Triumphrat

JohnA

Difference between this kit and standard setup? If so, I'll wiegh everything and post it on here - I'm pretty interested in this too. The crankshaft sprocket/pulley is steel so could be heavier than the std item but the clutch drum & friction plates must be quite a bit lighter & the belt will be miles less than a triplex chain.

tribsa1954

I know this thread has been dormant for a while, but did you get around to fitting the kit? If so are you pleased and any problems encountered?

Cheers

FASTLIKEJUDY

My wife and I run the Hayward belt drives in our race bikes. I can attest that if run in oil, the belt will spin off the teeth in four years. One of my T140s has has the same dry belt for 9 years. Overall a good quality belt drive and excellent service.
Team FASTLIKEJUDY

JohnA

I did fit the kit and it seems very good so far. But I'm still concerned about the alloy friction plates - I can't believe these will last very long, but I haven;t clocked anything like enough miles to tell yet. It s also a bit hard to compare to standard primary drive because the bike was in a bad state when I rode it home, and I dismantled it straightaway. My only comparison reference is my memory of various T140s I owned nealry 30 years ago. I'd say it is a good clutch - none of these odd problems some people report of plates sticking (but then I've never had that with any Triumph, and I don't know how I'd go about making the clutch stick even if I wanted it to, short of pouring glue in the chaincase!).

I think the engine builds revs quicker - it certainly spins up very freely, and this kit must be 5lb lighter than standard.

I don't add any oil to the case, just let whatever makes its way in there via the main bearing do whatever it wants. I can't be bothered to seal the bearing and make another breather - very many people say their T140s have run for many years and a lot of thousands of miles on synchroflex belts in oil with no problems at all (not racing mind you).

tribsa1954

Thanks for the info, any problems encountered fitting or is it a simple unbolt and replace with new, everything lines up okay etc

Cheers

Old Cafe Racer

I'm using a BNR belt drive, dry clutch system and the one thing I have noticed is my engine oil in the tank stays the same colour it came out of the bottle for a long time.
I'm not getting clutch plate dust contaminating the oil which can only be a plus.
The only down side is I have to use a rockerbox breather as the seal is fitted and the 3 small holes are sealed up.

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JohnA

Not getting clutch crap in the engine oil would be a definite bonus. The thing that put me off fitting an oil seal to the main bearing is that I thought it was a lot more complictaed than fitting a rockerbox breather to make the crankcases breathe ok. But if that's all you've got and you fine it works fine, maybe I'll do it.

Has the BNR clutch got a sealed bearing or does it rely on loose rollers and grease?

JohnA

The kit I used (bought from LP Williams but almost cerrtainly the same as offered by others for around the same price) was a straight swap. I used the same shims behind the crankshaft pulley as were behind the sprocket, and I bought a complete new centre as the shock absorber rubbers in my old one were shot and also, I couldn't bear the thought of any part not being shiny and new! It was no problem to fit - just like fitting the standard set up only a lot lighter, less messy and if anything easier.

I was very relieved to find that the belt ran nice and true - no tendency to walk one way or the other. I removed the rubber from the chain tensioner and polished the blade to a mirror finish, in case the belt needed any tension, but it didn't.

Like I said, on my experience so far I'd recommend one, but I also think it would be worth forking out the extra for a Tony Hayward kit. The main difference being that his clutches use more friction plates which have a large number of triangular teeth, thereby spreading the load a lot further than on mine.

Old Cafe Racer

All I have is a rockerbox breather, it puts out around 2 drops of oil in 100 miles which I simply catch with a small bottle as I use an O ring chain, otherwise I'd simply use it as a chain oiler.
The BNR clutch has captive rollers with a grease cofferdam built around it and is to all intents and purposes a sealed bearing.

davy
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Triton Thrasher

Some would do business with Tony anyways.