$500 bucks Arrrrrggggg

[toads]

A while ago I posted I had bought a kawasaki 400 ltd cruiser, and someone ( I forget who) suggested I bought a spare drive belt just in case, so I thought I'd check the price out etc and get one if they were'nt too expensive, I nearly c#$d myself when I found out they were $500, surely there must be some equivalent belt for a better price than that, the kwaka parts are expensive generally they reckon. hmmm, and I thought honda parts were dear. :weep:

[Big Dog]

ltd
would be why :bye:

[Big Dog]

surely there must be some equivalent belt for a better price than that, the kwaka parts are expensive generally they reckon. hmmm, and I thought honda parts were dear. :weep:
If you take the specs to a parts place that is not a franchise you will find it easier to get a after market one. Cant remember the name but there is a company in NP that imports all that sort of thing, I think it might be SAECO or SABCO or somink like that.

If you deal with a franchise they will always try and sell you oe parts, they make a bigger cut.

[toads]

yeah they reckon you can't get aftermarket belts for this bike, but then I figure with all the different cam belts for cars out there, it's likely something will be the same size etc, I will cross the replacement belt bridge when it has to be done, meanwhile I will check regularly to make sure no little stones get in there to munch it up. It's a lovely wee bike tho,

[Jackrat]

yeah they reckon you can't get aftermarket belts for this bike, but then I figure with all the different cam belts for cars out there, it's likely something will be the same size etc, I will cross the replacement belt bridge when it has to be done, meanwhile I will check regularly to make sure no little stones get in there to munch it up. It's a lovely wee bike tho,

Just wait til the day comes when one of them lovely little stones munch ya'
sprocket.
Sorry :beer: :no:

[pete376403]

you could search the net for an appropriate gilmer belt if you have the length, width and tooth pitch. Or convert it to chain, using bits of the standard 400

[speedpro]

I would be on the phone to all the transmission specialist places in the phone book. SAECO for instance.

[dangerous]

You should try and buy one for a Buell.......... A mate wasent prepaired to pay (cant remember how much $6-800) so he got a $200 cam belt replacment belt and it shit its self in under 1000km.
Although your bike dosent have the same power if a stone gets under it and its not up to strenth then you are no better of IMHO.

From what I've seen a drive belt wont just snap it will show signs of weir (missing teeth or holes etc) a long time before that so just keep an eye on it and you will be sweet.

[XRNR]

It will probably out last a few chains, you won't have to keep tensioning it or plying it with lubricant (or getting the back of your bike splattered). When you do need to replace it you won't need to buy sprockets to go with it. I would say $500 has been carefully worked out to be about the same cost as the life you would normally get out of using chains & sprockets.

Doesn't sound too bad to me, provided it isn't prematurely damaged. (bought a decent O-ring chain & sprockets recently?)

[Lou Girardin]

A cambelt isn't designed to take the same stresses as a drive belt and most are a lot shorter.

[toads]

thankyou all for your input, I will be very very careful around stones, fortunately the whole belt area is very well shielded, the belt is in good nick so I will just keep an eye on it, I would imagine I would hear and feel my sprocket getting munched long before any substantial damage was done and hopefully it will never be an issue!, I note that bike parts and marine outboard parts are hugely expensive generally compared to car parts, this is probably due to supply demand issues, but even so, it really does pay to research part prices before settling on buying a particular bike. If anything major happens to this one, I think I'll probably be better off just to get another bike. on the plus side, tyres, brake pads and linings are reasonably priced and the engine parts, bearings and so forth are also quite normally priced. My husbands honda nv400 custom bike is another bike hard to get bits for, the price you pay for having an unusual bike I spose. It could be worse tho, harleys are very pricey for parts

[Big Dog]

It could be worse tho, harleys are very pricey for parts
You might be surprised, belts can be quite cheap and there is a big after market for them, is yours the same size?

[FROSTY]

alex Gee===094168932 i think we has a 400 or was it a 440 belt hanging on the wall when I was last there.
If youre really worried then look into the chain conversion--I think you use the chain/sprockets from a csr/z400 -sprocket cover will be the same.
Ohh yea um BTW belt drives squeak when loose and wet :gob: