Need opinion on Belt

[Enemy Zero]

I did a ton of searching and I try my hardest to not post new topics that have been beaten to death. I tried a search for words like belt and belt replacement and just about the entire board came up. This is my first bike with a belt drive and I'm not sure if this is normal wear or not but what is your expert opinion on this belt/ I've only recently noticed it looking like this. Seems there's a thread at where the teeth meet the backing that is showing. I can't see where it's rubbing against anything. I shined a flashlight in there to check clearances so I'm wondering if it's normal or time to replace. Any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[stensg]

If your talking about the write line on the edge of the belt everything is fine its needn't to be that way

 

[newyorkbuell]

My belt looked in better shape then this when it snapped at 21,000miles. My belt failed mostly due to alot of clutch drop wheelies when i first bought the bike. On the other side my dad has a 04 lightning and his belt looks just like yours and has been going strong. Long story short buy a belt so whenever it does snap youll be ready, because no matter how it looks (new or warn) you never know when it will snap.

 

[Internet Annoyance]

Belts are hard to tell when they go, Best to track their usage, start a note book or insert a small file folder in the back of your factory workshop manual (you ARE purchasing or getting a factory workshop manual and factory parts manual RIGHT????[confused][confused]) so start with your mileage and known entitys when you get the bike.
then start a record for oil, filters, and services.
Also a good time to highlite the part numbers for common consumable such as filters and brake pads etc
keep a record of your services and mileage between each. Most people have a general number they are comfortable with on the belts, then its time to change. I realize Belts are supposed to last the life of the bike, but in reality, theres a magic number where you should consider replacing it. and hang the old one up as a emergency backup for you or your Buell riding friends.
I LIKE Belts for primarys and rear drive. Ive done belt drive conversions on vintage bikes for the primarys, and even once had a PRIMO belt drive on a 1960 Sportster that was set up to run in Oil. when they break or fail, they dont destroy the engine cases or crank or trans mainshaft like a chain does.
One thing to watch out for is on rare occasions a rock or foreign object (In aerospace we call it FOD) can jump up and get caught up between the belt and pulley. Had it happen on a Old Belt drive primary on a Panhead chop, rode that gingerly for 300 miles home when it partially shredded.
READ your manual on proper adjustment and tension of a belt drive, also CHECK for alignment, nothing kills a belt worse than over tight, and misaligned.
A clean Belt is a Happy belt.
A properly adjusted Belt is a Happy belt.
Belts behave MUCH differently than chains. Most people dont know this but a belt runs tighter when hot, a chain runs looser when hot. An overtight belt will destroy itself as well as the transmission, too loose is a bad thing.

But the good news to keep in mind, a quality, well adjusted, and properly aligned belt will outperform a chain by 2 to 1, sometimes higher. weighs less, performs better, less friction and consumption of power, doesnt damage other parts if it fails (most of the time) and gives much higher service intervals.plus the bike stays cleaner and no mess with chain lube splattering all over.

Im going to be learning very soon how to properly adjust the timing belts on a Ducati Monster with a 916 engine (one year only the monster came with the 4 valve 916) done right, piece of cake, done wrong and its VERY expensive.)

 

[Enemy Zero]

I definitely will be picking up a couple manuals here soon. I've only had the bike since mid April so I'm really working on learning as much as I can quickly. I looked over some stuff I found online and just wanted to make sure this was normal looking. It just looks like there's a section where the white thread is showing and then there's a section where it's not. I figure I'll pick up another belt here just to be safe in case this one does decide to go anyways but more wanted to make sure it was still safe. Living in Las vegas it's gone through a couple 100 degree plus summers already so I know that much like tires and batteries, things wear out a bit faster here due to the heat and lack of moisture in the air. The only saving grace that I have is it goes from being parked in my garage to being parked in my work garage and back home so the only time it's outside for any period of time is on the weekends when I stop at a store or meet up with friends somewhere. I was always on top of my chain maintenance before so this belt is a new world. I like it so much better, no scrubbing, oiling and checking sag and tension constantly. Summer here wreaks havoc on chains and just about everything else. I like this bike so much, I may be looking at adding an XT to the stable in the future for traveling .

Thank you all for your responses. It helps so much!

 

[user_deleted]

I may be looking at adding an XT to the stable in the future for traveling

you won't be disappointed. they are stone reliable and very comfy with great luggage capacity

 

[Internet Annoyance]

An XB has a belt tensioner that should do fine in keeping the belt tensioned, my wifes sportster (Year 2000) has the belt drive rear, and i think its a little tight. been reading up on that on some XL forums. So a little harder also to misalign on a XB. I was just commenting in general for belt drives.
I have some british bikes, and I often do conversions for the primarys with a belt drive, (Norton-Triumph) and its amazing how much weight savings there are when doing the swap, a LOT less weight for the motor to try and spin.
but worth noting in a general design principle is thinking about weight on a bike.
I like the Tuber styling better, but the XB is pretty amazing in its design,
theres a concept called Sprung weight and unsprung weight. and thats where the XB really shines with many design features such as the brakes, wheels, and suspension.
the Concept works like this using a car for an example,. For every 50 pounds you reduce the weight of Unsprung components, is comparable to 500 pounds off the sprung weight.
So, unsprung weight is wheels, brakes, and any part not supported by the springs in the suspension. By going with lightweight wheels or high performance but lighter brakes, or calipers, its worth it by far to concentrate there with those parts. Say my wifes 1969 Chevelle,, I buy lighter hi-po wheels and Wilwood rotors and calipers and shave 100 pounds off the unsprung weight, To compare,, i would be hard pressed to take 1000 pounds off the rest of the car.
So, when you think about this on our bikes, the XB is a pretty amazing design when you start doing the engineering analysis,

 

[wolfo68]

These belts are not meant to last the life of the bike. I have a few choices for replacement in the cross reference thread or the links on my profile.

 

[go cytocis]

I'm wondering if it's normal or time to replace. 

Seeing a few tufts of nylon cord protruding from the sides of the belt is normal in my observation & experience.

Having said that, one of the only ways that chains are superior to belts is that they'll generally give a lot of warning before failing; belts can snap inspite of their appearances.

I like to save myself the worry and potential grief of a broken belt by preventatively replacing it. I use mileage, age, and visual inspection as cues to replace the belt.

 

[user_deleted]

enemy zero: if it helps i have 4 Buell XB's in my shop right now being a city X, firebolt, lightning SS and a Ulysses. 3 of the 4 belts look exactly like yours in pic and are all in fine shape. it is normal to see that white thread band you described.

 

[Enemy Zero]

Thanks for the input everyone. I kinda lost this thread in there for a bit. I'm a little less worried about it. I'll be buying another one just to be safe though [smirk]