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Post by rks on Jan 31, 2015 15:57:42 GMT -6
I've asked this question on another site...and no response. Thought I'd try here.
Has anyone taken an accurate measurement of a new belt before installing? I'm talking belt width. Are the advertised/printed sizes nominal, or supposed to be actual?
Doing a bit of off season maintenance, and decided that with 4800 miles on the belt, I'd better check it.(Gates Powerlink Premium 835 20 30) After a good cleaning, I flipped it inside out to check for cracks...not one found. No fraying of any kind going on either. Got out my trusty vernire calipers to measure the width...taken at 4 places ...all read .712" (18.08mm). Think I read somewhere wear limit was 17mm....But I ordered a new one anyway, same brand and part number (PL30507). When it arrived, I measured it to see what the unused width was, and sure was surprised to find it to be .756" (19.2mm)
Is this normal....or did I get a bad belt? I also have a Bando with only 980 miles of use, that measures 18.66mm. I'm beginning to think none of them come from the factory at the full 20mm advertised width.
Please help me out with this, if you can...
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Post by jerryscript on Jan 31, 2015 19:51:26 GMT -6
I wonder if you have to take into account thermal expansion and shrinking. Perhaps at certain temps, it is 20mm, and at other temps it's only 19mm. I have no idea if this has anything to do with it, just throwing an idea out there.
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Post by Bashan on Jan 31, 2015 21:20:38 GMT -6
Yes, wear limit is 17 to 18 mm on that belt. If it looks OK and isn't shifting funny or losing top end I personally wouldn't mess with it.
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Post by cyborg on Feb 1, 2015 0:44:03 GMT -6
Sounds like it's a decent spare,,,put the new one on
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Post by rks on Feb 2, 2015 8:30:04 GMT -6
Thanks guys. I still have at least two months to decide which belt to run this upcoming season. Still wish I knew if all 20mm belts, actually start life closer to a 19mm width. If my old belt has only worn a tad more than 1mm in 4800 miles...that's great. Now if it was a true 20mm when new, and is down 2mm, to the present 18.08mm.....Then that's a horse of a different color
From now on, I will measure every new belt before installing....so in a few years, I should know the answer to my original query
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Post by JoeyBee on Feb 2, 2015 10:07:08 GMT -6
Thanks guys. I still have at least two months to decide which belt to run this upcoming season. Still wish I knew if all 20mm belts, actually start life closer to a 19mm width. If my old belt has only worn a tad more than 1mm in 4800 miles...that's great. Now if it was a true 20mm when new, and is down 2mm, to the present 18.08mm.....Then that's a horse of a different color From now on, I will measure every new belt before installing....so in a few years, I should know the answer to my original query Do you live near a store that sells them? If so, you could go in and ask if you could measure a couple of them. |
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Post by richardv on Feb 2, 2015 10:53:19 GMT -6
As a former machinist and quality technician I believe I see were your problem is. You used the wrong calipers. You need a vernier calipers.  A common mistake. Seriously, my only experience was with snowmobiles and they eat belts frequently so spares were always handy. We just drove 'em till they blew. |
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Post by Bashan on Feb 2, 2015 19:14:48 GMT -6
I just went down to the shop and measured two new belts, an 842 20 and an 835 20, they were both 19mm wide. They were both Gates.
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Post by rks on Feb 3, 2015 7:47:05 GMT -6
I just went down to the shop and measured two new belts, an 842 20 and an 835 20, they were both 19mm wide. They were both Gates. Thank you Rich.... I do appreciate you taking time to do it. Now that I know most (if not all) new ones, measure 19mm, I can better decide when to change one with no visible defects........Thanks again |
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Post by rosiemoto on Aug 5, 2016 21:08:51 GMT -6
I also had 2 Gates belts and I think they started at 19mm too. For me they both wore down to 18mm within 1-3 months and stretched out to be too long (slapping badly at idle). What's interesting is every chinese belt I've gotten has started at 20mm. Out of 3 of my chinese belts this year, one has lost its width down to 18mm, one has started destroying itself but kept its width, and the other is brand new in my bike as of today, and here's hoping it'll last longer than a month or 2!
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Post by rks on Jul 19, 2018 3:58:46 GMT -6
How about if we fast forward 3 and a half years to the present.
I recently replaced my drive belt again. Having noticed a drop in fuel economy, I checked my maintenance records to find the belt was coming up on 3 years old. Ordered a new one, and installed it a few weeks ago. Old belt had 6,120 miles on it, and ran from Aug 2015 until Jun 2018. Just like the previous Gates PL30507, it showed no signs of fraying, or cracking, but the last 5 tank fill-ups had averaged only 79.07 mpg. (413.8 miles - 5.233 gallons) Pretty lousy for me, and way below the 4 year average posted in my signature.
5 fill-ups since installing the new belt have averaged 87.85 mpg. (441.3 miles - 5.023 gallons) Now that's more like it.
Highly recommend the Gates Powerlink Premium belt.
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Post by czmdiver on Jul 19, 2018 17:00:38 GMT -6
Great info and record keeping. .
I heard of the Gates benefits as my Scoot was being shipped, so right from the crate she had a Gates belt on her.
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A common mistake. 
