drive belts

ok i have a confession , mine was last changed at 22k approx 4 years ago and now its showing 52k , i have inspected the belt several times and its still looking sweet , checked the belt for cracks and worn teeth ,thickness and it appears to have little wear.

i ride mainly one up , no drag starts and generally dont rev it above 5k . use the bike all year round about 8-10 k a year , i always use genuine honda belts as well btw.

i plan to give the old swinger a freshen up in the next few weeks , oil and filter, brake pads , might sort the leaking grommets out and inspect the bell hub shoes/clutch as thats all standard as well.

i guess i'm easy on the motor and only way 13 stone so having some mechanical sympathy is now paying off.

anyone else done any more miles on one belt i wonder ......

cheers all

There are stories of belts lasting longer than the 16,000 miles recommended by Honda, but in my opinion, you're taking a chance if you go beyond that mileage.

Despite the amount of abuse they may take, a visual inspection doesn't show you what happening inside the structure. Belt failure in any machine can be catastrophic so just fit a new one and keep an eye on its mileage.

I've read a few posts from owners on other forums that went a few thousand miles above the recommended belt change mileage on their maxi scooters and got complacent about it. Only to have the belt suddenly break and shred itself inside the casing when they were riding on motorways.

A friend of mine had an 'overdue' belt break on his X9 when on a trip in France.
It cost him a fortune to get the bike back home.

I have belts changed as per the manufacture's specification, both the make of belt and the time.

The cost to replace the drive belt at home (if you are slightly inclined) is fairly cheap and easy. Being on a trip and far from home and have a belt failure is NOT a good or cheap thing! Play it safe and replace the belt, I did the Forza belt after watching a video on YouTube. Not hard. Good luck.

In my opinion it's better to be safe than sorry.

thanks and all worthy comments and noted, belts are about 100 uk pounds so not cheap as such but yes if they break could take out other components. the design of the final drive in the swinger is very good though and as such i dont think a rear wheel lock up is very possible which is my primary concern spesh as i commute on uk crowded motorways.


i have another confession about my car's timing belt and that really is a worry, i rarely rev that past 2k being a diesel and that has to be 50k over and/or 8 years over due. i rarely use my car but know the potential risks here, its gonna happen this year as i have the gates kit ready and waiting since 2017 mmmmmmmmmmmmm

The usual consequence of a SW losing its belt is a free-wheeling bike. The belt will generally wrap itself around the front pulley and stall the engine. You will need to brake to a halt but you'll have no engine braking. The rear pulley will stop rotating immediately and leave the rear wheel free.

As for your car...change the belt!  

yes car will be done , as for swinger she really is a heavy weight , i guess if i had to i could push her home which could be 24 miles away, may take ame a few days though ;0

Having been a mechanic all my life,change the belt. As mentioned previously it may look ok but you don'know.
As for your car you are playing with fire my friend. When that belt snaps valves meet pistons and your engine is totally wrecked. Probably means scrapping the car.
Charlie

with over 200,000 miles experience with rubberband drive scooters---an only one belt failure underway---i always had new/fresh bikes, always trading at the 50,000 mile mark----really never inspecting belts, just changing at 15,000 mile intervals----always oem belts---I hate to walk.... Now that SilverWings are old bikes---old belt just change! unless you like to walk and have extra expense!