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Bike features that delight or bug you

BMW did it for a bit on some of their 650s. Didn't they do it on on the 800STs as well?

I appreciate why they don't do it on the "ADV" bikes, I've not heard good things about belts and gravel. Could be folklore.
 
Blankpage said:
Must be some reason manufacturers are not using belts, maybe they’re not better.
Click to expand...

Belts sport more advantages over chain...

Gates Rubber holds all the patents that matter for belts so the
Japanese are reluctant to invest in belt drives... they rather support
their own chain manufactures...

gallery_3131_51_12235.jpg
 
berth said:
BMW did it for a bit on some of their 650s. Didn't they do it on on the 800STs as well?

I appreciate why they don't do it on the "ADV" bikes, I've not heard good things about belts and gravel. Could be folklore.
Click to expand...

BMW800GT sports a 11mm pitch belt...
bmw-f800gt-used-guide_03.ashx


ADV bikes need a rock guard to protect the belt...
 
Busy Little Shop said:
Belts sport more advantages over chain...

Gates Rubber holds all the patents that matter for belts so the
Japanese are reluctant to invest in belt drives... they rather support
their own chain manufactures...

gallery_3131_51_12235.jpg
Click to expand...

I didn’t consider the patent holder angle. I suspect you’ve given it much more thought than I have so you may be right.

How much HP can you transmit through a belt?
What size would it need to be for modern 200hp+ machines.
Is it allowed in any class of moto racing?

Yeah a belt would be cleaner and I don’t particularly enjoy cleaning a chain so rarely ever do.

Was at the Ducati dealer on Saturday and checking out the clean gold chain on a Super Hooligan race prepped Hypermotard ( should have taken a pic), chain looked pretty bling so there is that.
 
Blankpage said:
I suspect you’ve given it much more thought than I have so you may be right.
Click to expand...

Starting in 1985 You wouldn't believe just how much thought I've given the subject of belt drives...

Blankpage said:
How much HP can you transmit through a belt?
What size would it need to be for modern 200hp+ machines.
Is it allowed in any class of moto racing?
Click to expand...

Belts are stronger than most people believe... take 37mm wide 14mm
pitch Gates Poly Chain... it is strong enough to handle a 502 HP 425
Ft lb Boss Hoss... in fact most of the Boss Hoss product line employs
belts...

gallery_3131_51_24711.jpg

gallery_3131_51_101719.jpg


Eddie Lawson raced 250 Gp on a belt drive Kawasaki...

2595761411_8399f95334_b.jpg



Honda's engineers said it was impossible to belt drive their VF500F...
well say hello to the Belt-0-Ceptor story...

Back in 84 I asked all of Honda's HRC Engineers at Daytona race track
was it possible to belt drive THEIR VF500F Interceptor... they stated to me
that it was *impossible* to add a belt drive to a exiting model... I would
need to design the whole bike around the belt... OK I thought... they are
the experts... maybe I should call it quits... but I just could not stop
thinking about the problem... I had to solved it... I went ahead and
converted my VF500F Interceptor into the famous Belt-0-Ceptor... all it
took was 8 months worth of engineering and machine work plus $1500.00 in parts...

1990 I attended the Keith Code Superbike school at Laguna... Keith
interrupted the class to ask "who belt drive Interceptor is that out in the
parking lot" Mine I answered... could he test it out??? certainly I replied...
after 6 laps Keith asked if I would convert all 600 Kawasaki over to belt...

Me and my famous Belt-0-Ceptor racked up 98,000 trouble free miles
I sold it to my Air Force buddy up in White City Oregon...

gallery_3131_51_14630.jpg


ce5BVi3.jpg
 
Last edited:
Bugs me: Ducati, the digital speedometer refresh rate is so slow. Can jump 10 mph at once.
 
Busy Little Shop said:
Gates Rubber holds all the patents that matter for belts so the
Japanese are reluctant to invest in belt drives... they rather support
their own chain manufactures...

gallery_3131_51_12235.jpg
Click to expand...

That's such a shame!

Busy Little Shop said:
Starting in 1985 You wouldn't believe just how much thought I've given the subject of belt drives...

