JayBros
Well-known member
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how long will the drive belt last?
- Thread starter Willard
- Start date
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I'm going to have to replace mine at 30k miles, but only because I don't want to take a chance on a cross-country trip with the one I've got that has a small rock penetration in it. Otherwise, I'd expect to get 100k I think.
This is the one I got. Great product. https://spyderpops.com/the-missing-belt-guard-rt-models-2014-up/
Your drive belt? Strange.
Ordered the plastic guard and couldn't get it to fit without it rubbing either the tire or the belt. Tried the supplier's recommendations for adjustment but nothing worked. Heat bend and cool didn't work either. Bought the aluminum guard and the installation was easy and simple. Granted there's not a lot of room down there but the aluminum guard did the job for me.
Lew L
Well-known member
One of the FIRST things I added to my :spyder2: years ago..........
There's certainly something to be said for a belt guard providing you some 'peace of mind' but I really don't think they are a 'necessary mod! Nice to have, maybe, but definitely not 'necessary'!
. Really, I think the worry over ryding our Spyders on gravel roads is juuust a bit OTT!! :lecturef_smilie: These drive belts & belts of similar materials & construction are widely used in/on many applications, and very few of the others seem to consider them a massive wear or breakipage/damage issue! Few of the other motorcycles that use them call for the owners to treat them with kid gloves, and very few of those owners ever seem to have any concerns about them not having guards everywhere, nor have any major issues with running them on dirt/gravel roads! In fact, I reckon most who have any real experience with these things on motorcycles are far more likely to be concerned about the 'chip seal' stuff that's used to re-surface many roads :shocked: . IMHO, fresh chip seal is waaay more likely to cause damage to your belt than the majority of frequently used gravel roads, even if you are hanging the tail thru the odd corner! And then there's the tar & chip damage to your paintwork & the crud that ends up stuck everywhere too!! I reckon Chip seal should be banned, and anyone who proposes its use should be sprayed with hot tar & then dragged along a freshly chip sealed road for at least 10 miles!
Back to the drive belts, just consider this - I live in Oz, and here in Oz we still have vastly more kms of dirt & gravel roads than we do of bitumen or otherwise sealed roads, and if I want to travel anywhere except pretty much along the coast between the 7 mainland State/Territory Capitals & maybe a few major cities towns a couple of hundred km or so in inland, then I have no choice but to ryde many miles on dirt/gravel roads, many of them in what you'd call 'appalling condition' but they are roads that are generally considered to be 'a good road' here, while the rest of them truly ARE in appalling condition!! And yet I've done almost half of the ryding on my Spyder, meaning at least well over 45,000 miles, on these gravel & dirt type roads, WITHOUT a belt guard and WITHOUT replacing the original belt or even any significant belt damage!! :lecturef_smilie: . And BTW, we don't pussy foot along these roads - if we rode them at anything much less than 50 mph, we'd probably die of thirst or starvation before we reached the next town/fuel outlet!
In fact, when it comes to adding protection for Oz conditions, IMHO a good 10mm or thicker ALLOY skid plate that covers the underside of the frunk/frame is far more essential than a belt guard for ryding too far outside the major cities in Oz - and that skid plate is definitely NOT a bump skid, they project too far out & reduce the approach angle waaayy too much to get thru the pot holes, so they need to be very closely trimmed to the leading edges of the tupperware/underbody! :sour: . And even then, the skid plate needs to be considered a 'sacrificial' item that WILL be worn &/or damaged beyond usefullness in due course! Even ryding on our good sealed roads sees that skid plate working over-time to keep the underside of my Spyder safe, and it has been the only thing that's kept the rocks & gravel outta the frunk more often than I care to remember! I'm still on my first skid plate, but it's not too far off needing replacement now, the gouges are beginning to merge together & the overall thickness probably only averages a couple of mm thick, down from when it was new at 10mm! :shocked:
So I reckon you REALLY don't need to get too wound up about the need for a belt guard! Sure, they might be a good idea if it helps you feel more comfortable having one there, but just riding sensibly & to the conditions is likely to be almost as good a belt damage preventative, especially if you take the time to inspect your belt and both sprockets regularly for any signs of stone or chip damage, and you fix any ragged or sharp edges when you find them! Basically, what you need to do is......
Waaait for it; wait for it! .....
Ride More, and Worry Less!
hyea:Still, it's your Spyder, so you can do what you like to it.... but I doubt I'm alone in having had few or more likely, No issues with my Spyder's drive belt, and yet I reckon I have more miles up than most here report having done and I DON'T avoid gravel roads and yet I DON'T have any extra belt guard.....
