Recently I found where a small rock tried to nest inside my drive belt. It just started to poke through. I pushed it back out from the outside so I didn't have a gaping hole, but rather a bulge with a pinhole. Anyway, I want to make this a day project and not a weekend + project, and I'm trying to get my ducks in a row before I tackle it. I'm going to order a Cometic gasket kit and HD replacement belt. Any other "needs first"? My 1998 Dyna SM says to silicone bead the bottom two inner primary holes? Also, I'm completely removing the starter? Also found a "ding" the rear pulley where the rock squeezed into the belt. Haven't gotten it apart to see if the front sprocket is damaged. I've read Spanner's tutorial on this, which actually gave me the courage to go ahead with the project. I'm just trying to research as much as possible before I start, 'cause once I've got the primary off, I ain't stoppin' till the fat lady sings! Probably will be doing this in a couple of weeks, so nothing's opened up yet.
Thank you.

 

It isn't a hard job.
You just have to dig a while to get down to where you need to be.

FWIW I have known people to ride with small holes in their belts for quite a while before they bothered to replace the belt.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking of riding it a bit with the hole. Nothing's changed since I found it, and I don't beat her, so I'm hoping it'll last. The belt is original, however, and I figure at some point....
Thanks for the help THC (Oh, NOW, I get it!)

 

Does anybody remember when the MoCo first left the chain andwent to the belt drive? They had a display at the factory showroom and some of the big national bike events, where they would hang athe new softail suspended several feet in the air, from a small sliver of the new drive belt material. They were affraid that Harley riders back then wouldn't trust the new technology. So they tried to demonstrate how strong the belt is. It was a pretty impressive demonstration.

 

Piece of mind is worth a lot in my book.
I have replaced several parts just because I wanted to.

 

Had a small rock lodge in mine twenty years ago. Took an ice pick and pushed it out. The MoCo says if it's not near the edge (mine was in the middle), not to worry. Of all the things that can break on my old EVO, the last thing I'm worried about is the drive belt.

 

I replace my belts when they split. Those two holes they say to silicone should have stick on gaskets that go on the inner primary.

On your bike you can leave the starter in place but you must remove the mounting screws.

 

Those are the two sticky gaskets you're showing in your tutorial, Spanners? And leave starter on, but remove bolts. Got it, thank you! Now, clarify split in the belt? A small hole (in the center of the belt, mind you) between the horizontal slits is ok, then?
Sorry for the questions, but in my make-believe, everything's right with the world, existence, I was planning that everything in that area (stator, starter, clutch, belt, etc) would conk out at the same time, say, around 100K, so that I would only have to go in there once in my life!!!!

 

Those are the gaskets. A split is when there is tear that runs from the outside edge of the belt towards the centre.

 

These belts are pretty strong...