I will be needing new tires soon. I have a nick out of my rear drive belt. It has been there a long time. I am thinking that I may as well bite the bullet and change the rear drive belt while I have it jacked up and the tire off. What is a good belt? I am leaning toward O.E.M. Harley, 40023-86 @ $267 and change. I see Drag Specialty belts around $225, Gates belts, Goodyear belts etc all around the O.E.M. price; I am going to avoid the $39.99 belts with free shipping. So what say you folks?

 

My Indy, who I have been dealing with for over 15 years would never sell me anything other than a genuine H-D belt. He has seen things happen to gates belts that are both ugly and expensive. I trust him 100%.

 

OEM.

Went with a Drag Belt and it was a repackaged "another cheaper brand" at a higher cost. Squeaked/chirped something awful. Tried multiple things to resolve the issue. Went to OEM belt with everything else remaining the same and noise was gone.

Save money in the long run by going with OEM

 

OEM, the first one lasted this long, make it a one and done project. Good luck.

 

Some parts its ok to go a little cheaper on or risk other brands but when its something as critical to getting down the road as the drive belt, pay the extra and go OEM for piece of mind I say.

 

This, since oem and gates belt are going to be about the same price (if not more), and the oem has lasted for along time in the first place.

But before you order a new belt, break out marker to mark the belt for a start point, and start spinning the tire to count teeth on the belt, just in case someone changed out one of the pulleys to different size, and you need a belt that is shorter or longer than oem size you think the bike needs/what tooth count belt is on the bike now.

 

Gates Polychain or factory belt, the cheaper Panther rubber ones do not last, my shovel ate one in 22K.

 

I figured the factory O.E.M. belt was a good one and planned on using it. I was really just checking if there was an even better one. It was never about cheaping out. My belt has had about 1/4" "V" notch on one edge of the belt for a few years. It doesn't appear to affect anything. It was like that when I bought it last year. The previous owner pointed it out to me and told me that he had put thousands of miles on it just as it is. I have put a few thousand on it myself.

 

I'm running an S$S 1 1/8" on my Evo with lots of power and no issues...

 

That's the the M8's are running and look the size HP numbers these guys are pushing. Could find the skinnier in the tooth count I need I' be running a 180 on the rear of the shovel