Pierced drive belt 1995 FLHT – Advice from H-D & HTT

[Hossamania]

Just sayin'.
 It's on my list to clean up that weld. For the last 15 years. My neighbor only had some 3/4" wrought iron to use, so that's what it got.

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[FSG]

just for interest .....

-J00090   SECONDARY BELT EMERGENCY KIT

-J02189   EMERGENCY DRIVE BELT REPLACEMENT KIT


both long time obsolete although I'm sure there's some kicking around on eBay 

[motorhogman]

My service manual essentially says OK to run if stone damage is in center (keep an eye on it) & replace if damage is on edge.  Your damage appears not quite on the edge  I would monitor it for now, if the belt has an undamaged cord between the damage & the outside edge you are probably in pretty good shape.  FWIW Harley used to sell an emergency "repair kit" which was basically a belt splice and some attaching hardware.  Anybody remember those?  I never heard anyone discuss them and it looks like their availability may be long gone.

I do remember those.. A friend of mine broke a belt while up at Laconia one year.. He had trailered his bike up to Laconia so he drove over to a dealer in VT that had one of those. We followed the instructions to a T installing it.. Got about 50 mi out of it before it started to come apart.. Waste of $$

That's actually all they were rated for, about 50 miles of very easy riding to get to a shop. Or to a main road to get help.

Like I said a WASTE of $$..

[Deye76]

My friend put one of those emergency belts coming from Daytona one year, made it 500 miles home, then the rest of the summer. 
"The emergency belt allows the rider to
ride the motorcycle to the nearest (less than 200 miles)
Harley-Davidson service facility"

Whoever said 50 miles, maybe they were thinking about donut spare tires.

[motorhogman]

My friend put one of those emergency belts coming from Daytona one year, made it 500 miles home, then the rest of the summer. 
"The emergency belt allows the rider to
ride the motorcycle to the nearest (less than 200 miles)
Harley-Davidson service facility"

Whoever said 50 miles, maybe they were thinking about donut spare tires.

LOL..  I sure know we expected more than the miniscule amount of mi we got out of the one we installed.

[GeoRocket]

Hello Everyone –

I'm coming back to HTT for your advice and experience regarding replacement of my drive belt.  1995 FLHT with 75kmi.  I'm the original owner.  Bike has been well maintained and not abused.

I picked up a small stone earlier this spring and pierced the drive belt so I'm not going to take any long trips until I replace it.  https://harleytechtalk.com/htt/index.php/topic,120261.0.html

I also developed a small leak coming from the front pulley area this spring, so I have 2 reasons to do this repair sooner rather than later.  The leak is from the primary side and is just a few drops after a ride.  I determined this using UV dye.  I think this is good news as it means my inner primary bearing race has not walked to the right, and that the transmission seals are not leaking.

I have acquired the new HD parts and plan to replace the belt and both pulleys.  I have the FSM.  I am trying to pull together the custom tools I will need.

I have a few questions please:

1. Do I need to remove the inner primary race in order to remove the transmission pulley?

2. Do I need to remove the inner primary race in order to remove/replace the "Oil Seal, mainshaft fifth gear" HD 12035B?  (I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.)

3. If I remove the inner primary bearing race, can I re-use it if it's not damaged?  Is it a matched set with the bearing?  It does not appear to be as it is sold separately.  BTW - I have no noises that would indicate a damaged inner primary bearing.

4. The leak is from the primary side, not from the transmission.  Do I need to replace all seals on the transmission side if they are NOT leaking?  I don't look forward to picking out the "Oil Seal, mainshaft fifth gear" HD 12035B and removing the inner primary race if I don't have to.

5. Can I work the new belt on without completely removing the rear fork (swing arm) by just tapping the pivot shaft to the right?  I have heard that this is possible.  I know that removing this shaft can be problematic on an older bike.

Of course I plan to inspect the rear fork and all rubber parts and I will replace parts as necessary.  I think that it's great that many parts are still available from HD. 
Any other advice?  Thanks much for your help with this!

George

[rigidthumper]

1. Do I need to remove the inner primary race in order to remove the transmission pulley?
No
2. Do I need to remove the inner primary race in order to remove/replace the "Oil Seal, mainshaft fifth gear" HD 12035B?  (I'm pretty sure the answer is yes.)
Yes
3. If I remove the inner primary bearing race, can I re-use it if it's not damaged?  Is it a matched set with the bearing?  It does not appear to be as it is sold separately.  BTW - I have no noises that would indicate a damaged inner primary bearing.
Yes, but inspect for wear. Not a matched set, but wear pattern do emerge.
4. The leak is from the primary side, not from the transmission.  Do I need to replace all seals on the transmission side if they are NOT leaking?  I don't look forward to picking out the "Oil Seal, mainshaft fifth gear" HD 12035B and removing the inner primary race if I don't have to.
No, but I always replace the shifter shaft seal, because they tend to leak. A lot.
5. Can I work the new belt on without completely removing the rear fork (swing arm) by just tapping the pivot shaft to the right?  I have heard that this is possible.  I know that removing this shaft can be problematic on an older bike.

Yes, there will be enough of a gap on the primary side once the mount/rubber are removed- take care not to fold the belt- that will kill it's life span.

[RKRuss]

I was pretty lucky with my 2000 Road King. Bought it second hand in 2002 and the first time I washed it I noticed a small stone stuck in a hole, pretty much in the centre of the belt. I removed the stone and promptly sourced a new genuine belt for the replacement of that holed belt, which I was convinced was going to snap at any moment.

Yep, that new belt is still in it's box in a cupboard and the holed belt is still on the bike to this day. It's now covered 180,000 kms!

[GeoRocket]

rigidthumper - Thanks much for the specific answers.  Very helpful!
RKRuss - Thanks for that information.  The hole in my belt is not getting bigger after 800 miles or so.  I will likely wait until fall or spring or....
I appreciate the guidance and everyone at HTT!!
Be safe out there.  And in the shop too.
George

[pauly]

Hi Georocket,
If it was me, that little voice in the back of my head would be saying "hope that belt doesn't break", about every 200 meters, and I'd just have to change it! Expensive job though, because when you look at the bearings and seals you "may as well replace while you're in there", and the cost of pulleys, it really adds up!

Thanks
Pauly

rigidthumper - Thanks much for the specific answers.  Very helpful!
RKRuss - Thanks for that information.  The hole in my belt is not getting bigger after 800 miles or so.  I will likely wait until fall or spring or....
I appreciate the guidance and everyone at HTT!!
Be safe out there.  And in the shop too.
George