Belt Drive?

[shinjinian]

I know a lot of the old school motorized bike kits used belt drives but has anyone even done it on the new china kits?

 

[Slogger]

Belt and pulleys would be wider and cost more than chain gear, and if the bikes from the 50's were any indication, you would have a lot of slippage. When they slip, they burn. The belts were always having to be piddled with. Chains are tough, stretch less and last a long time.
Yay chains

 

[Purple Haze]

There should be a cogged belt drive coming onto the market soon, from a machinist friend of mine. I tried to talk him out of it, because of the expense involved, and lets face it, most of us motorbikers are cheapskates. The reason they use a chain drive from the factory is because it is cheap and easy to fit; the downside is noise and high maintenence. The cogged design eliminates slippage, and provides more leeway in adjustment. Also, his belt tensioner will eliminate the dreadfully cheap and dangerous stock chain tensioner. Whether enough people will step up and purchase one remains to be seen.

 

[shinjinian]

Modern belts don't really slip much unlike the old ones from the 50's, will last longer than chains, and they're lower maintenance then chains. Purple Haze it's good to hear someone's working on making them, I would be willing to pay a premium for a belt conversion so long as the price is reasonable. If you hear he's made any progress or started selling them post it here I would definitely be interested.

 

[Racie35]

Be interesting to see that cogged system...it'll be more than whizzer stuff I guess with machining needed but having options is always good.

 

[shinjinian]

From the sound of it it seems like it'll be closer to a modern motorcycle belt drive than the old whizzer system. I'm imagining something along the lines of this but not as flashy(I could be wrong).