I'm getting ready to put my 4th one on. Get about 20k per tire, running with 2oz. beads.I've heard good things about the Michelin Commander but I've not used one yet.
I'm getting ready to put my 4th one on. Get about 20k per tire, running with 2oz. beads.I've heard good things about the Michelin Commander but I've not used one yet.
The fact that your water pump was making noise before the TB change sort of reinforces the "preventive maintainence" service aspect and the fact that everything has a service life. Changing (or not changing) a TB that "looks" just fine is a bit of a gamble in that maybe it would continue to run as long as the bike was owned/driven. Or maybe not and wreck the engine. Who can tell?? Spin the wheel and take your chances or play it safe and change it all. Cost is a big factor depending on whether you do you your own work or not. Not replacing everything in the belt system path seems a waste because of the again unforeseen chance of something soon failing and taking out the new belt soon/sometime after replacement.Because many, probably dozens, of people here have already changed their 22 year old belts and reported back that it was essentially a waste of time.
As was mentioned before, if you buy the $35 Gates belt and do the work yourself then its probably worth doing, but if you're looking at paying a dealer hundreds of dollars to do the job that's probably not money well spent.
In my case, I replaced everything under the front cover, TB, pulleys, water pump because I figured do it once every 20 years and forget it, but paying a dealer to do that would have cost over $1k I'm guessing, and the bike's only worth $1500-2000 anyway. Also, my water pump bearing was making noise, so it forced my hand.
In this case it was my fault, I normally do the typical maintenance at the recommended intervals, but somehow totally forgot to change the coolant for a very long time. But, had it not actually failed I probably would have replaced all the same items at 100k miles/20 years anyway since the labor cost is zero and the total parts cost isn't all that great once every 20 years.The fact that your water pump was making noise before the TB change sort of reinforces the "preventive maintainence" service aspect and the fact that everything has a service life.
More than a few of us ask questions like this - questions that do have an answer, but would require a materials specialist or chemical engineer who has worked with the questioned product to give a definitive answer.Does a belt sitting inside an engine, with little use over several years, decades even, deteriorate more, or faster, than a brand new belt that may have sat on a shelf in a warehouse for several years? Do we know how long it has been since the OEM belts, still available from the dealer, were made?
That's what I was wondering today, when thinking of changing out my 22 year old belt that will probably look as good as new too and is still below the mileage limit.
the reality is there is no definitive answer, by anyone, you pay your money and you take your chances. Even the experts can only make an educated guess, which could be off.More than a few of us ask questions like this - questions that do have an answer, but would require a materials specialist or chemical engineer who has worked with the questioned product to give a definitive answer.
Jettawreck's comment about the date codes is valuable, but we still don't know the shelf life of these belts. Dwalby's approach is the one I favor if the belt has not seen Honda's recommended mileage limit.
I've often asked how long PVC plastic will last. It is used to insulate wire and in a lot of sewer/drainage pipes. Plumbers tell me 'forever'. The brick and masonry sewers in London are a few hundred years old and are crumbling. Will PVC pipes outlast brick and mortar? Same kind of question, but I have not bumped into anyone w/ a convincing answer. Guess I will just have to wait around and see.
…..that it is, along for ANY LD ride, suggest tires have 4oz. of Ride-On in each one. Watched it demonstrated, and tires only lost 2lbs. of air after riding across many nails stuck through a long board. It also keeps tires balanced perfectly at all times. I'm sure many here use this, and majority of bike shops use this product instead of 'old school' balancing weights.An excellent suggestion by Kiltman. A small air compressor working off of your battery is a true life saver on the road.
You're waaaaay more trusting than I. My belt will be replaced at the recommended 90K miles.I ran over 229K miles and 20 years on a timing belt.
then you can join us in the club of "my belt looked like new after XX years and XX miles, didn't look like it even needed to be replaced".You're waaaaay more trusting than I. My belt will be replaced at the recommended 90K miles.
You certainly can't go by looks; a belt looks perfect until it breaks.then you can join us in the club of "my belt looked like new after XX years and XX miles, didn't look like it even needed to be replaced".
And what I am founding out is that Honda Dealers do not want to work on ST1100s because of their 'age' at any price. So unless you are going to do the work yourself, you'll spend more than the bike is worth to fix something that probably does not need fixing. I've taken all three of my ST1100s to Alaska with high miles and the original timing belts without an issue.
http://www.unclephil.us/Alaska2004Home.htm
http://www.unclephil.us/Alaska2012Home.htm
http://www.unclephil.us/Canada2013Home.htm
I'd be more concerned about picking a set of tires that will get you up there and back because an 'on the road' tire change can be painful, expensive, and time consuming. I use the BT020 Bias (goes on the big BMW KLT - same size) and I've heard good things about the Michelin Commander but I've not used one yet.