| Author | Message | ||
     Ottobotz |
Has anyone went from a belt drive and converted to a chain? -What are the advantages? -how much do the cost? | ||
| Froggy |
You get to change your gear ratios easily for various tracks.
$1779 from the old Buell racing program. Pricing hasn't been announced for it from EBR. | ||
| Duggram |
It's also heavier, requires a lot more maintenance, you have to buy a lot of both front and back sprockets, and lots of chain. I'm going to work with the CR gearing at my home track to see if it's right for there before I go with the chain on my track bike. | ||
| Littlebutquick |
witch uses the most HP chain or belt .im going over to chain only because of gearing and longer swing arm.  | ||
| Ottobotz |
-I realize being able to change gear ratios, but are there any performance gains? | ||
| Jdugger |
> but are there any performance gains? You are trading weight for a little bit less loss. My understanding is the belt is slightly less efficient at power transfer. There are some other negatives I can think of: 1. It's a friggin chain. It's noisy, it requires constant attention, it flings grime all over EVERYTHING on your bike. 2. It weighs more. 3. They wear out at a much higher rate than belts break. 4. You are going to get significant drive line lash. It's the nature of a chain vs. belt. There are so many things you can do to the bike to make it/you faster than spending $2k+ on a chain conversion. Consider, and this is HARDLY exhaustive or in the right order: 1. A riding school/lessons from a local racer. This is huge, probably the biggest bang for the buck around. 2. Great tires. 3. Lightweight battery. 4. Lightweight exhaust. (Probably will reduce power with stock map, but shaving 10lbs NEVER hurts.) 5. Suter slipper clutch. 6. Suspension upgrades. ... and so on. Unless you need to change gearing, stick with the belt. | ||
| Ottobotz |
-Right on, Jdugger. Well put. I never really thought about the disadvantages. - | ||
| Chameleon |
My bike snapped a belt this morning. This is the 5th belt I've had fail on me. Got me thinking about chain conversion. I'm not as concerned about performance as I am reliability. I only ride on the street, but my bike is my main mode of transportation. I have a bit over 42,500 miles on the bike. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
wow 5 belts in 42.5k? that is a lot | ||
| Johnnys999 |
At least when you snap a belt there isn't a chance its going to rip through your crankcase like a chain can do. I've seen two cases of that happening. I ask the same question, 5 belts in 42k miles, thats not typical is it? Thats the first I've heard of that frequency, but again, I'm new to Buells. | ||
| Jdugger |
5 in 42 is WAY beyond typical. I've popped 1 in over 50k of miles on various 1125r bikes including over 10k on a track bike that gets the piss beat out of it on a regular basis. Do me a favor, look on the insides of your belt guards, in particular the lower one. Look at the edge of the aluminum bit... what do you see? | ||
| Justa4banger |
Maybe you should consider swapping in a new belt and new pullies... there has to be a problem to cause a belt to break 5 times in 42k.... thats way excessive | ||
| Chameleon |
At least when you snap a belt there isn't a chance its going to rip through your crankcase like a chain can do. Good point. Do me a favor, look on the insides of your belt guards, in particular the lower one. Look at the edge of the aluminum bit... what do you see? I don't have the bike; it's at the shop. What can I ask them to look for? Maybe you should consider swapping in a new belt and new pullies... there has to be a problem to cause a belt to break 5 times in 42k... I'm pretty sure a new belt is not an option... I'll ask the shop about a new pulley. | ||
| Illbuell |
Wow!!!! Our team had three 2003 XB12Rs and stunt rode in in hundreds of stunt shows and practice sessions for four years and never broke a belt....Weird that anyone could break one.. I've had lots of Buells and none of them ever broke a belt.. I don'tk now how I could have been any harder on them either. | ||
| Blackflash |
My belt broke for no reason at 12k. | ||
| Illbuell |
There's a lemon in everything made I guess... | ||
| Skntpig |
I broke 2 belts in 11K on my S1. Both wouldn't have happened under normal riding conditions. Never broke a chain. I rivet on the side plates vs. the clips. I'm sure the new belts are made better. (Message edited by skntpig on January 22, 2010) |
