Chain or belt?

[Mike McGreevy]

Hey everyone am going to be getting a Harley in the next 6 months or so and I need some help about deciding to get a belt or chain drive.... Both for the primary and 2nd dary drive.... I have had nothing but chains on my bikes so what is the +s and -s of a belts over a chain? How many miles will a belt get? ect....
Thanks
Mike

[SavageSun4x4]

Guess a lot depends on :confused::confused: whatever.

I had a belt drive on mine I bought new in"94 and I sold this year. Never replaced the belt.:D Contributes to a smooth ride.

[Hivemind]

I don't know any reason to go chain over belt accept for looks, belts don't stretch as bad, wear as bad or break as often as chains (from what I hear)

[Mike McGreevy]

I've never have hurd anything about belts execpt for if you piss someone off enough you can get you belt cut off you bike leaving you stuck..

[Huck]

My recommendations: ( I built my first HD in '87 and quite a few since then, current owner of three HD's that are licensed, insured and running) Out of my three bikes, all three have primary chains and two have final drive chains.

Belts vs. Chains- A lot depends on what you are going to be doing/building your bike to do. Its a lot like asking do I need a D44 or D60 for my 35" tires.... If you build a high horsepower motor and want to run it, you'll want a final drive chain. Just look at any of the 'built' bikes that you see on TV or at events and you'll see the 90% of them all run a final drive chain. They are stronger than belts and can take the abuse that horsepower/torque can dish out. I also only believe in using primary drive chains. Again, strength and reliability is key with my selections. Yes, chains stretch and need oil to perform and belts don't.... Early Evo belts were not that reliable and HD worked them over to produce a reliable final drive belt. Stocker and slightly modified motors are no match for the factory HD belt. They hold up very well in this scenario. What you don't ever see is a factory primary belt drive. Ask yourself why that is? Expense, how to keep it cool, reliability? Well, its not certainly expense, so turn your thoughts to the other two questions. Belt drive primaries are hard to keep cool or hard to keep reliable. Those shovelheads with the huge 3" exposed belt drive primaries are rarely used for more than puddle jumpers. Imagine what happens as you go through a gravel lot or anything that may send a lil rock onto your drive belt. It gets sucked into the pulley and reeks havoc on the belt drive. I've seen people eat pulleys while just scooting down the road. The other option is to seal the belt up so that it isn't exposed to these 'road hazards'. Well, then its tough keeping them cool and that leads to premature failure. I'm not a believer in building bikes with primary belt drives for any OTR application. For a puddle jumper, I could see using it for the look.

Another reason I shy away from belt (primary or secondary) is that they can be tough to replace while on the road. A custom primary drive can put you out of commision for days waiting for a part to be shipped and praying that it is the correct belt for your application. Chains can be found at any dealership HD, Honda, Yamahopper, etc. Chains are easy to fix and replace links in. Its much like why I don't believe in fat tired bikes. Try to buy a spare fat tire while on the road..... A regular size tire can be bought at any dealership-HD, Honda, Yamahopper, etc....

I'm opinionated when it comes to these things. My opinions have been formed after over 100K miles in the saddle of HD's. I know what works for my applications and what doesn't. Normally there are many factors that go into these opinions/decisions. Feel free to PM for further info. I barely touched the surface of the many reasons I choose to run a chain on the majority of my bikes and why I leave my Road King running its belt. I have no issues delving into it a little more.

[Wind_Danzer]

I own a shaft driven bike currently. I didn't care for the old chain bike I had as it was quite noisy.

Do Harley's have shaft driven bikes, if so I wouldn't overlook them.

[mysunnshine]

Do Harley's have shaft driven bikes, if so I wouldn't overlook them.


Now that's funny.......

[p14175]

I have a 1986 1100 Sportster. A couple years later H-D came out with a belt drive retrofit for the bike and I went for it. It smoothed out the ride a bit -- which it needed. The best thing it did; however, was change the gearing just enough so I was no longer shifting gears at exactly 35 mph. That was really annoying for in-town riding.

I still have the bike. The original retro belt has been on it for almost 20 years. I suspect it needs to be changed, but I haven't ridden in a few years.

[Wind_Danzer]

Now that's funny.......

Considering I don't care for Harley's, I don't know what their drivetrains consist of.

Not trying to be funny.

[mysunnshine]

It is funny because you recommend somthing that you later profess to know nothing about. Harley's have never had a shaft drive.

[Huck]

Jamie,
I got the pleasure of switching up scooters on a trip through the Painted Desert, about this time, last year. I rode a shaft-driven, BMW sport-tourer well into the 130's, on some open stretches of the Painted Desert. Smooth and quiet, the whole bike was... Chains can be noisey. They require maintenance to keep them running smoothly. Lube and propper tension work wonders for that. As does replacement of both, chains and sprockets, when worn. My chain driven bikes are no more noisey, in the final drive section, than my belt driven bike. However, drivetrain noise is covered up by other mechanical sounds (both bikes have pre-1962 motors in them).

