broken belt
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 87
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From: ny
broken belt
My wifes 03 spotty has 6000 miles on it and yesterday in the driveway when she put it in gear the belt broke. Wtf, the belt had zero signs of wear and no sign of dry rot. The belt looks brand new except for the tear where it broke. 220 bucks for a new belt plus hour labor to fix it. Any thoughts why it would break.
I had the same thing happen. I pushed the bike out of the garage, started it, warmed it up, pulled the clutch in, put in gear and nothing. I looked down and the belt was laying on the ground.
It was split clean in half. Like it was cut in half. I paid $69 for a new belt and put it on myself in 20 minutes.................... I would never use a dealer for such a simple job
It was split clean in half. Like it was cut in half. I paid $69 for a new belt and put it on myself in 20 minutes.................... I would never use a dealer for such a simple job
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,212
Likes: 212
It could be a lot of things. Maybe you got a rock up there that weakened it, bad threads in the belt to begin with, age, etc. The one bad thing about belts is that when they break it's usually without much warning.
Be happy you aren't doing it on a big twin, where you have to pull the primary and clutch to change the belt. $$$$$$
Be happy you aren't doing it on a big twin, where you have to pull the primary and clutch to change the belt. $$$$$$
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Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
Well, if the belt is going to break, I can't think of a better place than in your own driveway.
The following comes from the Gates website. It specifically pertains to V-belts but is probably relevant to Kevlar reinforced drive belts as well:
Under normal conditions (temperatures below
85°F, relative humidity below 70% and no
direct sunlight) V-belts can be stored as long
as six years without damage. Beyond that
point, still under normal conditions, a decrease
in service life of approximately 10% per year of
storage can be expected. Storage limit should
be reduced one-half for each 15 degree
increase in temperature (three years at 100°,
for example).
The following comes from the Gates website. It specifically pertains to V-belts but is probably relevant to Kevlar reinforced drive belts as well:
Under normal conditions (temperatures below
85°F, relative humidity below 70% and no
direct sunlight) V-belts can be stored as long
as six years without damage. Beyond that
point, still under normal conditions, a decrease
in service life of approximately 10% per year of
storage can be expected. Storage limit should
be reduced one-half for each 15 degree
increase in temperature (three years at 100°,
for example).
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 4,904
Likes: 9
From: Streetsboro, Oh
They always break in the driveway LOL, I mean it's better than being stranded out on the road right? I say that because last year this very thing happend to my step dad on his 02 Sporty, and a guy I know had this happen a few years back on a new SG. My step dads belt looked like new and the break was so clean it looked like it was cut.