. Just Sayin' :thumbup:
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Lew L
Well-known member
.
At least in Nevada, but probably a few other states, we really have 2 seasons. Winter and Road Work....... Repaving is often chip seal which will ruin a drive belt in short order. Sticky , sharp, chips of rock that stay in the belt. Regular gravel or dirt roads aren't that much of a problem. Went to Bodie ( Ghost town in Calif), 12 miles off the main road, 9 miles paved, the rest is dirt and gravel. No problem with the belt.
Lew L
At least in Nevada, but probably a few other states, we really have 2 seasons. Winter and Road Work....... Repaving is often chip seal which will ruin a drive belt in short order. Sticky , sharp, chips of rock that stay in the belt. Regular gravel or dirt roads aren't that much of a problem. Went to Bodie ( Ghost town in Calif), 12 miles off the main road, 9 miles paved, the rest is dirt and gravel. No problem with the belt.
Lew L
I had the drive belt fail at approximately 22,000 miles on the 09 Spyder GS when it was ten years old. It didn't break, and didn't have rock damage, even though it had seen some time on a gravel road that I live on. Rather, several section of the individual "teeth" were cracking loose from the belt on the drive side of the tooth. There were several sections of 3-6 teeth in order, as well as individual teeth show this all around the belt and absolutely no visual evidence of rock damage. Perhaps this was caused on the early bikes that came with the belt tension too high...or just a sign of age and fatigue. This did happen 3-4 years after the belt tension had been reduced during a laser alignment session.
If you have an older belt, check the teeth for cracks on the drive side of the tooth, though, as this could have easily lost a section of teeth and ended your travels that day.
If you have an older belt, check the teeth for cracks on the drive side of the tooth, though, as this could have easily lost a section of teeth and ended your travels that day.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
In addition to the belt guard, drive SLOW, like maybe less than 10 - 15 mph to avoid throwing gravel around.
Sure enough! Chip seal or unpacked fresh blacktop is what got my original belt. A traffic control flagman put the line of traffic I was in over a short section of unpacked pavement and before I could pull over, I was into it! Crunch, crunch, crunch! $350 later I had a new belt. Then I installed an aluminum lower guard and have been on a number of gravel roads with no issues what so ever. Super super easy install and many times worth the price.
BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
Sorry to hear this .... If that happened to me in Vermont I would requested re-payment from the State ..... I have heard about this being done for Veh's that hit DEER or MOOSE ...Those animals are considered State of Vermont property .... .. Mike :thumbup:
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I contacted the paving company which had a local office and informed them of what happened. The manager had his secretary send me a check for the amount of repair. He was an HD rider and understood the situation.
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BLUEKNIGHT911
Sadly Passed Oct 2024 - RIP
:clap::clap::clap: ..... good for you ..... I learned a long time ago, it doesn't hurt to ask ...... Mike :thumbup:
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BUZZARD II
Member
Chip seal is the enemy.
IdahoMtnSpyder
Active member
I drove across a chip sealing job one time, really slow! It was obvious the construction guys wanted me to speed it up but I kept it slow and made it with no chips getting into the bet!
Hi , I just experienced belt failure on my 2009 GS SE5, at a little over 36K miles. The belt had a pea gravel hole put through it about two days after I first rode the Spyder when new. I had inspected the belt that day years ago and removed the sharp rock. I installed a after market gravel shield shortly after and then designed a clamp on frame for my own belt tighter from a manufacture of industrial belt tighteners with a large ball bearing wheel slightly wider then the BRP OEM belt to drop the excessive belt tensioning originally defined by BRP engineering.
Anyway Last week noticed on one day ride an intermittent thumping similar to running over small rocks on highway pavement at 65MPH and there were none. Pulled over at the Wa./Or. boundary on the Columbia river highway and found gear cogs on the belt starting to break off with some already gone. I was able to limp along for another three to four miles before the belt actually broke.
Checked belt tightener assembly, and found AOK. My riding buddy on his RT SE5 Spyder picked up the broken belt and then I called another friend who had a trailer to come pick us up about 29 miles from Walla Walla. New belt orderied & on the way.
Anyway Last week noticed on one day ride an intermittent thumping similar to running over small rocks on highway pavement at 65MPH and there were none. Pulled over at the Wa./Or. boundary on the Columbia river highway and found gear cogs on the belt starting to break off with some already gone. I was able to limp along for another three to four miles before the belt actually broke.
Checked belt tightener assembly, and found AOK. My riding buddy on his RT SE5 Spyder picked up the broken belt and then I called another friend who had a trailer to come pick us up about 29 miles from Walla Walla. New belt orderied & on the way.
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