I have over 1700 mi. on the original belt on my 2002 Vinson. Some of the mileage is from racing desert hare scrambles. I pulled the tranny cover off this spring (1300 mi) and saw the belt was frayed but didn't look too worn. Now I'm starting to worry about it.

A few questions:

Is it difficult to replace?

Are any special tools required?

Any tips to help the replacement go smoothly?

Does anyone know of an industrial belt replacement, or do I have to buy OEM?

Thanks in advance.
Mark

 

if you buy stock belt,about $185 unless some other belt will work,replace the belt or else walk out.

 

got 1600 miles on the vinny and no problems so far and i hav towed cars with mine.......



2001 vinson
hmf
jetted
lift kit
26" 589's
have ripped it down to frame...bad steering stem.
kimpex bumper
custom lights in grille

 

Well, I replaced both belts on my Vinsons. Each belt had about 1800 mi. on it. Each belt was $106.99 plus tax. The dealer told me labor was 1.5 hrs at $60 an hour for $90 labor per bike.

After taking both belts off, neither really needed replaced and looked almost new. I wouldn't recommend doing it unless you are sure you need a new belt. The belts I took off looked like they could go 4000+ mi. At an RV show this spring, I saw a belt from an Arctic Cat 500 with 3700 mi. on it that looked like new. The service manager at my dealer said they haven't replaced any Vinson belts yet; even on the early 2002 models that were sold in 2001.

The nuts holding the drive (front) and driven (rear) pulleys were tough to crack. I had to use lots of WD40, 1/2 inch breaker bar, a hammer, and a block of wood big enough to stop the pulley from rotating. The nuts are 32mm in size (1 1/4" socket works too). The service manual says they're torqued at 83 ft. lbs, which is a fair amount. My 3/8" drive torque wrench only went to 75 ft. pounds. I figured that was close enough. I removed the first belt without the special rotor tool. I then went and borrowed the tool (after$100 deposit) overnight from the dealer, and used that to hold each rotor while I ensured the nuts were torqued correctly. The tool itself costs around $85 if you want to purchase it. I thought since I only plan to do this every 5-6 years (if I keep the bike that long) buying the tool isn't worth it.

I used the special tool on my second Vinson to both remove and replace the pulleys. It made a big difference. It was easier to loosen/tighten the nuts because the tool provided a better way to stop pulley rotation.

An unanticipated big pain was removing the rear brake pedal. Before removing it, make sure you mark the shaft so you can put it back in the same orientation. Getting it back on correctly required removing the master cylinder rod and the rear brake cable connection.

Tip: Don't start the bike with the pulleys off to watch the shafts rotate. There's an oil seal on the front shaft that is held in place by the pulley nut. With the pulley and nut removed, this seal rotates out and out comes lots of engine oil.

Hope this helps.
Mark