Chain drive conversion

[mouse]

did my old 4 speed sporty when the belt snapped ( middle lane of m27 on a friday)after finding it was going to cost me £180 to fix .enabled me to play with the final gearing to improve the vibration ,sprockets are cheap.
Also running chain on my big twin as am running a 180 back tire and a tweaked up motor .With a o ring chain there shouldn't be much of a problem and you can change it without pulling all the primary off.

[simonDyna]

Originally Posted by devon.john

I thought about it but it works out a lot more expensive than a belt

I bought two rear sprockets, a front sprocket and a decent chain for less than the price of a belt. I expect to be able to get another chain and still have spent less than the cost of a belt.

Over time, I agree the incremental costs of chains and sprockets being replaced will be more than a single belt replacement but it only takes one misplaced stone to swing the balance back again.

Without doubt, a chain is more maintenance and dirtier but it horses for courses.

[devon.john]

hello Simon
how many mls do you expect to get out of a chain and sprockets?
to change the drive sprocket is the same job as to fit a belt not a fast job
i have picked up rear pulleys as new for £40 a belt is about £140 not cheap
but no maintenance no mess and up to 100,000 mls not bad
i havant bought chains in resent years so dont know there price
please give me some idea as you might be right on price ?
the old belt takes a lot of beating

john (old iron ass )

[Kiwi]

Originally Posted by simonDeuce

a chain is more maintenance

fit a scottoiler

maintenance is then just topping up the oiler - chains last a lot longer

[simonDyna]

Originally Posted by devon.john

hello Simon
how many mls do you expect to get out of a chain and sprockets?
to change the drive sprocket is the same job as to fit a belt not a fast job
i have picked up rear pulleys as new for £40 a belt is about £140 not cheap
but no maintenance no mess and up to 100,000 mls not bad
i havant bought chains in resent years so dont know there price
please give me some idea as you might be right on price ?
the old belt takes a lot of beating

john (old iron ass )

Hi John,

As I said, its horses for courses.

How many miles do I expect to get from a chain and sprockets?
The simple answer is that I do not know. I didnt fit a chain for longevity. My expectations were based on different criteria which ultimately boil down to - I do not expect the chain to snap under the loads I subject it to. I run a big engine that puts out far more power and torque than a stock set up. A belt cant take what my engine throws at it.

Yes the chain will stretch but I can live with that. Since beng fitted, apart from the initial adjustment, I havent had to take up any slack and thats with two drag meetings and the in between miles.

I have snapped a belt with a milder state of tune than I currently run and that was enough to convince me that a chain was the way forward. So much so that over the winter, I will be reverting from a perfectly good belt primary drive to a chain set up with a revised ratio.

The price you quote for an "as new" sprocket sounds good, so well done. There are bargains to be had out there. The only belt replacement I have had to endure was for a heavy duty belt and it came in around £200 for the belt. My chain and sprockets as a job lot cost me just under two thirds of that.

Admittedly, I am getting a discount that is based on a much bigger project and the projected spend.

You correctly say that to replace the front sprocket requires the removal of the primary drive. There is no getting away from that one. However, once done, it opens up the possibilites of changing your final gearing with no more fuss than swapping the rear sprocket. How many times have you searched for another gear when on the motorway? A rear sprocket costs a lot less than a six speed gear box.

As for getting 100,000 miles from a belt, I dont doubt they are out there. I suspect most people will have swapped their bike before clocking up 100,000 miles but I may be wrong. I also suspect that most belts snap through a "mishap", either a stone or being incorrectly adjusted rather than old age or being worn out. A belt could also be replaced as a precaution or because someone has acquired the bike and is rebuilding it with much less than 1000,000 miles on it.

I have only met one person in the UK that has 100,000 miles out of the original belt. He was actually having the belt replaced free of charge at HarleyWorld in Chesterfield, paid for by Harley Davidson UK, no less. HDUK wanted the original belt as a souvenir. I am sure there are several people who have high mileage bikes on the stock belt and thats great.

Ultimately I wouldnt argue the case against belts. There is far too much evidence to back up what a good step forward they are. However, they are not all things to all men (and women) and chains are still the way to go under certain circumstances.

As Kiwi points out, chain maintenance doesnt have to be a chore. There are devices on the market that are designed to help. I dont use one but thats because it doesnt suit my need, not that it doesnt do the job.

As a conclusion, only you know if you want to run a chain set up or not. There is no overwhelming case for them.

[grbrown]

I haven't owned a chain driven bike since 1977 (except MZ strokers, with fully enclosed chain) and don't expect to ever again! (Or MZs)

It is always possible to use occasional personal experiences to support or defeat an argument, however belts are lighter, quieter, require nil maintenance, survive unscathed in the worst of weather, last a great deal longer and are more efficient than a chain. Only with extreme power outputs (such as Simon's brute!) are they likely to be found wanting.

I have owned three bikes with belts and travelled around 80,000 miles with them. I replaced the belt and pulleys on one bike, but only because it was undergoing unrelated major surgery. Otherwise they have required no maintenance and cost me nothing. My current Buell's belt has the life expectancy of the bike!

Even my MZs, in around 100,000 miles, with low power and with the most cossetted chains ever, required replacement chains. I have had broken chains on earlier bikes, but admittedly that is many years ago now.

The chain is dead - long live the belt!

[devon.john]

hello Simon
i hope you find the sun on your holiday, i here though the grape vine that your
meeting up with some of are boys on the boat.
dont let them lead you a stray especially old essjay
there not bad but easily lead
have a good one, wish i was coming

john ( old iron ass )

[simonDyna]

John,
Thanks for the comments. I shall lock myself in my cabin and not venture out until they have all gone to bed.

Actually, I've only been up country for three years. I'm from down there originally. I know there are three a's in paaasty and that the world ends at the Tamar Bridge. Beyond the bridge there are dragons, pixies and strange folk that live in a different time period to the rest of the planet.

I've still got a place at Bovisands and my mum is up at Paignton. My uncle and cousin are part of the furniture in Turnchaple. I went to school in Totnes and so on.

I'm sure we will have a good laugh. No doubt you will hear the tales at a later date.

Simon