[pjbraybrook]

Those horrid plastic things they bolt on the side of the beautiful SC1K (called belt covers but I refuse to call them that, nothing on abike should look that plastic!), why do I need them on?

Can I ride without them? What are the potential downsides to not having them on? What happens if it rains and I don't have them on?

I would love to remove them but just not sure what the consequences are, adivce greatly appreciated

 

[geospencer]

You can ride without them. Several people on this forum do just that. (Do a search.) However, if something gets caught in the belt and your timing gets thrown off then your engine is toast.

There are other alternatives . . . some of which look pretty good.

 

[Spezjag]

Some of the alternatives include the Rizoma - which is an alloy belt cover that is pretty much like the stockers, except aluminum instead of plasatic. There are also the Speedymotos, which cover just the main pully and the cam pullies, leaving much of the belts exposed. Look around at some of this site's sponsors (Motowheels, Desmoworks, etc.), there are options.

 

[pjbraybrook]

thanks very much for the advice, didn't consider the toasted engine scenario! I did try to search the forum before posting but only came up with Rizoma options and the other make (the ones which people claim also destroy your engine) couldn't find anyone without them.

Maybe best to consider the rizomas...

 

[Nimi]

Some of us have used the Speedymoto pulley covers for a long time, and I am not sure that anyone has reported any issues whatsoever with them. It's one of the coolest ways to bling your bike. One caution, a year later, the anodizing is clearly bleached. If you go that route, have it powder-coated before installing.

 

[Chauncy]

Here's a pic of some folks that don't mind open belts, even the track version.

PS I did pay the price for something getting caught in the open belts. Did not toast the motor, just bent the valve and valve guide bushing, so cost wasn't that bad BUT the time it took to get back on the road was intolerable!

 

[MajorSoftie]

No covers at all is pretty high risk if you ride with normal pants. The chances of the cuff of a pair of jeans getting caught in there is much higher IMO than the likelihood of some stray rock or something.

Any of the partial cover designs are higher risk than stock, but the actual risk is dependent on what you wear and were you ride and park. I ran the stock covers that had been opened up in the middle as available from a guy on eBay, and usually wore jeans and rode in the mountains - 6000 miles with no problems.

Rain does seem like it would be an issue. Not that there's anything in there that would be immediately ruined by getting wet, but there are enough steel parts in there that I would expect it to be much more susceptible to corrosion without the covers. Also, riding in rain the water being misted up into the air by tires is very dirty and even sandy. That's not something I would want in there.

 

[tsmgguy]

The stock covers do their job, and are very light. I like the way they contrast with the engine, and emphasize it's unique character. IIRC, they can also be had in grey, if the black just looks too jarring!

 

[poolagent]

The stock covers do their job, and are very light. I like the way they contrast with the engine, and emphasize it's unique character. IIRC, they can also be had in grey, if the black just looks too jarring!

word… no bling is sometimes better

I would never replace a functional and light part by some "poser" stuff

+ they protect the timing belts from dirt and UV rays

 

[localmotion411]

I'm not a big fan of the plastic look of them either, but I wouldn't think about taking something off my bike and leaving it off if it truly served a purpose.

My vote, over no covers or metal covers, is the carbon fiber replacement covers: http://www.advancedmotorsports.com/product-p/96430703b.htm

They look great, especially when coupled with a Clay Carrier carbon fiber hugger: http://www.carbonfiberman.com/products.htm

Expensive stuff at $300+ per item, but very high quality and super good looking.

 

[muzzmann]

I am currently designing some lexan covers .... stay tuned ...

 

[Lee C.]

I always thought that these aluminum covers from Japan might work well for the full coverage crowd - http://www.corsa-jp.com/originalparts/sportclassic/

Open belts for me,

Lee C.

 

[BISHOP-BUCK]

I have the SpeedyMoto Leggero covers and love them.

 

[LA-DUC]

Don't be a pu$$y - take your belt covers off.

No belt covers - 20k miles give or take.

You know you want to. If you try it - you'll like it. This is your brain on....

(figured I'd rep the no cover faction since all the other mother hens have had their say...)

 

[Mhe225]

Open belt-covers, no belt-covers or see-thru ones have advantages too: you can visually inspect your belts and check whether all the "wheels" (bearings, rollers, tensioners) are turning. The following would not have happened with my MH900e, which has open covers: http://www.ducati.ms/forums/showpost.php?p=596274&postcount=8

To quote Johan Cruyff [1]: "Elk voordeel hep ze nadeel" [2]

RonB

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johan_Cruyff
[2] Each advantage comes with a disadvantage too

 

[Stressfest]

Question for the open/no belters among us... What's the deal with riding in the wet weather? Any worries regarding rust and the like?

 

[dietrichpfeifer]

Question for the open/no belters among us... What's the deal with riding in the wet weather? Any worries regarding rust and the like?

No issues whatsoever riding in rain several times here. (of course it does get time to dry out completely here in Phoenix ). The stock covers are not waterproof, nor do they keep humidity/moisture out, so if there were rusting problems I think it would be about the same, just that you could see it with the covers off.

 

[Goner]

I ride daily, rain or shine with open belt covers (stock, cutaways) in hot, polluted, humid, dirty Bangkok. Over one year of "going naked" - no problems whatsoever.

 

[mouse action]

MUZZMANN got the right idea,keep em coverd and still see em,let me in on those when you got them figured out.

 

[Stressfest]

That puts my mind at ease. May spring for the Rizoma's or Speedy's one day...until then, homebrew is king