replacement belt for the s-8

[klaviator]

My owners manual calls for inspection of the drive belt at 4200 miles.  I don't know much about CVT drive belts.  I have a couple of questions.

1.  How long do the original belts normally last.  Should I expect to replace it at 4200?

2.  What is the best replacement belt?  I want something that will last, not the cheapest belt.

I have watched a U tube video on replacing the belt.  It doesn't look too complicated.  Any personal experience with belt replacement?

While I'm in there, should I inspect the rollers?  How often do they need replacement?

Anything else I should check?

[old geezer]

measure the width in a few places. Once it wears down
beyond a minimum width, it's time to replace. I don't offhand know what the minimun width is. I believe that it will go much longer than 4200 miles.

I believe I have the width for my People 150 somewhere out in the garage if I can find it.

Finally got around to looking it up. The service limit on my People 150 drive belt is 19mm. Don't know if the super 8 is the same or not.

[Portland Steve]

I have been trying to find out the same thing.  Supposedly, Kevlar belts last forever, but are more expensive and I have no experience with them.
You can get a OEM belt at Kymco Parts Online or after market kevlar belts.  I have not replaced my belt yet, so I can't vouch for any products or dealers.
Replacing the belt is easy if you have the tools.  I assume you have a good metric socket set, but consider getting a clutch holding tool and a torque wrench.  Or you can use an impact wrench, which is not the proper way, but makes quick work of the job.  Unless you have a torque converter, you can only guess at how tight to make the nuts.  I have not had any problems so far with my technique.
You will need to remove either the clutch assembly or the variator to get the belt off.  Some say that it can be done without doing this, but I tried and could not get it to work.

[zombie]

Look up your stock dimensions, and cross reff. to a Gates powerlink. It is kevlar, and about 1/3 the price of stock. I replace my belt every year but they may last several years.

[Kevin]

I can say for a fact that my factory belt lasted 9,046 miles.   

snapped it on the ride to work this morning. Replacing it with Kevlar and throwing some Dr. Pulley sliders of the same weight (13 g) in there since the original rollers were getting flat spots. Maybe doing the clutch spring to 2000 rpm if the shop gives me a deal.

I can in no way complain about getting 9,000 miles out of the factory belt in 9 months.


--Kevin

[Portland Steve]

Do you have a link to the belt that you ordered?
Did you install it yet and did it work?
My belt seems to be going...

[Kevin]

Hi Steve,

Well, I broke down just a mile away from my preferred local scooter shop and decided to support them instead of the interweb... 
I know I'll pay a little more, but it's nice to support local shop owners and be able to walk in and talk to someone who knows what they're really doing. I probably learned more in five minutes talking to Pat than I have in three days of scouring the web.
I didn't do my shopping online, but I did get the part numbers and descriptions form the Urban Commuter here in Tempe, AZ. I went to them instead of the local Kymco shop because the Kymco shop pretty much does repair only, and the Urban Commuter does performance stuff on top of just repairs. I have always preferred to upgrade whatever breaks and expose my next weakest link. Then when that breaks, upgrade it, and so on...


The belt is a Malossi Kevlar 795-19.8-30 for Kymco and Malaguti scooters.
The first place that popped up in my google search when I put in Malossi 795-19.8-30

http://www.monsterscooterparts.com/795-19-8-30-malossi-x-kevlar-cvt-belt-kymco-malaguti.html


And instead of having him resurface my variator and put in Dr. Pulley sliders, I decided to get a whole new variator and clutch spring since I'm in there. Back to my preference to upgrade instead of replace with stock.

Naraku High Speed Variator Kit for Kymco 150
This comes with 10.3 and 11.5 gram rollers for tuning
Again, not buying from this site, but this is what the shop is getting for me.
http://www.scootertronics.com/variatorkit2.html


Also doing a 2000 rpm clutch spring which we may end up changing after I get on and ride a little (I weigh 240 lbs and ride like the throttle is an on-off switch. Wide open or slamming the brakes  ). Pat said the clutch still looked great, and just a new spring to match the variator would be best.

I will definitely update you on how she runs. I'm stoked to get back on and see what it's like!!

Thanks!
--Kevin

[Portland Steve]

Kevin,

So, did you get the scoot back yet?  I am curious if everything is running smoothly.

[Kevin]

Hey Steve,

Still in the shop waiting on the variator. The supplier had told my shop it was in stock, but it wasn't. Then it was on backorder from Naraku...

Hopefully today! :p

--Kevin

[Portland Steve]

That sucks man.  This is one of the reasons I like to do the work myself.
Hope you get her back soon.

[Kevin]

Hey Steve,

I got her back. And man, am I impressed with my new scoot! She's a whole new ride now!!

Instead of completely hijacking this thread, here's a link to the update to my first series of questions relating to performance and other stuff:

http://www.kymcoforum.com/index.php?topic=3944.msg53213#msg53213

Get those pieces and do the work yourself. You will love it!


Thanks!
--Kevin

[klaviator]

I just inspected my drive belt for the first time.  My manual says the belt is 17.mm wide new and minimum is 16.5mm. Mine measures at around 15.5mm but doesn't look worn.  I haven't noticed any decrease in performance.  I talked to my dealer yesterday, before checking the belt and asked him about belts.  He said he has them in stock but has yet to replace a Kymco belt.  I'm not sure if that's because most people don't ride much or because the belts last a long time.  I know I should replace it but it only has 4300 miles and looks fine.  I think I'll wait a little bit before replacing it.  Any thoughts?  Is Kymco over conservative with their specs?

[klaviator]

My super 8 went over 5,000 miles last week.  I decided it was time to change the belt.  I decided to go with a OEM belt which was $50 from the dealer.  I did some research to see what was required to change to belt but couldn't find any really good info.  I found one video which claimed to be a Super 8 but must of been the 50cc version.  I found another video which made it look like it was next to impossible to get the variator nut off.  Another video made it look like the belt could be changed without removing any nuts.  So I opened it up.  No way would the belt come off without taking off the variator.  I headed off to Harbor freight to get something to hold the variator in place so I could remove the nut.  One video I saw showed using some verly large channel lock pliers.  I ended up with something else.  Here's a pic:


Not sure what this wrench is called.  It's a combination vice grip / chain wrench?

The nut came off with no problems.  After removing the old belt I compared it to the new one.  I must have measured it wrong because it was virtually the same thickness showing only minor signs of wear.  So I put it back on.  I'll check it again around 7-8k and probably change it then.

Then I checked the Valves.  At 2.5k they were fine.  This time the intake valve clearance was real tight so I adjusted it.  The exhaust was slightly loose so I left it (.005 in )