Life of the Drive Belt

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

IIRC, there have been a couple of ryders who reported theirs broke something north of 100k. When I was talking to the Spyder project manager at Homecoming about shielding the belt he said if it was enclosed it would tend to run hotter and the life would probably only be around 60k. That leads me to believe that 100k+ is about as good an estimate as there is.

I'm pretty sure the manager you spoke with and used the term " ENCLOSED " wasn't picturing in their mind what the Belt guard we use looks like ..........jmho ..... Mike

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

As I eluded to in my previous post, heat is the killer of rubber. Here in Arid-Zone-A we replace car/truck tires every 6-7 years. Lots of tread but sidewall cracking will happen as the tires rot from the inside out. Ever wonder why you see lots of road gators in the desert? Rubber belts are no different. They will rot with heat over time and crack into a useless mess. They can "look" ok on the outside while being rotten in the middle. Just do a very close inspection and look for cracking of the rubber. If you find cracking, you are on borrowed time. Having said that, these belts a tough and will take a lot of abuse. I just choose to have a good belt rather than take the chance of being stranded by one that fails.

RUBBER - ? ...I don't think there is any " rubber " in the Spyder drive belts ..........jmho .... Mike

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

I have never adjusted or done anything to my belt. My dealer does all my tire changes,

it's a lot easier to hand my card. I don't have a cricket so I don't know what the tension is.

It does seem loose. I check the belt when I change my oil, check each tooth.

The original had a stone poke a hole in the center at 16,000 and was advised to change

it then. But I thought I'd just check it often. That day last year when I heard that noise

I pulled over and a piece of tooth was sticking out of that hole. I pulled it out with my

pliers. I put on Doc's tensioner before all this started but I don't think adding a tensioner

has any bearing in belt life. My second belt has about 38,000 miles on it now. I hope it

lasts as long as the original. Of course the dealer put the BRP belt back on and it cost

about $300, the rear tire was changed at the same time. Just like tires belt mileage

will differ between riders.

Buckeye Chuck 54

Found it! It was a post by Buckeye Chuck 54.

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...=1#post1303061

Wasn't a broken belt, but teeth starting coming off at 108,000.

[MR. H1956]

Has anyone ever used any kind of belt dressing to keep their belt from drying out and cracking. I know it sounds crazy because the belt has a lot of heat and pressure on it. But I had to ask the question?

[r1100rider]

I'm pretty sure the manager you spoke with and used the term " ENCLOSED " wasn't picturing in their mind what the Belt guard we use looks like ..........jmho ..... Mike

it could be enclosed and heat wouldn’t be an issue if they used fine lovers or screen that would keep out the gravel ,I lost a belt and a days ride lucky it was in was in my driveway when it happened. It took some doing but I was able to get a spare belt zip tied to the frame under the panels without blocking anything I may never need it but it sure is a good piece of mind it wouldn’t be that hard to install roadside except tension adjustment but you sure could ride home and adjust later