Last Sunday I saw a Street Glide up at Stations Inn (NC Blue Ridge Parkway). There were several hundred bikes there and I never saw the owner to ask any questions.

My questions for you guys is why?

I see them all the time on pretty much every custom bike but not on stock bikes.

Are they safe? (may be why they are not on production bikes)

Any advantages or disadvantages vs closed chain?

Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks in advance

 

I would also like to here someones perspective on this, for me it would get old really fast having to have a elastic around my left pant leg all the time for fear of having my pants ripped off in the primary.

 

Yeah the open primary is good stuff, it, for the most part runs w/ less stress than a closed. That front belt wheel can be lighter & cause less friction on the crankshaft & reduce tension in opposing positions such as the, I say generically, the crankshaft drive wheel & transmission main shaft.

 

They're safe as long as you keep them fed with pant legs.
It's a cool look but louder than a closed primary.

For year people asked HD for a belt primary. Then HD offered the FXB and many replaced the belt primary with a chain... can't win for losing.

 

Seems like having it exposed with a belt is purely for looks and it would have a few mechanical disadvantages...but it does look pretty badass.

 

The chain is heavier & tension is more obvious throughout its revolutions in comparison to a belt drive.
Tensioning a chain, vigilantly is usually not on any, just every body's, agenda; because, personally, an open primary w/ a chain is HOT, to me.

 

Purely to add wickedness - $1.5-2k worth. It does give you one less fluid hole to worry about. But that's a lot of coin to pay for added awesomeness and 1 less quart of oil every couple months.

 

An open Belt Drive ,has been known to "scare" women and small children! It'll also scare the rider when he see's just what it'll do to a tennis shoe!
A friend of my races on the AHDRA in the Top Fuel class, he aint afraid of nothin, he took my little "71" bar hopper for a test ride one afternoon. It had an open belt drive. When he got back he was white as a ghost, he said "this SOB is gonna hurt somebody"! He got his tennis shoe caught in it and basicly it removed most of his tennis shoe and all of his sock. Got both our attentions!!

 

Good idea but wrong place in time the materials weren't up to the job yet . Belt tech has come a LONG way in just the last 10 yrs . Primary belts need a lot closer attention to getting the installation correct like alignment & proper running tension . Done right their great . Done wrong and they'll shred fast in a primary . I've been running them 30 plus yrs including big inch motors , last chain was I had was in a drag bike around 1980 .

PS Had an old buddy in Kansas City who had a pan chop with a 3" open belt and a jockey shift , you figure out how he got the nick " 3 Finger Frank " .

 

I've never been to kean on them myself. But, thats just me.