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bigpimpin
03-16-2008, 09:59 PM
Anyone do a conversion to a belt drive insteat of chain drive? pictured is a Harley conversion

http://i6.ebayimg.com/07/i/000/e1/24/bcdc_1.JPG

thefox
03-16-2008, 10:11 PM
Can I ask why you would want to on an off road machine?

bigpimpin
03-16-2008, 10:17 PM
less maintanence, less drag

super90
03-16-2008, 10:42 PM
Looks like that big pulley would fit the older 200x rear sprocket hubs, dont know how the front would work though. When mud gets jammed between the teeth wouldnt it just slip though?

bigpimpin
03-16-2008, 10:44 PM
you ever seen a 2000 hp pro stock blower belt slip?

Billy Golightly
03-16-2008, 10:59 PM
I bet that weighs a lot less then a chain and sprocket too...hmmmmmm

super90
03-16-2008, 11:08 PM
you ever seen a 2000 hp pro stock blower belt slip?

Nope, dont know anything about belts like that so I couldnt tell you. Biggest problem I see is finding a way to mount that on the front sprocket shaft.

bigpimpin
03-16-2008, 11:12 PM
well the easiest would be to use one from another motorcycle. i am surprised no one here has done it yet. it would defintely have a cool factor

motoman110
03-17-2008, 09:00 PM
and what was wrong with a properly maintained and adjusted chain?

super90
03-17-2008, 09:38 PM
Theres nothing wrong with chain drives, just alot of benifits with a belt drive, it wouldnt need serviced for a long long time, much cheaper to replace the belt, if it pops off it wont crack anything, wont snap or damage anything if it hits a rock. Basically it would be nice to have for higher hp machines that wear chains and sprockets out faster.

bigpimpin
03-17-2008, 10:18 PM
what is so hard about using a setup from another bike? who is doing all the billet peices for everyone on this site? the front sprocket would probably be the easiest to machine. what about the benefits for those guys running in the dunes?

OldSchoolin86
03-17-2008, 10:57 PM
There's been countless problems with belts slipping on primaries plus do you have any idea how fast a belt will snap when a stone gets lodged in a pulley? This will work fine for armchair racing and pit riding but I wouldn't try anything too serious with it.

bigpimpin
03-17-2008, 11:00 PM
i doubt it would snap

bigpimpin
03-17-2008, 11:12 PM
this Harley has dual belts one on each side of the wheel

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harley-Davidson-Harley-Softail-Arlen-Ness-145-Tribute-Bike-S-S-100-Harley-Anniversary_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6707QQihZ00 6QQitemZ160219306205QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

OldSchoolin86
03-18-2008, 12:52 PM
i doubt it would snap
I've seen $2000 bobcat tracks snap from trying to pass stones, I'm 100% positive that you could snap a drive belt.

Jason Hall
03-18-2008, 02:15 PM
If that belt Is wider than the chain, I think you will have a clearance Issue with the frame tube near the chain slider.

atctim
03-18-2008, 02:35 PM
#1 - FACT! chain and sprocket produces the least friction and drag of any of the 3 most common final drive systems (chain, belt , shaft)

#2 - You have twice mentioned Harley - borrowing any technology or ideas from Harley is pretty moot - at least in the Off Road world. Harley has not Built anything off road since AMF and some italian company helped them in the early 70s with a trouble plagued street and trail bike.

#3 - As already mentioned you will be adding weight to your machine doing this - I guess if you wanna be different - more power to you - but I don't see anything good coming from it.

Yamahondaman
03-18-2008, 08:03 PM
hey Tim ... you wouldn't want a belt to slip with this !!! :naughty:

atctim
03-18-2008, 08:08 PM
hey Tim ... you wouldn't want a belt to slip with this !!! :naughty:

Dang man - SAWEEEET!!

you don't waste anytime - and by the looks of it - neither does your lathe!

motoman110
03-18-2008, 10:25 PM
I personally have NEVER had a problem with a PROPERLY maintained chain. Ive raced for over 8 years now and rode since I was 4. Worked on all sorts of machines, rode most too, never had a problem.

hondahaulic
03-18-2008, 11:07 PM
I'm not sure on this, but wouldn't a belt be a lot pickier on the tension? I would personally think it would slip or snap unless it stayed at the perfect tension. When the swingarm on a trike goes up and down, the chain gets looser and tighter (because the swingarm bolt is not lined up with the output shaft). I'm not too sure a belt would like that.

bigpimpin
03-18-2008, 11:39 PM
#1 - FACT! chain and sprocket produces the least friction and drag of any of the 3 most common final drive systems (chain, belt , shaft)

#2 - You have twice mentioned Harley - borrowing any technology or ideas from Harley is pretty moot - at least in the Off Road world. Harley has not Built anything off road since AMF and some italian company helped them in the early 70s with a trouble plagued street and trail bike.

