belt to chain conversion
not just more power it transfers power better to the tire... one of the guys that races super cross broke it down one night to me after a case of beer, ill be honest i stopped listening after a while but he was very detailed and i have yet to find any info that says he was wrong...
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
From: Cincinnati, OH
Actually, there is a belt repair kit available. The belt is spliced together. it's temporary but it will get you back on the road.
I don't know about the chain being able to handle more power. I haven't done any testing on that or seen any documentation. The polychain, which is what the name of the belt on our bikes is very, very strong & quite reliable. I manage a plant uses uses a ton of machinery. It's a very corrosive environment & we use stainless chain to drive a lot of our conveyors. The stainless stretches, kinks, wears out quite quickly & is very noisy. I'm in the process of switching everything over to polychain. I've only done a few pieces, but so far it's much quieter & the attention needed to keep it running is at a minimum.
So people just like the idea of a chain on their bike. My uncle owns a custom bike shop. He built his personal daily driver. The front is a '75 FXE/Shovelhead frame & the back is an '85 Softail frame. The flex in the Softail causes the chain wear out quickly, which is why HD went to a belt on the Softail. He made an auto chain tensioner out of a skateboard wheel & swears by the chain. He's ridden that bike all over the country in past 15 years & would never dream of switching to a belt. Different strokes for different folks.
I don't know about the chain being able to handle more power. I haven't done any testing on that or seen any documentation. The polychain, which is what the name of the belt on our bikes is very, very strong & quite reliable. I manage a plant uses uses a ton of machinery. It's a very corrosive environment & we use stainless chain to drive a lot of our conveyors. The stainless stretches, kinks, wears out quite quickly & is very noisy. I'm in the process of switching everything over to polychain. I've only done a few pieces, but so far it's much quieter & the attention needed to keep it running is at a minimum.
So people just like the idea of a chain on their bike. My uncle owns a custom bike shop. He built his personal daily driver. The front is a '75 FXE/Shovelhead frame & the back is an '85 Softail frame. The flex in the Softail causes the chain wear out quickly, which is why HD went to a belt on the Softail. He made an auto chain tensioner out of a skateboard wheel & swears by the chain. He's ridden that bike all over the country in past 15 years & would never dream of switching to a belt. Different strokes for different folks.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,164
Likes: 401
From: Port Coquitlam B.C.
I got the chain handling more power thing from a buddy that works at a Suzuki / Kawasaki dealer. He told me that on their bikes 100 HP is about were they switch. Bikes with less come with belts, bikes with more come with chains.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 4,440
Likes: 148
From: Northwest
Only reason I can think of is that the belt *might* jump a tooth sooner than a chain... but it's not for lack of tensile strength. I would also think it's a torque thing and not a HP thing.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,248
Likes: 1
From: Jacksonville, NC
I'll admit the chain looks pretty cool but the biggest I'm planning on going is a SE 103 with cams so I don't think I would need it. I'd rather save money on replacing chains by using a belt and get some more stuff powder coated so I can keep blacking out my bike.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 2,938
Likes: 4
From: NC
The Yamaha Raider and Warrior are both high HP bikes and have belts.A mild big bore kit will not overstress the drive belt on a HD. It will shorten replacement intervals though. I will replace mine every 20k miles once I go big bore rather than 40k miles that I will currently replace at with a stock engine.
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Road Warrior
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,537
Likes: 4
From: The Great River Road, Wisconsin
Personally, I love the belt from a maintenace standpoint. One less think to think about while out enjoying the weather.