| Author | Message | ||
     Midknyte |
"...Don't want to change belts with each tire change but am beginning to think it might be a good idea... With the wheel already off, the extra labor to run a new belt ought to be [almost] negligible. I may consider this as well. | ||
| Midknyte |
"...I think that some kind of adhesive repair system could work. It could last 200 miles. If you're 600 miles from home it could get you to a shop and a motel room within 200 miles. It doesn't have to get you home..." I'd consider even 50 miles to be an achievement. Ok, now you guys very efficiently found the glue I'd seen (That CoolChem stuff - Thanks). Where do we find a small flat kevlar(?) belt that we can cut & use as Blake's revision suggests above? | ||
| Easyflier |
At least it would help to avoid the unexpected while on the road. I figure most people get between 3,500 and 7,500 miles on a rear tire, just add the $160 along with it and keep the takeoff as a spare. As a spare I wonder if you could get away with coiling it up and sticking it inside the airbox or something? Wouldn't want to thrash it but it should get you home or at least to a dealer that stocks one. Recently somebody down in Australia found a source for wide belts that had the same pitch but needed to be cut to width. I wonder if such a belt exists that isn't Kevlar and could be used in an emergency, even if it meant removing the tensioner? | ||
| Whodom |
On belt longevity- I read an article a year or so ago on a dude with a very high mileage Harley bagger. He claimed he was getting very long life from his belts and he said this was because he was careful to keep them clean- he would actually wash the belt each time he washed the bike. I think he even used a toothbrush or something similar to get the teeth on the pulleys clean. It makes sense to me- sand, grit, etc. has to shorten belt life and getting rid of this stuff should make the belt last longer. Anyone here ever wash their belts? | ||
| Hootowl |
I just hose mine off. I try to keep detergents and soap off of it as much as possible to keep the natural oils from washing away. | ||
| Fullpower |
yes you can get all the parts you need for a chain drive XB. cheep. | ||
| Fullpower |
the reason for the "roadside SPAre belt" is that the big twins have the final belt drive buried INSIDE of the whole primary drive system including the clutch. 5 hours to r&r the drive belt on a big twin. not really practical at roadside, you need some real big wrenches to put the compensator sprket on and also to torque down the clutch hub nut. so for that application, a "spare belt" for 200 bucks that might get you a little farther down the road is a bargain. this "engineering" is why i could never depend on one of those bikes for touring, and why i wont own one. the sportster and XB design at least allows a 30 minute side of the road belt change ( done them both) with minimal tools that can easily be carried under the seat. still, i have since changed both XB and XL to chain drive benefits include durability, strenght, predictable wear, the need for maintenance is actually a plus, with periodic lubrication, inspection, and adjustment, one can have a good idea of how much remaining life can be expected from the chain drive system. the belt drive is completely random by contrast. one can not know in advance when to replace a belt to prevent a roadside failure. | ||
| Rick_a |
It is really simple to swap the XB belt for a chain, but it is also really expensive. | ||
| Outrider |
Yeah, but a length of chain and some master links are make it really cheap compared to a tow from B.F., Egypt. Now, would one of you mechanically inclined types figure out a roadside repair for a belt. Please!!! | ||
| Blake |
A total of 2,380 registered users on BadWeB have added information to their profile in the "Problems" field. Of those 2,380 BadWeB users, 31 list a catastrophic belt failure (broken belt) at less than 50,000 miles, 11 of which were for XB9 models and of those I suspect a significant number resulted from mishandling of the belt during rear tire changing. One was at over 30,000 miles on an XB9R. A cheap chain drive conversion for an XB?? Do tell. | ||
| Blake |
So 31/2380 amounts to 1.3%, fairly significant. Eliminate the known problematic XB9 failures and we get (31-11)/2380 amounting to 0.84%. Still significant. Good idea to come up with a limp home mode. If you don't like the idea of the adhesive patch, how about a coilable/foldable temporary belt similar to what was posted above? | ||
| Glitch |
I have e-mailed Karata Enterprises Co. to see if they have any interest in making an emergency belt for the XB models. Please join me, as the more interest we show for the product the more likely they are to make one. karata@karata.com | ||
