Belt longevity

[ute]

so i know we are supposed to change belts at 2years  or 6k

so what is the longest you guys have gone without changing  ......talked to a guy the other day who had 8 years and 30k on his

and to add to this age of belt  when it sits in a warehouse and or on the shelf (was at my dealer saw a set there that looked like they had been there for 5 years)

[herm]

i think its 3yr/12k....could be wrong though.
whichever, replacing them as specified is very cheap insurance against the potential consequences.

[Speeddog]

"Old School" interval is 2 years/12k miles, whichever comes first.

The guy at 8 years and 30k is playing with fire.

Like Herm said, it's cheap insurance.

[ducatiz]

i always pick at my old belts like a booger

i pulled a pair of belts off my 650SS, the square toothed variety.. they had about 25k.. not intentionally, i bought it that way. 

both belts looked in perfect shape.  prev owner put belt dressing on them and kept them clean.  edges perfect.

i've seen other bikes with belts that had slightly frayed at 8000 miles.  misalignment of the pulleys, afaik. 

best to eyeball them frequently no matter what.

[Howie]

What you can't see is the aramid thread inside the belt.  If the thread snaps, by by valves.

[jerryz]

I let them go for 3 years max or 12km  but run them at 5-6mm not too tight is crucial.I have 3 Ducatis so they get rotaed for use.

[ute]

i know the recommended interval ...just wondered if we have any dice rollers here


and what of the belts that sit on a shelf

and what is the difference between Duc belts and automotive serpentine belts and or timing belts



why are Duc belts so weak ?

[herm]

its not even that they are weak, just that the manufacturer is fairly conservative.
whoever the manufacturer is.....they set those specs to give a healthy safety margin (for themselves)

[Howie]

The belts are not weak, but both sprocket size and RPM are more extreme than car applications.

[JimE]

The belts are not weak, but both sprocket size and RPM are more extreme than car applications.

Agreed. I would add heat cycles to the list as well. This is why the belts that sit on the shelf are okay. No loading from tight turns around sprockets and no heat cycles. Similar to tires....

[ducpainter]

I went 4 years on my last set.

Not many miles though.

[He Man]

From date of manufacturer, to when i got it... it was 3 years+ a few months. and about 11-12,000 miles. they looked fine..but who knows. they spent 2 session of 4months in storage.

[ute]

great answers

makes sence what you guys are saying ...compared to a car yes tight turns ...and no stress on a shelf


so no real dice rollers here then  ........guess i have a project this winter