Belt Drive?

[rino60]

I'm just wondering if anyone has seen or performed a belt drive conversion for their fizzer... I reckon it would make it wholly unique.

 

[killernoodle]

I'm just wondering if anyone has seen or performed a belt drive conversion for their fizzer... I reckon it would make it wholly unique.

There isnt enough room for a belt on the FZ6. The chain is narrow enough to work on, but a belt drive would have clearance issues everywhere (swingarm, frame, front sprocket area).

Plus nobody makes parts, so I'm guessing the answer is going to be no.

 

[rino60]

There isnt enough room for a belt on the FZ6. The chain is narrow enough to work on, but a belt drive would have clearance issues everywhere (swingarm, frame, front sprocket area).

Plus nobody makes parts, so I'm guessing the answer is going to be no.

Fair enough - I just found another thread that dead ended... I just think a belt drive looks so 'tidy', and couldn't care much less about a slight loss in power.

 

[RJ2112]

Fair enough - I just found another thread that dead ended... I just think a belt drive looks so 'tidy', and couldn't care much less about a slight loss in power.

There were a number of Buells that ran belt drives.... I don't think width is as much of a concern as it might be. I recall the belts were pretty narrow due to improved materials, etc. The bigger issue is the need to keep the belt properly tensioned.

If you look at the Buell designs, there's an idler puller below the front sprocket to take up the slack that occurs with swing arm motion. You'd have to replicate that, to make the system work well. Otherwise you would strip the teeth off the belt in short order.

 

[rino60]

There were a number of Buells that ran belt drives.... I don't think width is as much of a concern as it might be. I recall the belts were pretty narrow due to improved materials, etc. The bigger issue is the need to keep the belt properly tensioned.

If you look at the Buell designs, there's an idler puller below the front sprocket to take up the slack that occurs with swing arm motion. You'd have to replicate that, to make the system work well. Otherwise you would strip the teeth off the belt in short order.

Yeah, looking at a pic I snapped of a Buell the other day I saw that it was a belt drive, only about 1" wide... And I saw that tensioning pulley as well... Maybe I should research. Crappy thing is that the only bike wreckers for about 4 hours closed down a month ago.

 

[killernoodle]

There were a number of Buells that ran belt drives.... I don't think width is as much of a concern as it might be. I recall the belts were pretty narrow due to improved materials, etc. The bigger issue is the need to keep the belt properly tensioned.

If you look at the Buell designs, there's an idler puller below the front sprocket to take up the slack that occurs with swing arm motion. You'd have to replicate that, to make the system work well. Otherwise you would strip the teeth off the belt in short order.

Look at how close the sprocket is to the swingarm. now make the sprocket 4x wider. It will hit the swingarm. Now look inside the frame where the chain goes in there. The front sprocket would need to be about 4x wider as well to accomidate the belt.

Why not just get a buell?

 

[FinalImpact]

That's only half the problem, the sprocket needs be located at the swing arm pivot as the geometry of the output shaft allows the chain to go slack depending on the swing arm position. A belt can not go slack or it slips. . .

You need to redesign the rear suspension and move the gear box output shaft. Not to mention adding more strength to the shafts bearings as it runs a higher tension than a chain.

 

[rino60]

That's only half the problem, the sprocket needs be located at the swing arm pivot as the geometry of the output shaft allows the chain to go slack depending on the swing arm position. A belt can not go slack or it slips. . .

You need to redesign the rear suspension and move the gear box output shaft. Not to mention adding more strength to the shafts bearings as it runs a higher tension than a chain.

I've got a mate with an XJR1300 who can buy a bolt on kit for his for a bit over $1000 delivered. Why can't we be so lucky!

 

[killernoodle]

That's only half the problem, the sprocket needs be located at the swing arm pivot as the geometry of the output shaft allows the chain to go slack depending on the swing arm position. A belt can not go slack or it slips. . .

You need to redesign the rear suspension and move the gear box output shaft. Not to mention adding more strength to the shafts bearings as it runs a higher tension than a chain.

Not true, the buell system does not pivot at the front sprocket, it uses a tensioner to keep belt tension constant, regardless of swingarm position.