[Warshp]

Good afternoon all. I have a almost perfect 94 1500. It only has 17,000 original miles. I got from original owner and has been garaged all it’s life. I wanted to ask if you guys think I should have the timing belts replaced? I just didn’t know with it setting most of its life I should just to be safe. Thanks as always for the help

 

[AZgl1800]

yes,
just on AGE alone.

 

[fcanary]

I have a ‘91 Interstate that I bought two years ago with 6300 miles on it. The first thing I did was have the belts changed. As John says it the age.

 

[AZgl1800]

the timing belts have been "setting in place" for most of that 17 years.....
and rubber belts tend to take a "solid stance" when they don't roll on the ground or around gear wheel/pulley.

Take your car/truck for instance, it has been sitting for 3 months without moving in sub-freezing temps, and just before spring is awake, you need to use it.
thump, thump, thump, for a few miles until the tires warm up, and being to roll easy again.

Timing Belts and Car tires have a LOT of similarities.... rubber and steel belts.

I would prefer to buy a high mileage bike, that has been driven to work and back everyday of its' life, the timing belts on that one will still be in decent condition.

 

[retired ranger395]

Replace due to age. I have a 1996 and I need to replace my orig belts at 36k.

 

[ValkyrieRider]

The materials the belts are made out of Do Not age unless they are sitting in the desert sun for yrs. this is why honda requires an inspection at 100k miles and zero requirement for age. unless u think the honda engineers made a big mistake on their flagship model. and once again they are gates industrial drive belts designed to run 24/7 under higher loads than the 90lb valve springs of one camshaft, which honda uses as timing belts and calls them that but they are not gates timing belts. gates does not list them in the vehicle timing belt catalog. link to the gates belts honda uses. PowerGrip® GT®3 Belts | Gates Corporation

 

[Brokensprocket]

Peace of mind. Replace the 28 year old pieces of rubber and never worry about it again. Otherwise you’ll always wonder if you made the right decision unless you find out the hard way.
Do it yourself, it’s cheap, it’s easy and you’ll get familiar with the bike.

 

[eusurp]

Good afternoon all. I have a almost perfect 94 1500. It only has 17,000 original miles. I got from original owner and has been garaged all it’s life. I wanted to ask if you guys think I should have the timing belts replaced? I just didn’t know with it setting most of its life I should just to be safe. Thanks as always for the help View attachment 331071

You should go to jail for theft!!! Nice grab!! Replacing the belts was easy and I am not a bike mechanic. The web site and other YouTube videos is tremendously helpful . Scott's pictures are perfect. I bought a luggage scale $8 for the tension adjustment....hardest part as I don't have a lift and bum shoulder...have at it....belts are readily available

 

[mrwoehrle]

Good afternoon all. I have a almost perfect 94 1500. It only has 17,000 original miles. I got from original owner and has been garaged all it’s life. I wanted to ask if you guys think I should have the timing belts replaced? I just didn’t know with it setting most of its life I should just to be safe. Thanks as always for the help View attachment 331071

Yes. I have a 1998 gl1500. Only 24k miles. Just changed mine this past weekend. One side was pretty loose. The belts were also pretty stiff compared to the new ones.

 

[mickster150]

nope don't replace. Most likely the replacement parts are not even as good of quality as the original honda ones on the bike.

Sad but true in this day and age..................

 

[DaveO430]

The materials the belts are made out of Do Not age unless they are sitting in the desert sun for yrs. this is why honda requires an inspection at 100k miles and zero requirement for age. unless u think the honda engineers made a big mistake on their flagship model. and once again they are gates industrial drive belts designed to run 24/7 under higher loads than the 90lb valve springs of one camshaft, which honda uses as timing belts and calls them that but they are not gates timing belts. gates does not list them in the vehicle timing belt catalog. link to the gates belts honda uses. PowerGrip® GT®3 Belts | Gates Corporation

nope don't replace. Most likely the replacement parts are not even as good of quality as the original honda ones on the bike.

Sad but true in this day and age..................

That is some sorry, misinformed and dangerous advise.

 

[mickster150]

That is some sorry, misinformed and dangerous advise.

I would like to see your breakdown:
on how timing belts age.
how the different brands compare
how long they are in warehouses before sold.
who is the original manufacture of the replacement belt.

Actual facts, not wives tales.

People change the belts, not because they need to, but because they can. No one knows the life of the belt, they also don't know the life of the new belt.

Just because you buy something new and it is in a package, does not mean it is better. It does mean it's untested though.

Most parts these days are not sold as high quality, they are sold cheap as possible with warranty or service contracts if the buyer is willing to pay for it.

The most common reason I have seen that belts are changed is that they are old and there is no way to test the rest of life.
If this is the case, how do you tell if the new belt is any good/defective to begin with????

And finally, the timing belt is not going to kill you, its the car driver with the cell phone.

 

[mickster150]

A follow up to my post. First of all, please don't take any offense by what I write it's just another point a view (in the end, everyone ends up doing what they want anyway).

Another way to write what I mean is this:

Lets just say, that Honda made the motor so the only way to change the belts was to remove the motor from the bike and split the case. How many people do you think would change belts? I would say almost no one. The reason people change the belts, is it gives them a sense of security (I personally would say a FALSE sense of security) by changing a part with a new part without completely disassembling the bike.

The problem with this (and where all the debate comes from) is that NO ONE knows when a belt is bad. This in turn means that NO ONE knows when a belt is good.

