| Author | Message | ||
     Vikingdave |
HAS ANYONE HEARD THAT ALONG WITH AN NEW REPLACEMENT GATES BELT FOR EARLY 03'S FIX SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE NEW REPLACEMENT IDLER PULLEY? I HEARD THE ORIGINAL HAD A FAULTY BEARING THAT IS CAUSING MOST OF THE BELT PROBLEMS? ANY INFO WOULD HELP, I HAVE TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH MY FIRST FAILED BELT ON MY EARLY '03 XB9S BELT FAILURE...THANKS | ||
| M1combat  |
Your caps lock is on. | ||
| Vikingdave  |
thanks m1, i don't type that well and its less work...all upper or lower... | ||
| Gentleman_jon  |
There are basically three alternatives available to you.. 1. Replace the 03 belt. Buell is now supplying a third generation of the 11mm Gates belt. I don't believe that a new idler is normally required, although it is possible that one with a faulty bearing could put stress on a belt and should be replaced. One of our most illustrious members, Glitch himself, is using one of these very successfully getting lots of mileage out of it despite his devil-may-care-streetfighter riding style. I have a thousand miles on one of these myself, seems ok so far. Main benefit is low cost solution: belt is about $155. Daves usually has them in stock 2. Upgrade to the 2004 13mm Goodyear belt. This involves purchasing not only a new belt, but new front and rear sprocket, belt guards, idler wheel and rear master cylinder. Our own Daves at Appleton HD, has a complete list of all the required parts. I have heard that removing the front sprocket is a bit of a challenge. Benefits are a much stronger belt. Total cost is about $600. 3. Convert to chain. Several of our members, "Fullpower" among them, have gone this route and seem to be happy with it. I believe that some complete parts kits to do this may be available shortly. The advantage of chain drive is strength and the ability to easily change gearing. Good in dirt road conditions where pebbles could get into and damage a belt. There are many threads on this subject, including a recent one I started when my early 03 belt broke called " What's new in 03 belts?" or something similar. (Message edited by gentleman_jon on December 13, 2004) | ||
| Vikingdave |
Thanks Jon, what are you currently running? | ||
| Vikingdave |
Never mind Jon I re-read your post- thanks | ||
| Court |
>>>The advantage of chain drive is strength Ooops. | ||
| Bigharley38 |
Say where would I find this shop named daves place/site that a lot of people are refering to for parts?  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Daves is the estimable Dave Stueve at Appleton Harley Davidson in Wisconsin. Outstanding Buelligan and hunter:-) Phone: (920) 757-1651 URL: www.h-dappleton.com He is a very nice an knowledgeable Buell person, and many people, such as myself, find it much easier to work with him than their local Harley Davidson Dealer. (Message edited by gentleman_jon on December 14, 2004) | ||
| Reepicheep  |
So when you change gear ratios on a chain driven XB, do you need *three* sprockets? One front, one rear, and one for the idler wheel? Or do you just put on a different chain with each gearing change to get the length right? | ||
| Court |
Two questions: Today the gov't announced the crime figures for the 25 largest cities in the United States. QUESTION: NYC was the lowest crime rate coming in at 25 of 25? QUESTION: A roller chain is stronger than a belt? The purpose of this exercise is to allow you, in the privacy of your own screen, to question some of the preconceived notions we hold based on what I refer to as "inaccurate information". Court ....adding a chain for strength is like dating Paris Hilton for her brains. Ain't a "bad" thing, but.... | ||
| Jlnance  |
An idea just popped into my head. Thats rare enough that I thought I should write it down somewhere. If belt breakage is a common problem, perhaps it would be good if the bikes had 2 narrower belts rather than one wide belt. That way if one belt broke you could still limp the bike back home. | ||
| Chainsaw  |
FYI: The idler pulley is supposed to be replaced with the belt at 15K on the 03 XB's. | ||
| Vikingdave |
