Chain conversion or nah?

[Pendulum]

2009 Nightster. Noticed a nick/cut in my belt, and I have a 5 day trip coming up in a couple weeks so I want to address this before it breaks. I've got mids controls, and I'd like to keep my passenger pegs if that matters. A new belt is about $200, and an o-ring chain conversion is about $275.

What would you do?

[MrSmith391]

chain conversion, id do it

[WillSCB]

Put a chain on it. Belts are quieter and cleaner, but belts are stronger and easier to fix on the side of the road. Saw a chain held together with two zip ties to get home once. Can't do that with a belt.

[ridgerunner1965]

there is nothing wrong with a good chain. they rarely fail when kept in good condition.i run one on my shovel.

that being said i also run a belt on my 97 evo eglide with a 90hp s&s engine. the belt has lots of rock holes in it and one bad one near the edge of the belt.

it has been this way a long time, belt has about 40k on it.this is a big heavy bike and im not a little guy.and i will honk on it everytime i ride it.

back in the day i very hesitant to buy a "rubberband bike"but i am impressed with the tuffness of the belts. ive heard the new belts are even better.

so if it is just a little nick on the belt i would prob not pay any attention to it other than monitering to see if it got worse.

[dirtygrotonscoundrel]

I have an 06 sportster, chain conversion. It's good, pretty much just looks and sounds cooler. If you go the conversion route, don't get the O-ring. It'll be slapping the frame right under the passenger peg, no matter how tight it is. I think it even says right on lowbrow that you can't run an o-ring on 04-up.

[Ramzilla]

there is nothing wrong with a good chain. they rarely fail when kept in good condition.i run one on my shovel.

that being said i also run a belt on my 97 evo eglide with a 90hp s&s engine. the belt has lots of rock holes in it and one bad one near the edge of the belt.

it has been this way a long time, belt has about 40k on it.this is a big heavy bike and im not a little guy.and i will honk on it everytime i ride it.

back in the day i very hesitant to buy a "rubberband bike"but i am impressed with the tuffness of the belts. ive heard the new belts are even better.

so if it is just a little nick on the belt i would prob not pay any attention to it other than monitering to see if it got worse.

I have to agree here. I have always been a chain guy but after having a belt and flogging the shit out of it for a long time. I wouldn't swap unless it's just for the looks aspect. The belts are low maintenance and super resilient. Also my buddy swapped his out to a chain kit from lowbrow and the sprocket wore down really fast. Not sure why and he has been tinkering with bikes for a long time so I would think he adjusted it properly.

[Pacifictime]

I have found that there is something about putting a chain on a sportster that causes a lot of chain and sprocket wear in a short time. Did Stampede 9 with a chain and before I could get home the chain was kaput and the sprockets badly worn. I suspect it's that since there is no rubber cush drive thingy in the system, that somehow causes excessive wear.

[SkidMarr]

On my rigid Sportster i wanted to do a chain conversion because i trust chains, they're easier to replace, and just cooler. But after something like 8,000 maintenance free miles, i think ill stick with the belt.

[Pendulum]

I've been eyeballing the damage to my belt, and I think I'm just gonna run it. It's a nick, right on the inside edge, but it hasn't gotten much worse over the last 2 wks (and about 1000 miles) so I'm gonna hope for the best on this trip. Thanks everyone.

[goofyfoot2001]

I looked at belt for my sporty and it was under $150. If you want to be a nightster hipster, put a chain on it.

[hattiesbike]

I have an 06 sportster, chain conversion. It's good, pretty much just looks and sounds cooler. If you go the conversion route, don't get the O-ring. It'll be slapping the frame right under the passenger peg, no matter how tight it is. I think it even says right on lowbrow that you can't run an o-ring on 04-up.

Could you explain the reasoning behind this? Are you saying that an o-ring chain has more stretch or slop in it? I've got many miles on my 05 w/ a renthal o-ring 530, no slap/slip/bang/tickle, and it rarely needs adjustment.

[Pendulum]

I looked at belt for my sporty and it was under $150. If you want to be a nightster hipster, put a chain on it.

I was going by dealer price since I would've needed it fast.

[AlbertaFarmer]

If it makes you feel any better about running a questionable belt, I have over thirty thousand miles on mine and she still turns the wheel. It is pretty chewed up from running guard less and catching rocks, but I've got a good feeling about it hanging on there. Also, I have a shelf of replacement belts from swaps that cost between $5 and $20 and that's Canadian, so they should be easy to pick up down South.

[Buellbomb]

I forgot how much quieter a belt is until I put it back on my Sportster. Cleaner too, but the pulley is some kinda ugly.

[Dezertboy74]

I've been eyeballing the damage to my belt, and I think I'm just gonna run it. It's a nick, right on the inside edge, but it hasn't gotten much worse over the last 2 wks (and about 1000 miles) so I'm gonna hope for the best on this trip. Thanks everyone.

I'd run it man. I have a coupe nicks and tears and my belt. Probably from running it without a guard on it. It's been that way for almost 10k miles. They don't seem to be getting any worse!!!