Should I Go Chain Drive?
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,110
Likes: 51,394
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Yeah I though I was building a monster motor and need a chain and besides the $350.00 cost it was a pain in the *** to keep lubed and adjusted. I went back to an S&S 1 1/8" belt and never had an issue with breakage. Set to 1/4" at 10 lbs. I'm only 114 tq and 111 hp. I did break 2, 1" belts but that was because I set the tension to 1/'2 " at 10 lbs... TwiZted suggested I set it to 1/4" and I'm still good. I have a set up I will sell you if you want for $200.. I'll never use it again. Like new D.I.D. chain with I believe a 23/51 sprockets.. And trust me I did not baby my bike... BUT what I did do was shear my crank pin...
I spun the compensator shaft in the flywheel on my 88" shovel while running dual belts, 200' of solid black line from the burn out with the dogleg when I hit second, rode it a 130 mi. home before it gave it up.
I've broken chains too, if your lucky they'll just spit out the back and trash the chain guard. If your not say goodby to big ticket items like primary covers, starter housings or a split trans case if Murphy decides you need a lesson. Been there did that......
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 21,090
Likes: 7,609
From: Poolville
I spun the compensator shaft in the flywheel on my 88" shovel while running dual belts, 200' of solid black line from the burn out with the dogleg when I hit second, rode it a 130 mi. home before it gave it up.
I've broken chains too, if your lucky they'll just spit out the back and trash the chain guard. If your not say goodby to big ticket items like primary covers, starter housings or a split trans case if Murphy decides you need a lesson. Been there did that......
I've broken chains too, if your lucky they'll just spit out the back and trash the chain guard. If your not say goodby to big ticket items like primary covers, starter housings or a split trans case if Murphy decides you need a lesson. Been there did that......
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 23,053
Likes: 12,327
From: Arkansas
When I was competing in trans continental endurance events I converted my 05 to a chain drive. As long as you stay in top of it, its fine.
Last edited by IronAss; Nov 20, 2020 at 10:29 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 15,705
Likes: 22,718
From: Farmington ,MS
I run a chain as that's what my 84 came with...run an o-ring, and never lube it, so the bike stays clean...inspect it about once a year, and replace it when any rollers show any roughness...
sprockets can make it though quite a few chains if the rollers never lock up...IMO lubing an o-ring chain just attracts dirt, and makes it wear faster...
Last edited by Tom84FXST; Nov 20, 2020 at 08:15 AM.
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,110
Likes: 51,394
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
That's ugly, that a first for me, never seen one snapped like that.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 21,090
Likes: 7,609
From: Poolville
Apologies to the OP, didn't mean to get carried away..
Believe it or not it still ran, I was drunk as hell and said F it.. Drive home a mile and a half and then the next morning I drove it to the shop five miles.. I was shocked that I could still turn the other side of the crank and run the cam and lifters and all that.. Didn't even pop a valve on the piston...
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,110
Likes: 51,394
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Crazy what they'll do sometimes, mine I rode all the day after that morning burnout clowning all the trailer queens doing chirpies in the parking lot, rode it home the next day, let her sit 2 days for work, went to start it and nothing. Dropped the inspection cover figuring the primary belt had popped and nope it spun when I hit the starter but the engine didn't. Uh-oh.........
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 21,090
Likes: 7,609
From: Poolville
It is amazing how it could continue to run.. I wonder if a TC could do that...The biggest problem with mine was that I was running close to 97 hp 97 lb of torque on a 83 inch Evo stock crank, but the real culprit was no compensator and chain drive on the rear so there was nothing to really absorb the hammering on the crank pin... And man I got to tell you, I loved doing quarter mile runs still smoking the tires in third gear.. It was awesome... Kind of well worth the breakage.. Sort of.... Lol....
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