Chainsaw, any part numbers on pulley, don't want to buy original P.O.S. Thanks-Dave | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Ah, if only life were as simple as a true or false quiz:-) Take for example, the matter of Crime rates. Today, Mayor Bloomberg announced that serious crime was down, 3.6 % compared to a nationwide reduction of 2%. Thus he said that the city had the lowest per capita violent crime rate among the nations 25 most populous cities. What he did not mention, is that NYC leads the nation in murders, 278 last year, and violent crimes, 26,683, very closely followed by LA and Chicago. So even though there might be less crime per capita, there is also more crime than any other city, and there are parts of the city that remain very dangerous indeed. ( FBI uniform crime reports 2004 : http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/ucr.htm) Likewise, there is no simple answer to which is stronger, a belt or a chain. Sort of like saying, which is faster a motor cycle or a car? In the case of the Buell belt drive, there does seem to be a problem with the original Gates 11 mm 2003 XB9 belt . While Buell has not chosen to recall it, they have upgraded it twice, and replaced it with a larger and stronger belt for 2004 and 2005 model years. Most professional Buell racing efforts use chain, and I don't know of any motocross bikes that come with belts, most likely because of the problem caused by dirt and rock getting in a belt among other reasons. On an anecdotal level, as a person who has been riding for almost 50 years, I seem be hearing about, and having, more problems with the Buell belts, than I ever remember encountering in regards to chains. Mine parted whilst I was overtaking a car, and I very nearly got run over. While I was doing a track day at Loudon, the only other Buell rider, a fellow with a XB12R, lost his belt, and that was the 13mm Goodyear model. Thus as in so many situations in life, things can sometimes be just a little more complex than they seem at first, and in the high tech world in which we live, there often is no "right " answer, as the best solution to a given problem seems to change from year to year, not to mention from day to day. In addition a solution that seems best to one rider, might not suit another. That is why I reviewed three different solutions that members have adopted instead of recommending just one:-) | ||
| Vikingdave |
Well said Mr. Jon. | ||
| Glitch  |
1st belt I mis-handled, lasted 3000 miles or so. 2nd belt, lasted almost 3000 miles. No sure why it went bad. 3rd belt is the upgraded Gates belt. I'm just shy of 30,000 miles minus the 6000 or so miles for the other belts, I have around 24,000 miles on this belt. I'm happy now. If I were racing and needed different gear ratios for different tracks, I'd go with a chain. Or If I were living in Alaska, like FullPower, I'd have a chain, as it's easier to get a chain replaced than to order a belt. It's up to ya though. I just like 'em cause it's less a pain in my rear end, for me, than a chain. OOoops, I forgot o say, all these miles are with the same idle pulley. The bearing still rolls nice and smooth. (Message edited by Glitch on December 14, 2004) | ||
| Vikingdave |
Thanks for the pulley info Glitch, when was your bike manufactured | ||
| Rigga  |
or you could always replace the standard buell pulley for an aftermarket spring loaded one that gives a constant belt tension under suspension loads,gives the belt an easier time and should therfore increase its lifespan. suppossed to help on the sticky gearchange too | ||
| Glitch |
oops (Message edited by Glitch on December 14, 2004) | ||
| Keith  |
I opted to upgrade my '03 XB9S to the '04 belt system and have not had any problems. Keith | ||
| Hkwan |
Hmm... interesting. The currently issue of MCN has a letter written in by a '03 XB owner stating that the failure on '03's broken belt could be 5%. I'm wondering if there is any failure rate figure on the '04's? (Message edited by hkwan on December 14, 2004) (Message edited by hkwan on December 14, 2004) (Message edited by hkwan on December 14, 2004) | ||
| Glitch |
I'm wondering if there is any failure rate figure on the '04's? Probably not til the Spring. Stats usually don't show up for six months to a year. | ||
| Court |
>>>That is why I reviewed three different solutions that members have adopted instead of recommending just one:-) Well put. Given that Buell sells ONLY street bikes, the belt is a gifted choice for the bike and has served very well. I was thrilled to see BMW start adopting it about the time Honda started showing us mufflers slung under the bike. I agree that I'd not want a belt on my KTM nor a chain on my Buell. A recall, just to clarify is not a matter of much "choice" and is not the thing that is undertaken just becuase a part/system or prodcut fails to perform as expected. I wonder if, as the power and belt sizes have both increased, if there will be a change in the rate of belt failures? Interesting stuff for sure... |
