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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Drive Belt
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Message started by Dj12midnit on 08/09/10 at 21:23:30

Title: Drive Belt
Post by Dj12midnit on 08/09/10 at 21:23:30

I was on my way home this evening, nice evening ride. Pulled up to a stop sign. Looked left looked right then left again, and away I go. Get to the other side and go for second gear. Hit the gas and the engine revs. darn missed second. Toe the shifter again same thing. What the hell. get it to the side of the road. Drop the kick stand and dismount. What do I see but the belt laying in the street. I thought these things were not suppose to break? :'(

http://www.suzukiownersclub.org/forum/uploads/1355/broken_belt.JPG

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Hashbrown on 08/09/10 at 21:25:31

wow im at a loss for words

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Skid Mark on 08/09/10 at 21:41:44

1st I've heard of a belt breaking. How many miles on it???

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Dj12midnit on 08/09/10 at 22:11:59

20089 miles on it.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by gerald.hughes on 08/09/10 at 22:42:35

Is that really the color of your belt, or is it an artifact of the photo? I have seen a lot of belts, and I have never seen one that color.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Dj12midnit on 08/10/10 at 05:40:24

2E2C3B28252D67213C2E212C3A490 wrote:

Is that really the color of your belt, or is it an artifact of the photo? I have seen a lot of belts, and I have never seen one that color.

Bad lighting it is your standard black.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by jef.savage on 08/10/10 at 06:43:46

I've got a spare if you're interested.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by babyhog on 08/10/10 at 07:32:38

Wow, I've never seen that either. Glad it at least happened at a stop sign, and you are ok. Had you checked the tension on it lately? From the looks of the breaking point, looks like it got cut on something.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by mornhm - FSO on 08/10/10 at 07:41:39

Something that I would look very closely at if this were my motorcycle. just above the finger on the left edge there is a short line cutting in from the edge. About nine teeth above that on the left is a longer line cutting across the belt again from the left. The break on the left side of the belt is again about nine teeth beyond that. If you start counting down (in the other direction from the break) from the first mark by the finger and go approximately the same distance (nine teeth) there is another line across the belt.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Routy on 08/10/10 at 08:13:53

That belt broke at the point of what would normaly be "most" resistence.
But obviously and in reality it broke at the point of least resistence.
So, in reality, I'd bet this belt has a very abnormal history ??

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by ero4444 on 08/10/10 at 09:08:07

The odd color of the photo actually gives good contrast. Weird periodic diagonal cracking. I think some previous poster called them cuts. I would look for something stuck in one of the pulleys.

Could be an unlucky lemon belt, but it broke at a lucky time. Glad to hear no injuries.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Charon on 08/10/10 at 09:25:43

It isn't really easy to see in the photo, but we are actually looking at the outside of the belt, not the toothed side. Wonder what would have marked the outside of the belt?

As I understand it, installing another belt requires removing the drive pulley. How do you plan to hold the drive pulley while removing its securing nut, absent the drive belt allowing holding the pulley using the rear brake?

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Phelonius on 08/10/10 at 09:32:05

In answer to charon,
hold the pulley with a strap wrench and use an air wrench on the nut.

Phelonius

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Max_Morley on 08/10/10 at 09:47:42

I've been on the site since it started and the German site (RIP) before that 12 years now and this is the first time I've heard of a belt breaking like that. Most go the life of the bike and then some. Max

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by ralfyguy on 08/10/10 at 10:24:57

Just loosen up the rear wheel, and it'll go right on it.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Hashbrown on 08/10/10 at 11:11:58

only thing i can think of for the belt to go like that is if you managed to piss off any significant others in the past. hell hath no fury like a woman scorned ;D

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by verslagen1 on 08/10/10 at 11:51:52

3E3C213D3B3E530 wrote:

Agree, these "cuts" are currious. And the odd abrassion along the outside edge aren't consistent. They can't be from something rubbing on the belts in operation. More like hanger rash. Whatever cut the top edge, damaged the fibers too. And if the outside fiber was cut, would provide a starting point for the tear.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Dj12midnit on 08/10/10 at 20:28:00

I will have to examine it tomorrow in the day light and see what is shadows and what is odd.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Jay on 08/11/10 at 19:47:00

It's a very crisp, almost clean "Z" type snap. Is it odd for a kevlar reinforced belt to break like that? Nothing that looks like a tear, little fraying, and all those right angles. I can't put my finger on it, but something doesn't seem right about the way the belt broke. Let us know what you find out. My imagination is running wild with images of some nefarious person(s) with evil intent and a pair of bolt cutters doing a half cut on the belt, then it giving way after a while due to tension when under speed. Have you pissed anyone off?

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by ralfyguy on 08/12/10 at 15:20:21

6A61796C703131000 wrote:

I second that suspicion. There's also some cut marks where it didn't snap. Someone tried to cut that thing.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by verslagen1 on 08/12/10 at 15:39:05

Kevlar is an odd beast.
Used to use kevlar bow strings in competition. They didn't last as long as Dacron? strings, which basically lasted forever vs. 1000 shots.
The problem is the strands don't stretch. So packed in a spiral cord, the outer fibers received the full load. While the inner fibers aren't loaded. but once it started to tear, the whole string went quickly.

Title: Re: Drive Belt
Post by Dj12midnit on 08/12/10 at 23:15:00

OK so I looked at it and it is just the lighting. and the stuff on the edge is oil. The tear is ragged a cut would be clean. Wonder where my good camera is.