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[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).

Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.

[yhafting]

It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).

Yes, that was the idea. I'd guess you would need a fairly decent high speed camera to see how much it actually moves. The dilemma is that you would want the casing to be as close as possible to the belt to deflect pebbles.  It would not be good if the belt hit the casing in the front.

Perhaps a "lighter" design would be preferable- one that goes a higher and without the inner wall (giving 2-4 mm more clearance to the wheel). I will ponder on that for a while.

Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.

Is this closer to your thoughts?:

I have added this to the zip file I linked previously.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

It looks like you can adjust the clearance by moving the mount, which seems useful. I wonder how much the belt might move while riding (relative to the swingarm).

Yes, that was the idea. I'd guess you would need a fairly decent high speed camera to see how much it actually moves. The dilemma is that you would want the casing to be as close as possible to the belt to deflect pebbles.  It would not be good if the belt hit the casing in the front.

Perhaps a "lighter" design would be preferable- one that goes a higher and without the inner wall (giving 2-4 mm more clearance to the wheel). I will ponder on that for a while.

I really don't know and feel like I shouldn't sway you. I wonder whether there's some professional worth asking.

Protecting the inner track is interesting, for sure. I casually browsed some belt guard designs and didn't find much like that, except for chain guides. So it's like a chain guide but hopefully scattering rocks and other things. Maybe a variation would be to have the forward edge angled to sweep debris away from the tire/bike. I mean, I'm not confident about the dynamics, just wondering if a little tweak matters.

Is this closer to your thoughts?

Yeah, that's what I wondered.

[mistasam]

Problem solved!

[quixotic]

I have already made a temporary solution (shown in the third picture) that has reduced the amount of gravel landing on the motor with 90% or more. Now i am planning on making something more permanent and durable, but that may take some time. I have ordered a cheap plastic mudguard to see if i can make it fit. 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorcycle-Black-Outstanding-Rear-Mudguard-Fender-Accessory-Prevent-For-Harley-/251719364694?hash=item3a9ba4b056:g:cYoAAOSw~FNUZyo~
I'll have to see if i am able to make it fit, and look half decent. I guess i can attach it to the existing rear wheel hugger plastic, but i have to come up with some way of attaching it on the sides. If it can be decent enough, i will see if i can make some sort of bracket attached to the swing arm that would extend (or hold a piece of metal that would extend) all the way up to the plastic mudguard i've ordered.

Excellent link!  I've just ordered my own.  Thanks for that!

I'll probably use aluminium angle stock or bar stock and a clamptite tool for attachment to the swing-arm.

[yhafting]

Excellent link!  I've just ordered my own.  Thanks for that!

I'll probably use aluminium angle stock or bar stock and a clamptite tool for attachment to the swing-arm.

I hope it will work well for you too. Please post your result/ when you have installed yours

[yhafting]

I really don't know and feel like I shouldn't sway you. I wonder whether there's some professional worth asking.

After initial testing at low speeds, I decided to take off the lower belt guard i made, because i would not run the risk of it jamming the belt at high speed/tension. Since i have no way of seeing the actual shape of the belt while driving the bike (i would need a high speed camera for that..), i believe either a rounded edge or a lower belt guard that would go almost all the way along the belt would be a safer solution.

A belt guard going all the way between the sprockets would be preferrable, as i fear a nicely upward-rounded/curved edge may act more as funnel for debris towards the belt. I guess there are several ways of extending the belt guard i already made towards the front, but i have not looked at solutions for attachment in the front end just yet.

[quixotic]

I got a bit nervous about this whole issue, so I made the following out of aluminum that I got from Home Depot.  I just slit open a tube for the guard, and then attached it to some angled stock with some hefty nuts and bolts (and a lock washer and some blue locktite).  Then I attached that to the swing arm with 16 gauge galvanized wire, tightened with a clamptite tool.   The guard is 9" long which is about the maximum that I could wriggle in there with the brackets attached.

I'm a bit worried about the relative slack introduced into the bottom part of the belt run when full torque is applied.  And I'm wondering if the belt might jiggle from side to side (the narrowest part of the guard has an opening of 15/16").  So I put some gorilla tape along the edges to see if it gets worn at all (indicating that the belt is touching the sides).  If it seems OK, I'll take it off.   

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.

I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.

I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?

[quixotic]

A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.

I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.

I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?

Plastic would certainly be better than aluminum, in that in a battle between the protector and the belt, the belt should be enabled to win.

[yhafting]

A soft and thick wear indicator for anything we test this way seems wise, and a solid mount.

I'm hopeful that this can be solved with some softer plastic, perhaps molded.

I have that spare tire hugger - maybe I'll see if I can scan it and get something made like it?

Plastic would certainly be better than aluminum, in that in a battle between the protector and the belt, the belt should be enabled to win.

Im mostly worried that the belt will curve upwards, possibly causing the belt to be jammed violently. If the protector was long enough that the front would be close to the front sprocket, then wear would be the only issue. This is perhaps easier to achieve using aluminium than plastics, but it would also need to be secured in the front end..

[quixotic]

Good point.  Maybe I should try and attach a curved chunk of teflon to the top of the tube.

[yhafting]

I made new parts inspired by Quixotic for attaching the "harley" fender in a more minimalistic way. 
All 3D-printed ABS, except for screws and rings.

The plugs go into the rear axle, and in their center a wood screw will make them expand slightly.
I am a bit uncertain of how hard i should make that expansion. Right now it is not much, so i might make some that will fit tighter when the wood screw is applied.

[BrianTRice@gmail.com]

That looks really well made! I too am curious what kind of expansion fitting works best in the axle.

[yhafting]

That looks really well made! I too am curious what kind of expansion fitting works best in the axle.

Thanks Brian! 
I believe i will make the expansion fitting expand slightly more- it may not be easy to see, but i made a triangular cut in the plug so that the end would fit more tightly-so i could vary friction using wood screws of different lengths. But i ended up using longer screws than the plug, and they were quite thick too, so i think i might make the cut as narrow as it is at the narrowest end all the way. That way the whole plug will provide friction equally distributed along its axis. The ones i made now provide just enough friction that they cannot be pulled out by hand.