Bonneville America Forums Forums Technical Forums Custom Corner Belt conversion

I wanted to change the chain and sprocket set up on the America to a belt, final drive to the rear wheel.
Are there any ideas on who produces the conversion in England. I can get one from the USA but live in England, so it's too costly to buy from this manufacturer.
Can someone give me some leads.

Norman Hyde? And these people: web page Looks as Hyde doesn't offer a belt for Spdy/America, my bad.

why would you want to go belt? chains last a long time, easy to chage gear ratio, easy to repair, cheap, decent torque. I have a T-Bird storm with belt and its ok but i really liked the chain. Changing a belt is a serious pain in the you know what.

Before you do this ask about the material the sprockets are made of.
Friar (RIP) had a belt drive and loved it until he needed to replace the worn sprockets. That was so expensive that he went back to a chain drive.

turns out his blog is still up and viewable. https://friarsride.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/belt-drive-debacle/#more-3645

I thought about a belt conversion too, but have gone off the idea.Especially the aftermarket ones.Bikes with belts from the factory,Harley,the T-bird and such seem ok,but there seems to be problems with the aftermarket,I've been told.A chain is the way to go for our bikes I think.

Welcome to the site Leanne.

Looks like I should thank you all who replied.
I know I am a new member but have been a biker for many a year, so not new to biking?
A extra thanks to Zmilin for the link to the blog. It was really useful and see it's not at all good sense to change it to belt. Not because in this case he had not fitted it right or there was a fault in it but the facts stated.
The facts against making it belt drive were:- 1/ the difficulty in changing it. 2/ if it breaks, you can't mend it temporarily like a chain, so you have to carry a spare and a full tool kit. 3/ it's expensive to change each time.
Therefore I am steering clear...
This was the sort of feedback I needed, to decide one way or another... 😌

Smart move the extra work changing them and not being able to fix along the road are the main reasons I don't like them but you also give up some grunt due to the stretch of the belt.

It may be of interest to know that the most powerful production, modern motorcycle in the world (1972 all over again) the Kawasaki H2, uses a chain.
Then again, it may mean nothing at all.

All the big torque and HP bikes use a chain, belts can't hack it.

A belt can handle all our engines put out even the 904, but it is true that any really powerful bikes use chain drive or shred belts. I don't like how easily damaged by rocks and gravel they are.

There is a nice looking conversion from Freespirits in Italy. A lot beefier than others I've seen. web page

I don't run belts cheap or otherwise, there is a small amount of stretch that robs power, not much but it's there. My condolences on the sportster. Don't know what kind of cheap crappy chains you use but big HP bikes run chains because they shred belts and I am not talking about a measly 115hp.

It stretches and snaps back like a rubber band robbing power off the line and each time you shift. There is a huge difference dynamically between a final motorcycle drive a driving a supercharger or timing but in timing performance wise chain is better than a belt and even better yet is gear to gear, each step reducing lash. I'm not going to continue to argue this since I really don't care what you believe or run, have fun with your sportster and belt drive especially when it comes time to change it or it fails during a ride and you need a trailer. By the way most of those sport bikes you mention also run chains. Belts like the cush drive are intended to absorb shock and vibration thus giving a smoother ride. Cush drive would rob some power just as the belt does, I like the way my old bikes sprockets bolts right to the hub, no rubber parts.

Robbing power is probably the wrong way to put it as a belt would not effect HP over all it just takes some of the snap out of the take off due to the stretch, then it comes back that being different from the way a chain stretches over time from use. A chain stretches needing adjustment from time to time until worn out a belt just eventually fails.

Won't strip the teeth off a chain drive like you will with a belt under extreme use, if you are stupid enough to use aluminum sprockets then they wear out fast with a chain, not sure with a belt.

There is nothing to argue since there is more slop in a chain then in a belt at point of movement. Aluminum chain sprockets are more common then you think as are aluminum belt pulleys. Aluminum pulleys wear before belts do. I have an aluminum sprocket on my 71 Bonnie dirt dragger. It only changes gears twice. I remember when people said that aluminum hubs wouldn't last vs steel....and that mindset still continues. Facts is facts.

Fact is aluminum sprockets tend to not hold up as long with a chain as steel, fact, seen it 1,000+ times. Not talking about the small amount of slack in the chain, once it starts to pull it pulls not stretch and come back like a belt does. Just clearing up what I meant not arguing it farther. Think what you want, I don't care.