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Ebutch
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 12:13 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Closes I,ve come is missing 9 teeth.I changed it.Any other experiences?63,000 on S3 and replaced now 68,000.On S2T 107,000 and now 124,000 and more still going( Didn,t need to repl but did at 22,000).
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Ebutch
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 12:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Missing 9 teeth is that sling-shoot affect,Oweee!or skip and sling-shoot,Oweeee acceleration!
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Natexlh1000
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 12:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I got no warnings on any of the belts I killed.
First one snapped at 45,000
Second one lasted 12,000. just snapped again.
Third one scraped off the teeth. (I really thought I killed the tranny!)
Each time, no real warnings were given.
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Kalali
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 12:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Regular visual inspection is the only "preventive measure" I can think of. Of course this is assuming that the belt tension is correct to begin with. The new and improved belt is supposed to last the life of the bike...It certainly looks and feels a lot more substantial than the stock Sportster belt that came on my '00 X1. We will see.
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Oldog
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 01:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

The new and improved belt is supposed to last the life of the bike...

Nope....

On the new belts look in the bottom of the teeth, the valley floor freys and a tooth is stripped off when the fabric catches and rips.

the belt has closley knit kevlar fabric in the teeth as your pullies wear they can start rubbing the "floors" and eventualy pick the fabric..

causing a tooth to pull off once one is gone more get pulled off the new belt(XB) is better about not leaving you stranded, they seem to suddenly get more slack, again as Kalali says regular visual inspection}
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5liter
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 01:24 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Both of mine just broke. No warning at all. I always checked mine and they always looked fine. The broken belts looked like someone took a scissors to them. Broken clean between cogs.
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Buellistic
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 01:40 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

BUELLers:

If you want HOW TO ADJUST YOUR "DRIVE BELT" 101, just e-mail me and it is yours ...

The DRIVE BELT longevity is directly related to how bad you have mal-adjusted the DRIVE BELT over the time span to when it breaks ...
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Gowindward
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 02:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Warning signs.

When a bunch of guys at the S2 rally are standing around looking at your belt, and saying "Man those teeth are really worn"..That would be a good sign.
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Ebutch
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 05:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Belt adjustment I seen along time-ago is on a tuber , (1)Hang tuber(2) Loosen axle(3) turn in belt adjusters all the way (3)take Off one Bolt of Shock(4)Let tuber down till rear of bike bottoms(5)have belt just a little taut at bottom (6)take-up adjusters evenly (7)torqu axle (8) replace shock bolt to spec,I think that,s Right.Or loose as possible.
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Ebutch
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 05:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Plus what I read new pulleys,new Belt.When pulleys cogs are worn.
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Buellistic
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 - 09:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

BUELLers:


What a MAL-ADJUSTED(too tight) "DRIVE BELT" does for you !!!

1) It cocks the transmission counter shaft by stress, puts undue stress on counter shaft sprocket bearing, and makes for crappy shifting ...

2)It puts un-necessary wear on the DRIVE BELT sprockets, especially the softer rear wheel sprocket, the rear wheel bearings on the sprocket side and has been known to waller out the rear wheel where the two drive side bearings go !!!

3)Un-due stress on the swing arm bearings !!!

A mal-adjusted new state of the art stronger "DRIVE BELT" will out last all of the above mentioned PARTS !!!

Remember this:

The STEALERSHIPS are in business to sell you DRIVE BELTS, wheel bearings, wheels, transmission parts, gaskets, and sprockets ...

A PRIMARY CHAIN mal-adjusted causes a lot of problems too !!!

(Message edited by buellistic on August 28, 2009)
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Dpg
Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 01:29 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Anyone use some of the spray can automotive belt dressings on their belt? Stuff is supposed to keep automotive belts supple and less prone to slipping on the pulleys.

Safe ride,

Gary in Oaktown
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Buell_bert
Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 03:00 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I have used it in the past but only sparingly on V Belts, not toothed belts. A properly adjusted belt of the proper size in decent shape should not need it. I also try to keep my bikes (belts/tires/paint/etc.)out of the sun and in a garage to slow down sunlight degradation.
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1313
Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 02:28 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

LaFayette,

I'd like to see your belt adjustment info.

