# belt clutch on a EV bike



## firebook23 (Jun 6, 2008)

What is everyones opinion on putting a belt drive system like those found on snowmobiles on a EV bike?


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

I'd be thinking about belt driven if doing a bike wasn't already complex enough for my small mind. It would be quieter and less maintenance which is a good match for an EV, if you have the skills then I say go for it!


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## firebook23 (Jun 6, 2008)

what would make it so much harder then a chain system?


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## mattW (Sep 14, 2007)

My bike already has a chain, I know nothing about belt drives, thus I use the chain. I might look into it after I get my bike on the road, but a chain drive is just the quickest easiest way for me to do it. I have never used a snowmobile and we don't get much snow here  so I wouldn't know where to source one. It shouldn't be to hard if it can get a decent gear ratio.


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## DVR (Apr 10, 2008)

There are a lot of bikes out there that use belts as standard equipment. They are almost silent and they can handle hi power. The down side is that they are not very tolerant of being incorrectly tensioned. 
On a bike the drive sprocket is mounted as close to the swingarm pivot as possible to try to limit tension changes as the swingarm swings through it's range of travel when you hit bumps. Even so the more travel the bike has the more the tension changes. If you run a pancake motor on your bike your not going to get the drive sprocket as close to the pivot as the original so the effect is amplified.
Chains can handle large changes in tension, belts cannot. That's why bike with large suspension travel(trail bikes) have chains And bike with small suspension (harleys) can run belts.

If you are only having a few inches of travel you can probably get away with a belt. Getting the right ratio may prove to be a problem though as sprockets are easy to get but getting hold of matching belt pulleys may not be. 

Oh they are all so quite expensive


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## Little Rhody (Jun 17, 2008)

The belts Firebook23 is talking about are a heavy duty, wide V-belt made for a centrifugal clutch. The belts used on production bikes are a toothed cog belt. The coged belts would hold the power. and keep things to a minimal space requirement. The gearing would cause a problem. 

LR


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