| Author | Message | ||
     U4euh |
OK I still got the 03 belt kit:{ I have already emailed Saintly about his conversion kit. Really interested in this for 2 reasons: ease of accesability and Cost/long term cost. I can't fork over almost 400 to do the upgrade belt kit only to have that doubt in the back of my mind. Those of you with chain's, how many miles have you put on the kit, and what kind of riding do you do? I consider myself to be on the more aggressive side of riding, and beat on the lil 9s at every chance I get. Doing the VIR inside trackday next month and it would really screw my day to get up there and pop a belt 1st thing. If anyone has an 03 belt they want to get rid of pm me, they seem to be getting scarce. JIM | ||
| Hammer71 |
little over 12,000 miles on my Saintly conversion and never missed a beat. Oh and I beat mine into the ground, I swear that bike begged for me to stop riding it. | ||
| Mtg |
People converting Buell's to chain drive makes me cringe. The belt drive is one of the attractions in my opinion (I gladly gave away all my chain lube when I sold my CBR). I understand the racing aspect of a chain, but I would think you could make an adjustable belt tensioner and keep a few different length belts on hand. That may be a bit off topic, but I guess what I'm saying is: keep the belt. Upgrade to the newer belt and pulleys if you want it stronger. | ||
| Mikexlr650 |
we're all riding it now! | ||
| Hammer71 |
Have seen the newer belt break as well. Your choice but I have never been stranded by the chain nor had any worries if it was going to break. I'm done on this subject as too many people will chime with their .02 on the issue (always becomes a flame war) | ||
| Bads1 |
I'm switching to chain in the near future. Not because I want to because I have to. | ||
| Buellfighter |
Not sure how many miles (no speedo) but it's alot and I do ride every day and in six years (almost seven) this is only my second set and it looks like new. O-ring is the way to go. Just a shot of wd-40 to keep the o-rings from drying out and she's good to go! Absolutely no mess!!! | ||
| Diablobrian |
Modern chains last a long long time if you keep them clean and LIGHTLY lubricated. The peace of mind from knowing chain failures are exceedingly rare, even those due to lost master link clips, and ease of gearing changes are huge bonuses in my book. If you like the factory gearing in every situation, and don't mind worrying about the belt letting go at what always seems like the worst possible moment then the belt may be the right choice for you. Just don't tell me I spend more time on my chain than you do inspecting your belt.  Cleaning and lubricating a modern o-ring chain is very easy and only takes a few seconds. Plus you don't have to wonder if your belt was mishandled (twisted) by anyone when you weren't looking. I think it's funny that people talk about chains like they are soooo time consuming and dirty. I think emergency belt changes, and special handling instructions for the belt are time consuming and dirty!  | ||
| Firebolteric_ma |
Almost 5k on mine. Abuse my bike like it should be. Only once did I ever need to fix it on side of road. My upper belt guard's (rizoma billet alum.)screw tabs cracked/broke and the guard went throught the lower part of the sprocket & the chain blew off the sprocket. Chewed that guard up like it was candy. Pulled over and with a small screwdriver & adj. wrench I was able to get back on the road lickety split..1/2 hour or so. Lets see a belt eat a belt guard and live to tell about it... | ||
| Pmpski_1 |
Speaking of chains, where's the Chain Gang list? I need to add a new member... | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
1.Saintly ( two conversions) 2.Trenchtractor 3.Fullpower 4.Diablobrian 5.Trojan 6. Pcmodeler 7. Hammer71 8. Ronlv 9. Gentleman Jon 10. 1stBuell 11. trac95ker 12. Buellfighter 13. Spiderman 14. Tankbueller 15. Spatten1 16. Ragnagwar 17. Xb9ser (Glenn) 18. Mortarmanmike120 19. GaryL 20. Firebolteric_ma 21. Livnlo (sully) 22. Wolfridgerider (mark) 23. Rexwinter 24. Rafartist 25. Thaas (Tom) 26. Slaughter ( racebike only ) 27. Chaconas ( racebike) 28. CCS 53 (racebike) 29. Ericz | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
FYI, I have almost 10,000 miles on the Saintly chain conversion. BUT, I did change the chain to a DID X2 ZVM2 http://www.didchain.com/xring1.htm | ||
| Saintly |
Revision: 1.Saintly ( two conversions) 2.Trenchtractor 3.Fullpower 4.Diablobrian 5.Trojan 6. Pcmodeler 7. Hammer71 8. Ronlv 9. Gentleman Jon 10. 1stBuell 11. BDABuell 12. Buellfighter 13. Spiderman 14. Tankbueller 15. Spatten1 16. Ragnagwar 17. Xb9ser (Glenn) 18. Mortarmanmike120 19. GaryL 20. Firebolteric_ma 21. Livnlo (sully) 22. Wolfridgerider (mark) 23. Rexwinter 24. Rafartist 25. Thaas (Tom) 26. Slaughter ( racebike only ) 27. Chaconas ( racebike) 28. CCS 53 (racebike) 29. Ericz 30. ND_XB 31. CPayne 32. Docktor 33. Tiburon driver 34. Pmpski_1 (Message edited by saintly on August 11, 2007) | ||
| Fmaxwell |
Hammer71 wrote: "...I have never been stranded by the chain nor had any worries if it was going to break. I'm done on this subject as too many people will chime with their .02 on the issue (always becomes a flame war)" No flames here, but, as a dirt bike rider, I've seen chain failures lead to the chains wadding up and destroying engine cases. This is less of a problem than it used to be, now that there are better chain guards at the engine. If you convert, make sure that you have a proper chain guard that goes around the front sprocket. That way, the chain, if broken, will feed through smoothly. And +1 for the suggestion of DiD ZVM series chains. Best that money can buy in my opinion. | ||