#3 - As already mentioned you will be adding weight to your machine doing this - I guess if you wanna be different - more power to you - but I don't see anything good coming from it.

#1 ok show me some documentaion for the Fact "chain and sprocket produces the least friction and drag of any of the 3 most common final drive systems (chain, belt , shaft)"
#2 Harley was merley an example
#3 see post #6 in this thread

Russell 350X
03-19-2008, 12:13 AM
#1 ok show me some documentaion for the Fact "chain and sprocket produces the least friction and drag of any of the 3 most common final drive systems (chain, belt , shaft)"
#2 Harley was merley an example
#3 see post #6 in this thread



Tim's right about the less friction on a chain. Like also stated, if you got a rock wedged in there, your screwed. If you went over some sharp rocks and sliced the belt, it will break, and your screwed. Some 4x4 quads have belts for there tranny, and when water gets in there, they slip like a mofo. Just think all the crap that will get on that belt. So what if it weighs less, its not going to take the abuse a chain can take. And its not a Harley. Try taking belt driven Harley through mud, rocks, all that crap, it wont fair so well. Not a good idea IMO. But if you want to try it, more power to you. Just my .02

hondahaulic
03-19-2008, 12:17 AM
Another problem I see is the front pulley. I would think that it would need to be a larger diameter than the front sprocket because a belt wouldn't flex as easy as a chain. a bigger front pulley would mean an enormous rear pully and less ground clearance. Also, since the pulleys would have to be so large I doubt the weight savings would be very much.

300rman
03-19-2008, 12:21 AM
#1 ok show me some documentaion for the Fact "chain and sprocket produces the least friction and drag of any of the 3 most common final drive systems (chain, belt , shaft)"
#2 Harley was merley an example
#3 see post #6 in this thread

belt will be much more finicky.
has to have perfect tension at all times. because suspension travel changes the distance between the puleys, a chain tensioner would be needed. this means more routes for the belt, and more chances for it to pop off. and, when the puley's teeth become clogged with mud, the belt will just slip all day long, which means the system would have to be enclosed.
a rock may not break the belt, but it will certainly knock the belt off the pulley.

i dont know where your buying chains from, but heavy duty belts, especially long ones such as the one this project would need, are expensive. in the end, i think the belt system would cost more, after making the components ad all future maintenance.

he is right on the chain = least drag.
i have built many moving contraptions, and i have tried all 3 systems. the gear system tends to make the most drag unless everything is 100% perfect, such as in a transmission, then it ties with belt drive.

that, and every robot we ever built in school, the drive wheels were always chain and sprocket. not because we thought it was the best, but because groups of engineers mentoring our project told us that.

yes, i know engineers suck, but the guys mentoring our projects were very pleasant, informative, 100% opposite of teemgeek you will ever meet.

and besides, if a final belt drive was in fact better, dont you think it would have been implemented by now by a big atv company?
wait......they have been......some of the old yamaha PW50 dirt bikes were belt. the belt was enclosed so tight nothing could get to it. and, if im not mistaken, those didnt last long, and never were implemented on bigger bikes.

for a project to do something different and sand out, go for it.
if you are looking for a performance gain, or trying to come up with something better than a chain drive, you are wasting your time.

and, as for weight, the....pound? you will save in all of this, just only ever fill your fuel tank 3/4full, and you have already saved more weight.
or get lighter boots. or aluminum wheels. plastic tank prolly lighter. or, just toss your airbox lid. you will save a pound and gain a little performance.

bigpimpin
03-19-2008, 12:34 AM
i pulled this off a google search. i guess its up in the air. i really think the real benefit would be for someone in the dunes

http://www.sportbikers.net/forums/showthread.php?t=10847

OldSchoolin86
03-19-2008, 07:20 AM
I'm not sure on this, but wouldn't a belt be a lot pickier on the tension? I would personally think it would slip or snap unless it stayed at the perfect tension. When the swingarm on a trike goes up and down, the chain gets looser and tighter (because the swingarm bolt is not lined up with the output shaft). I'm not too sure a belt would like that.
I didn't even think of this and it's a show stopper! The tension changes too much for this to even begin to work on a trike (unless it's a hardtail).

Yamahondaman
03-19-2008, 10:05 AM
Dang man - SAWEEEET!!

you don't waste anytime - and by the looks of it - neither does your lathe!

HA HA ... thats the OLDEST one we have.. the NEW one really Hauls... being shipped today