Just did my 1100's timing belt!

[chris in va]

Here's some observations.

The bike has almost 98k on the clock. The old belt was FINE. No cracks, wear or separations. Only difference being more flexible than the new one. I wouldn't hesitate to ride it another 50k miles on that belt. PO said it had never been changed out, and he had it the whole time.

The radiator is a PITA to get out. That alone made the whole ordeal much longer than it should have taken. When installing the new belt, be sure to push the tensioner all the way down otherwise you'll NEVER get that new belt on.

The timing belt cover mod was a godsend. Simply brilliant, slipped right back on.

Double, triple, quadruple check the timing marks. Then check them again. No way in hades I'm gonna go ripping out all that junk to re-do the belt again.

I didn't get one, but couldn't hurt to change the thermostat while everythings apart. Oh, and my pulleys felt and sounded fine. No other issues.

 

[BigTom]

Good for you Chris. Thanks for the report and the 50k recomendation. Means I've got almost 60k left

 

[saaz]

From what I have read on automotive timing belts, visual inspection is not necessarily a great guide to expected failure. A belt that looks fine can fail quickly. It is interesting that you said the old belt was more flexible, as this is the opposite for a belt in a friends ST11 that was changed around the 200,000kms mark (his was a 2000 model). New belt was noticeably more flexible. So perhaps your belt may have been in relatively good condition still

 

[Mark]

Good for you Chris. Thanks for the report and the 50k recomendation. Means I've got almost 60k left

I feel a yuma beltstoc coming on in less than 30k...

 

[ChrisK]

Way to go !

It is terrifying looking at those bloodly timing marks trying to get that new belt tight without pulling any of the pulleys out of line ! I had mine on and off a couple times before I felt I had it right ! BTW my old timing belt was noticably stiffer than my new one, other than that it "looked" good....

Agree about the Timing Belt Cover Mod ! It was PITA to get off but it slipped back on easily after a little strategic carving.

Did you get the rest of your hoses changed out under the carbs ?

Any hesitation to sell now that you're so "familiar" with the ST ? The only thing that got me through was knowing I got a fresh 100k of riding ahiead of me now !

Feels good to hear it run again eh ?

Chris K

 

[chris in va]

Oh, definitely. I hand cranked the motor several times just to be sure nothing was binding. Once I took the plunge and fired it up, I was extremely relieved to hear it purr once more.

Wish I could keep it but I need to $$$ to move with. So much has been done to it, almost a waste to sell at this point. Someone's gonna get a good deal.

Here's something interesting. I was carrying the new belt into the garage and accidentally tapped it against the door jamb. Not sure what it's made of, but the sucker actually rang like a bell! I had to tap it again to be sure I wasn't hearing things. Factory Honda belt from the dealer.

 

[smokie]

The timing belt cover mod was a godsend. Simply brilliant, slipped right back on..

can some one enlighten me what the mod is thank you

 

[George]

Smokie, it's written somewhere but I'm doing this from memory:

First, I recommend removing the entire front end (front wheel, fender, forks.) This gives ya much more access for removing the radiator and other necessary bits.

The timing belt and water pump cover is plastic, left of the clutch cover which is metal. At the joining edges, the plastic cover fits behind the metal cover. If ya "relieve" that plastic edge (Dremel works well) you can slide the plastic cover back under the metal cover with less hassle. Since there is no oil or other liquid behind the plastic cover there's no worry about leaks, etc.

To get it off initially, loosen the closest clutch cover bolts, wiggle it free, then retighten those bolts after getting the timing cover off. No need to loosen again on re-assembly once ya relieve that mating edge.

If ya follow the OEM manual, ya gotta _remove_ the clutch cover, which entails removing the right side exhaust, a real PITA. Do it this way and save yurself the hassle.

There is oil behind the clutch cover, but with the engine off and the front of the bike jacked up, the oil level is below the lower edge of the clutch cover so ya shouldn't get more than a drip.

 

[smokie]

thanks for that it will come in useful when i do mine . i had heard about a mod to the cover but never got any details thanks for the info

cheers fae colin

 

[John OoSTerhuis]

Timing belt cover trim pictures:

Left-click on either pic to go to the Webshots version and the rest of my timing belt R&R pictures with captions.

BTW, I didn't loosen or remove any other bolts to get my timing belt cover out initially. I just pulled the top of it forward and then the whole thing straight up and out.

FWIW, here's a pic of my old belt with what I think is a good tip on how to get all the pulleys and timing marks aligned when installing the new belt:

Click on the pic and read the caption.

Regards, John

 

[Terk91]

As far as visual inspection of timing belts go, I've had two failures in my '74 Mercury Capri back in college (ran that car for a while) and when replacing the belt, neither time did it break. The failure was the teeth sheared off of the section of belt that was touching the crank gear. BTW, the 2000cc (Pinto engine) in the Capri was non-interference. No harm, no foul. Both times I was within a mile from my house and walked home, only they happened many miles apart.

Terk91

 

[Carl Custer]

Here's a fuzzy picture of the mod.
http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.custer/MCStuff#5200995260658417698
Other pictures, including a better picture of those $#@ dots that are the timing marks:
http://picasaweb.google.com/carl.custer/MCStuff#
Toward the bottom.

And congratulations on the successful belt replacement. It ain't a bad as you thought it would be.

Now if my #@$% front axle would start slipping, I'd be a happy guy.
Think it's rusted to the right spacer . . .I I smear grease on those parts.

 

[FrayAdjacent]

Just did my timing belt today. I tell ya, the most difficult thing was getting the radiator off, then back on. I had new hoses, so I was able to cut the old ones off... getting the new ones on was a pain. I'm gonna take a break for a while... shew, I'm tired already! Heck, I might just wait until tomorrow morning to finish up the reassembly!

 

[George]

Didn't follow my own advice (remove the entire front end) when disassembling lipSTick earlier this month. I will do it, tho before trying to put her back together.

All the necessary parts are setting in the garage but first I gotta unpack from my Moonshine trip. ProcraSTination preferred.