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Belt Drive?

  • Thread starter Thread starter klhilberg
  • Start date Start date
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klhilberg

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I'm not really a fan of chain since I hate cleaning chain lube off of my rim constantly. Has anyone evr seen a conversin to belt drive on a gs? I'm thinking there might be enough room especially if the rear belt offset over the hub a little.
 
Save yourself some grief and buy a shaftie. If you are worried about some loss of performance with the extra weight, make it an 1100.
 
Belt Drive

Belt Drive

People install turbos, Fuel injection and everything else that you can think. There will be many people who will tell it's not worth it. With the right capabilities you can do it. The oly question is if you want to deal with what takes to get it done. I have many ideas that in truth I really don't have time or energy to mess with but they are on my "someday list".
 
Just head on down to your local HD and get a price just of any Harley with a belt, counter pulley and rear pulley. Then times it by 10 for the cost of making one to fit a GS, then there's the problem of the sprocket cover cause the pulley has to be big. When it's all said and done you could of bought yourself 10 GS's.

Best bet is to buy a good o-ring chain and don't get to crazy with the spray lube. Or paint the rim black
 
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I just looked on the Alpha Sports website, and the 1994 to 2007 LS 650 Savage has a belt drive.

It looks to me, that this would be a place to start.

Dink, do you have any information on whether the Cush Drive and Front Sprocket will fit?

Good Luck!
 
There are no off the shelf kits or NOS conversions for chain to belt drive for any of the GS bikes. So...

Start with finding out the final drive ratio of all the existing belt drive bikes and yours. There aren't that many. (That alone should tell you something.) H-Ds, a couple of Kawasakis, a 750 and something else, the Savage, and now the Buells. And there are some model Buells that had big time belt trouble so find out which ones and scratch those from your list.

Any of them match yours? Cuz that is what you're going to be limited to. You'll lose the convenience of easy, relatively cheap final drive adjustment you have with a chain.

Do some measuring, will the pulleys fit? How much maching to fit and adapt the pulleys to your engine and rear wheel? Will the belt still be in proper tension at full shock compression and extension? Much more critical than a chain. Might require a tensioner along the swingarm run. Will the belt and pulleys fit lengthwise in your swingarm, not too long or short is it?

Get the answers to these questions and you'll have more before you start spending $$.

Or just take Racin' Jake's advice buy a good O (or X) ring chain go easy on the lube and wipe the rim with a rag sprayed with WD-40 when things get dirty.
 
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During the Sturgis motorcycle rally I close my fab shop and open my harley repair and welding shop. Most of what my guys do for an entire week is replace HD drive belts and do oil changes. To change a drive belt a dresser runs $600 with parts. A sportster is $250. Something to think about.... They already have the sprockets and the belts run well over $100 each. I have 3 guys doing nothing but changing belts and we move 12 to 15 through the shop each day for 7 days Still want a belt drive?
 
This is a silly idea. Keep the chain or get a GS shaftie. Either way, enjoy your GS for what it is, instead of trying to make it into what it is not.
 
Belt are for scooter boys like my 01 Sporty and chains are for real bikers. Come this summer my sporty will be a true bike.

Kinda funny to think what some of those hard core 60's-70's bikers would say about a belt. They look real tuff with rubber belts around their waist instead of a chain :wink:
 
madjack57754 said:
During the Sturgis motorcycle rally I close my fab shop and open my harley repair and welding shop. Most of what my guys do for an entire week is replace HD drive belts and do oil changes. To change a drive belt a dresser runs $600 with parts. A sportster is $250. Something to think about.... They already have the sprockets and the belts run well over $100 each. I have 3 guys doing nothing but changing belts and we move 12 to 15 through the shop each day for 7 days Still want a belt drive?
Click to expand...

I'm in the wrong business. How many GS's have those Harley guys bought for you?
 
klhilberg said:
I'm not really a fan of chain since I hate cleaning chain lube off of my rim constantly. Has anyone evr seen a conversin to belt drive on a gs? I'm thinking there might be enough room especially if the rear belt offset over the hub a little.
Click to expand...

Go to scootworks.com.They make belt drive conversions for vulcans.One guy made one for his bike,got scootworks involved,now it is one of their regular items.You are only limited by your imagination.It would be almost impossible for you to convert a shaft bike like mine,and i would prefer the shaft because i am not into tireburning.
 
ron bayless said:
Go to scootworks.com.They make belt drive conversions for vulcans.One guy made one for his bike,got scootworks involved,now it is one of their regular items.You are only limited by your imagination.It would be almost impossible for you to convert a shaft bike like mine,and i would prefer the shaft because i am not into tireburning.
Click to expand...

So Ron, make up your mind. In one breath you tell the guy "You are only limited by your imagination." In the very next sentance you report that "it would be almost impossible to convert a shaft bike like mine."

If you think a project is only limited by imagination your financial resources must certainly be unlimited.
 
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