I'm not sure anything more than a 2" drive will fit with the floorboards unless you extend them out. I put XBones boards on mine and the "just" clear the belt drive.



Not sure there is a great advantage with the 2" drive, but 3" or better has a lot more bility to put the power of big motors to the trans without worry of breaking...... Primary tensioner is history too.

 

There are no advantages to a belt drive that I am aware of. H-D tired it for three years and scrapped it, that might tell you something .....

 

Thanks for the more close-up pic, Chuck! That gives me a better idea of what the open belt drive looks like, and how it fits with the boards.

Well, I have been doing some of my own research and it appears that the open belt drive has quite a few advantages (as well as disadvantages) compared to the closed chain drive that comes stock.

Just in case you guys are curious, this is what I've come across:

Advantages:
1. Gives a higher power to rubber ratio. Haven't actually been able to find statistics on this, but so far, everyone has agreed that switching to a belt drive increases performance and HP numbers. Even with a 2".

2. Shaves weight. Not sure how this is an advantage in the real world, but any decrease in weight is considered an improvement. In racing, especially, this would be significant. But for us, I believe it would mainly shift our center of balance upward. Again, I'd like to find real numbers to see how much weight we are actually talking about. For now, it is an arbitrary weight loss.

3. Maintenance. Seems pretty easy. Being a "dry" system. The belt drive requires no lubing. So, it runs clean and worry free. The enclosed chain drives obviously need lubing and can be prone to leakage at times.

4. Open. It is in the name. Being belt driven, it is desired to have an open system to prevent overheating. Though this is not an exact comparison to the chain drive, it is a likely explanation of why Harley scrapped the belt drive from before. It is my understanding that they had an enclosed belt drive, instead of open. Anything enclosed tends to build heat, so this open system dissipates the heat, running cooler.

5. Strength and Elasticity. Kevlar belts are often stronger and longer lasting than the best chains on the market. Basically, you go slap one on and go without worry of wear and tear, or constant maintenance. The elasticity of the belt allows a smooth transition of power to the drivetrain and the deletion of the compensating sprocket.

6. Looks. Open belt drives definitely gain attention wherever you go, and look good on just about any ride. It is a winner through and through if you are concerned with appearances.

7. Noise. Okay, this is one that is usually placed in the disadvantage section of any comparison, but since Chuck said he liked it (and I would like to hear it) it goes in the advantage section. Plus, this noise is of no concern, is natural, and just means your bike is working wonderfully. Only thing is, this noise is usually muffled by the lubrication and closed system on stock models, so most people are not accustomed to hearing it. Let us decide to see the glass half-full and consider this an awesome aspect of having an open belt drive system.

Disadvantages:

1. Best if used in dry environment. Wet or oily areas can cause a great deal of slippage on the belt drive. Slippage is not a good thing. That is just common sense.

2. If belt is damaged, an entire replacement is needed, as belts cannot be repaired like chains.

3. Temperature variances can cause damage. Hot to cold, etc.



If it were up to me, I'd say that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. I appreciate the input of everyone in this topic and for bringing it up. I had never really considered an open belt drive before. But, as you can see, I am easily swayed (at times) to consider new things. This has definitely been placed in my "potential mods" file. I didn't feel its advantages quite met the "needed mods" file, but it does have a good priority once my "neededs" are out of the way.

 

TX- Outlaw...your bike looks awesome!

 

Had an open BDL belt drive on my chopper for years. No real performance advantage. But cool as hell to get to the charging system and rear chain/belt drive easily. They are cool as hell systems and I would put a 2 incher on my heritage in a heartbeat if I had the cashola. If you have an FL bike with boards and run a 2 inch no worries of getting something caught in it. Unless you just don't pay attention. Oh yeah if you get a BDL MAKE SURE you follow the instructions perfectly. Esspecially the part about red loctite on the tranny splines and front pulley nut. I have personally seen a front motor pulley COME OFF going down the road. It was an impressive site. Luckily it was at low speeds and my buddy had no damage.

 

Does the BDL have a guard like the PM, or no? Also, do you happen to have retained any pics from back then? I'd love to see what the BDL model looks like installed.

 

Not a very good close up pic but the only guard I ran was a custom made one around the front pulley (it is black if you can see it). The center guard was the only one I ran other than that. The only reason I ran the front guard is because I am short and my left heel rested on that guard.



Here is a stock BDL 3 incher with all the covers on it.



Stock BDL 2 inch with all the covers.

 

what happened to the good ol days off open 3"inch belt drives and no guards

i have a open 3" belt on my 76 stroker shovel, defiently a upgrade over the standard set up, you would be pretty hard pressed to destroy a belt if looked after well

 

I agree. It really takes ALOT to destroy a 2 or 3 inch wide belt. A buddy managed to put a hole in his from a rock years ago. I think he still runs the same belt. They are very reliable systems that get a lot of negativity from people who have never even installed or ran one.

 

I'd love to put one of these on my ride. I have the Harley Goodies floorboard extensions which gives at least an extra inch to inch and a quarter. I'd imagine a 3" would fit! But...I need about $3000 for that PM one that I really like the looks of. Time to start saving.

Drew