Timing belt durability?

[steveclk]

I have a 1978 GL1000 that has 23,000 miles and has been stored inside for 8 years. these belts are rubber and I am wondering if they should be replaced because they haven't been used for that time. Do they get brittle or degenerate with time if idle?
Thanks

[Fred Camper]

Yes, these are interference engines and a broken belt is very bad news. Word on the street is every 5 years you replace the belts, or immediately if the age is not known. Maybe they can go longer, but I will not support the research on my bike. They are not very expensive and NAPA and vendors on this site carry them. Cascade Cycle is a very good choice at http://cascadecycle.com/

[Placerville]

+1 on Freds advice. Every 5 years or 25K, whichever comes first.

[artgrantz]

I owned a '75, two '85s, and a '96 Goldwing before I got my '08. I would change the belts somewhere between 80 and 100K and never had a problem and none of the belts were cracked or severely worn when removed.

[spookytooth]

I was surprised that there's no "how to" thread on this topic... I plan on doing this along with rockerarm adjustment and an oil change very soon.

[steveclk]

There is a fully informative how to listed online if you send me your email I will forward it to you.
steveclk48@yahoo.com
Steve.

[SteveB123]

I was surprised that there's no "how to" thread on this topic... I plan on doing this along with rockerarm adjustment and an oil change very soon.

http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3544

[spookytooth]

Excellent. Thank you.

[Dusty Boots]

Timing belts will easily last you 7 - 8 years and 80,000+ mi
I just changed mine out again, that I installed in May of 2009. At that time, my bike had 54,000 km/33,750 mi.
When I changed them out on April 10 this year, the bike had 216,750 km/135,469 mi.

Anything over 10 years old and I would be changing them out, regardless of the mileage!


Dusty

[spookytooth]

Dusty likes to live dangerously...

[Dusty Boots]

Dusty likes to live dangerously...

I don't know about that ..... Honda recommends in their maintenance chart (at least on the 1500s) to 'inspect' them every 100,000 miles.

[dingdong]

Just so you know. When I bought my 76, before I knew what an interference engine was, I inspected the belts as recommended. They looked brand new. No wear and no cracks. Even the lettering on the outside was like new. Well, you can guess the outcome. Rebuild the head after having the bike hauled 150 miles back home.
You "CANNOT" inspect the belts and determine if they are still viable. If in doubt replace. If, like in Dusty's case, you know the history, that is a different story. This is especially true if the bike has been sitting for any length of time. REPLACE THE BELTS!!!

[Dusty Boots]

Agreed!, when I 1st got this bike, it only had 20,396 km/12,748 mi on it, but it was 16 yr old, so I changed them out later that summer, due to the belt's age, not mileage. I'd trust my 5 yr old belts with 95,000 mi on them, more than I would ones with just 20,000 and 16 yrs old!

[spookytooth]

Here's a silly question... How horrible would it be to run the bike with the timing belt covers off? I've seen a few bikes like that and it looks pretty neat...

[Fred Camper]

Just stay off gravel roads and run a good front fender. Not heard of someone having an issue.But not a good idea for a daily driver.

[spookytooth]

I did my first ever timing belt replacement tonight. It was ridiculously easy. Having done it it seems even more silly to let the belts go for an extended period of time.

**edit** Of course.. My bike doesn't have a fairing on it which I imagine could turn the job into a nightmare..

[NKYWinger]

spookytooth- Having the fairing doesn't make the job a nightmare, it just makes it longer.....LOL It's a PITA to remove/replace lower fairings and engine guards, but it really doesn't add that much time to the job.....esp after you've done it a number of times....HA!

I'm with most of you - 5 years is long enough on the belts. It is cheap insurance.