1996 HD EVO FXSTC Softail Belt Life??
How long-Years? and Miles? can my final drive belt last??

see below a utube post that gives me hope mine may stil go longer!!!
My 96 EVO Softail 1340cc has approx 18,000Miles and is 22 yrs old...
i dont ride it in an abusive way, yet i am not babying it either, sometimes.--I usually ride/cruise and shift slow and easy to make things last--usually.

most stories welcome, but plse post Both Age and Milleage Plse??? or else stories are mostly meaningless without both Age & Milleage at breaking point.

Thx,
ss

John Casor my sons 1990 FXRP belt just broke right down the street from house. 35K ,,, now Harley Dealer said they don't even look at replacing them until 50k or longer and they had a bike come in that had 125K same belt on it. they want right at $900 to change out that belt... Haha 5 hours at $125 a hour here in San Diego, CA... Haha $250 just for the belt and must order it 5 days wait... now they said there is over 26 belts for Harley's, do not stock all of them...
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If your son's 1990 bike belt just broke, it is more likely that age which did for it, not mileage, unless it also had some damage. Belts have been known to do over 100k miles, but that is far more likely to be achieved with a frequently ridden bike, such as a daily driver, rather than one used only occasionally. Keep a close eye on your own belt, unless you change it with your bigger pulley, when you will obviously be making a fresh start.

 

 

I've got a '95 which I put over 50k on it (belt was on it when I got it) and it still looks good.
My other bike is a '94 with 64k on the bike and I think it's still the original belt.

 

A tough question to answer. With optical riding condition and proper maintenance, the rear belt could hit 100K+ easy. I had my belt damaged riding through a few miles of freshly laid gravel in tar, which got into everything. Had to replace the belt when I got home at 76K miles.

Replacing the belt is a big job. $900 is probably what a Dealer would charge. An Indie might charge $600.

 

still riding my 1996 with 152K miles on original belt … no problems with regular service

 

1987 Heritage Softail. Changed belt at 124,000 two years ago. Was not broke, just cracked a little.

 

1991 Springer Softail 172000km (107,500 miles) on original belt. Still going strong.

 

My 1990, with 37k ish on the clock, still has the original belt. I wouldn't swap it for the sake of swapping it, but I do have my eye on some rear swingarm related work over this coming winter, so the belt may fall into the "may as well while I'm in there" bucket.

 

My 96 FLSTN still has the original belt with 60,000 miles on it

The belt on my 2006 broke at 68,000 miles due damage

Deciding if it should be proactively replaced on anything but a Sportster is a tough call. On one hand it's a fair amount of work to do if it doesn't need to be done. On the other it would really suck to be stranded someone far from home with a broken belt that cannot be replaced on the side of the road and may not be stocked at a dealership.