| Fmaxwell |
As an aside, I'd upgrade to a late-model belt. It will cost less in the long run. A premium chain like a DiD ZVM2 will run you well over $100 (cheap chain is a waste of money -- it wears out much faster and is more likely to fail under load). You're probably looking at another $100 the sprockets after shipping and taxes. So that's well over $200 just for chain and sprockets. And you pay that cost every time that you replace the chain and sprockets, which do wear out. Consider, also, the unsprung weight issue. Buell worked hard to reduce total weight and unsprung weight and the belt drive was a large part of that. Now you're talking about putting a heavy chain back there. To each his own, but I'd much rather have a belt. It was one of the appealing things about the Buell. As to belt failures on the new style of belt, they basically don't happen. Sure, you can find one person here or there on the Internet saying their late model belt broke, but it's down in the noise when compared to the total number of bikes sold. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
The one thing I like about the chain is that it doesn't claim to be a "lifetime of the bike" item. I think most chains should be changed out ever 20,000 miles. But the real cool thing about a chain and a sprocket is they tell you when they need swapped out. The teeth start to bend or the chain gets stretched beyond any adjustment and then you know to change it. When my belt broke I had no idea it was about to happen. It looked fine. It looked fine laying on the side of the road except for the broken area... I like the belt. Its clean, noise free and it works well I just like the chain better. | ||
| U4euh |
Now there is the type of information I am looking for! Gonna be a hard choice, I really gotta look at this closely. Thanks guys, keep it coming | ||
| Fmaxwell |
But the real cool thing about a chain and a sprocket is they tell you when they need swapped out. The teeth start to bend or the chain gets stretched beyond any adjustment and then you know to change it. You can tell when they are worn out -- not when they are about to fail. There have been many instances of like-new chains breaking suddenly. It can be caused by cracks forming in the links, master links breaking, or other things that a visual inspection won't turn up. A late model Buell belt really will go the life of the bike, but like almost every other drivetrain component (pistons, rods, crankshafts, gears, cams, valves, valve springs, etc.) it might fail due to manufacturing flaws, assembly errors, or abuse. It's a machine and like any machine, it can break. Replacing something that can fail with something else that not only can fail, but that can also wear out, doesn't seem like the right answer to me. You mileage, whether ridden with chain or belt, may vary. | ||
| Bads1 |
To update to new style pulley your gonna spend $577.20. I've done one!!!! Chain is cheaper. you could buy a couple chains and sprocket easy for that cash. | ||
| Fmaxwell |
I think you made the right choice doing the upgrade -- even if it's not cheap. Watching ebay for everything but the belt might net you a more attractive price -- providing that you have the time and are not suffering from a broken belt already. | ||
| Fullpower |
I ride a lot of gravel roads. The paved roads here have a lot of sand and rocks on them. I have 15,000 miles on a Tsubaki 530 Sigma X-ring chain. Grinds it up and spits it out. no worries. Look around on the Hayabusa boards, Ducati boards ya dont see folks there crying over broken drive chains, nor sniveling about chain lube. " EEEEEEWWW chains are just so MESSY, and the other day i snagged a finger nail while cleaning my sprocket. it was just so traumatic. think i will drive my Escalade today i have an emergency appointment with my manicurist." | ||
| Fmaxwell |
Gravel roads? I ride on stuff with my DR-Z400S that would have you peeing blood for two days. I've ridden home with three broken ribs ("acute fractures" was the term used in the ER when I went the next day) after a crash. That was after picking up the bike and riding it out of the trails to the roads. So, sorry if I fail to be impressed with the manliness demonstrated by riding on gravel roads and lubing your own chain. ;) Besides, we're talking about the pluses and minuses of chains versus belts, not which one makes you more manly. 1. Belt failures on the 2006 and later Buell belts are rare. Chain failures are rare. Tie. 2. When a belt fails, it never damages engine casings. Chain failures have lead to many damaged engine casings. Advantage: Belts. 3. Chains wear out. The belts do not. Advantage: Belts. 4. A chain and sprocket setup adds a lot of unsprung weight to a Buell relative to a belt. Advantage: Belts (and that's a big advantage if you care about handling). 5. A replacement chain costs less than a full upgrade to a 2006 and later belt. Advantage: Chains. 6. Over the lifetime of a bike, chains and sprockets will be replaced multiple times, resulting in significant costs. Advantage: Belts. 7. Chains require regular cleaning and lubrication. Belts require no maintenance. Advantage: Belts. 8. Chains produce significantly more driveline noise and stress than belts. (I can expand on why if anyone is interested.) Advantage: Belts. There's are reasons why Erik Buell chose belts over chains, and I think that his choice was the right one for 99% of buyers. If you think that it was not, let's talk about why rather than trying to portray belt enthusiasts as effeminate. | ||
