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[Fivespeed302]

Sorry to hear about your belts.  I'd definitely check out inside the teeth of the front sprocket.  Maybe there's an alignment issue?  I've got 13,900 miles on my original belt.  I've  never checked the tension, even when I put a new tire on myself.  I just aligned the rear axle marks from the factory and tightened it down.  I've also done some off roading, a couple of burnouts, and it even got run over by a little old lady in a parking lot.  Still the original belt soldiers on.

[pacificcricket]

Just to add to the numbers... My belt stripped at about 13 thousand miles, not very long after tire replacement at a non-Zero service shop. I replaced the belt myself, and when I was taking the old one off, I've noticed the tension was very high. I suspect the guys who were doing my tires didn't know what they were doing in terms of the belt drive, and overtightened it.

[Fred]

I hope this doesn't come across too harsh, but it's really your job to check the belt tension after a tyre change. You can't expect the average guy in a tyre shop to have the equipment or knowledge to correctly tension the belt on a Zero. The best you can expect is maybe for them to leave it where it was when taking the wheel out.

[grmarks]

On a different note, you might have a faulty belt tension gauge or (very unlikely) 2 dodgy belts. Thats if you can't find any of the above mentioned things wrong first. 

[pacificcricket]

I hope this doesn't come across too harsh, but it's really your job to check the belt tension after a tyre change. You can't expect the average guy in a tyre shop to have the equipment or knowledge to correctly tension the belt on a Zero. The best you can expect is maybe for them to leave it where it was when taking the wheel out.

I can't agree with you. After all, if Zero maintained such position about owner's responsibility, they would include the tension gauge with the bike.

[JaimeC]

From my years of riding belt-driven Buells I've gotten pretty good at knowing when a belt feels too loose (too tight is another matter unfortunately).  Whenever I thought the belt on the Zero felt too loose, a quick check with the Krikit showed I was right.  Running the belt too loose is DEFINITELY a good way to strip teeth and eventually snap the belt (Running too tight is a good way to wear out your wheel and motor bearings prematurely).

On the other hand, this is another good use for that $30 track stand I bought from Harbor Freight.  Once the rear wheel is up off the ground I can freely spin it and check the condition of the belt.  So far, it doesn't seem to have periodontal disease (missing teeth).

From what I've been reading in here, a weekly examination of the belt doesn't seem out of the question.  If you follow the MSF's recommended T-CLOCS inspection, you would actually be doing this before every ride but (as a former RiderCoach) I think that's a little on the "Obsessive" side...