Belt Drives and Harley questions

[Dave Nadeau]

Any of you HD riders ever have trouble with the belt drive? How often does it need adjustment and how long will it last?

Also how long do you let you HD warm up before driving off?

[DrBob]

Belts don't stretch like chains do, so they do not need to be checked every few hundred miles like chains do. The drive belt should be adjusted for tension at the 1000 mile service, and then checked every 5000 miles after that, and adjusted if needed. It is not at all unusual for the belts to last well over 50,000 miles, but I change them at 50,000 just so I have one less thing to worry about. The 2007s have a new drive belt that is supposed to be 30% stronger, so it should last even longer, and if I trade up to a new 2007 I'll probably go 65,000 on the belt. I like the belt drive far more than the chain on my older Harley or the shaft drive on my Suzukis, as it is smoother than either, quieter than the chain, but unlike the shaft drive I can swap pullies to change the rear end ratio.

My antique Harley needs to warm up about a half minute in the summer and full minute in the winter. The newer, fuel injected one is good to go right off, but it was in the 30s the last two mornings so I fired it up, then put on my helmet & gloves and took it off the side stand, so it warmed up for about 10-15 seconds before I drove off.

[Dave Nadeau]

Thanks...good to know as I am getting spoiled with the C 50. Still looking at the GW or the new FLHTC for the next ride in about 1.5 years. The HD is cheaper then the GW std model @ MSRP but I can probably get the GW down some. I don't think the HD dealer will budge but we'll see. Any body bought a new HD lately and not a left over? How did you do?
DrBOB,
On belts I just saw a picture with a dimantled Electraglide 07 held up of the ground by its belt...pretty neat.

[dcstrng]

I’ve never had a belt fail on me personally, but I’m not remotely as comfortable with `em as DrBob... It’s not a question of “Will the belt fail...”, it will. The question is when and where... however, all other factors being equal 50K should be about the minimum one could expect out of the standard, properly adjusted belt/pulley combo... some say replace belt only at (whatever) mileage, soma say you should replace pulleys and belt together, or court problems... others say belt only is okay, but given the mileage of many HD riders, neither is probably a factor...

I’ve heard of replaced belts lasting as little as 3K (and check other HD forums) which I don’t find reassuring – plus, the inability to repair on the road leaves me a bit leery of the rubber-band brigade... Like a few other ol’goats, I’m assembling the parts I’ll need to convert back to chain... won’t last as long as belts to be sure, and periodic maintenance will be reminiscent of days gone by, but chains rarely fail without warning, are far cheaper (although perhaps not much so, given their shorter life...), can almost always be repaired on the road reasonably quickly, chew through rocks, grit and stones that will KO a belt in two seconds and are very predictable (plus being marginally more efficient according to my engineer friends...). Still, used the way mother Harley intended, belts are pretty stout and except for the earliest ones, I doubt most riders put enough miles on their scoot to ever change one...

[DrBob]

I've been left on the side of the road a couple times by chains that could not be repaired, as once it was twisted beyond salvage and the other time it broke into multiple pieces when it wrapped around something before I got stopped from 75 MPH. Harley parts are real easy to find, so I don't worry too much about either a chain or a belt. If I'm traveling cross country I either carry a spare, or have one at the office so my assistant can Fed Ex it to me overnight should I be unable to find a new one locally.

My shovelhead has a chain, so I fitted a center stand so I can lube the chain every 600 miles, which is every friggin night when I travel. But my only complaint with the chain is the constant maintenance, as the bike preforms better than with a shaft drive, and the rear drive ratio is easily changed. When I ride to Oklahoma, Texas, or California for shovelhead owners gatherings, I take 20 minutes and swap sprockets for lower RPMs on the interstate, then swap back for around town.

I stuck with a chain on the CMC Custom also, mostly because it has a S&S super stock motor, and a belt that could handle the power would be too wide, requiring too many modification to make it fit. But that bike doesn't get too far from home anyways, being more of a show bike.

I sure am fond of the belt on the Electra Glide Classic though. Smooooooooth...and quiet.

[Fishpart]

07's don't require adjustment's.

[dcstrng]

my only complaint with the chain is the constant maintenance, as the bike preforms better than with a shaft drive, and the rear drive ratio is easily changed...
Yeah, I agree... there ain’t no free lunch... greasing the chain doesn’t bother me, did it for years (and before the O-ring days so it was even more regular...) and like I said I’ve never had a belt fail, but the mere thought of having to hunt up a dealership in the middle of the night 100 miles north of Sheboygan to pull the primary etc., etc. (let alone the “FedEx the belt” trick...) I find disquieting... so far, although I’ve had a mechanical glitch here and there over the years, none of my bikes have ever seen a dealership, let alone a trailer, and I sort of build (or mess `em up <grin>) in mind of keeping things that way.

