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Drive Belt questions
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 11:25 am
by V-Star 1300 Tourer
138903.1
I have herd alot of discussion about which is best a belt drive or shaft drive. How many miles do you have on your drive belt? any problems? advantages over shaft drive? disadvantages?
I am new here and I have a 2007 V Star 1300 Tourer on order and I am just interested in finding out what I can about belt life. I have been reading this site and there seems to be alot of knowledgeable riders here.
Thanks,
Rich King
Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2006 9:45 pm
by Bachstrad37
Primary drive belts are extremely reliable creatures as of late. They're not made like typical belts and are typically reinforced with kevlar found in bulletproof vests.
How far will they go before replacement is necessary? 40,000 miles is not uncommon and is actually expected. They're lighter than shaft. They're clean and don't require maintenance like chain. They're quiet. They give more direct horse and torque to your rear wheel(s).
They're so good that it'd be foolish to choose a bike based on either shaft or belt. If you really like a bike's overall fit, finish, features you're looking for and it has a belt primary drive - DO NOT hesitate to purchase it based on a belt primary drive.
Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:08 am
by crazy5dave
First you are talking about the secondary drive. The primary connects the motor to the transmission.
Belt drives getting better and better all the time. The new goodyear belt on the Buell XB has no service interval, meaning it never has to be replaced. Soon this will be normal im sure. The rest of HDs belts last 30k miles. Longer than any chain. Belt drives are quieter than chains. They dont need to be oiled and are therefore not messy. Shafts need oil changes and have a jacking effect while driving. No real problems with belts.
The only failures i ever see in belt drives are from stones getting lodged in between the pulley and the belt.