I remember way back in the early 80s Harley introduced bikes like the sturgis with a primary belt. But what happened, And when did they decide to go back to the chain and oil ?

 

My reading of the subject is that Harley couldn't get the alignment precise enough on mass produced bikes. The belts kept shredding as a result so the idea was dropped. It only lasted a couple years.

 

Well...best thing ever invented for Pans

 

That and production & parts costs were specific to that model so it wasn't integrating into the assembly line well. Also belt tech was not what it is today primary belts did not have a long life trust me as I've changed far more than I care to remember. You never left home for any distance without an extra belt and tools in those days.

 

In one of his books, Alan Girdler mentioned that the problem with the primary belt was that it was operating in a "closed environment" inside the primary (rather than in the open air like the final drive) -- and that humidity inside was one of the things that "got to it".

I only recall reading this, don't know if that had a real bearing on the design or not.

 

That's the one thing that always kept me from switching to primary belt drive. My chain works just fine. Open belt primaries sure look cool as hell though.

 

 

Hey Coolaid , where did you find that ?

 

That mess would howl like an exwife denied alimony , are you kidding ?

 

...and if the alignment is not good enough for a belt, how the heck would gears work?