I like the way Tim and others are looking at possible solutions. My belt failed with less than 3,000 easy miles, so I asked a friend who is a process engineer at a facility that manufactures various laminated products to check my drive belts. His responsibility is developing various laminating methods & the testing of the finshed product to supply the customer with documentation that the product is within spec. In other words, he knows his sh-t, plus he is a fantastic and talented mechanic. I won't go into details at the extent of his testing but it took him seconds to identify 'my' Falcon belt as having a poor bond. He compared both belts under a low powered scope and found that my Falcon belt has numerous tiny air bubbles and spaces that lacked the material required for a proper bond, plus he mentioned that the center strip inbetween the inner and outer as being substancially courser than the OEM. I could only supply 2 Gates (OEM) and the Falcon belt. It's possible I could have had one of a small batch of belts that slipped through quality control or it could be more serious than that. I do know the back of the OEM belt with the grooves that the Falcon lacked had other uses making it more suitable for its intended purpose but he was starting to get real technical on me. I have much more info on the test he performed but I was convinced that the OEM belt from a Sportster that Steve suggested was my solution for the 07's & 08's. So I had enough info for my needs. I installed the same belt that JW used, and I'm hoping for the same results.
Solutions may or may not be required, piece of mind tends to affect us in different ways. I do know if replacing a belt on our bikes was not so labor intensive like some other models are, we would just get a spare belt and move on to fixing something else. Due to it being very labor extensive, we tend to look for a better solution. Owning a CVO Harley has programed us to make improvements where needed. The use of a chain will certainly make installations much easier, however, I do remember the damage to my bikes when I had a chain break, so locating a belt that is up to the task is the way I would like to go if possible. I would prefer to go the simple route and just install an oversize rear sprocket and belt. I'm not aware of the availability of a wider rear sprocket but, I do know that Gates offers belts for our needs in wider sizes. Clearance may be an issue, but I think it is worth looking at. I think I'm OK with the belt but I have to say, it is another thing I tend to think about while being 2 to 3 hours away from home on a late Sunday evening especially when two up. (Paranoid - no doubt) (Solution - high probability)
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Topic: 30T and HAPPY! (Read 103775 times)