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Less than 5K miles

1 (6.3%)

More than 12K miles

0 (0%)

More than 15K miles

1 (6.3%)

More than 20K miles

2 (12.5%)

I never had a drive belt break or need replacement.

12 (75%)

Total Members Voted: 16

Voting closed: June 07, 2019, 02:43:48 AM

[DonTom]

I would like to get a rough idea how long the drive belts usually  last on Zeros. We often hear about them breaking here,  but few will post a message about NOT having any problems.  I would like to hear from all Zero owners here.

For those who would like to vote and reply, I would like to know what year Zero  and model.  And if there were obvious damage from belt that broke, such as a rock getting between the belt and sprocket,

I will start:

I have a 2017 Zero DS ZF 6.5 with 6,800 miles. No belt issues.

I also have a 2017 SR with Pwr Tank, with around 5K miles. No belt problems.


-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[domingo3]

I had about 9k miles on my 2016 FXS and have about 4k miles on my 2018 FXS.  No belt issues, but this is within the expected lifetimes.  How we ride is probably also relevant.  For me, almost no off-road, the majority of my miles are on the highway.  I've got a pretty heavy throttle hand, but rarely do wheelies, skip curbs, or do anything to spin up the back tire.  I think my riding style is pretty low risk for belt problems.

[flattetyre]

I replaced that fucker before hitting 1K. If you take jumps and land on the throttle it's an absolutely necessity. If you ride like a pansy or don't care about being stranded, go ahead and use the belt.

[DonTom]

I replaced that fucker before hitting 1K. If you take jumps and land on the throttle it's an absolutely necessity. If you ride like a pansy or don't care about being stranded, go ahead and use the belt.

I mostly ride like a little old lady (AKA "pansy"). Perhaps more than 95% of my e-bike riding is in the eco mode.

But I am curious if your belt broke right when you took a jump or was it many miles after. Or was it wear and not a break?

-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[flattetyre]

Either failure mode is possible. I didn't jump the bike before changing after hearing many warnings from the very few who ride these bikes on track. My belt is hanging intact in the workshop. For roadgoing purposes you have a low chance of breaking a belt. If you land jumps on power the belt will certainly break.

The military bikes use a chain as well, even tho it's louder and requires more frequent maintenance. Nuf said.

[ESokoloff]

I didn’t take the Survey as I’m not comfortable conveying  my experiences via your fixed/limited data points.

Here are my belt replacement notes....

10-14-17 8,500+-
Replaced SNAPED belt!!! 5,75hrs to get home (Thx Malibu Tow).

2-5-19 27,557 belt skipped upon hard acceleration.
Replaced belt.
About 19k miles so may be best to replace @ 16k as recommended by Zero (NOTE: This is a 2016 DSR)


I purchased the bike used @ approx 1 years old & 2.8k miles on the clock.
The first belt lasted less then half the span of the second as it had to endure two adolescent behaviored riders whereas the second one only had to endure one somewhat more mature rider.

I don’t baby my belts (until they send out warning signs of their impending failure).
That said, when the first belt sent that signal, I immediately ordered its replacement yet still managed to drag race an ICE rider which ended its life (so much for my self control).

I WISH I had the new/wider design.

[gborgan]

2015 SR. Sold it with 12,000 miles . Original belt was like new. Replaced both tires by dealer at 9,000 because the front one got some big lumps in the tread. So the belt was loosened and retightened at that time.   

Mine was a Demo bought in September 2015 with 250 miles by most likely heavy hands.  As for my own riding, I would switch to Sport before entering a freeway so as to have no limits if needed, then back to Eco as I exited.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pacificcricket]

First belt started losing teeth right after tire change at 13,000 miles... It wasn't a Zero-trained shop, so I bet they over-tightened it, and I didn't double check. Second belt is still strong after 15,000 miles. No doubt belt design has paid off 10x.

[Jarrett]

Not sure if I count on this one. 

2019 FX, 3 months of use, 1300 miles, no issues.

[alko]

2017 dsr with 7000 miles, no trouble with belt. Always in sport mode with heavy hand. No panzy here, but I don't abuse it either.

[Richard230]

My daughter's 2014 S has 12K miles on the clock and the original belt still looks like new.

[NEW2elec]

My 13DS 29k+ miles and my 17DSR 12k+ miles still going.

My belts are too afraid of my bad ass to even think of breaking!

[giacomo]

I didn’t take the Survey as I’m not comfortable conveying  my experiences via your fixed/limited data points.

Here are my belt replacement notes....

10-14-17 8,500+-
Replaced SNAPED belt!!! 5,75hrs to get home (Thx Malibu Tow).

2-5-19 27,557 belt skipped upon hard acceleration.
Replaced belt.
About 19k miles so may be best to replace @ 16k as recommended by Zero (NOTE: This is a 2016 DSR)


I purchased the bike used @ approx 1 years old & 2.8k miles on the clock.
The first belt lasted less then half the span of the second as it had to endure two adolescent behaviored riders whereas the second one only had to endure one somewhat more mature rider.

I don’t baby my belts (until they send out warning signs of their impending failure).
That said, when the first belt sent that signal, I immediately ordered its replacement yet still managed to drag race an ICE rider which ended its life (so much for my self control).

I WISH I had the new/wider design.

LunaCycle sells a kit to upgrade to the wider belt: https://lunacycle.com/zero-motorcycle-wide-belt-sprocket-conversion-kit/

Giacomo

[nnelson65]

I've got a '16 DS with ~49k miles on it.   I replaced the original belt (still intact, except for a few missing teeth) at my 2 year service with 27.5k miles on it.  I replaced the second belt at 17k miles of service life after I snapped it under wide-open-throttle at 30mph, no bumps or tires breaking loose.

[alko]

I've got a '16 DS with ~49k miles on it.   I replaced the original belt (still intact, except for a few missing teeth) at my 2 year service with 27.5k miles on it.  I replaced the second belt at 17k miles of service life after I snapped it under wide-open-throttle at 30mph, no bumps or tires breaking loose.

Does the 16 ds have the narrower belt?