Belt Life?

[BUBBIE]

Got a small stone imbedded in a drive belt with less than 14K miles. My mechanic caught it-I had not noticed. Otherwise the belt looked like new.

********************************************

Depending on Location of the rock hole and size, The belt may still give Miles of good use.. I had the rock thing happen Twice on my HD.s over the years and Both times I was very fortunate that the rock was small and found in time. Making a hole in toward the center of the belt... Remove rock and Belt lasted a LONG time..

If the Edge of the belt is Nicked, Cut or Torn,,, Good bye Belt..


I have always tended to Keep My Belts A tad Looser than HD TIGHT side they prefer...

signed....BUBBIE

 

[TQuentin1]

What craters belts is being overly tight (also hard on the bearings!), and picking up road debris that cuts the belt. These Kevlar reinforced belts are very stout, and unless abused, will last until the engine rebuild at 100K or better. A visual inspection of the belt to make sure the "teeth" are all undamaged, and keeping the belt adjusted a bit on the side of NOT tight will give your belt the best chance at longevity.

TQ

 

[wrongsideup]

got two harleys..deuce and ultra...ultra 35,000 miles. Found rock sticking through belt in oregon on a ride and put 5,000 miles on it since, still riding it. deuce has 58,000 miles, no problems to date.

 

[R_W_B]

got two harleys..deuce and ultra...ultra 35,000 miles. Found rock sticking through belt in oregon on a ride and put 5,000 miles on it since, still riding it. deuce has 58,000 miles, no problems to date.

Wow, that makes me feel better still running mine with some chrome flaking on the sprocket (manual said to replace sprocket and belt with chrome flaking).

I think what happened with mine was the previous owner lived on a long sandy dirt road and the grit got up on the sprocket teeth and worked on the chrome. My bike only had 13780 miles when I bought it. Belt looks fine except the very top of the belt teeth (where they meet the valley of the sprocket) look rough like you took sandpaper to them.

 

[bobrobert]

Wow, that makes me feel better still running mine with some chrome flaking on the sprocket (manual said to replace sprocket and belt with chrome flaking).

I think what happened with mine was the previous owner lived on a long sandy dirt road and the grit got up on the sprocket teeth and worked on the chrome. My bike only had 13780 miles when I bought it. Belt looks fine except the very top of the belt teeth (where they meet the valley of the sprocket) look rough like you took sandpaper to them.

I am new to this site and i love reading what all you people post! I ride a 2010 street glide and i love it!

 

[kemo]

Changing the belt is more envolved then just removing the rear wheel. The swing arm has to be at least lowered from the frame on the belt side the primary cover comes off, the clutch come off the stator comes off and the inner primary cover comes off. Good idea to change the shifter shaft seal while you have everything off.
Ken

 

[R_W_B]

The flaking is normal and not what they are referring to. Keep riding

What are they referring to ?

 

[Mountain Bound]

Can someone explain how to adjust the belt? Also, where is a good place to get a service manual for a 2010 FLHX? Thanks.

Well I've seen original belts that had 100k on them and I've seen belts that broke at less than 10k. Most belt failures are caused by not adjusting them properly, much like keeping your tires up with the proper pressures. If properly maintained, you should get atleast 100k out of a belt before you have to replace it... So I suppose the average would be somewhere around 50 to 60k miles... Take care... T

 

[R_W_B]

Can someone explain how to adjust the belt? Also, where is a good place to get a service manual for a 2010 FLHX? Thanks.

I would definitely recommend getting the belt tension tool. The link that Tbones gave is only like $10, that is the cheapest I have ever seen that tool.

Rear Belt Tension Gauge Tool for Harley Big Twin - www.debrix.com

But also use the tool as recommended in the manual, this is important since each bike's belt tension distance is different. I (as many on this forum do) set my belt just a tad more slack than what specs call for. It is better to err on the side of loose than tight. There is a link in the self help for buying download manuals for a reasonable price if you don't have one. Here it is,
Service Manuals - Harley Davidson Community

Also here is a video of belt adjustment, also on this same YouTube page you will find other related videos

YouTube - Belt Tension Tool 2009 05 02 19 55 48

 

[R_W_B]

Actually bro, you read it wrong, it's $21 for the tool and you save $10 of the msrp, still a good price for the tool ... I made the same mistake when I read it...

Oh the bold print trick gets me at a Glance. That is still 3 bucks better than the price I bought mine at Zanottis though. Thanks for the correction.

40006-85 | Zanotti Motor Co, Inc.

Part No. 40006-85
$23.96 SKU: HD-40006-85
Price: $23.96
SECONDARY BELT TENSION