New Old Belt Drive

Hortons Norton said:

Kinda seemed a little smartass ish to me.

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Fast Eddie said:

Lineslinger, on other bikes I’ve ridden back to back, before / after swapping a chain for a belt there has been a noticeable reduction in mechanical feel / vibration and less noise. But I’ve only ever had belts on my Commando so cannot comment there.

But they’re side benefits for me, the primary benefit is reduce rotating weight and reduced strain. And... a lovely grippy dry clutch...!

Ref venting, there are plenty of unvented belts in use out there. I believe venting is a good idea, but it is not really a must do unless you’re racing at Daytona in August! However, it’s worth noting it’s not only the belt that needs to avoid over heating, the alternator does too.

Ref water ingress, not sure how you boyz managed to fall out over this really, Swoosh has a point, unless you pressure wash the bike or similar (which you should never do anyway of course) then this is probably not a really likely issue. However, if you‘re worried about it, you can simply remove (and leave out) the drain bolt, and any water that does enter will, well, drain.

So as you can tell, personally I’m a big fan of belt primary drives. But... chains work well too!

If your chain and sprockets are toast, a belt is pretty much a no brainer IMHO. However, if your chain and sprockets are all as new, then it’s a different matter. Personally I’d still swap cos of the weight and dry clutch benefits. But that’s just me!

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swooshdave said:

Yes, I assumed you were referring to the validity of using a belt drive on a Commando. I’m sure you can understand my misunderstanding.

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Lineslinger said:

You guys got me going with this thread so please indulge my curiosity.

Are belt drives on a Norton quieter than the chain?

Are vented cover plugs a necessity with a belt drive conversion as shown above?
Heat outlet or inner case breathing a consideration?
I know belt drives are very well established but I am curious about heat and belt wear and if that is a consideration on a conversion.
Are the screened plugs needed to vent belt "dust" or circulate cooler air to the belt or is this not ever a worry?

Also...with vented plugs...or without...how does the belt drive hold up in the rain or heavy water conditions?
It looks like the outer case would hold water if sealed...or is it purposely not sealed because lubricant is not required but drainage is?
I also think about with a big load of water interacting with the magneto......

Am I missing the point that screen plugs are intended for specific riding conditions?

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Dommie Nator said:

You could make your own with some simple tools, mesh and JB Weld. If I did them again I wouldn't make the same mistake of continuing the slot for removal but either not bother (it's just as quick to take the whole cover off) or put blind holes in for a peg spanner.

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Lineslinger, on other bikes I’ve ridden back to back, before / after swapping a chain for a belt there has been a noticeable reduction in mechanical feel / vibration and less noise. But I’ve only ever had belts on my Commando so cannot comment there.

But they’re side benefits for me, the primary benefit (pardon the pun) is reduce rotating weight and reduced strain. And... a lovely grippy dry clutch...!

Ref venting, there are plenty of unvented belts in use out there. I believe venting is a good idea, but it is not really a must do unless you’re racing at Daytona in August! However, it’s worth noting it’s not only the belt that needs to avoid over heating, the alternator does too.

Ref water ingress, not sure how you boyz managed to fall out over this really, Swoosh has a point, unless you pressure wash the bike or similar (which you should never do anyway of course) then this is probably not a really likely issue. However, if you‘re worried about it, you can simply remove (and leave out) the drain bolt, and any water that does enter will, well, drain.

So as you can tell, personally I’m a big fan of belt primary drives. But... chains work well too!

If your chain and sprockets are toast, a belt is pretty much a no brainer IMHO. However, if your chain and sprockets are all as new, then it’s a different matter. Personally I’d still swap cos of the weight and dry clutch benefits. But that’s just me!

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maylar said:

My experience, a sample of one, is with the cNw belt drive supplied as part of the e-start kit.

Yes it's quieter than the chain.

The cNw inner chaincase is slotted on the bottom for cooling. My outer cover is stock with plugs. As someone has already mentioned, the drain plug could be left out if one was worried about water. Also, there's no penalty any more in removing the primary cover - no oil mess. If you get caught in a downpour just crack the primary seal enough to drain it.

The rotating mass was vastly reduced. I wish I had taken the time to weigh the components, but consider a steel triplex chain and steel chainwheel being replaced by a 21 mm poly belt and 6061 hard anodized clutch basket. And in my case, replacing sintered bronze clutch plates with aluminum backed Barnetts. It may be a $3000 placebo effect, but I swear the throttle response of my 850 is noticeably better now.

I have however seen some fasteners in the primary starting to rust, since they're not bathed in oil any more.

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CanukNortonNut said:

Swoosh,
I thought that it was a bit on the tall side.
If you can get the emgo 95-91221 530 spocket that you can turn it down, (if you use a 520 chain final). These are banging out a Rockwell C 56 where the ones that have the "made in England" which have black oxide or close to blueing are soft steel, which I have tested and (I believe)DynoDave tested. The OEM supplier andover sold me a 04.0010 which has the same Made in England which is an Atlas 1/4" spocket is made at Rockwell B 89! Soft soft steel. as well as the 530 sprockets with the M.I.E. stamp. Original sprockets were hard at Rockwell C 62-64. I can't find my old thread which we talked about this issue. Leave the "made in England" sprockets for the trailer queens that don't put 500 miles on per year. IMHO.
Nuff said.
Carry on.
Cheers,
Tom

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CanukNortonNut said:

Dave,
Until they state the Rockwell hardness test and prove the hardness.... then look for new old stock.
they need to step up to the plate here IMHO. other than that it's just bull shyt.
Puma Knives have a mark on each blade that they sell, a hardness test punch mark.
nothing but cricket from Andover when I sent them an email.
My two cents.

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swooshdave said:

Winter Project Updates - I've been busy!

After a few months of upgrades it was time for a test ride. I was a little surprised when it started right up! Anti-wet sumping modification from AMR, belt drive courtesy of Steve Maney, oil pressure sensor from @madass140, warning light from ImprovingClassicMotorcycles.com and to top it off was...

www.accessnorton.com

With the other projects done it was time to test it out. I started the bike out and the belt looked great, it wasn't trying to ride out or anything. What's more amazing is that I did't move the gearbox or adjust it. I can get a 90˚ bend when cold. I didn't go far enough today to see how much it tightens up when hot. I did pull the cover off as soon as I got home (it was only about 2.5 miles total) and there wasn't any change. I'll find out with the next ride, which you can be sure will be longer.

Now the bad part, I really think it's geared way too tall now. It's ridable and I'm sure I'll get 1000 mpg but I really need to get a smaller sprocket. And this time I'll remember to get the 520 version. As a reminder there's a brand new 530 sprocket for sale...

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