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Belt VS chain. Aother way to do it ?

9K views 41 replies 20 participants last post by  Lours_Polaire 
#1 · (Edited)
Belt VS chain. Another way to do it ?

I've being thinking about modifying my drive system, installing a belt instead of the chain, for obvious reason

Was thinking that a bmw f800st would be a starting point

Has anybody else done the same thinking, or maybe has tried it out, with or without success ???


Your turn !


LOP
 
#3 ·
I'Ve read on other bikes of belt conversions that just ended up breaking. As much as it can be super reliable and maintenance free, I've read stories of some belts snapping just because a little rock that made it between belt and sprocket. Considering the costs and all, I wouldnt even consider it.
 
#4 · (Edited)
I had a Buell for years and the only thing I really worried about (with some cause) was a broken drive belt.

The problem is thi.s

Need a chain? It's a 520 O-Ring on the Versys, ANY bike shop will have one IN STOCK. Under $100.00.

Break a belt? Better hope there's a dealer near by. It'll likely have to be ordered in you know? So find a hotel for 3-4 days because you're going no where fast. AND the belt will be about $175.00-$200.00.

I'll stick to a chain, they may need oiling a cleaning but belts need care as well and yea belts do wear out. PLUS the belt is made for ONE bike and ONLY one bike. Maybe even only one model. And forget about changing the final drive ratio what you get is what you got, no fast swap of a sprocket.

As far about the hotel, it happen to us, not my Buell but a friend's Buell. He picked up a rock between the rear pulley and belt. Took about 30 mile to work through the belt and that weakened the belt to the breaking point. Nether one of us even knew it had happened until SNAP! It's Pushin Time Baby!!

IMHO stick with the chain.
 
#6 ·
I had a Buell for years and the only thing I really worried about (with some cause) was a broken drive belt.
Buell's belt problems are not typical of belt driven bikes. While belts can be damaged by having debris caught between the belt and the pulley it isn't much of an issue for bikes ridden only on the street.

If the belt used is common to HDs than finding a replacement shouldn't be an issue in the unlikely event one would break.

All that being said the maintenance savings and power gains are too negligible to be worthwhile imo.
 
#5 ·
That in my eyes would be doing a mod for just doing a mod. And I don't do that. If I didn't have a job and was playing around maybe? :confused:

I bet if you drink a few more beers you will forget about it! :stickpoke: :D

Would like to see what you come up with? :goodluck: :thumb:
 
#9 ·
just my opinion
shaft drive equals minimum maintenance
belts equal smooth power transfer
chains equal highest efficiency of power transfer
& I THINK that the drive pulley needs to be on the swing arm centerline to keep from screwing up the belt tension any time the rear wheel moves up & down
 
#37 ·
Ok, that's an oldies as far as thread goes, but had to make peace with a thing I didn't get at the time

This week-end I cleaned my chain, and now I get what your were refering too Invader

The swingarm has two structural peice on sproket side and the chain passes true the close loop, so unless one of the beam is cut, no way can you fit a belt
But passing an open chain is easy breasy ...


LOP
 
#12 ·
Answering a few post

- Obvious reason is stop oiling that chain. Messy ! Often ! ...

- Rock in between belt and pulley is bad, rock in between chain and sprocket is also bad (admit that it won't break the chain, but will absolutely damage the sprocket and chain)

- Interested in that mod for obvious reason, see first point

- Not in search of changing power or mpg or ratio, only get rid of oiling that chain

- If a 900# bike with tons of torque can have a belt, no worries for our light and not that torquey Versys

- No swing arm to cut, only wheel to remove, like a chain

LOP
 
#20 · (Edited)
Save yourself a headache, the bike's resale value and a ton of $$$ and get a can of...

Dupont Teflon Chain Saver
Dry, Self-Cleaning Lubricant


How hard or time consuming is it to give a chain a little spray every week or 2

This s**t is No mess & No clean up

Problem solved... but if you are bent on wasting $$$ have you considered a Scott digital automatic oiler?
It will set you back about $400 + install
 
#14 ·
Gee Time, seems like I'm missing something ...

Is the front sprocket in front of the swingarm axis (in reference of the wheel being in the back of that axis) ?

How do they do for other bike, they surely don't cut the swingarm

I think that i'm pretty right here, but if not, please explain the situation

Ciao

LOP
 
#16 · (Edited)
A chain is efficient, reliable and hardly any maintenance, and if one ever broke you could walk into most motorcycle shops and walk out with a chain and a masterlink. If your bike were engineered with a belt in mind, OK, but I can't think of a good reason to convert from chain to belt. My $.02
 
#18 · (Edited)
Here a shot from my Buell manual, You can see the gap in the swingarm for the belt to slip through. What you can't see is that there is NO frame member where the swingarm ties to the rear of the motor. The swingarm just bolts on and there is nothing to keep the belt from slipping on the front pulley and then into the swingram and over the rear pulley. On a Versys the frame in outside the front sprocket with the swingarm bolted inside so to get the belt on you'll have to drop the swingarm to clear the pivot point of the arm then feed the belt in.

