Primary Cover Venting

batrider said:

Makes me nervous - speaking as one who has gotten my pants leg caught up in a bicycle chain a few times. Good thing bellbottoms are out these days... aren't they?

Russ

Click to expand...

This would make you even more nervous:



While my bike will not be a trailer queen, I don't ride in the rain if I can help it and if things start rusting, I will just replace them for some that don't.

Jean

Gee I ride my bike in the rain and I haven't had any rusty clutch problems. I painted most of the steel parts in the primary but the clutch plates are plain steel and they looked fine last time I was in there. Jim

Stop spoiling my fun Jim. It definitely happened to my clutch. Angle of the rain? Coastal air? Everything goes rusty here. I'm right on the coast and it is annoying how much time I spend keeping the rust off....well, everything. When I was inland any bright steel wouldn't rust over a period of time. It was a very dry climate. It was a rude awakening when I moved here.

Jean, you could use that thing to trim hedges.

Yeah Ken, I suspect a nice damp ocean breeze is going to cause a few rust issues. Here on the high desert we call 17% humidity "damp". I suppose even when I do ride an 8 hour day in the rain everthing drys out before rust has a chance. Jim

Yep. Where I was living before was the same. I had a nice shiny section of lower frame rail with no paint on it which looked almost polished when I was living in the Pilbara region of West Oz and within days of moving here it was rusty. Horrible for us gun owners too. I really have to be on top of it.

I've been a member for a couple months and content just to soak-up the knowledge here up to now, but this topic is relevant to a question I've had since buying my "new" '69 Commando a month ago. My last ownership of a Norton ended in 1989 ('75 Mk.III). It had a standard primary chain drive so my experience with the belt-drive upgrade is "zero".

The former owner of my '69 installed the belt drive , and rode it without the primary case (belt exposed). I think the rear-sets he fabricated himself allowed him to do that, but I want to get the bike back to being set-up as originally as possible. I have all the stock parts, and I don't want to chuck the belt drive, but I also don't want to cut-up or vent the original primary case...Can I not do the venting without screwing-up the belt (or anything else)?...Thanks

I converted my 72 Combat to a belt drive without doing any primary venting. I rode it some 5,000 miles without any problems due to heat. If stock appearance is a priority, I don't think an non-vented primary will cause any damage. Possibly the belt life may be shortened somewhat. Since I personally like the looks of the Swiss cheese primary cover, I now run that.

Hi Grayrider,
There have been a number of people who have commented in the past about running primary belts with no ventilation at all, and having no problems doing so. You could try it, and do periodic checks as to the belts condition, the worst that could happen as that you eat up a belt.

GB

I rode my bike for many years with a belt and no venting on the cover. I didn't vent my cover until I installed a 40 amp alternator to run the monitoring and datalogging equipment I used to develop the fuel injection. The alternator ran too hot without venting, but I am still running the same belt I ran without a vented cover. Jim

I thought I had read here or on another forum that it is the alternator you need to be concerned about?

15 years now with NO ventilation of the primary, belt drive. Live in the SW USA, gets hot here. No issues, original belt.