Timing belts

[knockdolian]

Chatting to a guy today. He was looking at my bike and asked if the belts have been changed. It's a 2000 with 25000 on the clock. He said belts should be changed every 10 years irrespective of mileage. That sounds to me like something a belt manufacturer would say. Dose anyone one the forum know of belt failure on a low mileage bike due to age ??
Thanks

[97BLKVALK]

You will receive many responses that they should be changed due to mileage and/or age.  I changed due to age at 19 years old for my piece of mind.  Many have gone 20 years and 100K and haven't touched them.  Your choice

[98valk]

Chatting to a guy today. He was looking at my bike and asked if the belts have been changed. It's a 2000 with 25000 on the clock. He said belts should be changed every 10 years irrespective of mileage. That sounds to me like something a belt manufacturer would say. Dose anyone one the forum know of belt failure on a low mileage bike due to age ??
Thanks

tech manual does not list age as a requirement for change out. search my posts, I've listed the industrial gates belts they are and material made from. they last a long time in our application and are very under stressed compared to the industrial applications they are made for.

[knockdolian]

Thanks for the reply's. If Honda don't quote time then that's good enough for me. Never was convinced that a belt will deteriorate not being used any more than it would in s box on a shelf somewhere. As far as I know new belts in a box don't have a life  x ??

[98valk]

Thanks for the reply's. If Honda don't quote time then that's good enough for me. Never was convinced that a belt will deteriorate not being used any more than it would in s box on a shelf somewhere. As far as I know new belts in a box don't have a life  x ??

TM list inspection at 100k miles and shows where and how to inspect the teeth. many just change them out at 100k.

[Jess from VA]

Belts are pretty well protected behind the bike's timing cover, but it's not the same thing as sitting in a box in a somewhat controlled environment on some shelf not being used at all.

My whole life, I can't remember ever seeing any vehicle service manuals discussing intervals based on age, only miles.  

Look at tire mfgrs and sellers; they all talk miles, and never talk years, and we know tires just dry out and rot with age (and get flat spots).  Just because they think everyone drives 12K miles a year, doesn't make it so.  My '03 Dodge with just over 30K miles serpentine belts were shot.  It wasn't miles. They didn't look that bad, but they were shot.

Probably the best gauge is that very very few have ever reported them failing or breaking while on the bike.  But it has happened.

And note the comment above that tensioners are more likely to wear out before belts.  

[saddlesore]

You can get Gates belts from Amazon for $16.50 a piece.  It's worth the peace of mind to change them.   My bike is down due to a belt breaking. I have a 1999 standard with 168,000 miles.  I changed them once before but not another since.  Bent valve stems, new belts, head gasket and someone grinding the new valves.   At least $400 so far and I still have to worry about something else.   My .02   

[knockdolian]

You can get Gates belts from Amazon for $16.50 a piece.  It's worth the peace of mind to change them.   My bike is down due to a belt breaking. I have a 1999 standard with 168,000 miles.  I changed them once before but not another since.  Bent valve stems, new belts, head gasket and someone grinding the new valves.   At least $400 so far and I still have to worry about something else.   My .02   

I appreciated belts will brake but did yours brake due to high mileage or time ??

[Grandpot]

Ya roll the dice, Ya take your chances. 

[knockdolian]

Ya roll the dice, Ya take your chances. 

That's not the point. I'm asking if a belt has broke because of time not use. If Honda don't think so the why should I. You roll the dice every time you leave the front door. She'll we all stay in ? I wanted to hear from anyone who's belt had snapped with less than say, 70,000 miles
I've no idea if my belts are original and may well get to change them next service. On that point some on this forum have messed the job up when a belt change wasn't necessary. Then there's the debate of after market or Honda ?

[Ricky-D]

Probably, out of an abundance of caution, many have changed their belts when the didn't have to. And yes, there have been some who have caused more trouble from the process of changing the belts.

The idler pulleys will last as long as the belts when the belts are tensioned properly. Most of the problems associated with the idler pulleys result from, again, improper adjustment of the belt tension and just generally not having the mechanical skills to recognized and perform basic maintenance.

Belt tensioners are not a maintenance item.

***

[gordonv]

Then there's the debate of after market or Honda ?

There is no Honda belts, they are all after market. It's just a matter of which store you buy it from, and the price you pay. Learn from others, and see where they paid the least.