I am considering an open primary for my train...I like the look of them and am curious about the pros and cons. I like the Exile Cycles 3" and the Precision Machine is not bad either...

Thanks,
B

 

In a word, rust. I've had a few open primary bikes, although never a modern one with an electric starter. Clutch dust and rust seem to get everywhere on the left side of the bike.

 

Expensive, but very nice. let me know if you w ant pricing on any specific part number. i see no downside to them. Check out Belt Drives Limited as well. they make some really nice ones and I can get you a good discount on them as well as the PM ones. I am going to get one someday.

Drew

 

I have the BDL SS-2 on my rigid. I haven't had any problems with it. One warning though, the clutch pull on it is way heavier and has a narrower engagement than the clutch on my Night Train.

 

Go with a foot clutch at the same time and you'll never notice the difference in the clutch pull.

 

Personal preference - Primo over BDL. And if you have the coin, check out the Baker setup.

 

Here's a pic of my old bike with a BDL open primary

 

I've had primary belts let me down a couple of times in bad places so I don't have a good taste in my mouth about them. Still; the belts might better quality these days and I only ran 2" belts so I could use a partial primary cover on it. This was 20-30 years ago too.

The foot clutch/jockey shift idea is a good one if going to a high performance clutch.

Are you going to a chain secondary? Are building the motor to pull 120+ torque numbers?