Belt Drive From Scootworks - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

SKTR · 06-19-2008, 04:13 PM

PRODUCT EVALUATION. My bike is an 03 Suzuki Marauder VZ800. At about 20,000 miles, found that my chain had deteriorated badly and needed replacement. I read up on the Scootworks belt drive kit on their website and in spite of it being roughly twice the cost of a new chain and sprockets considered it to be a viable alternative. Chain maintainance and noise being reduced to zero were primary goals. A fringe benefit was possible better mileage. The belt drive reduced the motor rpm by roughly 20-25% for any ground speed. Had to improve mileage and reduce the angry bee sound at road speeds I hoped. Had a dealership install the kit for me.
On my first road test, I rode about 30 miles to a club meeting and had the fright of my life. Accelerating from a couple stop lites heard a pretty loud metallic knock. First thought was I just damaged the trans. Fortunately not true. Returned to the dealership for help in finding the problem. Two of the tech/mechanics rode it and agreed the real cause was a loose belt, jumping cogs and slapping the belt guard. The belt was tightened quite a bit and seemed much better. Hard acceleration didn't seem to cause the belt to slip any longer. Now with the engine revs lower, it became apparent I had to re-learn how to drive the bike especially taking off from a stop sign. Back to the basics of feathering the clutch and rolling-on the accelerator. It lost the responsive torque it had with the chain even after going to a 17 tooth front sprocket. Learn I would I vowed and am still in the learning process after 4000 miles.
My next extended test was a road trip from SE Michigan to Bar Harbor Maine. Some freeway and a lot of mountain up-downs and twisties. I left home on Friday and on Wednesday afternoon had the misfortune of having the belt strip its cogs, not completely bare but enough of the belt was stripped so the bike would not move. Had to carry it home via trailer.
It was necessary to order a new drive belt and the rear pulley. The belt was not a warranty item, however the order dept felt bad for me and gave me a replacement pulley at no charge. They did not have the bright polished aluminum one that I had originally purchased but did have a functional black painted one of the same size. The overnite delivery charges of approx 8+ for the belt and 63 for the pulley were mine to pay.
Communication with Scootworks made it clear that the problems were due to running with a loose belt. I was instructed to check its tightness with a gage that came with the original drive kit on a periodic basis. BUT also advised that if the belt still slipped and jumped, to tighten it further until the slipping stopped. Then a caution . . . if set OK now for riding one-up and I decide to ride 2-up, or carry extra baggage it may be necessary if it slips more to re-tighten the belt until it no longer slips.
What is the bottom line ? Have only 4000 miles on the original before losing it so may not have enough experience to comment. I know this ! You will have to re-learn some riding skills on taking off from a dead stop. You will experience lugging in some circumstances while in road gear at hiway speeds, most of which are resolved by downshifting to take advantage of higher rev torque. You will have to learn as I am going to have to to listen for "bumping", the sound of the belt jumping cogs. When you hear the bump, stop then, get off the bike and tighten the belt. Don't wait too long, too many bumps and the rear aluminum pulley will have teeth that resemble saw teeth instead of the square or rectangular shaped ones that pulleys should have. The belts sell for just about a $100 [add frgt] so if you have lots of bucks, buy a spare but don't bend, fold or crease it while carrying it or storing it. I noticed a little belt squeal, while moving in the garage or while parking and Scootworks says they can be dressed if one is careful. I will put up with the noise or buy an I-pod or equivalent. Good luck and keep it tight !