Changing to a belt

[Fireman_on_a_Busa]

A local motorcycle shop here in NC is in the process of testing a new belt pully system on a donated busa.  It is a 3 layer kevlar belt, with steel strands, wrapped in rubber, made by Goodyear.  The belt is rated for 200hp. The pulleys are original sprocket size,hardened steel, but can be changed according to what you want.  My question is, would it be good to change to the belt drive.  The chain lube is so messy, and extremely hard to keep the swingarm clean where it goes into the front sprocket.  It is modestly priced, but wanted some advice.  Hey that rhymed......

 

[mcoyote]

I'd hit that -- I ride a lot and in crummy weather, so a belt might be nice.

 

[fstbusa]

man I wouldn't think it could handle the torque.... belts tend to stretch a little bit.

 

[MET]

I think you would find yourself on the side of the road. i don't think they would take the torque even on a stock Busa. Hp rating is no9t as importnat as the Torque. i have not heard anyone else trying it. See wehat happens on the prototype.

 

[CYCLEERIC]

I work for a Harley dealer in NC and see lots of broken belts on bikes with less than 100 HP but near 100 LBs torque . The busa stock should shred a drive belt with just a few hard launches . I say just deal with the messy chain lube and have confidence to ride hard .

 

[Mikey D]

Yeah, then you be looking like the Hardleys withthe belts.

 

[Johnnycheese]

the belt is not the problem it is the sprockets
ever price one OUCH!!!!!!
If you think you need a belt then you bought the wrong bike

 

[Revlis]

Well, if they do there homework and build it right I would be all over it. The quietness, the lack of service concerns, and the cleanliness would all be welcome bonuses. BUT, I hear that currently even the little Buells are snapping belts so I dunno... Given the advancements in technology and materials I would probably jump at it so long as it's not too expensive. My .02

 

[LCW]

I converted my Softail from belt to chain so I could fit a 180 tire in the stock swingarm. Everyone told me I would regret it, that chains were loud and messy, too much maintenance, etc. I think that's a lot of bull. Sure it's a little more maintenance, but it's not THAT frickin hard to clean and lube a chain. As for the noise, if you're worried about that, consider converting to a cage...

 

[justintime2]

Somebody must be smokin some serious crap if they think a belt can't handle the busa's torque or HP. Custom 151ci twins with more torque or HP than a Busa has use these and don't "shred" them. WTF

 

[Fireman_on_a_Busa]

Everyone has made some very good points. I have had no problem with my chain, and cleaining and lubing the chain is not a problem. I would not make the change until the prototype had been tested in all aspects, namely the afore mentioned torque and HP. I would drastically s**k to be stuck beside the road with a broken belt, in lets say the mountains of NC, and the only place I could get a belt would be back in Zebulon NC. We all enjoy using that Busa power, and I do not want to give that up just to switch to a belt. I shall see what the outcome is, and keep the group informed. Hopefully I can send some pictures next month of what it looks like, and some of the details. I know that the designer said so far that it has produced 18% more power, but that just might be the sales pitch.

 

[Revlis]

I still say if they do it right, with the right materials and goodyear puts their mind to it it would be pretty cool, and less of a hassle. I just get tired of futzing with my chain every 1000 miles

 

[justintime2]

This would be an awesome improvement and should yield better power to the ground.

 

[justintime2]

When a belt shreds it is more likely misalignment, debris flew in between the sprocket and belt, or it is just cheap as sh%#. Also if the belt shreds you would not destroy all the sprockets and potentially the motor case. IMO.

 

[orangebusa??]

in my opinion the belt would sound like a good idea if you are more intrested in show and shine and have a mild riding manor i keep up with my chain (oil,adjustment.ect)but have shredded two stock chains in less then 2000 miles one snapped write off so if you are in pounding mode i dont think a belt will cut it id bet i could shred a belt within 20 miles this bike just has too much juice

 

[dezzy7]

Very questionable ... I doubt that a belt could handle the torque, and if it did its gonna cost like heck to replace

 

[FLCN72]

I think the first year or two of the new Buells (XB9R and XB9S) did have some issues with belts breaking.  Not an everyday occurance but it happened often enough that for 2004 all the XB models come with a larger, heavier belt.

The new XB12 series bikes have peak torque numbers that are within sight of the Busa's.  Say around 85 to our 100.  Not the same but close enough to get me wondering if a belt could be developed to handle Busa torque.  If possible that might be interesting to me.  

Add an idler pulley like the Buell's to keep belt tension constant and swap the axle for a non adjustable one -- and then the rear wheel alignment would be constant and accurate.  As well as being mess free, quiet, and immune to corrosion.

 

[justintime2]

I hate to repost the same thought but it keeps coming up. Why can a 151ci thug twin motor that produces torque and hp well in excess of the Busa manage a belt and not shred it?

 

[orangebusa??]

I hate to repost the same thought but it keeps coming up. Why can a 151ci thug twin motor that produces torque and hp well in excess of the Busa manage a belt and not shred it?

im thinking in turms of rotating mass although the torqe is there it is applied at a diffrent rpm for instance run a 2 speed drill on high and stop it with your hand and low and stop it with your hand on high your gonna be effected by the impact harder then on low because on low the torqe is higher but the revs are lower impact is lower given your hand a easier chance to catch up sort to speak or even think of a pick up truck now say the engine in the truck make 500ft pds of torqe 3000rpms but falls to 300ft pds of torqe at 6000 now rev it to 3000 and pop the clutch then rev it 6000 and do the same and see what the diffrence is chances are at 6000 even with less torqe the drive shaft going south on ya the busa spinns 10 11 grand  were the twin i guess i dont know but not that high  just how i see it correct me if im wrong



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[justintime2]

I don't think that motor RPM's have much to do with it. RPM is just one of the things that the motor uses to achieve it's HP, torque, and power range. In the end that HP and torque is transfered to the ground through the rear tire, which will spin at the same speed on a 5k rpm motor as a 12k rpm motor. In your equation the transmission/clutch would have to be able to absorb more of that force. Once the torque reaches the rear wheel the bike doesn't care what kind of motor or RPM is in front of it, it is an equal measurement of force. So in the end it is the rear's ability to manage torque when applying power from the final drive through the tire that counts. As far as rotating mass the chain would have more than the belt, it is denser and weighs more. The other design factor that would be different for the Busa would be wheel rotation speed, as in 190mph. IMO the belt is the most effective way to xfer power.