Depends on how much horsepower you're pushing

 

 

Belt drive is the greatest invention since hydraulic forks. Harley belts last 70,000 miles. They have low weight. A shaft drive has a lot of unsprung weight. Shaft drive has more parts to wear and fail. Chains are great for racing. Who wants to oil a chain every 300 miles? Sometimes you can go 600 miles before oiling a drive chain but even then how can you do any touring or even a long day trip with that kind of maintenance requirements. If you swap out your belt drive for a chain it will never last as long as a belt. A chain stretches much faster than a belt. Looking over the maintenance intervals you can see a belt can go 100 times further before needing maintenance. 100 times further before you need to replace the belt. 100 times further before you need to adjust the belt tension. You've probably gone through several tires by that time. So with a belt you literally NEVER need to adjust the belt except for the times you replace the tire. Reinstalling a rear wheel entails adjusting the belt.

In my eyes it's a no brainer. Who in there right minds would want a chain over a belt? The only advantages of a chain are in modified engines with high horse power and riders that don't put many miles on their cycle.

 

Who in there right minds would want a chain over a belt? The only advantages of a chain are in modified engines with high horsepower

Kind of answered your own question there, didn't ya?

 

 

Chains have a time & place fortunately it was 20 years ago unless your one of those guys chasing the ultimate ponies.

 

Nothing wrong with belts, as long as it's for a street application.

Haven't seen too many belts fail. 1 actually. That was with a huge engine with a 100hp wet shot on launch. Sheared the teeth.

Broke chains happen more often. Heck, I've broke chains, and thrown 'em.

 

I converted my last bike to a chain and loved it. Sure you have to adjust a new chain after a few hundred miles but I didn't have to do it very often after that. I read where a chain is louder than a belt and I suppose that's true but I never heard mine due to the fact that my pipes were so loud. Now I think I will convert to a chain on my Deluxe.

 

That love affair will wilt trust me, adjusting the chain at least weekly depending on your riding habits, changing out the sprockets every 8-10,000 miles, constantly cleaning chain lube off the bike of if your one of those who doesn't lube sprocket & chain life cuts in half, increased vibration that starts rattling stuff loose on the bike that you don't notice till it becomes a problem because it builds slowly and your still enamored with the new toys. Dropping a chain at 65 and you don't have a spare master or it wrapped up and busted primary or trans parts off, ect ect.

I could go on got all kinda dirty fun chain related stories I could tell you, rode & dicked with chains 30 odd years and went through some gyrations converting my old shovel over to belt. Best thing I ever did for her.