Belt drive for GS500E?

[Trwhouse]

Hi folks,
Do I remember someone here on the list saying they have converted their GS500 over from a drive chain final drive to a belt drive?
Who did it, and where did you get the parts to do it?
Was it an aftermarket kit?
Any help is appreciated!
The idea is appealing, especially because the stock chain adjusters suck and a belt would require much less adjustment.
Thanks,
Todd

[TheGoodGuy]

srinath was supposed to do it.. but not sure if he converted it.

[Blueknyt]

belt adjustment is the same as chain.

i have both types so i know.  Belt i have no love for at all, 70$ used from junkers, and once snaped your screwed.  i have had Master links break on me on trips, well,i carry a spare most the time so its generaly on rode again in no time. Never have i snaped a chain.    I have however seen belts shed teeth and thats NOT fun.  trying to get my belt drive stuff Traded for Chain drive stuff.

[The Buddha]

I was going to... I'll post the whole thing tommorow...
BUt belts have come a looooooong way ... kevlar load fibers and aramis wear fibers, they will cruch a rock if one gets in between, typically they never have to be adjusted and never need maintenance after inital flex in. They will skip teeth before they break, and if you over tighten them, they will lose a few teeth before they break.... especially the new gates poly chain. the being able to swap them n the fly and run on down the road I agree wiht Blueknyt... and yes its comming very soon, fixing to pretty much toss that bike. Will pull anythign remotely useful off it... dont worry.
Cool.
Srinath.

[JLKasper]

I don't know if Suzuki's marketing research has determined if belt drive is undesirable for the GS or not, but it seems to me that it would be a positive selling point for segments of the marketplace.  Several bikes at the same price point (Kaw Vulcan 500, Buell Blast, Suzuki Savage) all are belt-driven, so the technical aspects aren't a factor.  Perhaps because since all sportbikes are chain-driven,  Suzuki has deemed that the GS will never wear a belt.  The only negative aspect I see with the belt is a slight horsepower loss, as well as impossibility to change gearing ratios.  

[The Buddha]

Power loss... Not at all... ok maybe but only under very special situations... a new chain and sproket set will transmit a higher percentage than a new belt and pulley set, now with wear and age, the chain drops... and keeps on dropping, which is 1 reason why people say changing cahin and sprokets makes it feel like a new bike, belts OTOH, will start out at pretty high, like close to 92-93%, and some use ~600-1000 miles later, will need re tensioning and at that point will have near peak efficiency... close to 95%, and they stay there literally forever, of course they also slowly fall, but pretty much outlast the bike.
OK the engineering aspect of it...
I would use a 21mm wide, 8mm pitch gates poly chain GT2 belt and pulleys that go with it. There is a place that makes them called wwwscootworks.com, and I believe only a front pulley is needed, a vulcan 800 front is the same as the GS and they make those, just get a 36 tooth. Your front cannot be over 4.4 inches in dia. But not a problem, a 36 or 38 tooth front will fit just fine, you might need to takeoff or buy flange less or machine out the flange to be shorter (the best solution) so it doesn't hit the clutch push rod. The rear then should be 82-84-86... to 90 or so teeth, and buy those from any gates distributor, remove the taperlock fitting and machine it out for the GS sproket carrier and drill the mount holes in it. Then measure the length and get the right belt. That scootworks place is ~100 miles form my house. I wanted to take the bike there and let them make one for our bike, but I thought that will turn out to be $$$ cos their markup's are pretty high, for a little machining I thought... the front pulley was all we might need, and I didn't think there will be en masse interest in the belt drive system, but I dont think it will cost you over ~200 for all the stuff ready to fit on the bike. I think someone need to get that whole aspect of it going... and post it here... pics and details, and hell the rest of us will buy it off you.
Cool.
Srinath.

[The Buddha]

Ok my bad, they dont have the belt I was talking about listed. I'll talke to them and see if they still have it. The wider stuff wont fit.
Cool.
Srinath.