Drive Belt Failure

[kirt8548]

Hello fellow members.

I had a strange situation yesterday that I need some help wrapping mind around.

I have an '03 Firebolt with about 38K miles. Garage kept, bone stock.

I got home yesterday, dropped the kickstand, rolled back the garage door and went to ride up into my detached garage when the bike simply would not go.

No first gear. No second gear....nothing. I shut the bike off, put in neutral and rolled it up into the garage. Upon inspection I found that the drive belt had snapped. I did have an issue where I was cut off in traffic, pulled in the clutch, swerved and let off the clutch.

My question is "what happened?" Is this a normal failure. Of course my local HD dealer said bring it in, which I'm tempted to do after I get a new drive belt and give that a go. I'm not interested in handing over $80/hour + parts, if you know what I mean.

Bottom line: While I realize that the list may be long, what could have caused such a failure?

Thanks....

Kirk Toune

 

[redbolt04]

the belts on the '03 were more prone to failure than the '04 and later models. with 38k on yours I would imagine its just mileage and age that killed it. Replace it with an '04 drive belt set up [up]

 

[WALLSXB]

What Redbolt said . Getting 38K out of a belt sounds pretty good to me , especially if it's the original 03 belt. Don't believe the " lifetime belt " claimed by Buell , you may have picked up some debris that killed it.

 

[BuellerPilot]

Talk about luck!!! Man your lucky it broke at your garage and didn't break out on the road! Go buy a lottery ticket now!

rebolt04 nailed it. 03 belts are narrow and prone to break on top of that your mileage.

Upgrade to 04 or new, get the belt and rear pully. Do the work yourself, it's not a hard thing to do.

~Mike....

 

[Riderdie]

Yea 38k is impresive.

I got through 18k on my 03 before a tiny rock developed a tear.

Belt is pricey I think $180 from asb.
I wouldn't worry about the belt and pulley upgrade spend money on something cooler.

 

[kyle_dewald]

It will happen to the '03 belt, I kept hearing about it and my bike hit 25k miles and still no prob. Then I back out a parking spot and drop it into first and try to move and nothing.... Belt had snapped

 

[03Firebolt9R]

When I had my 03, it happened at about 25K miles. Didnt snap completely, just stripped about 2 inches of teeth off. Feel fortunate that you got 38k out of it and that it happened at your garage.

Also, just order the belt and do it yourself, it is very easy. I wouldnt let the dealership touch it.

 

[nilla]

and yeah, consider yourself lucky.
mine snapped on the way hope at someting like 18k. luckilly i wasn't alone.

 

[nilla]

and a belt swap is about as simple as a coloring book.
the 04+ upgrade requires a big socket but is well worth it.
put away your cresent hammer, and go to harbor freight for this one.

 

[Stevenc150]

If you decide to upgrade to the '04+ Belt setup instead of just buying a new belt, here's a great How-To with pics & part numbers:

- DIY Belt Upgrade

 

[Xb12sLt]

Sorry to hear about the belt. For any of the new buellers just keep a close eye on your belt, the belt drive is great but prone to ripping from rocks and such. Or from romping on the throttle and catching some air off a bump (I thought I busted my tranny but luckily enough it just ripped some teeth off). I was pissed cause I just put that one on too. Now I got a spare for just in case.

 

[kirt8548]

Thanks to you all for the information.

I have a '75 Corvette that I'm restoring so that's where all my available cash is going right now.

My heart is, however, always with my Firebolt.

 

[kirt8548]

Nila, that pic of your thrashed drive belt is almost identical to mine.

Be careful out there.

 

[kirt8548]

Hey Riderdie!

What is ASB?

Thanks..

 

[Riderdie]

http://www.americansportbike.com/

 

[andymnelson]

Lots of mis-information floating around about the '03 belt...mostly from people who have no actual knowledge of the things they speak.

Here are the facts:
- '03 belts are plenty strong for their intended use, and 38,000 miles does not surprise me.
- many (including myself) beat the snot out of their '03 belts with no issues whatsoever.
- the REAL issue with the '03 belts is not with the belts at all- it is in the handling of the belts. The belts CAN NOT withstand 3 forces: 1) bending "backwards", bending in too tight of an arc, 3) being bent sideways...at all.
- most '03 belt failures result from someone not being careful during wheel removal and flexing the belt to the side, rather than carefully moving the belt aside without bending it.

38,000 is not bad, and it was probably due to be replaced, but my guess is that at some point someone bent it improperly causing the failure.

 

[03Firebolt9R]

According to the 03 service manual the belt should be replaced every 15,000 miles. So, as most have said, 38,000 is outstanding out of an 03 belt. It's a wearable item and will eventually break. I agree that mishandling the belt will speed that process up though.

 

[andymnelson]

Yes, 15,000 miles is the service interval. It is my opinion and experience however, that it does not NEED to be replaced then- it simply begins to become more susceptible to damage from the above named forces as it gets older.

It is my opinion and experience (and I think this 38,000 mile belt also supports this thought) that properly handled, the '03 belts can go a long long time.