Oh I know I'm gonna get alot of flack for even asking this......

Heres the deal, my buddy wants to throw a 20mm belt on his bike, but doesnt want to take the primary off to do this, yes he is riding a softy, a 04 duece to be specific.

So we are looking at it and he says "how bout we trim the 1 1/8 belt down to the 20mm size?"....I'm thinking about the belt fraying and imploding, and him down there with a pair of tin snips trying to get a good cut on it....

So it dawns on me to use a table saw, a small portable 10" with a finish blade under the bike and run it through.

So we grab a sporty 1 1/4" belt and run down to the wood shop and proceed to cut it on his big delta machine.........It actually cuts real nice, a bit smokey, and looks ok, some strands a little frayed but by the construction it looks like they are separate strands instead of a weaved belt in the interior of it.

So after that little experiment, I'm thinking hey this might actually work, granted I told him to get a belt repair kit and keep it with the bike if he does this with the Softy....

Looking for opinions on this, and I know all the naysayers will talk about the belt getting jammed and such, but I have never heard of any belt breakage that made the rear wheel loose it....

 

Don't bikes that run narrower belts have narrower pulleys? It looks to me like the belt will walk from side to side if it is too narrow for the pulleys.

At any rate, how you gonna cut your buddy's belt without taking it off?

 

Well on the pulley, I'll just throw it on the lathe and machine it down to the correct width. On cutting it on the bike 2 guys one portable 10" saw and just remove swingarm wheel and crap. And simply roll it through the tablesaw.

 

Put the crack pipe down and step away from the Harley!!! The thiner belts are polyurethane aramid fiber to handle the torque without snapping. I can see him now, wick the throttle one time and SNAP and someone will be pushing!! Just bite the built, buy the appropriate belt and rear pulley and save your self and your friend a bunch of headaches and do it right the first time.

 

Why not just put one of those skinny flexible 15mm metal thingys on it? I think bikers refer to them as chains, or something like that.

 

thats my opinion..... but that still removing the entire primary.......not that its a huge deal he just would rather not....OH my bad I keep telling him to throw the 240 kit in if he does....

Are the 20mm different construction than a regular belt? I havent seen anything that states that....and I have been googling a crap load about this

 

Excellent advice.

 

[QUOTE=jakazz;4447553Are the 20mm different construction than a regular belt?[/QUOTE]

The 20mm belts are meant for Vespas.