Disintegrated belt

[Lazyacre]

Was on my way back from our beach shack today, sitting on 100kph, when the bike lurched, back wheel momentarily locked, engine then over-revved and then my speed dropped. "****!" thought I. "Belt!" Sure enough, but not just broken, absolutely shredded into confetti. This was a Malossi Kevlar belt with only 8000km (~5000miles) on it.
Not very happy 
Good news.... Paulk (member here) was only a phone call and 50kms away with a bike trailer
Further good news.....he had a spare new belt
Bad news.....the spare is another Malossi Kevlar
Further bad news.......$$$$$$$ to get it fixed 'cos I put the last belt in and I'm worried that I may have done something wrong which has caused this early failure. AM now waiting until tomorrow morning when the wrench-bender gets it aprt to see if the busted and shredded belt beggared up the variator and/or clutch as well

[loonymoon]

I wouldn't necessarily blame yourself for the mess, Malossi belts are renowned for failing early so 5000 miles doesn't sound too bad. OEM all the way if you can! That must have been a scary experience. I always dread something like that happening.

[julian]

I agree, non-OEM belts never last the distance from many reports on this and other websites.

[jagrunner]

I had exactly the same experience on my Gilera Runner, back wheel locked etc & yes it was a Malossi Kevlar Belt. Not changed the X9 belt yet, but when I do it will be OEM.

[Mr.Chips]

Yes, and don't forget that the 'Kevlar' bit in 'Malossi Kevlar Belt' is a sales gimmick - the Piaggio belts have Kevlar in them!

 

[mandy]

exactly what happened to me last wk in the fast lane.

[stammerer]

Every product Malossi sells has a disclaimer on it. It states that their products are made for racing only.
They do not last as long as OEM. Use Original Piaggio belts.

BTW: I did some research on belts a while back since I was looking for an alternate belt to use other than a Piaggio. I found out that Dayco is the manufacturer of Piaggio belts. Unfortunately Dayco does not sell Scooter belts in the USA. So I would either use Piaggio OEM or a Dayco if I had a choice. Same belt.

[Dave Milnes]

You can get Dayco over here.
I might see if they do a Tmax belt.

[x9500 steve]

http://dayco.universalautomotive.com/contact/ Try here for belts piaggio and yamaha

[stammerer]

Here is the link for listings of belts. Once you insert your information you can see technical info on the belt and also the OEM cross reference number. Very good website.

http://catalog2.markivauto.biz/Cat2k8Web/Login.do?language=EN&nation=UK&area=UK/EN/

SAVE this link.

[stammerer]

You can get Dayco over here.
I might see if they do a Tmax belt.

Dayco shows a 8191k Part number for the Tmax. They list it as a XP Tmax. Is this the same model?

[Dave Milnes]

Yes XP500 is the Tmax designation. I sent them an email anyway as to where my nearest stockist was.
I'll note that number down, thanks.

[jimc]

Just for reference, the X9 500 belt is 8190K.

[Lazyacre]

Good news is no variator or clutch damage. And only charged $150 for repairs! (supplied own belt) A$150 =approx £80

[Dave Milnes]

The 500 is very robust in the transmission area with plenty of clearance around the spinning bits for things not to get stuck too badly.
Another lesson in Mallossi quality products!

[BrianG]

When my belt snapped at 70mph in the outside lane, the back end locked up briefly with lots of smoke.  The damage included a cracked outer pulley on the Variator and quite severe damage to the Clutch where the belt had tried to wrap itself around the unit. (Costly)

My thoughts are as follows:
Check for strands hanging down under the drive unit at the vents regularly.
Use only OEM parts as they have been proven.
Stick to service schedules and carry out inspections where possible.

BrianG

[Lazyacre]

The blokes that replaced my belt today tell me that they can source Dayco belts here in Adelaide through a local distributor called Southcotts. Cost A$120-130..... about 65-70 quid. I've ordered two and they'll be here in 3 days.

[julian]

I would not even stick to the service schedule on the 500. I have yet to have an OEM belt last to 7000 without evidence of cracking or wear requiring change so they tend to get changed early here.

[loonymoon]

When I went to scootercafe maidenhead for my 18,000 mile service on the X8 400 they showed me the belt and it looked fine, no evidence of cracking or wear so I didn't get it changed. They said they often have the dilemma on the bigger engines because they don't wear the belts much so changing every 6000 is overkill as they'd last 8000 and probably more but then it's out of the service intervals.... that seems to contradict what Julian's saying but certainly my OEM belt at nearly 6000 miles since it was changed looked fine, it wasn't stretched, it didn't have any evidence of cracking in between the teeth so I decided to stick with it.  

To some extent though it probably does depend how you ride, though I'd have thought I'd be pretty hard on the belt as my commute involves a fair amount of speed/gearing changes, though judging by Julians post in another thread not as many as 97 sets of traffic lights  :: so perhaps my usual trip is a LOT easier on the belt than his!

[Lazyacre]

Thanks for the info and feedback, all. My last belt (3rd OEM) had 20k km (12thou+ miles) on it and was still entire but showing cracks on the ridges. It was slipping because the sides were mirror-smooth. This new belt feels strange. I feel like I have LOST low-down acceleration from stop but once in mid rev-range it's now a rocket. Last time the identical belt was installed the bike was very quick off the line. Nothing else has been changed. Rollers were still in round to the thou and 28 gms exactly so were just cleaned and re-installed .
Thoughts? Initial new belt slip? I've 25km on it and it still feels the same off the line.
Incidentally, the clutch pads are showing minimal wear after 42thou kms. I'd guess they'll be good for 200thou kms.

[Dave Milnes]

What you are probably detecting is the difference between what it should be like, and what it was like before with a worn belt. The worn belt is narrower so sits lower in the pulleys reducing the gearing and increasing acceleration through the initial launch period. After that things become equal but the lower gearing reduces top speed.
A new belt makes initial launch a bit slower but improves top speed.
Like tyres, belts all seem to make a noticeable change in the 'feel' of the X9 but you soon get used to it. Rollers on the 500 generally last up quite well which is why I think some dealers change them unnecessarily.
I generally get 12,000 from OEM belts, have never changed the rollers in 40,000 except when I swapped from a 6 to an 8 roller OEM variator at around 18,000.

[Lazyacre]

Thanks for that, Dave. That makes a lot of sense. I have noticed the last 1000 or so km that I have to twist the throttle more to maintain higher cruising speeds (110kph+). That would explain it completely.
What a fantastic resource this Forum is!