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Belts are quiet and zero maintenance.
However, they do fail...usually at inopportune times.
I have more than one H-D friend who carries a spare belt on cross-country trips and has become adept at relatively quick road-side changes.
My 2016 Moto Guzzi V7II shaft drive was 417 pounds wet.
Although fueling was an issue (and a noisy dry clutch), the trans and shaft drive were splendid.
On both of my Sportsters, I was very careful on fire roads. A small pebble between belt and pulley will likely break the belt...they DO NOT stretch!
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Yamaha seemed to strongly urge that their belt on the Bolt would not break because the engineering did not have the short-comings of HD. They also appear to shroud the belt to prevent debris from entering its track. The belt is definitely different than HD's.
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Love shaft drive.
I never had a "bad" shaft drive. The only crazy experience was on a Virago 1100. The bike had a lot of low RPM torque and that shaft recoiled not unlike a diving board. It didn't impede the ride, but the heavy duty rear shocks got a workout. The Yamaha shaft was pretty generic, and definitely not a Moto Guzzi solution.
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(11-24-2018, 02:30 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: Yamaha seemed to strongly urge that their belt on the Bolt would not break because the engineering did not have the short-comings of HD. They also appear to shroud the belt to prevent debris from entering its track. The belt is definitely different than HD's.
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Love shaft drive.
I never had a "bad" shaft drive. The only crazy experience was on a Virago 1100. The bike had a lot of low RPM torque and that shaft recoiled not unlike a diving board. It didn't impede the ride, but the heavy duty rear shocks got a workout. The Yamaha shaft was pretty generic, and definitely not a Moto Guzzi solution.
H-D provides protection, but it is not absolute...all it takes is once little pebble bouncing where it is not wanted.
Goodyear and others make H-D aftermarket belts, but they are NOT bullet proof.
Do you have a link to the Yamaha claim?
I am not anti-Yamaha (enjoyed a 2017 and 2018) and rode the Bolt before buying the CB1100.
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(11-24-2018, 02:36 PM)SportsterDoc_imp Wrote: (11-24-2018, 02:30 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: Yamaha seemed to strongly urge that their belt on the Bolt would not break because the engineering did not have the short-comings of HD. They also appear to shroud the belt to prevent debris from entering its track. The belt is definitely different than HD's.
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Love shaft drive.
I never had a "bad" shaft drive. The only crazy experience was on a Virago 1100. The bike had a lot of low RPM torque and that shaft recoiled not unlike a diving board. It didn't impede the ride, but the heavy duty rear shocks got a workout. The Yamaha shaft was pretty generic, and definitely not a Moto Guzzi solution.
H-D provides protection, but it is not absolute...all it takes is once little pebble bouncing where it is not wanted.
Goodyear and others make H-D aftermarket belts, but they are NOT bullet proof.
Do you have a link to the Yamaha claim?
I am not anti-Yamaha (enjoyed a 2017 and 2018) and rode the Bolt before buying the CB1100.
No link - this was a face-to-face discussion at a dealer back near July 4th this year. Not trying to promote Yamaha, but was curious at his statement and cannot forget it. Had Yamaha (4) and Honda (3). Prefer Honda overall.
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I am skeptical of verbal claims not backed by a written statement from the factory.
Be interesting to know if that dealer stocks any belts.
As much as I appreciated the Moto Guzzi shaft drive, it did require maintenance in the form of fluid changes. A belt is no maintenance, until it breaks.
Gear belts are getting better and better. In the mid nineties, Honda car cam belts were to be replaced at 60,000 miles. Now it is 90,000.
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I was [skeptical] at first also, but we spoke for awhile and he felt quite genuine. He was clearly a vetran and just wanted to talk technology vs. pushing a bike on me.
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Anyway, the fact that you sampled the Bolt and ended with the CB carries a certain redemption.
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(11-24-2018, 02:47 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: I was [skeptical] at first also, but we spoke for awhile and he felt quite genuine. He was clearly a vetran and just wanted to talk technology vs. pushing a bike on me.
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Anyway, the fact that you sampled the Bolt and ended with the CB carries a certain redemption.
Perhaps the context was for the casual rider, at under perhaps 10,000 miles a year, who may get 5-6 years out of a belt?
H-D belts do not really break that often, but it is generally unexpected...not just from a hole shot or wheelie.
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(11-24-2018, 02:45 PM)SportsterDoc_imp Wrote: I am skeptical of verbal claims not backed by a written statement from the factory.
Be interesting to know if that dealer stocks any belts.
As much as I appreciated the Moto Guzzi shaft drive, it did require maintenance in the form of fluid changes. A belt is no maintenance, until it breaks.
Gear belts are getting better and better. In the mid nineties, Honda car cam belts were to be replaced at 60,000 miles. Now it is 90,000.
Yeah, I view shaft fluid maintenance as a non-issue. Yes, hence my question regarding belt technology: They have significantly improved.
(11-24-2018, 02:52 PM)SportsterDoc_imp Wrote: (11-24-2018, 02:47 PM)GoldOxide_imp Wrote: I was [skeptical] at first also, but we spoke for awhile and he felt quite genuine. He was clearly a vetran and just wanted to talk technology vs. pushing a bike on me.
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Anyway, the fact that you sampled the Bolt and ended with the CB carries a certain redemption.
Perhaps the context was for the casual rider, at under perhaps 10,000 miles a year, who may get 5-6 years out of a belt?
H-D belts do not really break that often, but it is generally unexpected...not just from a hole shot or wheelie.
That was my approach/assumption, but I was corrected. So I learned something new. I even expected belt change regardless of mileage because of UV damage (cracking) and so on. Apparently less of an issue than I assumed.
The learning gave me new respect for the Bolt, but I am done with V-twins for quite awhile. The inlines are somewhat irresistible.
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Well the drive belt on my Yamaha Majesty 400 the recommended replacement was at 12,500 miles., but that was with a CVT transmission
I thought I read on HD's that the recommended life is 100,0000 miles
Belts are not maintenance free, they need periodic adjustment, and they make a special tool for that, they just don't need lubrication.
Yes a rock wedged in between belt and "sprocket" will destroy a belt
it's difficult and expensive to "drop or add a tooth" on a belt drive system to alter gearing
I've heard you have to tear a Harley almost in half to replace a belt
IMO belts are better than chains for most street motorcycle applications, but shafts are better than both(not for sport bikes or off road bikes) .
Honda used to make shaft drive bikes down to 500 cc. Yamaha made a shaft drive 50 cc.
Crawl under your car and see what's under there. Would you prefer a belt or chain drive car? (Honda actually made a chain drive car in the late 50's.)
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Maybe Yamaha is claiming a similar or better maintenance schedule to HD to justify their implementation and be competitive.
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