Actually shafts have their advantages, but when they eat-themselves for lunch, I hear it’s all over and they are well known for being power hogs... I’ve never had a chain not tell me when it was beginning to get sick, and that I can live with (plus the other advantages you mentioned), but my guess is the ratio of chains to belts (replacement) could be as high as 3:1 or 4:1... probably once a year, maybe twice if I’m getting out on the long-pavement, but it’s only an hour job at most (maybe two if one changes the rear sprocket), and nowhere near the aggravation of pulling the primary for a belt change – although for a real wrench in a shop with the right tools it isn’t any big deal (I always plan my spares, tools with the idea of fixing whatever ails it in some truck stop...). Well, anyway, to each his own – bikes would be boring if they were al the same...

[Jip]

Hey fish - I think you are confusing the primary chain with the belt drive

[oldgeezer]

I had 28,000 on my Sportster without any adjustment of the drive belt. I have 20,000 on my Softail and still no adjustment. However, they do have a primary chain that requires adjustment about every 5,000 miles. No big deal though. Just remove the inspection cover and make the adjustment.

[DrBob]

The new ones have an automatic adjuster on the primary, eliminating this chore. The aftermarket has been offering them for years, and the motor company finally realized they are a good idea.

I trashed my chain and put on an 11mm, 1.5-inch primary belt. Much smoother shifting, and less noise when I pull the clutch in. Bu tthe chain is certinly the proven way, as the chain wil lout live the motor, while my belt primary gets changed every time i do the clutch.

[Fishpart]

Jip your right, sorry about that.

[Rickster]

You have to keep in mind that HARLEY dealers are not like the big 4 jap bike dealers. Harley dealers actually have parts in stock, you don't have to order them, and than wait 7 to 10 days for them to come in.

On my Route 66 trip last June, I witnessed the repair of a HD that had thrown a belt 2 hours from the closet dealer (Amarillo Texas). The dealer sent a trailer out, hauled him in, and had him back on the road 6 hours from the time he called. They charged him $600, the same my local dealer would charge if I scheduled it and brought the bike to him.

My riding partner hatched her starter on her Softail in Coos Bay, Oregon, and again it was only 6 hours to get the bike back on the road.

I found that Harley dealers will do what ever it takes to get you back on the road if you are from out of town, and on a trip. If you are local, it's pretty much the same as any of the big 4 dealers, except you usually don't have to wait as long for parts.

I rode my V Strom on that trip, it worked great, not one single problem, but if I had broke down, my best bet would have been to rent a U-Haul truck, and drive it home, rather than sit in a strange town without transportation waiting for parts.

From now on, any long trips will be on my Road King, I like having a family I can depend on when I'm on the road.

[DrBob]

Good point- you can get a Harley worked on anywhere, and parts are really easy to find.

I broke a primary belt on a Harley in Texas (I knew I was pushing it with the belt mileage wise), in some town so small it barely showed on a map. A woman in a pick up stopped and offered to carry me an hour to Palistine, a small town itself, but one with a small Harley shop (not a dealer but an authorized service center). A call to the number on the door and he came over after hours to lock my bike up. He didn't have the belt I needed (aftermarket) but got one overnight (or I could have had my assistant Fed-Ex my spare). Tuesday by noon I was back on the road, with the belt costing $56 and another $50 for labor. Hell, I spent more than that at the bar that night!

My shovelhead went dead about an hour north of Atlanta, with a bad voltage regulator. Thanks to the kindness of a stranger I was dropped at home, grabbed another bike, and hit another independent shop, All American Cycle in Clarkston. I told the owner I needed a voltage regulator for my shovel. He looked around a bit, and tossed me one that he had taken off another bike when they upgraded to a heavy duty alternator. No charge. I tried to give him a 20 spot (the part costs about $70 new) and refused, telling me to come back when I had some real money to spend.

I took my new at the time Harley to the dealer for warrantee service. They needed to keep it over the weekend, so they gave me a LOANER BIKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You just don't get service like that from the metric dealers.

[mike-s]

I used to have a LTD450, i owned it for about 12 thousand km or so from 45->57 thou. And i only had to adjust the drivebelt out once, and that was 3/4 a turn or so max. At that point i had well over half the adjustment left on the swingarm.