Timing belt change...

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I'm not clear about exactly where you are suggesting the belt will wear. My old belt still had the original honda ink/paint markings visible and clearly readable, there was no wear on that side of the belt. The tooth side also looked like new, so it didn't appear to have any visible signs of wear either.
:plus1: Mine had most of the original markings, too. That's why I suspected it was the original belt, since it said " Made in Japan" on it.

I bet the original belts will last much more than 90K miles , but being an insane preventative maintenance freak, I changed mine at 75K. Sometimes, I think I should have stock in Rock Auto.
 
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ST1100Y

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I'm not clear about exactly where you are suggesting the belt will wear. My old belt still had the original honda ink/paint markings visible and clearly readable...
The outside might indeed not indicate much visual wear, but flip it inside out, bend it over your finger and look at the spread toothing, especially into corners of the "valleys" there...

And over the years/miles the toothing will wear off (take an adjudicated guess how that black dust/deposits inside the housing did arise? Creationism? ;-) ), marginally, but enough to create a clearance on crank and cam pulleys, altering the valve timing... (which is why folks think the engine runs "rough" after a t/belt got replaced...)
 
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Half of the solution to fixing a problem is to recognize the problem in the first place. Sounds like you are getting there! :rimshot1: :wink:
I'd rather replace a part that requires periodic replacement sooner than later, if only for peace of mind and the learning experience. Gotta do my water pump this spring. Then I'll have about 75K more miles of worry-free riding before the next timing belt change. But probably a clutch replacement in 20K miles , if it needs it or not. Rebuilt the slave cylinder last spring when I did the timing belt.

Don't want to get stranded / interrupted on any of my IBA LD Rides.
 
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This is a wonderful opportunity to inspect, clean and perform loads of preventative maintenance. There are several threads here related to belt replacement, including a video of the change with the engine out of the bike. It's easy enough to perform with the engine in place, but the clarity of the video covers all the details. Use a Honda manual as a go-by.
I bought a garage queen 1991 with just 17000 miles on it...hadn't been ridden regularly for 20 years, so I took it all apart and did the job. The old 24 year old belt was in perfect condition so, in spite of its age, it could have gone to 90000+ miles with no problem. Unless there is a pulley or guide failure, early belt replacement simply is not necessary. I cleaned everything I could reach with a long handled parts cleaning brush, cleaned all the electrical connectors, replaced suspect tubes/hoses/thermostat/radiator cap, checked valve adjustment, lubed everything that required lube under the plastic....While it was apart, I removed the rear wheel and drive shaft, cleaned and lubed per the manual and did the drive splines with Honda moly paste. Parts are still available from Honda, Partzilla, Bike Bandit, Ron Ayers, Ebay...etc. I got a Gates #325 belt from Amazon for just $39.95. I've seen them for up to $110 on Ebay and Amazon. Shop wisely.
The PO had the carbs rebuilt, brakes rebuilt, fluids changed and new battery installed just before he put it up for sale. That certainly eased my workload. I did the fluids again with the belt maintenance. On the plus side, I found loose water hose clamps, partially plugged water hoses, completely plugged overflow hose, one loose spark plug, a decayed little air filter (in front of the main air filter) and an oil filter that was seeping due to being barely finger tight (made the whole effort worthwhile). Look carefully and be thorough...no telling what you may catch. Many faired bike owners simply don't look under the plastic work.
After all that work, some of which turned out to be unnecessary, I have a bike that I ride regularly and anywhere with no qualms. Sometimes there's no substitute for peace of mind.
Very helpful. After owning 3 1100s over the years I am considering a 1993 with 42 K on it. I'd really like to avoid the timing belt for a couple years and it sounds like you would agree with that.
 
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Well as an update, I have put the replacement of the belt off, but I figured I may as well go ahead and knock it out.
Bike has 75k on it, I can't see digging that deep to inspect and not just doing the replacement.
I will be digging here for pointers and asking questions before and during the job probably.
Thanks for all the advice thus far!

 
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Wait and do it yourself.
:plus1:

I replaced mine at 80K on my 1998. The old belt was the original belt and it looked almost new. The tensioner pulley bearing felt a bit rough when spun. So I replaced the idler and tensioner pulley at the same time as the belt. A GATES T325 timing belt is a bit cheaper than the OEM belt - $40.00 plus shipping from Rock Auto, BTW.
 
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:plus1:

I replaced mine at 80K on my 1998. The old belt was the original belt and it looked almost new. The tensioner pulley bearing felt a bit rough when spun. So I replaced the idler and tensioner pulley at the same time as the belt. A GATES T325 timing belt is a bit cheaper than the OEM belt - $40.00 plus shipping from Rock Auto, BTW.
I've noticed a lot of references to the Gates T325 belt. Should we expect the same service life from the Gates belt as with the OEM Honda belt? Just wondering if anyone has any long term history on longevity of the Gates belt?
 
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I've noticed a lot of references to the Gates T325 belt. Should we expect the same service life from the Gates belt as with the OEM Honda belt? Just wondering if anyone has any long term history on longevity of the Gates belt?
It looks physically identical to the Honda belt, so more likely than not it will have similar longevity. There's not a lot of 200k mile bikes on this forum, so your sample set is going to be very small anyway. John O. may have some input on this, he's at 188k or so according to his sig.
 
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