| Hootowl |
and for the tubers too. I'd buy one. | ||
| Mikej |
How about just using a rubber coated chain of some sort with the inside radius profiles matching the pulleys. Worst case is it just has to get you down the road. Just a thought.  | ||
| R1DynaSquid |
Blake, if you knock that number of 2380 down to include just XB owners, then I believe your numbers would be even more telling. | ||
| Blake |
Mike, Hey! You might be on to something. Greg, Very astute point... We have 616 users listing an "XB" as one of their bikes, 444 of those are XB9's. About half have filled in the "problems" field in their profile. So we then have approximately 11/222 XB9's which yields approximately 5%. And for the tube framers we have 19/2154 yielding just 0.9%. | ||
| R1DynaSquid |
5% is quite a bit obviously. Actually a touch higher than I would have guessed. And for tube frame owners, well hell we know what the problem with the belts on those bikes is/was & its not belt quality. Too damn tight quite often & lots & lots of wheelies & burnouts. | ||
| Outrider |
Blake...0.9%? Heck, I can live with that. Now spur the young inventors on to developing a Roadside Repair Kit and I will be one extremely happy camper! Note: for whomever comes up with the Roadside Repair Kit, keep it a secret, patent it and sell it to HDI. No sense in giving away your brilliance!!! | ||
| Crusty |
Crusty, You think it is "really simple" to swap an XB final drive from belt to chain? Nope. You have to spend something like two grand to convert an XB. But it's "really simple" to convert a Tuber  Maybe the factory should abandon such a fragile and expensive method of final drive. | ||
| Glitch |
Fullpower has done the conversion to chain. I don't want to go that route though. I like the belt, I also like the idea of an emergency repair kit. Fullpower's conversion | ||
| Outrider |
This is what Hal's has available in DIY Kit form. The following is copied from Hal's Performance Shop Website. I have seen the kit installed on both a race and street legal XBR and it is really sweet. Hal’s Speed Shop Exclusive!!! XB9R & XB12R Chain Drive Conversion Swingarm! Includes all parts for doing a complete conversion and complete instructions. Additional sprockets front and rear available. Offers unlimited ratio options. Additional spacer kits are also available for your spare wheels! Only $2,495! For more information please contact Jim Winter in our Speed Shop at (262)814-7282 or email jim.winter@halshd.com. | ||
| Hootowl |
What about switching to a dual belt system? Two narrower belts instead of one wide one. That way, a failure of one of them wouldn't leave you stranded. The resulting belt could be wider overall without suffering too much from stress caused by misalignment of the rear wheel. | ||
| Outrider |
Hmmmm...In retrospect, $2,495 plus someone's labor is a lot of money and I think it is safe to assume that no matter where or how many times a belt failed for any one XB owner the towing, replacement and trip interruption expenses would be less. Seems to me a roadside bandaid repair would be the way to go, eh? | ||
| Midknyte |
Thanks for not making me be the one to have to say that... | ||
| Outrider |
You are entirely welcome, Sir. | ||
| Mikej |
Sort of depends on the times and places one rides and the needs one has to be someplace. As has been recently rejeuvenated not all shops stock nor can order Buell specific parts, not all shops can or will work on Buells, so if one's travels takes one to non-Buell places it may be prudent to plan for worst case options. What's easier to find, a 530 chain or a Buell drive belt? Sometimes the net cost takes more into consideration than just the net cash cost. | ||
| Mikej |
Speaking of which, I think someone needs to finish updating their web site:
 | ||
| Fullpower |
here are the prices for my chain drive XB project. front sprocket $33, rear sprocket $55,idler wheel $26, tsubaki sigma oring chain 530x108 $130. total for parts $244. i had some additional freight because i am in alaska, but if you are in america i should think the total cost would be well under $300, plus a relaxing afternoon of fitting. and lots easier to find a length of 530 out in the sticks then a G0500.1AAA try finding one of those late saturday evening. you will be damn lucky to have your wife bring you a spare IF you were smart enough to have purchased one, and told her where to find it in advance. good luck, dean | ||
| Rick_a |
But, can you adjust for chain stretch? | ||
| Midknyte |
If you get a converted swingarm yes. This setup - I dunno. |
