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Drive Belt

3K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  Daboo 
#1 ·
New here, so if this has been posted before....sorry

Just discovered that Wunderlich America sells a drive belt for the GT their part # 3383719 $399.00
 
#4 ·
"OEM chain and sprockets"
Issue here is OEM and the donation to the Corporate treasure chest. DID and a few other chains ans respected aftermarket sprockets at less than half that.
There is the DIY chain link count and installation. Not all can do it themselves.
I won a really good chain tool at a raffle and gave it to a friend who does help others do the swap-o. A phone call and a 6 pack gets it done.
 
#5 ·
After something like 125,000 miles on the clock, my old 1986 Honda VFR that I gave my daughter years ago is still running with its original front sprocket. The rear one was replaced about 10 years ago.
 
#7 ·
Or perhaps Honda didn't go with the low-bidder and called for well manufactured and designed sprockets. I might add that the caliper pistons on that bike still look like shiny chrome, with not a hit of rust on the pistons after all of those miles and years of riding.

You may recall that BMW motorcycles from that era held up well too. Nowadays it seems as if motorcycle manufacturers are more interested in showroom presence and electronic gadgets than developing vehicles that are made to last. Anyone recall when BMW had a 3-year unlimited mileage warranty - and stood behind it? Not any more. Now it is just 36K miles and three years and I believe less in some other markets.
 
#8 ·
Its nice to see the belt prices coming down to something reasonable.

Chains and sprockets vary a lot but high quality chains are readily available. DID is one of the best manufactures and would be just as happy with one of their chances as any OEM I can think of (many OEM chains are DID). My experience has been in 600 class sport bikes and the last three I've had all had different size chains. The chain size makes a difference in the mass that must be accelerated and de-accelerated as well as a difference in the lifespan of the chain and sprockets. My FZ6 (2004) had a 530 chain which I replaced somewhere between 35,000 and 40,000 miles and would have gone much further. CBR600RR (2012) had a 525 chain which was in very good condition at 18,000 miles when I sold it. My ZX6R 636 had a 520 chain (and the most HP of the three bikes) but I traded on the F800GT at 7,000 miles and the chain was in perfect condition. Always kept my chains clean and free of gunk and rust. I would clean and lube when the mood struck me so it could have been anywhere from 400 miles to 1,0000 miles. I rode in all kinds of weather so they got wet on occasion. All three made the trip from Birmingham to Sarasota (mid July) at least once. 600 miles one way. I would spray some chain lube on the chain before making the return trip and after returning (and resting from sitting on a sport bike for 600 miles) I would clean and lube the chain. My CBR had white wheels which were magnets to chain fling. I earned how to choose a good lube and apply it carefully and wipe the excess off and would have very little fling.


I know how to look at a chain and sprockets to see if they are worn but the belt is different. Know there are some signs of wear but think they may not give a good warning before failing. I'll be taking my F800GT in next week or the week after for the 24,000 mile service which includes belt replacement. Now that I'm at that point very thankful that I have the service contract. I will now be defiantly in the positive on that with a year and a half to go. After the service contract run out the warranty will be done and I'll just do all of the work myself.
 
#20 ·
they may not give a good warning before failing.
These belts are not as tough as some people like to make out. My bike (an F650CS) was stolen a couple of years ago. It was fortunately recovered by the cops that day, with the ignition wiring chopped up and the drive belt missing. I found the belt the next day. A bunch of dickhead teenagers (according to the cops), with no tools and obviously with no experience, in the dark, on the side of the road in the suburbs, had snapped the belt. In retrospect, they might have done me a favour [eek2]
 
#9 ·
Back to the Belt........

Irn is a forum member who can order from Continental, and several times he has offered to order belts and sell them for $270 delivered. He needs to get 5 folks to "pre-order" and make a commitment - I have been the only one to respond and state I would take one.

(Post #22 in this thread) https://f800riders.org/forum/showthread.php/311603-GT-Drive-Belt-Contitech-CT1208

Daboo has tried to contact Continental without any response......and I had the same bad luck and never got a call back from them. I found a distributor in TN and will try again next week.
 
#10 ·
The belt is overpriced. The belt costs more than a chain. The belt has the same change interval as a chain. In my book, that and $5.00 gets you overpriced coffee at Starbucks. As Ray Charles sang "Unchain My Heart" :)
 
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#11 ·
BMW's belt is certainly overpriced. I recently brought a replacement (just in case) Gates carbon-fiber reinforced belt for my Zero at my retail dealer's part and accessory department and the cost was only $120. If you ask me, BMW is screwing their customers when it come to the price of the GT's drive belt. [:(!]
 
#15 ·
Probably not, or at least not in the few years it has been on the bike. Mine has been on one less year than yours and 43,000 miles more. It's had hard acceleration and deceleration. It's been exposed to sub-freezing temperatures and 100+F temps. Dry desert air and rain. So far the print is fading, but otherwise it looks good.

I inspect mine with an inspection mirror and flashlight before taking off on a trip. I look for cracks and separation, twisting the belt as I rotate it inch by inch. I bought a belt at 25,000 miles, and I take it with me when I go on a trip. It's not hard to change. A video on YouTube shows it being done in a parking lot in under 20 minutes.

Chris
 
#16 ·
I know a fellow (who is no longer riding) that got 93,000 miles from the original belt on his GT before he stripped the teeth on the belt and had to be towed to the shop for a replacement. But you probably won't be as lucky as he was getting to that mileage without a failure. [;)]
 
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#18 ·
Can I just ask... where is it written in black and white that the drive belt for the GT is out of patent? I ask as I was on the phone to Continental in Holland a few months ago. The very nice man said that we were being screwed due to the BMW patent not being expired and he had no idea when it would be up for renewal or expiration.
Maybe now that the f900 is nearly here (March according to my dealer) that will coincide with a patent expiry?
I could do with a bargain, these beemers are expensive to maintain - but so much fun!!!
 
#19 ·
It wouldn't be a patent situation as there is nothing novel about the belt as such. Continental would more likely be tied to a supply agreement based on a particular specification for the duration of model production. As I remember it, the ST belt became available directly from Continental (at a far more reasonable price)when production of the ST ceased in 2012.
 
#21 ·
Agree with you IanA, can't see a patent on the belt but maybe a supply agreement.

Maybe there is hope since the GT is done and BMW is done with belts on new bikes. I'll have mine changed this week or next under my service plan but unless I can get 24,000 miles in the next year and a half then next one will be on me. Hoping by that time the cost will be somewhat reasonable. I figure service intervals to be calculated so that 95% of belts will last 24,000 miles, that includes all road conditions, riding styles including belt degradation due to temperature and sunlight exposure. My bike lives in a garage where there is no sunlight and the temperature ranges from 50 to 85F. Although I have to routinely test the right grip to make sure it is working properly and that the bike accelerates as it is designed to do. :) I'm not a super aggressive rider. A lot of the miles on my bike are on long trips humming along in 6th gear, but like Daboo it has seen rain, heat, dust and muddy roads. This and other factors in my mental calculation of "if I had to pay for it" I would have no issues running the belt to 36,000 miles. I would use the Daboo inspection technique to make sure that the belt was in good condition.

There are things I don't try to extend like oil changes.
 
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