Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[JaimeC]

When Harley started using belts on their bikes back in the early 80s, they used to sell a "belt dressing" to preserve the belt.  What they discovered was that it attracted and held dirt and grit that slowly but surely wore away the belt until it snapped.  Now their only recommendation is to check the tension and "eyeball" the belt regularly.  Washing it with soap and water when you wash the bike, and then rinsing it thoroughly is also okay as long as you wait for the belt to be completely dry before going on a ride (if it is wet, it can hold any dirt thrown up from the road).

This is also why many of us have been asking Zero to provide upper AND lower belt guards for their bikes.  I've also suggested to Harlan Flagg (Hollywood Electrics) that a lower belt guard might be a good piece for them to develop and sell. If you do any riding offroad, you're probably better off with a chain.

[alko]

Why lubricate the belt? Where does it say in the owners manual to do that? I believe that's where the problem is.
I've put over 4000 miles on my 2017 dsr and have never touched the belt.

[BamBam]

Why lubricate the belt? Where does it say in the owners manual to do that? I believe that's where the problem is.
I've put over 4000 miles on my 2017 dsr and have never touched the belt.

Search the Zero "Unofficial Manual".

It's not for lubrication.  It's to quiet the belt noise.

[JaimeC]

Belt noise?  Just install a loud pipe and you won't hear belt noise anymore.

Oh wait...

[DonTom]

I bought my DSR new and only have around 3,900 miles on it.  I take really good care of the belt.  I keep it adjusted properly, keep it centered on the rear sprocket, and spray the belt and sprockets every couple of weeks with dry silicone.  My riding is 100% asphalt so this sure seems like a premature failure to me.

If you did nothing, that would have been taking better care of the belt, IMO.

I check my tension once in a while and make sure I have about a credit card spacing between the belt and the left edge of the sprocket. No more than about 1 MM. No less than the edge of a credit card. I would never consider spraying anything on the belt. I ride my DS on unpaved roads very often.

Both my Zeros have more than 5K miles on them and I have not had any broken belts--at least not yet--knock on wood.

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[alko]

According to the OFFICIAL ZERO MANUAL, it says nothing about lubricating the belt.
It only says the following.
"Check belt tension.- Inspect belt for signs of damage or cracking.Replace belt:- Every 24K mi (37K km)"

Lubricating the belt according the "unofficial manual" will certainly void any kind of warranty it may have.

[Moto7575]

https://zeromanual.com/wiki/Belt_Groan_Sound

@Brian is this still accurate ?

[JaimeC]

Before it was totaled last summer, I had nearly 18,000 miles on my original belt with the 2016 S.  The 2018 model has a much sturdier belt so I'm assuming it'll last even longer.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

The belt recommendations in the unofficial manual are compiled from the forums, and in no way are subject to enough statistical scrutiny.

Perhaps the indication of suitability of the silicone spray is overstated, or we should say that if you use it, do so sparingly with a long interval.

I've never used it, honestly, and tend to err on the side of doing as little to the belt as possible other than verifying alignment and cleaning the sprockets with a soft brush. I also let my belts run on the loose side of tension specifications, assuming that the play will be taken up by the occasional light debris, but I also don't optimize for high-torque situations.

FWIW my original DSR belt lasted about 31k miles before it snapped as I traveled over a pothole. My 2013 DS belt seemed fine at 26k miles.

[Moto7575]

Maybe it would be wise to add a warning on this part...

The belt recommendations in the unofficial manual are compiled from the forums, and in no way are subject to enough statistical scrutiny.

Perhaps the indication of suitability of the silicone spray is overstated, or we should say that if you use it, do so sparingly with a long interval.

I've never used it, honestly, and tend to err on the side of doing as little to the belt as possible other than verifying alignment and cleaning the sprockets with a soft brush. I also let my belts run on the loose side of tension specifications, assuming that the play will be taken up by the occasional light debris, but I also don't optimize for high-torque situations.

FWIW my original DSR belt lasted about 31k miles before it snapped as I traveled over a pothole. My 2013 DS belt seemed fine at 26k miles.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

I suppose, but what would I warn? We don't have a clear causal link here. It already says "light application" and "should last a few months".

The use of the spray is at the bottom of a page for dealing with belt groan. I'll see what I can do to further de-emphasize it. I can try implying that there's a risk involved but I'm not sure what the risk is so it's hard to form a reasonable message.

I may just cite this thread, I suppose.

[Moto7575]

Agree. Maybe emphasis that the purpose is not to grease the belt itself (I must admit I did it after reading this part of the manual too quickly, but with a belt dressing product so that I am sure it does not do any harm).

I suppose, but what would I warn? We don't have a clear causal link here. It already says "light application" and "should last a few months".

The use of the spray is at the bottom of a page for dealing with belt groan. I'll see what I can do to further de-emphasize it. I can try implying that there's a risk involved but I'm not sure what the risk is so it's hard to form a reasonable message.

I may just cite this thread, I suppose.

[Jepe]

Hello.

Hello, my first post here. After reading the problems with the belt on the Zero's, just an idea: years ago I have had a few Harleys, and my last one was the first model with a belt. After buying that one I took a closer look at the belt and the (rear) sprocket, and realised a possible problem. I don't remember the exact dimensions, but let's say that the teeth on the belt were 8 mm high, and the groove in the sprocket was 12 mm deep, which means (in this example) that everything that is caught between the sprocket and the belt that is more than 4 mm high will give a small crack or at least tension to the belt, in my view. I thought that sooner or later this might result in a failure. A good example are the little stones that they spread on new tarmac, they have the "ideal" dimensions to fit into the sprocket-pockets and are somewhat sticky due to the asphalt, so they are there to stay. I had to remove a few of these during the two or three years I had that bike, even though it had a cover over the belt's lower part.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

Good points from both posts above. I’ll see what I can do with the unofficial recommendations and will link this thread.

[ESokoloff]

According to the OFFICIAL ZERO MANUAL, it says nothing about lubricating the belt.
It only says the following.
"Check belt tension.- Inspect belt for signs of damage or cracking.Replace belt:- Every 24K mi (37K km)"

Actually it says

Replace belt:
- DSR: every 16K mi (25K km).
- S/SR/DS: every 24K mi (37K km).

I just had my 2nd belt failure with @ 19k miles on the belt (2016 DSR).
In my case I can't see the difference between a DSR & SR as I've kept it on the road with few exceptions.
Will change the belt proactively @ 16k to reduce these unplesent surprises.