I know you like riding and chose to ride a metric cruiser. I relate to the fact that you take pleasure in being in the wind, whether its on your motorcycle or in your TJ.

[Wind_Danzer]

It is funny because you recommend somthing that you later profess to know nothing about. Harley's have never had a shaft drive.

I said I know nothing about Harley's, doesn't mean I know nothing about motorcycles in general.

I have had both chain and shaft bikes, I will only use shaft bikes now as they are quieter, cleaner and require less MX.

[mysunnshine]

Do Harley's have shaft driven bikes, if so I wouldn't overlook them.


It's still damn funny even implying that Harley's have a shaft drive final. You still recommended a product that you said that you know nothing about-That's the point I'm making. I just couldn't post up somthing like that without doing some kind of research first to verify that what I'm saying is at least 1/2 true..

[lpennock]

In the primary If you are going to run a closed primary you will want a chain. The heat build up on the primary is hard on belts. I've ran 14mm closed primary belts but usually strip the teeth off about once a year. Usually going into second gear across an intersection when the rice rocket was next to my stroker.

On the rear it is kind of choice between maintenance and tire size. You can get a wider tire into the same area with a chain than with a belt. 1/2 wide vs. ~2" wide. With the belt as long as you don't cut it somehow it will last much longer than a chain. I've got over 50K miles on my current belt with a bagger that makes 105 ft-lb at the rear wheel and I like to use the power. You also don't need to lube the belt. The belt is also quieter than the chain but with Drag pipes who cares. ;)

Some will tell you that the belt won't take HP but I've seen them stand up to over 125 ft-lb of rear wheel torque. I haven't really seen them break any more often than the 530 chains.

The biggest advantage to the chain is gear selection. There are a lot more sprocket combinations available with a chain and because you can cut the chain to length you are limited in combinations as much as you are with a belt.

If you do run a belt you should run the factory big fugly belt guard to keep debris out of the belt. Debris like rocks is the worst thing for a belt and will really shorten their life.

[vwkaferman]

My recommendations: ( I built my first HD in '87 and quite a few since then, current owner of three HD's that are licensed, insured and running) Out of my three bikes, all three have primary chains and two have final drive chains.

Belts vs. Chains- A lot depends on what you are going to be doing/building your bike to do. Its a lot like asking do I need a D44 or D60 for my 35" tires.... If you build a high horsepower motor and want to run it, you'll want a final drive chain. Just look at any of the 'built' bikes that you see on TV or at events and you'll see the 90% of them all run a final drive chain. They are stronger than belts and can take the abuse that horsepower/torque can dish out. I also only believe in using primary drive chains. Again, strength and reliability is key with my selections. Yes, chains stretch and need oil to perform and belts don't.... Early Evo belts were not that reliable and HD worked them over to produce a reliable final drive belt. Stocker and slightly modified motors are no match for the factory HD belt. They hold up very well in this scenario. What you don't ever see is a factory primary belt drive. Ask yourself why that is? Expense, how to keep it cool, reliability? Well, its not certainly expense, so turn your thoughts to the other two questions. Belt drive primaries are hard to keep cool or hard to keep reliable. Those shovelheads with the huge 3" exposed belt drive primaries are rarely used for more than puddle jumpers. Imagine what happens as you go through a gravel lot or anything that may send a lil rock onto your drive belt. It gets sucked into the pulley and reeks havoc on the belt drive. I've seen people eat pulleys while just scooting down the road. The other option is to seal the belt up so that it isn't exposed to these 'road hazards'. Well, then its tough keeping them cool and that leads to premature failure. I'm not a believer in building bikes with primary belt drives for any OTR application. For a puddle jumper, I could see using it for the look.

Another reason I shy away from belt (primary or secondary) is that they can be tough to replace while on the road. A custom primary drive can put you out of commision for days waiting for a part to be shipped and praying that it is the correct belt for your application. Chains can be found at any dealership HD, Honda, Yamahopper, etc. Chains are easy to fix and replace links in. Its much like why I don't believe in fat tired bikes. Try to buy a spare fat tire while on the road..... A regular size tire can be bought at any dealership-HD, Honda, Yamahopper, etc....

I'm opinionated when it comes to these things. My opinions have been formed after over 100K miles in the saddle of HD's. I know what works for my applications and what doesn't. Normally there are many factors that go into these opinions/decisions. Feel free to PM for further info. I barely touched the surface of the many reasons I choose to run a chain on the majority of my bikes and why I leave my Road King running its belt. I have no issues delving into it a little more.

Great Post man. I'm no Harley man but my Step Dad is. He's always had belts on his but his bikes have always been near stock.

Man, can't wait to get home and get back in the saddle. Traveling for work sure is hard on the bike time! Not to mention the temperature difference, Single digit temps here in Des Moines, Iowa.

James