Should it be changed once a year/every 5 years/only if bike is stored/only if bike is ridden/ if in extreme heat/if in extreme cold/certain model years/ only if seen high revs/ only California models/ etc...

While yes, you can change the belts, if a person is truly doing it because of safety, shouldn't the entire bike be torn down and be inspected for any age related issues?

Wouldn't the truly safest thing to do would buy a motorcycle that doesn't use a timing belt?

Also wouldn't it be safer to not ride a motorcycle old enough to have age related issues?

Also, As a motorcycle rider (AND I DO REALLY MEAN THIS).

I would rather ride a motorcycle with an original belt, than a motorcycle that has its timing belts changed by a first timer that learned how to do it by reading on the internet.

This is a job that while a novice can do it, a novice will not notice the mistakes that they make.

little long winded, but I guess I'm a little bored tonight!!!

Later,
mickey

 

[DenverWinger]

Gates brand timing belts are readily available

nope don't replace. Most likely the replacement parts are not even as good of quality as the original honda ones on the bike.

Sad but true in this day and age..................

The original OEM Honda belts are made by Gates, a very reputable manufacturer. Gates belts are readily available at your local Auto Parts store. If you buy them there, they won't be stamped HONDA but they are the same belt....

Just sayin'

 

[DaveO430]

I would like to see your breakdown:
on how timing belts age.
how the different brands compare
how long they are in warehouses before sold.
who is the original manufacture of the replacement belt.

Actual facts, not wives tales.

People change the belts, not because they need to, but because they can. No one knows the life of the belt, they also don't know the life of the new belt.

Just because you buy something new and it is in a package, does not mean it is better. It does mean it's untested though.

Most parts these days are not sold as high quality, they are sold cheap as possible with warranty or service contracts if the buyer is willing to pay for it.

The most common reason I have seen that belts are changed is that they are old and there is no way to test the rest of life.
If this is the case, how do you tell if the new belt is any good/defective to begin with????

And finally, the timing belt is not going to kill you, its the car driver with the cell phone.

How would you explain why Honda does put a replacement interval on Honda cars?

 

[eacorbett]

Good afternoon all. I have a almost perfect 94 1500. It only has 17,000 original miles. I got from original owner and has been garaged all it’s life. I wanted to ask if you guys think I should have the timing belts replaced? I just didn’t know with it setting most of its life I should just to be safe. Thanks as always for the help View attachment 331071

Having been a mechanic, I would absolutely say yes on age alone. With that said, everyone knows a mechanics ride is worse than anyone elses ride as they do not want to go home and work on there own ride after working on everyone elses rides all day. My bike is a 1985 GL1200L with just over 80,000m original miles. It does have the original timing belt on it! And yes it sits more than it gets ridden. I check it annually and it still looks and acts like a brand new belt. Literally has every single part number on it and is in perfect condition. And I mean that in every literal sense of the word. But not everyone has my experience and cannot determine whether a belt is in good condition or not. So again, I would highly recommend you have it changed. It is better to be safe than sorry. A belt replacement is a lot cheaper than having to replace the engine if the belt did break.

 

[DaveO430]

A belt replacement is a lot cheaper than having to replace the engine if the belt did break.

True, but there are 2 belts.

 

[cihilb]

A follow up to my post. First of all, please don't take any offense by what I write it's just another point a view (in the end, everyone ends up doing what they want anyway).

Another way to write what I mean is this:

Lets just say, that Honda made the motor so the only way to change the belts was to remove the motor from the bike and split the case. How many people do you think would change belts? I would say almost no one. The reason people change the belts, is it gives them a sense of security (I personally would say a FALSE sense of security) by changing a part with a new part without completely disassembling the bike.

The problem with this (and where all the debate comes from) is that NO ONE knows when a belt is bad. This in turn means that NO ONE knows when a belt is good.

Should it be changed once a year/every 5 years/only if bike is stored/only if bike is ridden/ if in extreme heat/if in extreme cold/certain model years/ only if seen high revs/ only California models/ etc...

While yes, you can change the belts, if a person is truly doing it because of safety, shouldn't the entire bike be torn down and be inspected for any age related issues?

Wouldn't the truly safest thing to do would buy a motorcycle that doesn't use a timing belt?

Also wouldn't it be safer to not ride a motorcycle old enough to have age related issues?

Also, As a motorcycle rider (AND I DO REALLY MEAN THIS).

I would rather ride a motorcycle with an original belt, than a motorcycle that has its timing belts changed by a first timer that learned how to do it by reading on the internet.

This is a job that while a novice can do it, a novice will not notice the mistakes that they make.

little long winded, but I guess I'm a little bored tonight!!!

Later,
mickey

I doubt if you would ever find any vehicle that uses timing belts that requires the engine to be dismantled. Cars engines with belts can be replaced without pulling the engine. Part of normal maintenance.

 

[Retiredrecluse]

Good afternoon all. I have a almost perfect 94 1500. It only has 17,000 original miles. I got from original owner and has been garaged all it’s life. I wanted to ask if you guys think I should have the timing belts replaced? I just didn’t know with it setting most of its life I should just to be safe. Thanks as always for the help View attachment 331071

It’s most certainly cheap insurance to replace the timing belts and check the tensioner bearings for any noise or roughness as well. Replacing an engine due to failure is Costly.

 

[Bryanlj]

Have you seen the "wet" belts fitted to some Fords now!