Back in 84 I asked all of Honda's HRC Engineers at Daytona race track
was it possible to belt drive THEIR VF500F Interceptor... they stated to me
that it was *impossible* to add a belt drive to a exiting model... I would
need to design the whole bike around the belt... OK I thought... they are
the experts... maybe I should call it quits... but I just could not stop
thinking about the problem... I had to solved it... I went ahead and
converted my VF500F Interceptor into the famous Belt-0-Ceptor... all it
took was 8 months worth of engineering and machine work plus $1500.00 in parts...

Me and my famous Belt-0-Ceptor racked up 98,000 trouble free miles
I sold it to my Air Force buddy up in White City Oregon...
Click to expand...

That is awesome!

I'm with you that chains are a pain, especially for wet weather riding, and I'd rather have a belt drive over chain. I hated my Buell Ulysses but I loved its maintenance feee belt drive, wet or dry. I read that Buell did some gravel test on the belt and it did fine.

How likely is it to get gravel in the chain anyway? Anyone ever experienced that? What's it feel like? I ride on gravel every chance I get but never felt it.

Also, don't know why a belt drive needs to be able to handle 200 hp+, or even 150 hp, for that matter; how many street bikes have 200 hp?
 
All the bikes that have 200 hp would need a belt that could handle 200 hp if so equipped, whether it be 1 or 10 or more.
 
My 93 FatBoy and a V-rod were my belted bikes, I had the same issues with gravel/paving.
My trip back to Sturgis, first time I rode the FatBoy, uneventful trip. On the way back thru Wyoming, pee stop I did notice what looked like a bee resting on the belt. Splashes of yellow, closer look it wasn't, but a hole in the belt fraying the aramid fibers, I worried a bit over this, along with the rotten egg smell that has been trailing me. I was overcharging, cooking the battery, made it home.

Softail's sprockets are buried in the primary, it takes a full teardown to replace a belt, about a day. So many bikes, reved up & snap a belt, dragging that dead snake behind you as you go thru the gears looking for some go.

V-rod belts change quick & easy as does a sportster.
I have collected gravel and the sticky gravel from paving, sticky gravel gets into every thing
 
My Africa Twin is the only "modern" bike I've ever owned. Prior to that it's all been very analog. IDK, I like electronic stuff, but I also don't like it. I found myself messing with the stuff trying to dial it all in or fiddling around with Apple Car Play, when I get on my old bike and just ride.
 
Busy Little Shop said:
1990 I attended the Keith Code Superbike school at Laguna... Keith
interrupted the class to ask "who belt drive Interceptor is that out in the
parking lot" Mine I answered... could he test it out??? certainly I replied...
after 6 laps Keith asked if I would convert all 600 Kawasaki over to belt...
Click to expand...

Was there something about the ride or anything that would motivate Code to want to convert his bikes? Something he learned by the ride?
 
90-degree tire valve stems should be standard equipment.

Sometime it takes me several looks to find the valve stem when it's just hidden out of view. I had a lime green valve stem cap (from a Slime bicycle tube) which made locating the stem a cinch, plus it looked cool on the orange KTM. :laughing
 
Gary856 said:
90-degree tire valve stems should be standard equipment.

Sometime it takes me several looks to find the valve stem when it's just hidden out of view. I had a lime green valve stem cap (from a Slime bicycle tube) which made locating the stem a cinch, plus it looked cool on the orange KTM. :laughing
Click to expand...

That is a good one for sure.
 
Agree about 90 degree valve stems. Is there an issue with pressure reading? We don't lose foot pounds of torque with the angle do we? ;)

Great idea on the lime caps. Maybe caps come in orange to match the Harley-Davidson color scheme.

There's the feature I don't like about my Dyna. #@$&^#* pumpkin colors!
 
I had a 2003 R1150r and totally get it.
I hated the servo brake system and I am glad I never had to fix it (sold the bike within a year). Also, oil filter… none of my 3 oil wrenches would work to remove it.


I loved the bike old school valves. Easy to access and easy to calibrate.
 
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