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Unchain My Bike... Or So I Thought...


BusyLittleShop

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5 hours ago, BiKenG said:

 

Finally, the figures above support what I read elsewhere that the 5th Gen swingarm is about 25mm shorter than the later models and suggests that the 8th gen length is the same as the 6th Gen. So what about the longer 6/8th Gen swingarm? Would that solve the problem of belt length? It would certainly help.

 

I realise this doesn't help Larry with his RC45, but it might be the solution for VFR owners who really want the convenience of a belt - and having had a belt drive bike, I REALLY do.
 

 

Way out of my depth here admittedly, but you say 'this doesn't help Larry'... why not? If it solved the belt length issue, wouldn't swapping a 6th gen swingarm onto a 5th gen be an easy and relatively cheap swap? 

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8 minutes ago, adkfinn said:

 

Way out of my depth here admittedly, but you say 'this doesn't help Larry'... why not? If it solved the belt length issue, wouldn't swapping a 6th gen swingarm onto a 5th gen be an easy and relatively cheap swap? 

 

I didn't re-read the entire thread, but I am pretty sure that Larry's bike is a RC45 and not a 5th gen. So the swingarms would not be swappable. Just my best guess.

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3 hours ago, marriedman said:

 

I didn't re-read the entire thread, but I am pretty sure that Larry's bike is a RC45 and not a 5th gen. So the swingarms would not be swappable. Just my best guess.

Ah yes, you appear to be correct. I missed that Larry mentioned RC45 in his posts, apologies. 

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Larry's swing arm is actually an HRC RC45 swing arm, IIRC, but someone with Larry's skills  and connections could probably extend a "standard" RC45 (or RC46?) swing arm if he was so inclined...

 

Ciao,

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10 hours ago, JZH said:

Larry's swing arm is actually an HRC RC45 swing arm, IIRC, but someone with Larry's skills  and connections could probably extend a "standard" RC45 (or RC46?) swing arm if he was so inclined...

 

Ciao,

 

Sure, Larry's skills are unbounded and legendary.  :biggrin:

 

However, what are the lengths of the std. and HRC RC45 SSSAs, compared to those of the 750/800s. Surely if we want to really investigate the possibilities of fitting belts, we need to collate information about the lengths of all SSSAs (i.e. sprocket to sprocket distances) that might be involved. Only then can we really discover what is, is not or might be possible? All we currently know is that it didn't work for Larry's RC45, but I'm not even sure what S/A he was trying it on. Was it the std one or his HRC one. What I do know is they are different lengths and I've no idea how those lengths relate to the VFRs, yet the length is the crucial element in all this.

 

Could we perhaps start gathering the length data we need to look further into this?

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I'd be curious to see a kit price for this conversion for 5th and 6th gen's (pipe dream I know). Do you think there'd be a market for it that could tolerate the price tag? What do you think this mod would like performance wise on paper? Would the bike be measurably quicker or would all the benefits deliver on the 'feel' side of things only? I am intrigued by this idea and project. 

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3 minutes ago, adkfinn said:

I'd be curious to see a kit price for this conversion for 5th and 6th gen's (pipe dream I know). Do you think there'd be a market for it that could tolerate the price tag? What do you think this mod would like performance wise on paper? Would the bike be measurably quicker or would all the benefits deliver on the 'feel' side of things only? I am intrigued by this idea and project. 

 

It shouldn't feel any different from a well lubricated and perfectly adjusted chain. The difference is that this feeling would never change and the rear of the bike would stay clean, neither of which can be achieved with a chain.

 

The problem is still whether or not it can be actually done which is all down to the available belts and distance between the sprockets/pulleys.

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51 minutes ago, BiKenG said:

 

It shouldn't feel any different from a well lubricated and perfectly adjusted chain. The difference is that this feeling would never change and the rear of the bike would stay clean, neither of which can be achieved with a chain.

 

The problem is still whether or not it can be actually done which is all down to the available belts and distance between the sprockets/pulleys.

Theoretically, wouldn't the reduction in mass from chain to belt allow for quicker acceleration/transmission of power to the drive wheel (much like a lightened flywheel in a car)? Or is the mass of the chain truly negligible when taking the amount of force into consideration? 

In general, I tend to agree with you, I doubt it'd be measurable in a meaningful way (some fraction of sec quicker in the 1/4mi? some tiny bump in low rpm torque on a dyno?). But what about the feels?

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Well I've not had the opportunity to ride the same bike with chain and then with belt, so I can't say from experience (Larry could :-), but I have ridden chain drive bikes and belt drive bikes and I can't say I noticed any difference that I could put down to the different final drive methods. However, you will be correct that the lighter components will have an effect, but I'm sure they'll be too small to notice and why would feel be any different? As long as a chain is correctly adjusted so no actual slack when riding, or at least no more than a belt, there really can't be any great difference in feel. The current state of our potholed roads here in the UK is of far more importance to bikers than trying to judge infinitesimal changes in 'feel' of the drivetrain and in any case the crashing of the suspension on the dreadful roads would mask any actual differences anyway.

 

But when you get home the back end of the bike is still nice and clean. Well, at least not covered in chain lube. Wonderful. :wink:

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