and yet indian has the belt change interval at 30,000 miles.

 

I have an '01 and an '03, still on the original belts.... they are in great shape and running well...

 

The belt on my 1983 is 36 years old. I think you’ll be ok...

 

That sounds crazy but it’s spot on. I bought a new Yamaha Warrior in 05, by the time it had 3k on it, a gravel from my driveway (country boy here) flipped up and went into the belt when it went through the pulley, perfectly dead center. The edges were fine.
I took the belt off, used a pick and dug out all the frags, filled in where the gravel came out with super glue and 35k later, that spot is exactly the same. It’s a narrower belt then my Electra Glide and that Warrior has got some serious torque; those belts are pretty tough.

 

Every winter I say I am going to change my belt due to mileage. Would yuou rather tow it home, and then change? This is many people's approach to maintenance. I have no problem replacing parts based on age. That being said, 25k is not that much. At the rate you are going 2-3 would be more than good. Depending on your riding style. I am not all that hard of the line.

 

My original belt was changed at 112,000 miles as part of an engine rebuild/upgrade. It was worn pretty bad but still working. The new one came off 20,000 miles later and left me on the side of the road and as previously mentioned, seriously emptied my wallet to replace it. It's a crap shoot how long they will last. Inspect it and ride on. Wait for it to be visibly worn, cracked or broke before replacing,

I have no idea what caused mine to fail. Riding along at 65 with the cruise on. Suddenly the engine goes to idle. Rev the engine, no power to the wheel. Downshift, still nothing. I knew the belt was gone before I even rolled to a stop. Luckily made it to a safe spot to wait for a tow.

 

I saw a YouTube video a few days ago about HD belts. The guy had a 22 year old bike with the original belt. He had to change his but only because he picked up a piece of debris and it partially tore the belt. He showed the broken belt and other than the hole where it was damaged the belt was in really good shape.

 

T Man, I think you have your answer! My '06 Ultra just turned 81,000 miles; original belt. As long as it hasn't been damaged and is kept at the proper tension they can last a long time. Many miles of my bike has been towing a little trailer (camping).

 

03 Road King with 88k on the clock. I check my belt every so often, no issues.

 

Just make sure there isn't any cracks or anything like that. My last bike was a 2009 ultra classic and it was 6-7 years old and had 106,000 miles on it before the belt was changed. Even then the belt looked good, the only reason I had it changed is because the primary had to come off to have a seal replaced under warranty at the dealer and I figured it would be cheaper to have them replace the belt then since they had the primary off.