while cleaning the scooter today i noticed a rock impeded in the belt. got it out but it has a small hole in the center of the belt. anybody have this happen to them? I am wondering how long it will last or ifs its no big deal.
Thanks Wils

 

Center of belt no big deal, cut on edge of belt means mandatory replacement. Check the condition of your pulleys too.

 

a friend snapped a belt on a trip that had a rock hole clear through it......but it wasn't even close to where the belt broke. I just wouldn't plan a trip without replacing it

 

Agreed... Not a "major" issue at this point. BUT... If it were me, for my own peace of mind, I may replace it before a trip. And do try to check your pulleys. The rock got pushed in there somehow... right?

 

+1 for sure check the pulleys and start thinking of and writing down what you can do to the bike while you have it apart for the replacement.

 

Swap it out...for piece of mind.

 

Hole in the belt will snap sooner or later, it did for me. I put a small stone through my belt about 1/3 from the edge, took it to the dealer and they said "don't worry about it". I was stopped at the traffic lights and some dude in a car came up beside me and wanted to race, so what do you do? I gave it a handful and launched and got the holeshot (no pun intended). The next thing was the awful sound of my motor bouncing off the rev limiter and the bike losing speed. I realized what had happened and looked back to see my belt lying along the road behind me, and a line of cars that were not to happy as I was now holding them up.

To cut to the chase, I replaced the belt myself, but it is a lot of work; primary, clutch, inner primary, rear wheel, swingarm, etc. I would hatte to think what the dealer charges.

 

Do you really have to remove all that just to change a belt?

I don't have my bike here in front of me, but thinking about it in my head I don't think it would be anywhere near that much work.

-Barry-

 

The short answer is yes. Take a peak in your shop manual and you'll see. Replaced my son's belt but we already had the motor out for a rebuild. The belt rides on a pulley that is behind the clutch pack. The swing arm doesn't have to come all the way off, but you will have to remove the shaft that it pivots on. If you've seen it done before you could do it in a day, otherwise, expect to do it in a weekend. Once you get started you'll see it's not that bad, just time consuming. An electric impact is a real help.

 

Yep, it's a pain. I thought my bike looked much better without all those plastic belt guards, never again.