| Author | Message | ||
     1125rcya |
Kinda disappointed that my drive belt broke at 13k. Coming out of a right hand corner thought I missed a gear and then again and again. At this point I'm slowing down to 80mphs thinking the worst (transmission) no matter what I've done it's stuck in neutral. I come to a stop out in BFE gained my bearings to realize the belt is missing. having gps is a must while owning a Buell because it's just a matter of time before your stranded in BFE without a pot to piss in! Long story short , I am no longer a fan of drive belts or stators been burnt by both! | ||
| Ridenusa4l |
im on my 3rd (or 4th cant remember lol) in 25k... trust me if the chain conversion wasnt close to 2k$ i would've probably already puttin it on lol Jake | ||
| Zac4mac |
Dunno what you're doing, I have 22k miles on Loretta's belt. Here's a link to the belt test I did/am doing. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/290 431/440981.html There is room under the rider's seat for a spare belt. Never leave home without it. I was able to change belts with the tools I carry(minimal) in less than an hour. No way I'd go back to a chain. Zack | ||
| 1125rcya |
Yeah I'm with you jake, if the conversion kit wasn't 2000 + and then some I'd have it! At least it's no surprise when your chain breaks, but these belts let go with no warning! | ||
| Daggar |
My first belt went about 27k before breaking. I love the belt drive. Cheap, clean, and easy. I, like Zac, would not go back to a chain. | ||
| Dannybuell |
1125rcya ~ How would you rate your riding style? If you are slowing down to 80 what speed were you at? | ||
| Zecca |
mine broke on 12!! normal! | ||
| Froggy |
About 20k on each of my 1125s, both have original belt. My CR sucked up a rock at least 5k miles and one track day ago, been riding around with a hole in it since then. | ||
| Jdugger |
Something's up. I *race* mine and get better belt life! The belts on these things are definitely wear parts and DO wear out. But, their service life is at least as good as a chain and sprocket set, maybe better. The real drawback to the belt for street is the lack of predictability. You would do well to carry a spare. And, look at it this way, at least there's no hole in your crankcase... | ||
| 1125rcya |
That's a hell of a point Jdugger, glad there isn't a giant size hole in my crank case or have a gouged swingarm! Guess I need to take the advice that has been handed to me more than once, carry a spare.. There is a good chance I could have gotten a rock run through the belt as froggy mentioned as in his case. I am a mellow rider in the city or with other bikes, but when I'm on my own, and no one is around, it's on bitches! I fulfill my petty little need for speed and my only unlawful habit I have! | ||
| Jdugger |
My guess is you have guard wearing the belt or you get gravel and debris in the works. A small pebble will wear a little weak spot in the belt, and from there it's downhill... For what it's worth, I want the chain kit, too. But for racing purposes. For the street, the belt is a really decent set of compromises. | ||
| Juniorkirk |
Here's a question: How do you get your tires replaced? Do you take the whole bike in and let them do it, or do you take the wheels off yourself. My belt snapped and I'm mostly to blame, cause i let someone else mess with bike to change the tires. The belts are strong as can be, when i had my xb12r, it had over 27k on it's belt and NO sight of it wearing or getting tired. My 1125 has had 2 back tires on her and the place i took it to doesnt do a lot of belt drives. These belts are strong, as long as you dont twist them, pinch them, or bent them too sharply. I'm pretty sure they man handled the hell out of the belt and that led it to break. | ||
| 1125rcya |
Humm, ya know up to this point I had never taken the rear tire off myself, so you might have a valid point, i have no clue how my belt has been has been handled in the past. I read a lot of posts on the badweb and if one thing has been thrown around, is if you have the service manual you can do the service work yourself, and if you run into trouble someone on here will be willing to lend some advice. The more I work on my bike, the more I build a bond with bessy. | ||
| Sportster_mann |
Each of the belts on both of my 1125s went at under 8,000 miles ... | ||
| Dannybuell |
Juniorkirk makes a good point about other people getting their hands on the bike. The guy that drives the grease out bearings with chemicals and or a pressure washer. My S1 has been getting some attention lately. After 40K+ miles on the same isolators and belt I stepped up and did them both together before something happened. I had a few belt failures early on with my S1. Belt tension was the enemy with the tubers, you could over tighten and it would fail early. Loosely set up tuber belts were the ones that lasted. The tensioner pulley on the 1125's sort of goes against what the tuber folk have learned and is therefore somewhat suspect from an old school point of view. Do you or the shop inspect the pulley when replacing that tire or belt? Did it spin freely? How freely should a perfect pulley spin? What would be the perfect pulley design be? Would there be a zerk fitting to allow bearing maintenance? | ||
| Stevek1125r |
My first belt split at 10k Damn near on the money... Luckily i had a belt as i was on a road trip.... I like belts but nt knowing when one could snap is kind of an issue for me... but its still cheaper than the chain conversion for sure. | ||
| Guambra2001 |
Belt drives are awesome, they are quiet, reliable, maintenance free and kind of look cool. Also the 1125 is the only sport bike that I know that has a belt drive so I think that's something original too. | ||
| Clk92vette |
I also love the belt drive though I can't speak to my longevity as I have only clocked 9,500 miles on the original. Lubricating the chain on my old Kawasaki KZ was by far the biggest PITA, and messy, of all the maintenance items on that bike. | ||
| Nuts4mc |
chk your idler pulley/tension pulley...is the surface smooth and free from any sharp edges or nicks? - it's hard anodized but at speed and the tension it places on the belt a small stone can mess it up quickly (and in turn mess up the belt). Also look at the belt guards (on the inside toward the belt) they're injected molded plastic and can have some flash left on the runners that are used to form the part. last but not least chk the pulleys for sharp edges especially the "teeth" for any sharp edges caused by trapped stones....how are the wheel bearings smooth and quiet or rough and noisy - the "orange" oil seals on the wheel brgs have history to possible problems. good luck |
