I am curious does anyone know if it's even feasible. The reason why I ask is I noticed that the belt makes a lot of noise that is most noticeable at slower speeds and I assume if it was a chain instead of a rubber belt it would be much quieter. To the motorcycle grease monkeys out there am I wrong with this assumption?
Is it possible to change the belt drive to a chain?
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It has been done in the past. It wasn't advantageous for the SS. I believe Billet Speed did so and posted about the experience on TDS.
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I am curious does anyone know if it's even feasible. The reason why I ask is I noticed that the belt makes a lot of noise that is most noticeable at slower speeds and I assume if it was a chain instead of a rubber belt it would be much quieter. To the motorcycle grease monkeys out there am I wrong with this assumption?
Everyone switched to belts because they wear better and last longer and are practically maintenance free.
Most of the noise is coming from dirt on the belt.
To my knowledge there haven’t been too many people here that have changed a Worn out belt yet.
I have 15,000 miles and mine still is set like it was when I bought my SS. Still tracking as it’s supposed to.
I’m not sure how much noise the belt makes and how much the angle drive makes.
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Belt noise can come from either dirty or loose. I had to adjust my belt at about 7K miles. Really simple to do, but need a 30mm socket to do it. Check for SamOwen's videos on YouTube.
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To answer the question. Yes you can swap to a chain. However its not worth the cost or time.
They just cant hold up to the stress like a belt can. And everyone I have ever seen made a heck of alot of noise. They are hideously loud......
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neostar belt is always quieter than chain when done right, our angle drives(at least on early ss) whined a lot because of poor construction and loose tolerances.
The belt has also been proven to be almost indestructible, several people running over 600 HP and not a single belt failure yet almost everyone who switched to chain has switched back to belt either due to sproket/chain failure.
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If you have a torch, a welder and a big enough hammer . . . anything is possible.
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All, great feedback. Interesting I knew the belt was just as strong as a chain but I thought the trade off to using it was more noise generation. 20 yrs ago when I was riding sport bikes I didn't notice the noise of the chain much but this belt especially at low speed/low gear really stands out. Oh well at least I know now that the noise generation isn't that bad all things considered.
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Belt noise can come from either dirty or loose. I had to adjust my belt at about 7K miles. Really simple to do, but need a 30mm socket to do it. Check for SamOwen's videos on YouTube.
Definitely will, I have seen his video on adjustment but not heard any commentary on noise.
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That is a rare one. It even has the Alpha smokers choice turbo on it.
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All, great feedback. Interesting I knew the belt was just as strong as a chain but I thought the trade off to using it was more noise generation. 20 yrs ago when I was riding sport bikes I didn't notice the noise of the chain much but this belt especially at low speed/low gear really stands out. Oh well at least I know now that the noise generation isn't that bad all things considered.
First chance you get drain your final drive. Refill with Royal Purple 75w140 gear oil.
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All, great feedback. Interesting I knew the belt was just as strong as a chain but I thought the trade off to using it was more noise generation. 20 yrs ago when I was riding sport bikes I didn't notice the noise of the chain much but this belt especially at low speed/low gear really stands out. Oh well at least I know now that the noise generation isn't that bad all things considered.
Turn up the music just a little...
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In my humble opinion, the majority of the sound you hear from the rear end is the RA drive. It has strait cut gears Vs. hypoid/worm gears. Watch a F1 race on TV. You can hear the back end howling just like the SS. Same reason. After 30,000 miles it has reduced a bunch. If it bothers you that much may I recommend a rear exit exhaust and wear a 1/2 or F F helmet. 2 cents.
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In my humble opinion, the majority of the sound you hear from the rear end is the RA drive. It has strait cut gears Vs. hypoid/worm gears. Watch a F1 race on TV. You can hear the back end howling just like the SS. Same reason. After 30,000 miles it has reduced a bunch. If it bothers you that much may I recommend a rear exit exhaust and wear a 1/2 or F F helmet. 2 cents.
Yeah, I had already earmarked the dual-low pipe ceramic exhaust that slingmods has listed before I bought the vehicle. I knew this would be a must have both for putting the noise output in the back and for getting the fumes behind me. It's a beautiful design just a little nervous about the ground clearance where the exhausts poke out.
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In my humble opinion, the majority of the sound you hear from the rear end is the RA drive. It has strait cut gears Vs. hypoid/worm gears. Watch a F1 race on TV. You can hear the back end howling just like the SS. Same reason. After 30,000 miles it has reduced a bunch. If it bothers you that much may I recommend a rear exit exhaust and wear a 1/2 or F F helmet. 2 cents.
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While I agree that most of the noise originates in the angle drive then resonates through the frame the gears in the drive are in fact hypoid and not "straight cut" ...
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The angle drive will quiet down (but not 100%). I noticed a significant change after changing the oil after 1500 miles. Then I started hearing the belt more than the gears (Adjusting the belt @ 7K miles fixed that too).
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At 5000 miles, my angle drive had not quietened down. Dirt would cause the belt to be noisy, but I can still hear the drive.
I had swapped to Royal Purple at about 1500 miles with very little change in the noise.
Changing rear-ends is going to resolve it.
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Sent you a PM Rab, we can talk