| Author | Message | ||
     Sgthigg |
I rolled over 18K on my xbs the other day. I still had the original stock drive belt on it. Since I had a spare new version decided it was time to upgrade it now vise being left stranded. Well I replaced the belt with the new version. Man...that thing is tight!! Are the new belts always really really tight? There is practically no slack or play on the tension. Which is probaly good I suppose. I just want to make sure this is normal. Thanks!! | ||
| 1324 |
I just had the same experience on my bike. Little by little it is loosening up, but it was so tight at first, you could feel the pitches meshing at really really low speeds. Now it's almost gone. By nature, all belts will stretch to some degree. Toothed (timing) belts typically stretch less, though. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Well, I see you have an 05. The scheduled maint. for the 04/05 belts is 25,000 miles. The 06+ is lifetime. Now, with that said. I have an 05 XB9SX and my belt has 43,400 miles on it and has never been replaced. Looks like it did the day I bought the bike. | ||
| Sgthigg |
I know mine was in excellent condition too. I was just getting that gut feeling to replace it. So I did. The new belt is no joke. I can see it lasting for a very very long time. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
May be a dumb question but are there different length belts? Are all XBs the same length? I see people talking about changing the front drive out for a 12 on a 9 and I would assume that would require a longer belt. | ||
| Etennuly |
The longer belts are for the ss, tt, Uly, xt. They all have the longer swing arm. The gear change to the City-X deal is inside the left case on the primary side. | ||
| Rpm4x4 |
Thanks.  | ||
| Cataract2 |
You know, it would help if I read your entire post. Yeah, new belts will be a bit tight at first. They're suppose to stretch just a tad before setting in. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I see people talking about changing the front drive out for a 12 on a 9 and I would assume that would require a longer belt. I think you're referring to the primary drive, which is a chain, as opposed to the secondary drive, which is the belt. The belts are the same from 2004 forward. I think the newer belts, 2006 and up are made of different material, but the same length. Someone correct me on that if I'm mistaken please. | ||
| Starter |
Belts don't stretch, they wear similarly to a chain. | ||
| Xb9rnutt |
What all do I need to put the new belt on my o39r? I thought I red that I need a new tensioner is that it? | ||
| Jedi74 |
XB9mutt I think there is more to it on your 03 than on an 04 or later check out the latest issue of Fuell mag or on the buell site gives more detail. | ||
| Jedi74 |
Yeah last page...... Ask Abe article exactly what your looking for....looks like its a good size job but it can done if your determined.  | ||
| 1324 |
Belts don't stretch, they wear similarly to a chain. Both belts and chains do 'stretch'. Belts stretch less so than chains, but they do take an an initial set. It doesn't matter if you're talking about toothed belts, vee belts, or ribbed belts...they all stretch, but like I said, the initial stretch is minimal and they it maintains a pretty consistent length throughout it's life until it breaks. Chains on the other hand don't stretch in the same manner, but they do elongate. In the case of the chain, the increased length comes from the pin to aperture connection. The links themselves don't elongate unless they have yielded in which case the chain is done. One of my only real praises of chain drives is that they typically will never break and leave you stranded unless you never care for it. By nature, they'll stretch over their life until you just can't adjust them any more. Belts on the other hand...well, we know how that goes. I still prefer them though, as is evidence by my recent 03 to 06 swap. | ||
| Sgthigg |
Its not bad at all really, Remove the plastic drive pulley cover. Remove the right side footpeg bracket. Loosen the axel all the way(to release the tenison on the bel)t. Remove the 4 bolts that holds the part of the swing arm that come in half sord of. Remove belt Put back on the swing arm half. Then tighten the axel. It is most important to relieve the tension by loosening the axel BEFORE you remove the swingarm piece, and to have the swing arm back together before you re tighten the axle. I will probaly take about 30 mins. One thing I forgot. You might need to loosen/remove the brake caliper if you need to move the rear tire around to get the belt on or off, depending on how tight it is. | ||
| Xb9rnutt |
Jedi, Thanks I will check it out. P.s. It's XB9RNutt Not XB9Mutt. It's funny how many people do that. | ||
| Jedi74 |
Sorry didn't mean to call you a mutt......nutt! :0) | ||
| Jedi74 |
By the way nutt don't mean to get off track but where did you get your headers done or did you do them yourself they look great! | ||
| Jaimec |
Kevlar doesn't stretch, but as it gets older it will shrink. Also, the toothed rubber inside the belt as it ages will swell, effectively decreasing the inner circumference of the belt. Therefore, belts tend to get TIGHTER as they age, not looser. | ||
| 1324 |
I'll politely disagree for the last time. Not that it really matters, but timing (toothed belts) most certainly do stretch. Ironically I am 'blessed' to work with cam drive systems on a regular basis and have daily experience to back up that claim. Not all types of rubber swell with age. Some will shrink thus causing the center distance to increase. The presence of certain contaminants like oil, antifreeze, and grease will each have their own effects of the 'aging' of a belt. Kevlar will in fact stretch, but the change is barely noticeable unless you're looking for it. Depending on the grade of Kevlar, you are talking about a tensile strength of about 400KSI and a elongation at break of only 2.5%. Compare that to glass fibers where you get 160KSI and 14.0% yield. Big improvement, but it still stretches. Oh, and did I mention Kevlar will creep? Well, it will. The most important thing to know about belts is that they'll take an initial set and then they'll remain fairly stable throughout their life, barring the presence of any of the aforementioned contaminants. If you'd like proof, I can provide text references as well. Or, just read the latest issue of Fuell, which conveniently just arrived at my house a few minutes ago. Abe mentions the initial set specifically. |
