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Message started by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 08:02:37

Title: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 08:02:37

Some pictures of what a worn belt might look like.

It had not snapped.. yet.

The other belt I had that DID snap has the same cracks on the outside.

If a moderator wants to move this to Tech, go for it.

http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750671-800.jpg

http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750672-800.jpg

http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750670-800.jpg

The inside of the belt did not show any cracks.

And, for the curious, I use the "9mm socket wrapped in a rag and stuffed between belt and drive pulley with impact wrench" method to remove the nut. ;)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Oldfeller on 07/22/15 at 08:11:04

This is NOT a hurley davison rubber belt (just wanted to get that clear since so much of what you read out on the net comes from hurley sources).

Do not use rubber belt thinking on our drive belts -- they are a super tough plastic material with cording that runs across the entire width that actually have different rules.

Those cracks are NORMAL for our belts, and mean almost nothing as far as how much life is still there.

From the looks of it you are spraying a lot of stuff on your belt.

Instead, bevel the edges of the teeth with an angle grinder as per tech section and stop having the squeaks.

;)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 08:27:37

Why would I spray the outside of the belt?
I spray nothing on my belt. It squeaks a bit when wet, but OK otherwise.
What you might be seeing is good old dust and dirt.

So, OF, how does one know how much life IS left in a belt?

I snapped my first belt at appx 70,000 miles. This belt had appx 65,000 on it.
I would much rather replace it NOW then get stranded.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by verslagen1 on 07/22/15 at 08:56:29

HD musta had a shortage of rubber belts cause my buddies HD has the same belt as us... just narrower.

My experience with archery strings (some dacron and a whole lot of kevlar) says the only thing they don't like is to be bent. avoid that and they'll live a lot longer.

Dacron is stretchy, so when bent all the fibers remain under load.
Kevlar is not as stretchy so when bent only some fibers are under load. But boy do you get a lot of zing. I'd get a 1000 shots outta a kevlar string which was about a months worth. Dacron lasted all year and you replaced it just cause.

So can you tell the life by the cracks, maybe they are the only indication that the belt has been bent enough times to fatigue the plastic. But you really can't tell if it cracked due to a manufacturing defect that wouldn't affect the life of the belt.

All I would spray on the belt would be a sealer of some sort like wax.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Serowbot on 07/22/15 at 08:58:06

Am I the only one not seeing anything?... :-/...

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Oldfeller on 07/22/15 at 09:03:00

When the strings begin to break the belt pulls a hole in itself, which gives you time to get another one.

We have had people push rocks through the belt and make a sizable hole and keep on using the belt for years waiting for it to break.

..... your mileage may vary .....

;)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by verslagen1 on 07/22/15 at 09:04:04

7A6C7B667E6B667D090 wrote:

Am I the only one not seeing anything?... :-/...

IDK... what aren't you seeing? ;D

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 09:24:48

7C5F5755565F5F5641330 wrote:

When the strings begin to break the belt pulls a hole in itself, which gives you time to get another one.
;)

You have pictures of this?

I will post some pictures of the belt that did snap. I saw no evidence of a hole.
No, it wasn't under a lot of strain at the time it broke. I was pulling away from a stop sign, shifted to second, and thought I had hit neutral instead.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 09:30:38

Pictures of the snapped belt. Photo's could be better.
I will happily send this to anyone (you pay postage) for postmortem analysis

As you can see, the same cracking as seen on the other belt.

http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750674-800.jpg

No holes, dents, or anything.
http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750676-800.jpg

Same here.
http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750675-800.jpg

one more.
http://https://www.bikepics.com/pics/2015/07/22/bikepics-2750673-800.jpg

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/22/15 at 09:31:29

4452455840555843370 wrote:

Am I the only one not seeing anything?... :-/...

IDK either. What are you seeing? :D

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Serowbot on 07/22/15 at 09:37:56

Seeing them okay now,... must have been a mini-stroke... :-?...

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by old_rider on 07/22/15 at 14:18:27

That what it is Serow? I must be having one also, cause' I can't see some of the signature photo's.

I'll take a peek at our belts and see what I can... probably nothing though, cause both are still under 10k I think, but 70k... is that good or bad for belt?

I know parts wear, but what is the average life for a belt?

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by MMRanch on 07/22/15 at 21:04:15

Wow YouzGuyz ! I feel like I'm learning the "Way of the Belt " . I got just under 50,000 miles on my first bike+Belt. Never got 50,000 miles on a chain ! ;)

I'll take the belt any day ... Would have made my second bike a Triumph Speed Master if it was belt instead of a chain / so I went with the Sportster. :)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Oldfeller on 07/22/15 at 21:12:52

And let's all mark the spot where we jam that socket in between the belt and drive sprocket before hitting it with the impact wrench, just to see where the "sudden breaks" takes place relative to the mark ......

