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Belt Damage

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Old Oct 19, 2022 | 08:46 PM
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Default Belt Damage

You guys ever seen anything like this? Not seeing anything in the sprockets that would have caused it but it’s every 5th tooth all the way around the belt. It’s on my 2019 FLHTP.




 
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Old Oct 19, 2022 | 09:10 PM
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I've never seen anything like that before......

I'm guessing something was temporarily jammed in a tooth, that just happened to nick every 5th tooth on the belt, until it dislodged from the pulley...

I'm sure a mathematician (not me...!) could explain how that could happen, and how many revolutions of the belt it would take to hit every 5th tooth from one position on a pulley.... They would need to know the belt tooth count and the sprocket tooth count (of the sprocket that picked up stone/rock/debris whatever did that)....

Other than that sceanrio, I couldn't begin to guess what else would do that....
 
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Old Oct 19, 2022 | 09:29 PM
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Yup, debris kicked up into one of the sprockets, just big enough to do what you see but not pop a hole in the belt or split it. I found a pea sized hole completely through one of mine before. You'll probably find tooth damage on the trans sprocket, a dent will do that.

 

Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Oct 19, 2022 at 09:30 PM.
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Old Oct 19, 2022 | 11:01 PM
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Damn it, damn it, damn it!! I can't believe I did NOT take a picture of the belt I just replaced on my 14 SGS!! It looked EXACTLY like yours, but every 4th tooth! Or at least I think that's what I counted when I found it....... hell I'm old now, coulda been every 5th, I don't know. But it was nicked just like your but just a tad closer to the edge of the belt. I just assumed it was debris and quite common, hence no pics I guess? But with 109k on that belt, I just changed it while I was in there changing a Shifter Shaft Seal. Done and done........


EDIT: Hey....... count the teeth again! Yours is every 4th like mine, lol!!
 

Last edited by MotoJockey; Oct 19, 2022 at 11:03 PM.
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 08:25 AM
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Originally Posted by MotoJockey
Damn it, damn it, damn it!! I can't believe I did NOT take a picture of the belt I just replaced on my 14 SGS!! It looked EXACTLY like yours, but every 4th tooth! Or at least I think that's what I counted when I found it....... hell I'm old now, coulda been every 5th, I don't know. But it was nicked just like your but just a tad closer to the edge of the belt. I just assumed it was debris and quite common, hence no pics I guess? But with 109k on that belt, I just changed it while I was in there changing a Shifter Shaft Seal. Done and done........


EDIT: Hey....... count the teeth again! Yours is every 4th like mine, lol!!
Yep, every 4th, I can’t count apparently. Had to be a rock or something in the pulley that either eventually was pulverized or finally just fell out. Bike has 3,000 miles on it. Ugh.
 
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 09:46 AM
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did you change that belt? I would just keep running it (but make sure the offending debri is gone from the pulley).
 
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 09:56 AM
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I bet if you divide the wheel pulley tooth count, by the drive pulley tooth count it will be divisible by 4. Yes either thash on the pulley or damage. Worth checking closely before it continues. Then again if you aren't pushing max HP, that belt would still go forever.
 
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 10:00 AM
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Aw man........ only 3k on the bike? That belt has just broke in! (not literally, lol). I'd ride with it till something needed to be repaired and you were that deep into it, but DEFINITELY keep an eye on it on the regular.
 
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 10:25 AM
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Most likely a rock. Friend of mine lives on a gravel road and his belt looks the same.
 
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Old Oct 20, 2022 | 11:08 AM
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Originally Posted by stro1965
Yep, every 4th, I can’t count apparently. Had to be a rock or something in the pulley that either eventually was pulverized or finally just fell out. Bike has 3,000 miles on it. Ugh.
About the same miles when I found mine but I have to own that one, had been playing on dirt roads out in nowhere NV with no belt guard's the week prior.
 
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