Signs of Pending Belt Snap?

devonbiker · Apr 15, 2014

This has to be near top of the list for concern for any Buell owner I would imagine - belt snapping whilst out on a bike ride. I think the manual says change belt every 16000 miles but are there tell tale signs to look for, for a pending belt snap?

I looked at mine today, it's done 10768 miles. It looks good but I don't know what to look for, are there any wear signs to look for?

Thanks

Cosworth · Apr 15, 2014

The belt design was changed on 04+ bikes, look for cracking in the teeth. The belts were supposed to be good for the life of the bikes. The only time I lost a belt was on my s1 tuber and that was because the shock had gone bad putting all of the suspension travel on the belt.

2004xb12s · Apr 15, 2014

Here are some linkys for people who had similar questions about their belts. I found this on google by typing buellxb belt wear

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

There are plenty more if you Google. It is your friend

go cytocis · Apr 15, 2014

Aside from seeing obvious age/wear damage, I suspect you'll not get a consensus on this. Some folks report over 50,000 trouble-free miles on their belts, others report snapping essentially new belts with no prior warning. I like having piece-of-mind so I just replaced it when I first brought the bike home & I've not had a problem.

thrstrmech · Apr 15, 2014

Some folks report over 50,000 trouble-free miles on their belts

65k+ on my original '03 belt...and still going, knock on wood! I inspect mine weekly...

look for nicks, cuts, threads, tears...your manual has detailed pics of what to look for of the belt, however don't stop there. also check both sprockets and idler pulley surface for damage and or wear

devonbiker · Apr 16, 2014

LIFETIME Warranty?? Really? Wow thats peace of mind. I will check with my Harley dealer about that. I can't see any signs of wear that look concerning but it's been on my mind for a long time now that I'm creeping up to the dreaded 16K limit!

Shawns · Apr 16, 2014

Should be 2 year unlimited mileage warranty. Ive got almost 20k on mine and its still in great shape. I guess it would be what Harley considers a lifetime.

BuellRonin · Apr 16, 2014

My 2005 XB12Scg had a belt with an old part number on it and I just replaced it. There were signs of material separating at the base where the teeth sit. Even though the belt itself looked fine, I saw images on other post where belts snapped and those pictures had the same material separation. My belt had an old part number, and if it is the original, it got about 25k of use. I got the bike at 16k. But for piece of mind, replace early, rather than later. But I did buy the dressing, in hoping to extend the life even more.

snrusnak · Apr 16, 2014

I believe it depends much on how it was maintained as well. I replaced the belt on my 05 somewhere around 7k miles I believe. It looked kind of dry rotted and I just didn't want to get stuck. The PO obviously never washed the bike or did much maintenance. I've put about another 7k miles on the new bike and although I don't wash the bike often I do take care of it. The belt still looks brand new. I don't expect to have any trouble with it for tens of thousands of miles (if ever) as long as I maintain it.

Signs of Pending Belt Snap?

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