Belt drive 961

Panetone · Apr 19, 2020

Hi,

during the lock down the Thiel Motorsport gang have not slept.
They have installed on 3 961bikes a belt drive.
The bikes are going now on the road test.
Ollie told me if he has enough customer interest he will produce a batch of this kits.

Stay healthy

Panetone

Al's#5 · Apr 19, 2020

Panetone said:
Hi,

during the lock down the Thiel Motorsport gang have not slept.
They have installed on 3 961bikes a belt drive.
The bikes are going now on the road test.
Ollie told me if he has enough customer interest he will produce a batch of this kits.

Stay healthy

Panetone

Primary or final? Both would be good, quiet and smooth.

BritTwit · Apr 19, 2020

Panetone said:
Hi,

during the lock down the Thiel Motorsport gang have not slept.
They have installed on 3 961bikes a belt drive.
The bikes are going now on the road test.
Ollie told me if he has enough customer interest he will produce a batch of this kits.

Stay healthy

Panetone

Very nice, but when will Ollie have the 2-into-1 exhaust?
Inquiring minds want to know.

Panetone · Apr 19, 2020

Secondary drive.
In primary drive they are working for a better solution.

Voodooo · Apr 19, 2020

Besides lubing a chain. Why a belt?

I mention a belt conversion before for the 961, but I don’t see a reason other than less maintenance.

Al's#5 · Apr 20, 2020

Panetone said:
Secondary drive.
In primary drive they are working for a better solution.

Sounds promising, geared primary, belt final. Quieter and smoother .

TonyA · Apr 20, 2020

Panetone said:
Secondary drive.
In primary drive they are working for a better solution.

I for one am very interested in this Panetone ! For those of us who drive the 961 many miles a belt would be very welcome . I will email OLLIE and let him know to contact us when finished . Thanks again .

TonyA · Apr 20, 2020

Voodooo said:
Besides lubing a chain. Why a belt?

I mention a belt conversion before for the 961, but I don’t see a reason other than less maintenance.

Yes , That is the primary reason. Much less maintenance , especially for those who take long trips this will be welcome . I have taken 2 long trips and the lubing becomes a chore . Also , the bike will stay cleaner . The belt holds its adjustment for a long , long time . There is a reason Canyon Motorcycles is selling belt drives for the New Triumphs ! ( Notice I did not say THAIUMPHS ) .

BritTwit · Apr 20, 2020

Do you have to remove the swing arm to fit/replace the belt?
I've read a few articles about the advantages of drive belts.
Some bikes have tensioner pulleys to avoid having to manually adjust belt tension.
Only problem that I have read about is associated to use in an off-road type environment.
Stones or gravel that are caught between the belt and pulley can cause damage to the belt leading to failure.

TonyA · Apr 20, 2020

BritTwit said:
Do you have to remove the swing arm to fit/replace the belt?

NO , Not on a H-D Sportster . And NO not on a Norton 961 . YES , on a Hinckley Triumph. Yes ,that's right YES you have to remove the swing arm on a Hinckley to put on the belt . (And many other bikes too) .

BritTwit · Apr 21, 2020

That's good news for HD and 961 owners.
Then I guess all that's needed to replace or install the belt is to disconnect the lower shock mount to get the belt onto the rear pulley.

italia · Apr 21, 2020

I understand what you're alluding to as advantages of belt drive, but having never owned a belt driven bike, it just strikes me as a solution in search of a problem. YMMV

MxMartin · Apr 21, 2020

There are probably dozens of things that could improve the 961, but why belt drive as an option?

TonyA · Apr 21, 2020

BritTwit said:
That's good news for HD and 961 owners.
Then I guess all that's needed to replace or install the belt is to disconnect the lower shock mount to get the belt onto the rear pulley.

A few more things than that but not the swing arm. lower shock mount , Muffler , A -Frame , Brake reservoir ,.. Sprocket cover with clutch reservoir etc. Certainly not a bad job . The frame on the Norton 961 is narrowed at the rear where the swing arm is , like the HD sportster.

BritTwit · Apr 21, 2020

TonyA said:
A few more things than that but not the swing arm. lower shock mount , Muffler , A -Frame , Brake reservoir ,.. Sprocket cover with clutch reservoir etc. Certainly not a bad job . The frame on the Norton 961 is narrowed at the rear where the swing arm is , like the HD sportster.

Yeah, that's not a bad job at all.
Cool.