Leaderboard

My experience of a BMW bike with a belt was that it would pick up damage from road debris so often that it needed replacing more often than a chain and at a higher price. The worry being that the damaged belt would be more likely to fail than a worn chain. I prefer the reliability and efficiency of a chain, and the regular maintenance (like 5 minutes a week) gives me the opportunity to check that area for any other problems too (eg wheel, tyre, brake, shock). Looking forward to hearing how the NC belt and pulleys perform over time.

I just wonder how they expect it to deal with the change in length as the suspension moves. Belts are a little more flexible than chains but they still won't take any significant stretch, the reinforcement cords are not intended to extend. A bike which is intended to have a belt will presumably be designed to minimise the change in centre distance, the swingarm pivots as near the output shaft axis as possible, or maybe some sort of tensioner pulley? (I have no technical experience of final drive belts, only camshaft drives).

If in any doubt simply slacken off the adjuster a bit on the cable at the handlebar lever. There just has to be "some" free play before you feel the load of the clutch springs, a few mm at the end of the lever should do. It can change between hot/cold a little, so just check it has some free play at all times. Is the clutch lever action smooth and light, or is it notchy and stiff (worn cable)? Some folk have reported the lever getting tight on the pivot pin, this can cause clutch slip since it means some load remains in the cable pulling against the stiff lever. Usually simply some

It's not clear from your description whether you're not getting power (i.e. engine is not responding to the throttle) or if the clutch is slipping (engine speeds up but doesn't transmit the drive to the wheel). Easy to tell the difference, if the clutch is slipping the rev counter goes up but the speedo doesn't. Make sure there is always some slack in the clutch cable, and that it isn't sticking (can happen if a strand breaks for example). There should always be a few mm of free movement at the end of the clutch lever before you feel the clutch load. If you're having issues with a

A tight spot on your chain made worse by cold weather can surprisingly produce this symptom even though it would at first thought seem unconnected. Put the bike on the centre stand (if you have one) and check the tension at all points during a full rotation. If you only have the side stand (like me) get someone to help you pivot the bike so the rear wheel is off the ground and do the same.