I don't think you'd have to cut your swingarm to feed the belt through on the Versys as the chain runs over the then returns under the swingarm, But you will need to feed the belt through where the bolt that holds the swingarm is. Just look at the route the chain runs on your bike and that's how the belt will have to run.

Not trying to be a pain just make sure you know what you're getting into.

Hope the picture makes what I'm trying to say clearer than my post> :eek:

 
#21 ·
I think the above posts have pointed out several reasons why a belt conversion would be extremely difficult and not worthwhile, but in my opinion we haven't even touched on the biggest obstacle yet.

To make this work you'd have to massively modify the swingarm. I'm not talking about putting on or removing the belt, I'm talking about making room for a rear pulley. The narrowest belt requires a pulley much wider than the sprocket, so there isn't enough space inside the swingarm. You'd have to fabricate a wider swingarm to accommodate the pulley, get a longer axle, and deal with the handling woes sure to follow.

By the way, I've owned shaft-drive, chain-drive and one belt-drive motorcycle, and the only rear drive failure I've ever had in a few hundred thousand miles of riding was a belt. It was a freak failure, not something I'd ever expect to happen again, but for the record a belt left me and my wife standing by the side of the road, something chains and shafts have yet to do.

I wouldn't NOT buy a bike because of a belt, but I wouldn't spend 10 cents converting to one either. JMHO.
 
#22 ·
Have a good look at how the chain loops into the swingarm. You would have to cut out a section of the upper member of the one-piece aluminum swingarm, reinforce and drill the cut ends, and make a bolted-on removable section to install or remove the belt... You can't remove or install an endless chain without cutting it as well.
 
#26 ·
Not so strangely a lot of Buellers end up go to a chain drive, with a kit that runs over a grand. A chain and sprockets make it much easier to change gearing for the track.

And the 1125r was belt drive at 145+hp.
 
#28 ·
I think it's a given that belts have proven themselves to be reliable for street bikes. Not so much for bikes that operate in the dirt. You would think the weight savings would be something manufacturers would be looking at for dirt bikes but they aren't, and for good reason (already discussed).
I think if your ONLY reason to switch from a chain to a belt is the chain lube, you should consider changing lubes before changing final drives.
Try the chain wax, really. It's much cleaner than most of the oils out there and it will make you feel better about your chain.
 
#30 ·
Belt drives can be found on gas and electric motorcycles scooters, street legal electric cars and even electric drag cars. The answer is "it depends". Your design goals will ultimately drive what solution works best for your application. Here are some things to think about.

Efficiency:

If you have enough horsepower or energy on-board, then giving up a few percent of your power to a belt drive system is a minor trade-off for the benefits of less vibration, noise reduction and maintenance. However, you will notice that vehicles attempting to use minimal power like economy motorcycles & mopeds go with chain. As do Olympic bicycle racers (in the fractional horsepower range). But that's not a show stopper, just a small trade off in range and possibly top speeds of a low power machine. There are occasional situations where weight and special characteristics justify the unconventional. A friend who is designing a human powered aircraft informed me that past designers have chosen a plastic chain capable a 90° twist between sprockets. They're obviously concerned with efficiency.

Size differences:

There is a width difference to be aware of. For example, a belt that is rated for a given amount of power will usually be wider than an equivalent rated chain. An important consideration in designing for adequate tire/frame clearance.

Cost:

Belt and pulley combinations are generally more expensive than chain and sprocket solutions. It is also likely to require a little more research time to find pulley's of proper drive ratio's that also fit the motor and wheel without adaptors. In competitions, tuning a vehicle to perform its best at different tracks requires subtle tweaks to the drive ratio's. So consider if your situation demands multiple sprocket or pulley combinations to be considered in the cost.

http://www.destinyparts.com/index.p...-chain-faq&catid=27:farther-faster&Itemid=108
 
#32 ·
I agree that adapting the Versys to use the chain would not be impossible. It is also the case that some really remake their Versi into nearly unrecognizable machines. A belt drive on a Versys would be quite the farkle.
 
#36 ·
I believe Buell said that their last generation of bikes had belts that would last well over 100,000 miles and would not be harmed by a rock getting caught up in it. Dupont belt I think.
On many a multiday ride I wish I had belt drive. Nothing like a two month trip having to lube the chain every day. After checking in to a motel your next thought starts something like this..."Time to do the dirty deed"...
 
#38 ·
As I have "always" thought, never doubt invader.

I do not know why a belt would be better. I have just about 24,000 miles on my Versys and have replaced the chain once. Now that I know I need to lubricate it more often I should keep it running a much longer time.
 
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