I'm rebuilding my 89 lowrider, and I'd like to install a beltdrive...( BDL or Primo )...everything I see is for a 90 and up softy etc...

Is this a matter of just adding a later model starter?

I plan on contacting BDL, just wanted some opinion's from the board.


Later...

 

Are you looking for open or closed primary?

 

open primary

 

i had a bdl open belt drive put on my 90 fxstc, looks cool, well thats what all the guys without one say. first thing i found is that i ended up with a small oil drip from the front sprocket shaft seal, changed it and the spacer still does it, no biggy but with a closed primary it more than likely have had enough pressure from the chain splashing in the oil to keep it from doing it or at least i would of never noticed it. second thing is the bdl jackshaft sucks, id say 3 out of 5 times it would grind. i had the starter taken apart, stock harley starter, and new bendix installed and checked, still did it. the problem with it grinding is so well known you can search the web and find all kinds of posts on the problem and what people have tried to do to correct the problem, now it doesn't happen to every bike but enough of them. i found a place on ebay that sells bullet-proof jackshafts, $90.00, to fix the problem, and sure enough it did. other than that is works great and is cheap. would ii do it again, naaa. seems every one who doesn't have it wants it, they don't know its a lot cheaper to put a belt drive on than to replace everything new, in chrome, with the chain setup. and if you do run one is smart to install an outer cover, you dump it on its side and everything gets sucked up into the belt and your done. but they do look cool.

 

Well...I've found out noone makes a belt drive for a 89 fxr. BDL say's the problem is the tapered shaft. Everything is setup for spline shaft apparently.

...I could get it done but it aint worth the money.

 

I cant figure that out they make a belt set-up forSoftail's with the tapered shaft and the only difference between the two of them would bea shorter belt for you're FXR .The older FXSB Shovel's were Belt primary.

 

yea well whatever or whoever bdl blames the problem on its a easy fix, bulletproof jackshaft. and its been a problem for a long time. the guys at bullitproof aren't rocket scientist and they figured out how to fix it. they even offered to sell the jackshaft to bdl. there belt drive is a good strong and cheap setup. theres another setup out there thats not much more and doesn't give the bdl problem.

 

There are other issues with this...and I'm not going to speculate what they are...I dont know **** about HD's as this is my first. Speaking with a local machine shop tonight I got alot of good info, that amounted to it aint gonna work...

Part of the prob I was told is center to center length or distance...( as mentioned above )...and there was a rubber mount comment as well as something about a spline shaft.


It aint that important...I've spent enough money on this build already and I aint even close to done..

 

Wasn`t that the `80-`81 Sturgis model?Weren`t they solid mt. ,unlike the fxr?And the primary was the enclosed 1 1/2 variety.Toby

 

Yep they were in closed not sure of the years though. Back then everything was solid mount. But I looked today and you can get a belt set-up for a 89 but it is a in closed belt drive