Rollers or sliders needed or not?

Just curious, for those with more miles on their SW than me. When it came time to replace the CVT belt what kind of shape were your rollers in? Did they need replacement? I know lots swap to sliders at this point, my question is was it NECESSARY? Some friends tell me that they swap out their rollers at 2nd belt change.

I know we are not talking a huge expense, but it would be nice to save a few bucks and replace at 2nd change. I might swap to sliders also but am not unhappy with stock rollers either.

Thanks for any feedback.

My first SilverWing, just changed belt---it new or after belt change was never smooth in power take up---present 2013 left over---planning on belt/rollers/sliders at Honda recommended miles---all stock parts. At 11,000 miles my latest SilverWing has been smooth for the most part.

Once everything is apart/cleaned, I see rollers/sliders as little added expense. I want to enjoy my bike as Honda designed it.

After now over 300,000 rubber band drive miles---Honda/Suzuki/Daelim---I view the drive (belt, etc) as weakest link and expensive if you ride a lot.

I Order spare belt/rollers/sliders this week----trouble underway Dealers will never have parts in stock.

Strange in Korea---Dealim 125 in Heavy Commercial use do not have belt/clutch issues---leading me to believe 125cc I about power limit for this drive method--had 4 Helix--clutch issues on three of the 4, one broken belt with in service limit, of 2 new Burgman 400's---one had at 20,000 miles required complete re-build of drive system--pulleys/bearing(outer)/belt----thankfully Suzuki paid under warranty--would have been big bill for me otherwise.

No, you don't need to change your OEM rollers for sliders. You replace the rollers when they get flat spots. So when you change the belt clean the rollers and test them on a flat surface to see if they are still round.

However, if you enjoy riding your SW, expect to enjoy it for a few years, and if you enjoy its performance, then you'll probably want to consider upgrading to sliders. You'll enjoy your SW a lot more.

But if you appreciate your SW more as an appliance or tool to be used when needed for local riding, etc, then there is nothing wrong with staying with the OEM rollers.

Hey that works for our, illustrious, Mr Grinsel.

Tim

Somewhere in the May/June 2012 time frame, I decided to install 26g Dr. Pulley sliders - mileage at the time was about 16k with the belt having been replaced at 12k. Upon pulling apart the variator, I discovered my rollers needed replacing and so did both the variator halves - see pics in my album.

It appeared some grit or other foreign substance got inside the variator and caused the damage shown in the pics - probably not the normal situation.

Rick V

What is the difference between a roller and a slider? If a person changes from one to the other how does changing weight affect the Wings performance?

According to the leaflet you get from Dr Pulley when you buy your sliders. The slight angle on the slider that pushes against the plate allows faster acceleration and improved economy. As for the weights, Bigbird did some experimenting with the different ones that are available. I followed Bigbirds advice and noticed immediate results regarding acceleration. Dr pulley also claim that sliders should last three times longer than rollers. 

Old Limey wrote:

According to the leaflet you get from Dr Pulley when you buy your sliders. The slight angle on the slider that pushes against the plate allows faster acceleration and improved economy. As for the weights, Bigbird did some experimenting with the different ones that are available. I followed Bigbirds advice and noticed immediate results regarding acceleration. Dr pulley also claim that sliders should last three times longer than rollers. 

I can't argue with the above but aren't the OEM rollers steel and the sliders made of plastic? Seems to me that the plastic would wear faster not slower... Or am I missing something?   

Shortly after my 1st belt change I replaced my rollers with Dr. Pulley sliders (26g) at 20K miles. They produced significant performance in take off speed and the 30-45 mph power band is smoothed (bogging eliminated).  Worth the money for me.  They do shave a little off the top end speed but not by much.  If you are doing any two-up riding they are the way to go.  I now have just over 43K miles.

They are made of a Proprietary Self-lubricated PA46 composite.

http://www.unionmaterial.com/rollerweight6.htm

GHM-PM wrote:

aren't the OEM rollers steel and the sliders made of plastic?  
Or am I missing something?    

You have definitely missed something. (the boat?  ha-ha)

The rollers have a steel core encased with some kind of thermoplastic/resin/bird dropping muck.
As stated above, the sliders use what looks like a brass core surrounded by some kind of special Dr. Pulley concoction.

I installed 28g sliders shortly after purchasing my leftover 2012 Swing. The sliders resulted in smoother take-offs from a stop and lowered cruising RPMs by about 400-500 at highway speeds.
Before buying the sliders, I read as many posts as I could find and my results were similar to just about everybody else's.

I had also put them in my 2007 Majesty which dramatically improved acceleration from a stop as well.

I do more than local riding....my new leftover SilverWing, on road end of Jan 14 has been in 30 states so far this year.

Very possibly, I will install sliders when my belt change is due. Now, what do the gram weights accomplish? Thank you in advance.

john grinsel wrote:

I do more than local riding....my new leftover SilverWing, on road end of Jan 14 has been in 30 states so far this year.

Careful John! If you sprain your arm patting yourself on the back, you might not reach those other states.   

I have already ridden in them in years past---just doing it again as Chattanooga is very boring living!!

I just finished cleaning the variator, ramp plate, and sliders on a friend's Swing. He had about 10k km of use on the sliders. Zero wear on the sliders and there was very little sign of belt rub on the outer case and his belt case air filter was still quite clean. Any Swing I have worked on with stock rollers would have had a mess of belt dust in the filter and all over the rollers and cavities in the ramp plate. So there you go. Right from the horse's mouth.