::)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by verslagen1 on 07/22/15 at 22:00:40

4E6D6567646D6D6473010 wrote:

If you look at the pic you'll there's no tension on the belt. It's pinched between the socket and the case at the fat part of the belt. the force is transferred to the pulley by the socket.

http://www.savageriders.com/verslagen/Tranny/Locking%20the%20drive%20pulley.jpg

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/23/15 at 09:58:17

785B5351525B5B5245370 wrote:

Oh No.. I did not MARK MY BELT!! :-[

Oh .. wait.. that belt is NOT going back on, so .. what do I care? :D
I will see if I can detect any defects that might have been caused by the rag wrapped 9mm.

As far as tightening the nut when I get to that part, I haven't quite decided what I will do to keep the tire still. I'll probably try the brake cable adjustment method first.

Yes, it is taking me THAT long to do this job. I am also:
Replacing the main shaft oil seal and o-ring (done)
RTV'ing where the stator wires enter the case (RTV goes on tomorrow after everything dries from de-greaser and wash down)
Working on my rear brake cable. (Now THAT was a PITA to get out, lubed and back in).

And, it is HOT out there, so I only do about 3 hours a day when the sun comes up.

Oh.. and the new lock washers are kinda nice. They have like a lip on them so they are easier to bend over. I'll see if I can remember to take a picture.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Dave on 07/23/15 at 10:12:08

The method I use for tightening the nut......is to have the bike in 1st gear and someone stand on the brake lever while I torque the thing down. And I double up on the lock washer and bend up 2 sides, and I also use thread locker (belt and suspenders).

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by youzguyz on 07/23/15 at 13:42:28

435143515C4F404D460E0 wrote:

I'm just trying to send out info on what I "senior citizen" Savage might have wear out.. and when! :D
Sure, it won't be the same for everyone, but knowledge is power! :P

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 07/23/15 at 14:30:44

Dang shame power isn't knowledge, wisdom and desire to do good.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by MMRanch on 07/23/15 at 20:48:15

Getting the drive sprocket off .

I've always loosened the nut by holding the brake and tapping my ratchet handle with a 3# hammer ... and putting it back on is easier even yet ... it don't have to be "SUPER TIGHT" it has a keeper on it. Using the Kawasaki pulley I went to my hardware store and got a "Lock-Nut" and light thread lock. ;)

It seems to me that the cord material might rot after a while ???

Years ago I had a Kawasaki 440 Belt drive. After breaking the second belt I went to a chain. So when I got my first Savage I bought an extra belt ... (never have used it) ... I have done Wheelies my first Savage and the belt holds.
So , Now I have an extra Belt if anybody needs one. :)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by Sonny on 08/15/15 at 09:14:07

The jillion shade tree tricks and methods developed here are a kick to learn about and employ.

I have the factory LS650 service manual in the red binder. It's amazing how incomplete it is, and how regularly it calls for "special tool #____", where we use a piece of 2x4 or a socket or something lying around the garage and get it done.

One of the interesting things about the opening of ties with Cuba is that we are going to get to see up close the stuff the Cubans have done to keep their classic American cars running for 50+ years with no factory support and no parts supply. There will be endless brilliant work arounds and hand fabricated parts to marvel at.

In a way it will be a shame to see new cars on the streets of Havana. What they have done with our great '50s cars after all these years is nothing less than art.

It would be interesting to know if Suzuki follows boards like this to see what is being said and done. Something tells me they don't, or they would have addressed some of the more glaring engineering mistakes they have made... done it in their own interest to sell more motorcycles. No-brainer stuff like petcock, seat, gear ratios, instrument cluster squeak...

But who knows what factors enter into corporate board room decisions? To be sure, most of their attention is on their rocket bikes and big, complex cruisers.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by digitaltrucker on 08/16/15 at 04:12:55

Anyone who can drive a '50s-era truck across the ocean earns a nod from me...

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/16/15 at 09:35:48

Can't say I've seen a truck driven across an ocean.
Saw a dude surfing on a motorcycle not long ago..
I bet the warranty on the chrome not rusting got cancelled.

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by verslagen1 on 08/16/15 at 09:46:15

i've seen a house fly... ;D

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by digitaltrucker on 08/17/15 at 02:52:05

http://floatingcubans.com/

(sorry about hijacking the thread with OT)

Title: Re: Have a belt on me..
Post by justin_o_guy2 on 08/17/15 at 06:07:44

Well, that's a WOW moment.. Luis Grass seems like a hekkuva guy.