But my own personal experience data (discounting environmental aging) is as follows:
If the belt snaps the tension is adjusted too high. If teeth are sheared off the tension is adjusted too loose. I've had both happen to me on my S2, and I always use the 'patented Dano method' so there doesn't seem to be a fool proof method. Maybe if I knew the proper tension spec then I could set it using the belt tension meter from work to compensate for any inherent production variations in belts...

Snapping a belt on my XB12XT at 23,273 miles, and the failures of each type on my S2, I'm neither pleased nor displeased with mileage before belt failures on my Buells...
1313
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5liter
Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 03:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I just wish there would be a little indication of imminent failure. Not going 65 on a sunny day and poof it's gone.
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Buellistic
Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 05:39 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

1313:

E-mail me so that "i" can get your e-maill address and ASAP the "INFO" is yours(for that matter whom ever else want's it) ...

"YES", if you adjust the DRIVE BELT like on a SPORTSTER it will "SNAP" !!!

Back in the early days of the American Thunderbike Club when Jay Hawley was the GRAND Pupa ...

He was visiting BMC and went on a ride with the R&D Department as they were testing DRIVE BELTS ...

They were running a TEST of running the DRIVE BELTS as loose as possible ...

They did every thing they could to destroy the DRIVE BELTS and were unable to do so ...

Now all the SPROCKETS and DRIVE BELTS were "NEW" !!!

If you have the DRIVE BELT properly adjusted on a older BUELL and the DRIVE BELT jumps teeth, "WELL" that is because the DRIVE BELT/BELTS had been improperly adjusted early on and the rear sprocket has been prematurely worn out ...

If you set up(adjust)the DRIVE BELT Tension correctly you do not need a BELT TENSION METER(gauge) ...

As for the XB's, that NO ADJUSTMENT set up has not really fixed the DRIVE BELT/REAR WHEEL BEARING PROBLEM ...

What you need to get is http://www.trojan-horse.co.uk/prods/169.html ...

This will cure the XB DRIVE BELT/REAR BEARING WHEEL PROBLEM !!!

In BUELLing
LaFayette

(Message edited by buellistic on August 30, 2009)
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Revz
Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 10:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

97 S3 on Blue Ridge Parkway last Spring. Kicked down a gear to pass a slower motorcycle and all it felt like to me is that I missed the gear or was in neutral. Slowly creeped to the the side of the road and saw the belt missing. Odo was at ~49,000

The rest is a looong story about waiting 5 1/2 hours for a tow truck to take me 90 miles to Roanoke on a Saturday night and then staying in a hotel until Monday when they could put a new belt on...Then they didn't latch my right hardcase (and I didn't check) it came off and was run over by a car (still looking for a right case)...I missed the window to get home to MI before a storm front went through, temperature dropped 40 degrees and it started raining about 5 hours short of home.

All in all it really was a great trip though ; )

(Oh did I say that my CPAP was stored in my right case that was run over? ; ))
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Ebutch
Posted on Sunday, August 30, 2009 - 10:58 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Larry: you scare me!!!!Sorry for bad luck.I never trust anybody's work!Trust but verify.That,s about your Bag. !!!Seems like they have wash-boy work on my bike in the early Buell - Harley days.I guess I,m going to carry a spare belt like Frank. But guess I,m kinda lucky or better never broke a belt in 192,500 Buell miles.PS don,t forget BadWeb rider assistance network.
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Hugie03flhr
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 09:57 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I snapped one on my brothers FXR. He told me a month prior he lost a nut and when he rolled the bike forward he felt a little resistance. Then he heard the nut fall out. After careful inspection he found no damage but I'll bet cha that was the cause. A stone or a bolt is all it takes. That's why the belt guards are there.
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Rick_a
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 11:21 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I had a good idea when a hard shift to second had the bike suddenly bounce off the rev-limiter at around 15000 miles. The bike had a too-tight belt for a few thousand miles when it was first purchased.

