Just got back from the Harley dealer and they are telling me my 2003 883 XLH with 20,000 miles needs a transmission and rear drive belt sprocket. I have a few questions if anyone has experience with this:

1. How many miles are people usually getting out of these sprockets before they go bad?
2. I looked in my service manual and it doesn't say a word on replacing the rear sprocket. Am I missing something in the manual or is there a logical reason for this?
3. How long do I have before it tears up the drive belt. It just started making a very slight squeaking noise under the sprocket cover.
4. How hard are these to replace? The transmission sprocket doesn't look to tough in the service manual but everything that can go wrong usually does when I work on my bike. I do some wrenching but I'm certainly no mechanic.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Post up some pictures of the teeth on the belt and the rear pulley in a couple different places.

The dealer may be suggesting work that doesn't need to be done. That said; what brought you to the dealer? What suggested that you had problems?

 

I'll post some pictures shortly. I took it to the dealer because of the slight intermittent squeak coming from under the sprocket cover. I can't hear it when I'm riding, only when I roll the bike forward into the garage.


When I first heard the noise I checked the belt tightness by hand and the alignment. Everything seemed to be ok in my opinion but I figured I must be wrong so I took it to the dealer for a 2nd opinion. Boy was I surprised.

 

20,000 sounds early to have to replace the sprockets.

Now of the bike was rode on dirt roads a lot,I can see dirt and sand grinding the sprockets away.

Can you take a pic of the rear sprocket teeth?

 

1. a lot more than 20k miles,
2. both the sprockets and the belt will need replacement after a high mileage, due to wear,
3. a long time yet IMHO!
4. don't start any work on your bike without the factory service manual and read it first, not when you have got stuck!
5. when checking belt tension, use the belt tension tool and refer to your manual, that is the only sure way of getting it right.

Before going any further, jack your bike up a little, so the rear wheel is just off the ground. Turn the wheel by hand, in both directions, to detect this squeak. It is not unusual for them to do so, simply because the belt can rub against the sides of one of the pulleys.

It is possible your belt is rubbing against the inner flange of your front pulley. That could easily be because your rear wheel is just a little out of alignment in the swingarm, pulling the belt against that flange.