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Sick of chain maintenance??? GO BELT!

Belts are not maintenance free and not without their own isssues and problems. Particularly not good for leaving the paved roads.
What is interesting and not clear in the pictures how they are handling the belt tension change with the suspension movement ???
$620 USD is a NC life time worth chains and occasional sprockets. I am looking at getting 20-30k on $100 chain and possibly double that on rear sprocket.
 
I'm glad to see companies at least looking at new alternatives to things on bikes. I've never owned a belted bike so I cannot really comment on their merits/negatives. Maybe one way to increase chain life is to "totally enclose" the chain.........like Honda had way back in the 1960's (???).......maybe on the Cub Model bikes?? The chain would still need to be lubricated from time to time, but the cleaning chore might could be delayed. There would be moving sections on the bike that would need to be worked out (near the front sprocket, when the swingarm is pivoting), but not a complicated problem.
I owned a drive-shafted Nighthawk CB700S years ago and loved that system.......except one could not change gear ratios if they wanted.
I saw an antique Bicycle auctioned off during Bike Week Daytona many years ago that had a drive shaft ......the shaft ended with a little exposed ring/pinion gear at the wheel hub. Oh......and it sold for $800.
 
showkey said:
Belts are not maintenance free and not without their own isssues and problems. P
Click to expand...

Belt maintence is: check tension and make sure nothing is stuck in them.
Much better than a chain. And bells can be fine off road if tensioned properly and you are not doing something the NC was not designed for.
Also LONG trips would not need touring lube and such.

Not advocating for a belt just saying it's an option.
 
SleepyC said:
Belt maintence is: check tension and make sure nothing is stuck in them.
Much better than a chain. And bells can be fine off road if tensioned properly and you are not doing something the NC was not designed for.
Also LONG trips would not need touring lube and such.

Not advocating for a belt just saying it's an option.
Click to expand...

My first motorcycle, a 1986 Suzuki Savage was Belt Drive. I much preferred the simpler babysitting of a belt. I then went to shaft drive, really zero maintenance, even better. And now I need to stay on top of the chain with my NC.
For me, order of preference:
Shaft
Belt
Chain
 
Belt drive is nice. My Zero has it and was trouble free the whole time I had that bike.

I take it that this bike is not a DCT. The DCT is very sensitive to speed differences at the wheels and countershaft. That's why you cannot change the sprocket teeth counts from what the factory put on it, 16 - Front & 39 - Rear.

I only got a little over 13k on the OEM chain on NaNCy. A friend of mine that worked at Honda's Tech Line told me the chain was a budget chain and he was surprised it lasted that long.
 
I agree with showkey about the cost vs convenience factor of changing to belt drive is way out of wack. My standard chain & sprockets are now nearing 20k miles and I've only had to adjust it once. :)
 
Belts add a smoothness. Kind of like a Porsche Slink. Ever drive a manual Porsche? It has a sexy slink when you let out the clutch. Same thing with a belt, it adds a smoothness that a chain can't compete with... Shaft is similar but not as "sexy" for the lack of a better word.
 
SleepyC said:
Belt maintence is: check tension and make sure nothing is stuck in them.
Much better than a chain. And bells can be fine off road if tensioned properly and you are not doing something the NC was not designed for.
Also LONG trips would not need touring lube and such.

Not advocating for a belt just saying it's an option.
Click to expand...

On the other side of belt drive:
Guessing you have not seen or experienced belt breakage, minor debris getting caught under the belt destroying the belt, bikes like the BMW with a belt where the sprockets and belt are several times the cost of chain and sprockets. There are really good reasons most bikes that might see off pavement use ( gravel or dirt, like a fire road) use a chain or shaft and not a belt drive.
 
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Chain maintenance is a necessary evil, but it can be done anywhere and anytime it's needed. Right now I have just over 17,000 on the NC and there is almost no chain adjustment left.

I'm on my 3rd drive belt on my FLHTC. Each replacement cost about $700.00 in parts and dealer labor. These belts can't be replaced in a restaurant parking lot. The belts break when debris gets between the belt and the pulley. The bike has the complete factory belt guard installed. I've put almost 90,000 miles on that motorcycle. If the belt breaks again, it will get a drive chain conversion.
 
showkey said:
What is interesting and not clear in the pictures how they are handling the belt tension change with the suspension movement ???
Click to expand...

This had immediately occurred to me also. I cannot see a tensioner anywhere. There has to be slack in that system or otherwise there will be resulting pressure on the countershaft bearing and the belt itself.
 
Brillot2000 said:
The DCT is very sensitive to speed differences at the wheels and countershaft. That's why you cannot change the sprocket teeth counts from what the factory put on it, 16 - Front & 39 - Rear.
Click to expand...
You can, it's been done even on a DCT bike.

Ad. chains... what is all this fuss about chain maintenance? I only had chained bikes, but chain or its maintenance never gave me any headache. I clean my chain once a year at the most, lube it when I feel like doing so and my chains and sprockets last at least 30K km. Chains do have their advantages, you can change ratios of you want, you can always check them at least visualy for defects before longer trip, but modern riveted chains seldom snap, that is why manufacturers put them even on 200 hp bikes with confidence, yet they are relatively cheap and readily available anywhere. On the other hand belt is much more prone to damage, harder to find the correct size, its life span is not that much better than that of chain, yet the cost is usualy higher. Drive shaft is bulkier, not that easy to check for internal damage or need for service and certainly not maintenance free or eternal. BMW GS forums are full of not so funny stories about sudden final drive failures.

If you ask me, I take chain drive any time and it is always one of my must have criteria when I am choosing a new bike. But that is my view and preference and I understand that other folks may see it differently :)
 
Wouldn't a broken chain cause more damage to the front sprocket than a broken belt?
I think a belt might make for a more hassle-free bike ownership if someone commuted or toured long distances.

But with a chain I know I will be at least spending anywhere from 10-45 minutes servicing my bike every 500 miles. A simple lube usually turns into more extensive cleaning. At the minimum I will be inspecting the rear tire closely and checking for wear.
A more thorough cleaning/ lube will usually mean the whole bike gets inspected as I detail every dirty, dusty, greasy part on the bike. I do that about every third lube.
 
SilverRocket said:
Wouldn't a broken chain cause more damage to the front sprocket than a broken belt?
I think a belt might make for a more hassle-free bike ownership if someone commuted or toured long distances.

But with a chain I know I will be at least spending anywhere from 10-45 minutes servicing my bike every 500 miles. A simple lube usually turns into more extensive cleaning. At the minimum I will be inspecting the rear tire closely and checking for wear.
A more thorough cleaning/ lube will usually mean the whole bike gets inspected as I detail every dirty, dusty, greasy part on the bike. I do that about every third lube.
Click to expand...

Broken chains are extremely rare........especially on small displacement bikes.

Service the chain every 500 miles should take 2-5 minutes tops. I think one reason for early chain failures is over servicing which includes adjusting tension too often ( too tight) and over cleaning with poor techniques that compromise the o-ring seals on the chain.

Also just a quick chain lube spray every 500 miles which is common method to handle chain lube might take 30-60 seconds.
 
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