Been a part of the chain-gang since.
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13was13
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 01:16 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I adjusted the belt scary loose after changing worn wheel bearings. Now I am missing a tooth. Never had the belt too tight. ALways a little looser than the manual. Maybe the previous owner had though.
Also had changed back from a like new 55 sprocket to a 62 with chipped chrome coating. Two questions:
Do I ride on with the missing tooth after retightening the belt a little? If not:
What`s the latest on which belt to buy for a '97 S1?
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Dpg
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 01:37 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I would imagine that when the shock starts to go out the tension increases too? No sag so the belt would tighten up right?

Safe ride,

Gary in Oaktown
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Sportyeric
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 01:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Wrong, Gary. The whole point of the various ways to check the tension is to have a wee bit of slack at the tightest point, which any bike will cycle through as you go over bumps. Sag has no bearing on it.
The two best options are to support the frame, undo a shock-mounting bolt and lower the bike so that the axle, swingarm pivot, and drive pulley are aligned
or
support the bike on jack stands and cinch down the frame, against the prssure of the shock, so that the same alignment is attained.

My experience has been to snap a belt every 30,000 miles, although the S2 is going on 60K. Preemptive replacement at 25K is probably the wisest but I'm too cheap. Or broke.
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Yo_barry
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 01:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

No warning when my failed, except the odo showing 54k miles.

Belt tension 101...

There should be some belt slack when the center lines of the rear axle, swing arm pivot and front sprocket are in line. This is the maximum length the belt has to operate in. You can check this be getting the back wheel off the ground, removing the bolt that connects the rear shock to the swing arm, then raising the rear wheel so the three pivots are in line. If there is a little bit of slack in the belt, that is the belt should not be tight like a piano string, you should be OK.

If you set the belt per the spec in the 2001 and later FSM, then check per the above you will see that the tension is set correctly.

Barry
Hollister, Ca
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Dpg
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 08:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Damn, guess I should have done that while I was replacing that blown out shock. Oh well, tha was an easy job, so I'll check the belt tension according to those hints.\
Thanks Barry.

BTW, Bernie will be up from SoCal at Big Dogs on the 11th. Ride on up if you can.

Safe ride,

Gary in Oaktown
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Blake
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 08:50 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

"There should be some belt slack when the center lines of the rear axle, swing arm pivot and front sprocket are in line."

I strongly disagree. At that point, there should be no slack. Not real tight, but definitely not any slack either.

The 1.5"-1.75" fee play with suspension fully extended has worked well for me on the Cyclone. I did snap a belt at about 25K miles, but that was an old belt that had also seen over a 1,000 miles of track duty. I was speed shifting from 2nd to 3rd then the belt let go.

The new lifetime belt required a bit less free play than the original Harley belt for my '97 Cyclone. The newer belt has a bit more give to it.
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Sloppy
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 08:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Which replacement belt are folks going to these days? Perhaps the latest XB?
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Buellistic
Posted on Monday, August 31, 2009 - 10:33 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

BUELLers:

"HOW TO ADJUST YOUR DRIVE BELT 101" is still available upon request ...

E-mail me for your persoal "COPY" ...
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Blake
Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 02:08 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Why not just post it up here?
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Phelan
Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 02:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

I have the stock belt from my '03 XL sport on my S2 right now, but I plan on picking up an XB belt in the future. Depending on where my rear axle sits in the adjusters after I fit the XB rear wheel/ 65t sprocket will determine if I pick up the 128t or 135t belt.
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Buffalobolt
Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 01:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

...When a bunch of guys at the S2 rally are standing around looking at your belt, and saying "Man those teeth are really worn"..





Why did I know that was going to come up!

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Buffalobolt
Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 01:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Never broke a belt,What are warnings?

...Sudden loss of forward motion!
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Buellistic
Posted on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 - 09:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only)

Blake:

Have had some of this "INFO" posted !!!

It rolls over into BWBers never never land and "i" can not even find it ???

Those that ask for the "INFO" are the BUELLers that are really interested in it ...

NOW ON THE "THUMPER BOARD" it is kept up front ...
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