Hi all,

I was wondering how long a "properly maintained" belt should last. Has anyone had to replace one other than due to it getting cut or trashed somehow?

I'm approaching 55,000 miles and was wondering if I need to start putting some money aside for one.

Thanks,

Duff

 

They all snap at 55,001 miles......you should be fine for quite a many more miles.

 

Mine broke coming off interstate.clean break, belt kept properly adjusted. Never did figure out what caused it to break at 33000 miles.

 

If you ride on hard surface roads that have no small rocks then you may make 100,000 or more. The biggest problem is as I said, small rocks that become lodged in the belt groove and then go through the pulleys. This results in a tear or hole that weakens the belt and this leads to belt failure. Your riding style will also figure in. If you dump the clutch and race from light to light then your belt will fail in about half the time of a rider who rides on the conservative side. Later Fairshake

 

There is no simple answer to your question. If you read your factory service manual it shows the sorts of wear damage that can happen in extreme circumstances. There are claims they can go round the clock (100k+ miles). In my case I have suffered stone damage on one, at around 40k miles, which I only replaced some time later when the wound began to spread.

Replacing the belt involves disturbing a lot of stuff and you should consider replacing other parts at the same time, such as swingarm bearings, front and rear engine mounting rubbers and all the rubber seals in the primary. But before doing that inspect your belt for any damage or signs of extreme wear.

 

Thanks for all the replies.

So, like anything else...keep an eye on it and replace as necessary.

 

Harley says to replace pulleys and belt as a set. I would assume they are referring when the belt wears out. The last few years before retirement, I rolled mine on newly grooved concrete nearly every day to work and back. It was always quite dusty and a little squirrely. One day I noticed my belt looked pebley or sort of orange peal look at 35K. The chrome had gone thru on the rear pulley and the once hard slick chrome was now soft aluminum that matched the belt. You can easily scratch it with a scribe. When it's chromed, it will not scratch. However I have rode it another 5K or so and it still looks the same. Not sure what it will take to cup the aluminum tooth but I do not go far, so no mater. Harley manual says it is worn out at that stage. My guess is if you break a belt, you probably threw a rock up in it and cut it if you drive sensibly. Hard to believe you could snap one in good adjusted shape unless your engine is modified for a lot more power.