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[princec]

So... are there any alternatives to the Gates belt for the SR/F?

I just don't want to ride mine any more for fear of the Gates one snapping yet again and leaving me stranded suddenly in a possibly dangerous situation yet again. And at over 200 quid to replace it I'm pretty pissed off with the cost.

Cas

[TheRan]

I'm going to guess probably not, I would assume it's a proprietary and patented fitment so any alternative you can find to fit it would probably be a low quality knock-off from a country that cares neither for laws or quality control. You could change the entire drive train, obviously not cheap but maybe worth it in the long run if the stock belts really aren't sufficient for you. First up would maybe be swapping to the DSR/X's belt and sprockets, but I don't know if they would be compatible. I think I also heard that there's a chain kit available for that model but again it might not fit. And the third option would be getting custom sprockets made, either chain or a different brand of belt.

[DonTom]

So... are there any alternatives to the Gates belt for the SR/F?

I just don't want to ride mine any more for fear of the Gates one snapping yet again and leaving me stranded suddenly in a possibly dangerous situation yet again. And at over 200 quid to replace it I'm pretty pissed off with the cost.

Cas

Do you know why yours snapped?  I mean such as hitting a pothole, rock caught in belt, belt too tight (I have seen that even on new Zeros), belt way out of alignment, etc. Or have tried to clean it by using more than just water, etc.


How many miles were on the belt?  Are you mostly in sport mode? 


But I doubt if any other belt will fit. I think Gates makes these only for Zero. But I doubt if it's the quality of the belt that caused it to snap. Gates makes good belts, but there are ways for them to be misused that would cause them to snap.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[SwampNut]

Two dealers have told me there was a run of problematic belts for a short time, and the new ones are better.  This was around three months ago, speaking of last year or early this year.  Both said not to bother getting a spare, even though I was going to buy one from them.

[DonTom]

Two dealers have told me there was a run of problematic belts for a short time, and the new ones are better.  This was around three months ago, speaking of last year or early this year.  Both said not to bother getting a spare, even though I was going to buy one from them.

Were the problematic belts only for the SR/F or was it for other models as well, such as my Zero DSR/X?


-Don-  Reno, NV

[SwampNut]

I believe that is basically the same bike in a different configuration?  Dunno, it was not on my shopping list and I didn't discuss it with them.

[DonTom]

I believe that is basically the same bike in a different configuration?  Dunno, it was not on my shopping list and I didn't discuss it with them.

Since this is safety related, I would think Zero would do a recall on the models that could have a flakey belt.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Specter]

Bring it up, maybe you can mooch a free belt off of them.

Belt breaking is an inconvenience, not necessarily a safety, stranded is NOT always safety related... at least that is what their lawyers will say in court.  One or two items going bad, many will try to ride thru hoping to get the rest past the 'we have to g.a.s. point'  rather than just jump straight to a recall, especially when you look how many recalls they have had already, they really do NOT want another one on their name.  It's all about the Benjamins,  recalls get expensive.

Is changing a belt something an average moron such as ME can do themselves?  If so, they might be wise to say, write the manu, they send you a new belt, put it on, or have the shop do it at next maintenance period type thing.  I agree, getting shitty parts sucks, but they are not going to jump right into Recall mode unless pressured.

Aaron

[SwampNut]

Chain breakage can be absolutely disastrous.  Belt breakage?  Meh.  Also, good luck getting Zero to give you any attention at all, or to give a shit about anything.

[DonTom]

Chain breakage can be absolutely disastrous.  Belt breakage?  Meh.  Also, good luck getting Zero to give you any attention at all, or to give a shit about anything.

It mainly depends on where it happens. A few (but not mine) Triumph Torphys had an issue when new that a small percentage would die without any warning when on the freeway. As soon as Triumph discovered what was causing the problem, they recalled every one of them sold in the entire world, including mine. 


What was causing the problem was ignition noise causing the ECM (Electronic Control Module, i.e. computer) to reboot at freeway speeds.  FWIW, I know the owner of the shop here in Reno where they were doing these recalls. Of all these bikes he sold, not even one report of this problem.


But there were several mentions of it happing in the forum back in 2013--in other USA states and other countries.


But we all got new redesigned ECMs that were difficult to replace because of its location in the bikes. But the local shops replaced all for free.


It sounds to me that the Zero belt issue could be even worse than the Triumph ECM issue. And a lot cheaper to fix.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Richard230]

Chain breakage can be absolutely disastrous.  Belt breakage?  Meh.  Also, good luck getting Zero to give you any attention at all, or to give a shit about anything.

I believe that chains are considered "wear items" and not warrantied by the major motorcycle manufacturers. Zero might see belts to be in the same category.

[mdjak1]

Is changing a belt something an average moron such as ME can do themselves?   

Aaron

I think on the newer, trellis frame models it is a procedure you can do on the roadside if you have a few tools and a spare belt.  Marc Travels replaced a belt on his SR/F on the side of the road about 6 months ago.   He says in his video it took him about 10 minutes.  He had 30,000 km on the belt.  Broke while accelerating.   The downside to a chain compared to a belt is that you will end up replacing both chain and sprockets.   In general, I don't think the pulleys wear out on a belt drive.   



Don't forget to like and subscribe. 

[peterwarm]

So... are there any alternatives to the Gates belt for the SR/F?

I just don't want to ride mine any more for fear of the Gates one snapping yet again and leaving me stranded suddenly in a possibly dangerous situation yet again. And at over 200 quid to replace it I'm pretty pissed off with the cost.

Cas

That's sad Cas. After breaking mine (gravel in cog) a couple of miles from home, I worked out the minimum tools needed. I now carry a spare belt and basic tools to change. Most of the tools I keep on the bike always, but the actual belt, the 27mm socket and long t bar I only put in for longer trips (past 50 miles, for me Plymouth to Exeter, UK).
Pete

[nunux59]

I broke my belt, again. 31000km and I am going to fit the 4th belt for this bike.

I am now seriously thinking of a DSR/X belt conversion. I tried the DSR/X two time and although I prefer my SR/S, I really loved how the belt behave. So much quieter, less vibrations, and feels so much solid. also its 25% larger so probably 25% more resistant, in addition to the front sprocket being 22T instead of 20T, that probably also helps for sturdiness. 

Anyway I'll go tomorrow to my dealer to buy a new belt (again) and I'll ask how much he will ask to make a fitting test of their DSR/X belt / sprockets to my SR/S (or their demo SR/F).

I am pretty confident that the front sprocket fits, the belt is exactly the same length but I don't really know for the rear sprocket. There may aslo be issues with alignment, I guess we'll see.

Stay tuned.

[TheRan]

From flipping through the images on the Zero site it looks like the bolt pattern may be the same, but yeah alignment could be an issue as well as clearance for the extra width. I did think that maybe the new DSR used the same rear wheel as the SR/S (in which case the pulley offset would probably be the same) but the latter is an inch wider.