Agreed but probably best to trailer it away and don't start the engine (after you've paid for it) until they're changed.
the thing is he has swapped a whole load of other things and it is in fairly good condition, its just the belts. oh and it is cheap...
No, as long as the belts do get changed and you are confident to do then yourself. The lack of maintenance/servicing should be a good reason to get the price down though.
If it's cheap, do the deal, the belts are easy enough and it's not a deal-breaker. Get the front cover off and have a look before handing the money over, just to make sure it'll make it home...
Ah, just realised it's an ST4. Get the owner to take the front cover off, that fairing can be a pig to remove...
to be honest I will probably trailer it home anyway, I have a fold up trailer that goes in the back of my truck it takes 2 minutes to build. thanks everyone, you've put my mind at rest a bit, cheers
If it's the right price then buy it, if it all goes shit-shaped you can always break it and get your money back for the parts...
I'd completely agree. With belts that far out of life I wouldn't ride it to the end of the road Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
Knowing what you know Nelly, would you ever source your own belts from Gates, or here Buy from a comprehensive range of 9.5mm pitch toothed timing Synchro belts and fit to your own bikes? I do not believe Ducati have ever specified different/extra strength belts from anywhere, as they wouldn't do with bearings, but instead will have always used what is available in the requisite dimensions straight off the shelf.
RE the ST4 with no belt change for 10 years, Is it wise to buy something like that? I am a noob so be gentle but what about the shims etc? Could it not be causing damage if they remain unchecked for 10 years? Just a thought.
Tbh, IMO it's not worth the risk to me or my customers. If I fit Ducati belts then they're warranted for two years. Peace of mind for my customers and me. Unless fitted incorrectly, all the failures I've seen have been non genuine belts. The belt issue has been thrashed out for years now and I've seen/heard nothing to convince me there's an equal alternative. I agree the belts from engineering suppliers "appear" to be the same, it is a fairly standard size, but the construction/material is, I believe and have heard elsewhere, different and this is enough to stop me going down that route. Many Gates suppliers will supply an equivalent but give them the exact part numbers and they can't supply...... I'm all for saving money and if the DIY'er chooses the cheaper belts then that's fine. It's their decision and not my liability insurance that gets clobbered..
Thanks for your reasoning and experience. Based on that experience, there therefore seems to be a correlation between non-Ducati belts and DIY home mechanics - is that a fair summary? If so, without a forensic post mortem on the belts (hopefully not the rider...), it will be almost impossible to decide whether its the belts, or ham-hands that are to blame. The conclusion I think we're drifting towards, is that the danger with non-Ducati belts seems to lie in falling for something of the same dimensions, but not necessarily the same specification of construction and load handling, (because there's no way 'Ducati-spec' belts will be exclusive to Ducati's application), so the premium paid at the parts counter is simply for peace of mind in regards to the specification of the belt. One interesting claim noted on the Simply Bearings web-site, in the belts section, is the statement that belts are "Insensitive to weathering"... Simply Bearings Ltd
All very interesting I wonder what Ducati would specify if Gates decided to stop supplying. Whats the bets they'd evaluate another make and recommend that even if there was a difference in performance, but within their 2yr replacement policy
The interval would have to remain the same, otherwise they would be wide open if someone fitted a new old stock set of belts to the previous spec, and they failed before the service interval of the newer spec. Belts are seriously over specced, my leon had never had a cam belt because it has 72000 on the clock and the book states 120,000 with no interval recommended. Upon speaking to a dealer seat updated the advice to 80,000 and 4 years, so mine was very overdue. The old belt, tensioner and water pump were all excellent with no sign of imminent failure. Better safe than sorry so they were changed yesterday. Surprisingly the Seat main dealer were the best price!
Belts are reliable and long-lived provided they are not run too fast, or too hot, and provided the pulley size is not too small. Car cam belts typically run slowly, cool, and over large pulleys. Sadly Ducati pulleys typically run hot, fast, and over small pulleys.
The belt will not stop in the same position when the engine is stopped, if you fitted new belts and marked the belts with paint at the belt timing marks on the pulleys, once the engine is turned over and the pulleys are timed up again, you will see that the paint marks are in a different position now. Thats a fact. its would be near impossible to turn the engine off and the belts to be in the same position!!!
multistrada 1000 needs new belts ..i have limited spannering skills ..can i do it myself ? i took cover off had look at them seem in good nick but been 3 years since they where last done and over 7500 miles ..just had quote for £750 to 800 for full service from non dealer at 60 a hr plus parts jesus !! its a 2003 so not worth much but i love it ..how hard is it to do and any pointers please
