 Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 284
Adjunct
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OP
Adjunct
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 284 |
Okay Folks the time is nigh for the 2005 Speedmaster to head into the dealer for her 100,000 km service and tune and the chains and sprockets will need replacing again (3 sets so far). What I would like to know is just how many km (miles) people out there are getting out of their belt drives as I have worked it out that I have to get roughly 100,000kms out of a belt drive to break even. So have anyone out there done that many km's on a blet drive..
thanks in advance for any help
Duck
Road Rabble MHi
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
I say stick with a chain too, they are repairable along the road with a chain breaker and master link. You also don't have to take half the bike apart to change a chain.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Other people have had good luck with the belt drive but I did not. If you do the math, one belt drive kit = nearly 4 chain and sprocket sets. Or three sets and a ScottOiler (Ian don't start with me  ). I have the ScottOiler so all I do is wipe the chain down occasionally and top off the oiler.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
Quote:
Ian don't start with me
I'll behave, my little poke in the youtube thread is enough for now. 
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,126 Likes: 13
Should be Riding
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Should be Riding
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 11,126 Likes: 13 |
Stick with the chain. I lost count of how many I chain kits I've installed. The math says 4 chain kits = one qpd kit?
Well that's all correct as for price, but if you break a belt the cost just went up to five chain kits. Not to mention the aggravation of trailering and such. The dog has something when he says you can fix the chain with a phone call to the wifey, "Bring me my chain breaker and that spare link will ya? And leave the truck at home"
Blowing gravel off rural roads
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
It's a race between what wears out quicker, the belt or the pulleys. Those QPD rear pulleys are cast aluminum and fairly soft and are certainly not permanent. And the rear pulley is the major cost of the kit. I was quoted $550 just to replace the rear pulley.
So you're probably looking at a complete QPD kit every 50,000 miles, so at best it will always cost twice as much as running a chain.
Now if only someone would come up with a tougher billet alloy based kit, I might reconsider.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,063 Likes: 8
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,063 Likes: 8 |
I have been communicating with Scootworks for some time and have been waiting for confirmation that they have made a kit for our bikes. Last bit of communication stated that they have an America in the shop and are setting things up. Their price is $549 which includes the tensioner. They sell one for the Bonneville which won't fit the America/Speedy but price is supposed to be the same. New Bonneville sells the one for the Bonney. Don't know why QPD is so much more expensive than Scootworks. I think I'll put the conversion on hold for this year. Really don't want to wait any longer for an answer. My chain is still in good shape.
12 Rocket Roadster
03 Bonneville America
69 BSA Firebird Scrambler
73 Yamaha TX 750
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 331
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 331 |
I would prefer the belt drive to the chain. Have read many posts on the forum about this subject where the idea of a belt drive does not seem to be popular. I rode Harleys with belt drives for many years and always considered the belt drive to be one of the good points. Never had a broken belt. Some of the riders had HDs that were in the 80k plus-they leaked oil-spat out cam bearings etc but the belt drives just kept on going! I would see that the manufacturers of the belt kit for the Triumph must have gone astray somewhere if HD can bring out their machines with a system that goes a lot further than 50,000k. Just to really stir the pot I would go so far to say that if the America and Speedmaster had been fitted with a belt O.E they would have gained quite a few more sales. I had better take cover under the couch at this point! 
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,063 Likes: 8
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,063 Likes: 8 |
I agree. While I was at the Toronto bike show a few months ago, I spoke to several people who really liked the bikes but said they would never purchase one with a chain final drive.
I wish Triumph would add their own belt drive to the America model at least. I seem to remember reading that the research they put into the Thunderbird belt drive was top rate.
12 Rocket Roadster
03 Bonneville America
69 BSA Firebird Scrambler
73 Yamaha TX 750
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Don't get me wrong, the belt drive was outstanding for the first year-and-a-half or so. Installed it in 2003. In 2005 the first belt broke and it was downhill after that. If someone came up with a reliable one that would last 80-100k miles for less than the QPD kit I'd seriously consider it.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
Quote:
I would prefer the belt drive to the chain. Have read many posts on the forum about this subject where the idea of a belt drive does not seem to be popular. I rode Harleys with belt drives for many years and always considered the belt drive to be one of the good points. Never had a broken belt. Some of the riders had HDs that were in the 80k plus-they leaked oil-spat out cam bearings etc but the belt drives just kept on going! I would see that the manufacturers of the belt kit for the Triumph must have gone astray somewhere if HD can bring out their machines with a system that goes a lot further than 50,000k.
Just to really stir the pot I would go so far to say that if the America and Speedmaster had been fitted with a belt O.E they would have gained quite a few more sales. I had better take cover under the couch at this point!
I can speak for myself and a couple of my friends that Triumph would have lost my sale and some others if the belt came stock.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,671 Likes: 15
Loquacious
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Loquacious
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 2,671 Likes: 15 |
My 2T scooter has a belt drive. No way would I voluntarily put one on my SM.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 245
Adjunct
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Adjunct
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 245 |
i like i can replace/repair a chain on the side of the road if need be...try that with a belt ?
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
I did that once, just takes a lot more tools and a jack.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
Quote:
I did that once, just takes a lot more tools and a jack.
Replace? or repair? I am talking about a chain breaker and master link in my tool bag and off I go again in a few minutes.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
Same difference--I got back on the road again (you can't repair a belt). Except it took all day.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
You are right, you can't repair a belt but they say you can and sell a kit. It holds together for about 5'.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
Seems they no longer offer the belt repair kits. The kits were basicly heavy staples you used pliers to install and like I said used to get you about 5' before they let go again.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 853
3/4 Throttle
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3/4 Throttle
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 853 |
What do these belts fail?....I had a harley and put allot of miles on it with no problems...
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62
Fe Butt
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Fe Butt
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 23,225 Likes: 62 |
I have seen them snap in half, I have seen them strip teeth off the belt,I have seen rocks get between the belt and pulley and destroy both.
I learned all I need to know about life by killing smart people and eating their brains.
Eat right ,Exercise ,Stay fit, Die Anyway!
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825
"Lighten up, Francis."
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"Lighten up, Francis."
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 18,825 |
My dealer in Missoula thought it was a poor quality belt. When he examined it he said it "delaminated" and came apart.
The Harley belt I put on there in 2005 was still going strong when I sold the belt and pulleys. And it had taken some abuse. I gave a ride to a rather hefty date one time, just a short jaunt down the road. Well, clearly my bike was overloaded and we hit one bump. Blew out the rear shocks and my home-made saddle bracket scored the center of the belt all the way around. Since the damage didn't cross the edge it was fine. Tough stuff.
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Re: Belt Drive vs Chain
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 284
Adjunct
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OP
Adjunct
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 284 |
thanks a lot for all the feed back there fellas, by the looksof it I will be sticking with the good old chain for the next 100,000km.
Duck
Road Rabble MHi
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