| Author | Message | ||
     Nillaice |
the stockers do not please me. and the CF ones are just a more expensive version of the stockers IMHO running with out them is less good and it leaves unsightly mounting tabs exposed. cutting the tabs off off is a point-of-no return and would be undesireable for saftey reasons, belt/pulley longevity and for warrranty issues i have seen different belt guards, and would like to either make my own or get a set made. it doesn't have to be billet or aluminum or anything spiffy. i'd be making mine out of some thicker gauge sheet metal. the 1125's guards remind me of the 03 XB guards. effective at protecting the belt, but is bulky and gets in the way when removing/replacing the tire. i found some that look pretty good here http://www.solobuell.com/en/sb/buell-1125r/fiber-p arts/lr-parts/lower-belt-protector-fiber-1125-lr but i don't wanna shell out the euros and international shipping fees roadkillperformance doesn't even have a product image fro their $125 set-up. ... but they claim it saves 50g (just less than 2 ounces) of dead weight. it is not only dead, but un-sprung!!! -gasp- this parallels the fender eliminator, in that replacements are available at about/over a hundred dollars, but it could be a DIY project if you have some enough material and/or the right tools. any body have blueprints/measurements/cardboard templates? | ||
| Nillaice |
Oldmanriver ? | ||
| Oldmanriver |
Nillaice, I made these this winter waiting for the snow to melt. The brackets on the bottom guard are 1/4" alum., and all the rest is .072 aluminum. The sheet metal was bent(have break avail. @ work) and then the pieces on the bottom are machine screwed together, then drilled to mount to the existing locations. The top guard has a hemmed edge on the underside and about 5/16" clearance to the belt. The bottom has about 3/8" clearance in height and 1/4" on each side. So far no rubs on the btm. but I have lost a little paint on the underside of the top, glad I put that hem there  , no cutting of the belt, just paint loss. That was on some very hard acceleration! Like you I didn't like the stockers, and the fact that they cover so much of that sprocket, but didn't want to run with out anything. I will try to locate my paper templates and post them if you like. May take a day or two, I think they are at work.  | ||
| Ratsmc |
I like the way that bottom one looks but I'd be interested to see what it looks like under hard acceleration. From what I have seen, a lot of slack develops on that side and I'd be concerned it would open enough space to get something in there. It does look nice though. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I dont' see a problem with the stockers. Functional and reasonably attractive. that being said I have lost the top guard. the bottom will stay.... | ||
| 07xb12ss |
"belt guards? we don't need no stinkin' belt guards" I am actually mounting my license plate vertically there (the 2 tabs from the upper belt guard) this next week. I'm hoping the angle of the swing arm and license plate will please the local LEO. It wont act as a belt guard but I've ridden just under 35,000 miles on my Buells past/present the last 3 years with no belt guards and have not had any problems. I do like the ones pictured above though. | ||
| Bueller4ever |
I just put the bolts back in the holes when removing the guards, I don't even notice the tabs. There was a video on youtube of the belt under hard acceleration, no guards and it develops a lot of slack at the bottom. I'm surprised oldmanrivers guard doesn't cause premature failure, because the belt doesn't look like it would have room to move. | ||
| Oldmanriver |
These guards are certainly an experiment at this point and I will be paying VERY close attention to them and the belt for a while. They allow the same clearance left to right as the stockers but definitely allow less upward movement. What I did try to do was eliminate areas for the belt to get cut or caught. Time will tell! Truthfully my bigger concern was making sure the bottom couldn't move back and get caught between the belt and sprocket. The originals were certainly more functional, and I read that many were running without guards, but with all the snow on the ground, I had some time to kill and thought I'd give it a try, we'll see. | ||
| Buellrain |
There's also these from speed of colour, the sites in german but if you email them you will get a reply in english. http://www.speed-of-color.de/index.php?cat=1125GFK &lang=DEU&product=1125GFK-003 I also want to do something with mine and like you did'nt want to chop up the originals. Has anyone out there experienced any problems running without them?? | ||
| Buellrain |
Both these run with just the top guard..   | ||
| Froggy |
Yes  Chips like this all around the sprocket, and snapped one belt at 30k, but that may or may not be related. | ||
| Jules |
SoloBuell sell the same ones as speed of color but a tiny bit cheaper: http://www.solobuell.com/en/sb/buell-1125r/fiber-p arts?limit=50 | ||
| Jornum1 |
quote: Has anyone out there experienced any problems running without them?? Umm yeah you could say that.... High sided my 1125 without belt guards. In typical highside fashion she came back to visit me while sliding down the track. My hand got wedged in between the upper belt and swing arm. Only thing that saved my hand from being eaten was the knuckle protectors. They didnt allow my hand to go in any farther. I was very very lucky, got away with a sprained wrist. So as you would expect, I now have both the ugly ass belt guards installed  Just FYI, ya never know. Like gear, you never think you need it till its too late! | ||
| Nillaice |
i'd not want to pay upwards of 175 USD for this. any body wanna lemme make a mold from thier custom guards in fiberglass? i'll cover shipping both ways ... | ||
| Nillaice |
maybe i should post this on buellXB ... | ||
| Ratsmc |
Jornum, you just made the decision-making process easier. | ||
| Jornum1 |
NP Rat, I was just passing my experience on. Not trying to be a know it all. Its just one of those things you dont think about. Most think of belt damage from debris, but I easily could have gotten my hand mangled. I count my blessings every day I walked away from that crash. I had taken my guards off my xb, and the 1125 when I got it. I hate the look of them, but its not worth it IMO. Now something like the guards pictured in this thread would prevent what happened to me. It just isnt worth the money/effort to me. | ||
| Ratsmc |
I'm glad you did. I think that people can make their own decisions about what protective gear they wear - as long as they know the risks. In this case, there was a piece of protective gear I doubt any of us were aware of. | ||
| Buellrain |
Think after Jornum's and Froggy's post I'll be keeping the stock belt guards however crap they look, also no doubt if some kind of failure was to happen with custom guards the dealer would void the warrenty. Froggy, was that red rim on a R/CR, if so do you have a picture of the bike? Was thinking about changing the color of my rims. | ||
| Jornum1 |
If I had to guess that looks like a sunset orange rim off a xb12ss I could be wrong though. | ||
| Bueller4ever |
Chain driven sport bikes don't have any lower chain guard, at least not the ones I've owned, so I'm not to worried about my hand going through the belt and pulley. Better a belt than chain in that situation. | ||
| Ratsmc |
Chain drives have smaller sprockets so there is a lot less room to get something in there. Also, I chain is a lot less likely to grab your hand. | ||
| Jules |
Also, I chain is a lot less likely to grab your hand My Mate Dave (or "Three fingers" as we call him) would disagree... | ||
| Pmjolly |
I know a newbi who lost four fingers in a chain and sprocket. He was attempting to lube the chain by letting the wheel spin while idling in first gear with the wheel off the ground on the center stand. It grabbed a hold of his sleeve and yanked his fingers in. | ||
| Bueller4ever |
Still plenty of room for your hand to go through in a wreck. I'm not saying the belt won't chop off your finger, but I think it's safe to say the odds are much, much less likely. | ||
| Puzzled |
I saw the pics of your "mishap" Jay. Belt guards are a good idea after seeing that! I don't have any on the bike while at the drag strip however just yesterday I contacted someone about a custom set. I'll have them cut with a name in it for a little advertising. | ||
| Jornum1 |
Let us know what you find out mike, I would be interested. Maybe with 1125crx on the side :-) |
