you have the broken belt, but not really necessary. The third, (and current, I believe), belt number is: G0500.02ABR As mentioned above, installing the belt any other way than the way specified in the Shop Manual can shorten its life. Frankly, after my second belt broke, I declined the above offer, for several reasons: 1. The less time I spend at Lighthouse Harley Davidson, the more cheerful, handsome and charming I become. 2. The Buell is much more likely to be properly repaired by me and my pal Gerry than at local Harley emporium. 3. I got a belt from Dave Stueve at Appleton HD, one of our sponsors, in 2 days. At $140 or so, that seemed like a very good deal compared to the alternatives: less aggravation, better installation, on the road a helluva lot faster. Daves number is: 920 757 1651 PS: One of the secrets to Buell Bliss is finding a decent dealer. There are not very many of them. You might consider looking for a new one for yourself. PPS. While you are on the phone with Dave, you might think about getting the shop manual and parts book. Buells are easy to work on once you know how, and doing your own work saves time and money and may lead to increased peace of mind:-) | ||
| Saintly |
Rear tire is quite bald but original, belt guard is intact, and I have the belt.(I walked back & picked it up) I called the dealer today & explained everything that I have learned here. The service writer told me that this was the first he had ever heard of any belt related problems on the XB's. He said that some blasts had had somewhat short life belts but not in some time. I provided him with the part # for the revised 03 belt(thanks bryanb) . He said he will see what he can do for me & he will call me tomorrow with an answer. Then he said that he can't promise me anything, but not to worry because even if I have to pay for it out of my pocket that it doesn't take long and that the bike would be down for only a few days! If they dont warranty it, theres no way I'm going to pay them to do it. I'll change it myself & throw on a new tire while I'm at it. | ||
| Roadrunnerrv |
www.americansportbike.com has the whole belt assm. | ||
| Ingemar |
If they dont warranty it, Stop right there. If your bike is still under warranty and you have the original belt guards installed, I believe it should be replaced under warranty considering your mileage. I went through the same trouble facing a dealer who didn't want to replace it under warranty. Mentioning the global warranty manual did wonders... If that doesn't work for you, call buell customer service like Gentleman_jon said. | ||
| Moonrunrs |
How long is the original belt supposed to last on a 2003 XB? | ||
| Ingemar |
If memory serves me right 15K. I'm not sure how that works with the 'unlimited miles' warranty though ... | ||
| Race_pirate |
 Trojan.... | ||
| Saintly |
Race_pirate could you please elaborate on that? What is "Trojan..." ? I like that chain setup, where could I get a hold of one, or did you make it yourself like Fullpower did on his? | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Trojan is the name of one of our sponsors, an English Buell specialist. You can find them here, in our sponsors section along with other Buell Specialists. Actually Buells are very popular in Europe, and many of the coolest accessories are made there. Race Pirates chain drive came from Trojan. These are a necessity for racing, and very useful in areas with unpaved roads. For normal use, many riders find the latest model belt to be satisfactory. One of our members, the redoubtable Glitch has 30,000 miles on his, if memory serves. | ||
| Moonrunrs |
Ingemar, That's 15K miles and not kilometers, right? | ||
| Ingemar |
Yeah, but I (or someone else  ) would have to look it up to be sure. At work now .... | ||
| Vaxb |
Fullpower, Is that a clip style master link I see? I would Check into a rivet style link. Also, If you have personal reasons for use the clip,make sure the open end is facing rearward. Saintly, you est. that there was a problem with your belt before the warrenty was up so it should be documented, as stated before be nice and explain this to the service manager and I think it will be resolved. |