| Hammer71 |
Let the measuring contest begin. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
My Dad can kick your Dads a$$!! | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
9. Final drive gearing adjustments. Chains easy, belts good luck. Advantage: Chain 10. Dropping wheel from bike with chain <2mins. Advantage: Chain 11. Being able to find a replacement chain almost anywhere vs hoping the buell 'dealer' you broke down closest to has one in stock. Advantage: Chain 12. Getting rid of those ridiculously fugly plastic belt guards. Advantage: Chain unless you prefer the look of plastic obscuring your wheel. I also disagree with point 3 and would reword it as such: Chains are susceptible to wear. Belts less so. Belts are susceptible to damage. Chains less so. Advantage: Tie. | ||
| Damnut |
I have almost 20K HARD MILES on my 04 belt. I have also had my rear tire off of my bike about a dozen times now, no problems as of yet. One thing though........ I keep hearing people say that you should not twist the belt and be VERY careful when handling the belt...... yadda, yadda, yadda. I have twisted, pulled, yanked my belt every which way. No Problems.............. yet. | ||
| Damnut |
10. Dropping wheel from bike with chain <2mins. Advantage: Chain Total B.S. The removal of a rear wheel is no different from a chain to a belt. Your stretching it with that one. Oh and there are plenty of chain driven bikes with "Chain Guards" on them. (Message edited by damnut on August 14, 2007) | ||
| Fmaxwell |
Availability of replacement parts: Chains and sprockets wear out all of the time, so you need to be able to find them. Belts on Buells are life-of-the-bike items (speaking of the 2006+) and should never need replacement. If your big concern in life is availability of parts in case something breaks, you bought the wrong bike! There are probably ten times as many dealers for any one of the big Japanese brands and parts are everywhere for them. Final drive gearing: The idler is designed for a specific geometry (diameter of front cog to rear cog). Vary from that, and you can't maintain constant tension -- or slack if it's a chain. That's why the XBRR uses a conventional adjustment mechanism for the chain slack. Removing the wheel: No problem with either the belt or the chain, though you can put on a new chain with a master link without removing the wheel or any guards (I really thought that the chain gang would have gotten me with that one by now). Styling considerations: I can't get too worried about the looks of the belt guards. I bought the Buell because of it's engineering -- not styling. Belt guards vs. 3 more pounds of unsprung weight... Not to tough a choice for me. "unless you prefer the look of plastic obscuring your wheel." I suppose you prefer the look of dirt and brake-dust encrusted chain lube on your wheels? Buells are sport bikes. Evaluate them as such. Does the bike perform better with the belt or the chain? | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
No different... I'm not stretching it at all. Bust axle. Remove master link. Lift bike. Loosen axle. Done. No exaggeration. 2 minutes would be slow. Now if you rode your belt with no guards then yes wheel removal would be about the same. But by doing so you're totally negating the argument about how long the belt will last. The lifespan of the belt is then reduced to the first piece of gravel it tries to digest. There are plenty of bikes with all kinds of farkle on them. That's irrelevant. Chain guard is unnecessary. Belt guard is very necessary. BTW, I'm not trying to argue only bringing up additional advantages/disadvantages that were absent in the previous post. Ride whatever you want. I do. Oh yeah: Chains produce significantly more driveline noise I love the zinging sound but that's just me. I also like the intake noise. Advantage: Tie | ||
| Mortarmanmike120 |
oops we were typing over each other I suppose you prefer the look of dirt and brake-dust encrusted chain lube on your wheels? 7000 miles on a chain it's not needed adjustment once. My bike is polished and shows every spec of mud, dirt, oil. So let me throw the BS flag on that. I don't know if the dirty chain lube myth came from the the 70's or what cause I'm not seeing it. Believe me, if chains were messy I'd sure know about it. I have a polished swingarm, polished subframe rails, yellow subframe, silver wheels with polished edges, no chainguard but amazingly no chain lube mess. Vary from that, and you can't maintain constant tension -- or slack if it's a chain. Sure you can, a simple slot in the tensioner. Easy. Belts on Buells are life-of-the-bike items (speaking of the 2006+) and should never need replacement. But this thread started dealing with an '03. I would rephrase: should never need replacement due to wear. Not the same thing as never need replacement. Once again, ride your own ride. Have fun and keep the shiny side up. |
