now another question here I got this 2005 999 bike 1021 miles and service guy wants to ghange the belts he said every 2 yrs or 7k miles it's this true..?
i got a appointment next week he told me about 300 for the service.
2 yrs or 12,000. Belts are made much better now and I've heard of people stretching it out, but for the first time I would rather play safe than sorry. $300, is that just for labor? If so add $200 to that for the belts for a grand total of $500+. Do your own and you'll save big. Access to the timing belts is easy on the Testastretta, on my 999 all I had to do was remove the horn bracket and the breather tube. The Desmoquattro is really cluttered and the battery is on that side. There is plenty of discussion regarding belt R&R, check here and especially Ducati.ms.
__________________
2003 HD FLHRI
2003 Ducati 999R #189
2009 Buell 1125CR (sold)
2007 Ducati 1100S MTS (sold)
2005 Honda 600RR (totalled)
2001 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1995 Ducati 916 (sold)
2004 Ducati 999S (sold)
2005 Honda 600RR (Oops, I did it again, this time in red/black - sold)
I don't agree with the "every two years" comment unless you put on a million miles each season! The 6K & 12K, yes, but depending on how many miles and how hard you are on it, you can get many more then two years out of them! I have an 04 with 3K on it, did the 600 mile check up and it's never been touched since!
You're basically damned if you do and damned if you don't so I'd have to say I'm in agreement with John S and Viper.
I've got an '05 with 12k km on it. And original belts. At the 10k service we checked them and they looked new. So, were I you, I'd have them checked and make a game time decision.
I wouldnīt toy with the idea of stretching the intervals. Because if it does fail, what have you saved?
I had a belt snap on me once and it was >1000 Euros to rebuild the engine. Which actually was the cheaper way of doing things, since the crankshaft didnīt get damaged. I needed 4 new valves, 1 new piston (changed them for 2 Omega ones although I didnīt have to), then get the bottom end checked out get new bearings...
New belts every 2 years cost you 100-150 for the belts, unless you take the cheap Gates/Quentin Hazel/Renault belts which are a fraction of the cost but no OEM product. The stealership shouldnīt take more than 1 hour to swap the belts. They usually do an oil change so new oil + filter may come up on top.
Anyway, if you now stretch the whole thing to 3 years with a set of belts, what are you saving in the end?
Imagine you will keep the bike for 10 years, which is very unlikely. Then you do 5 belt changes with a 2 year interval. Letīs say a service of this kind costs you 300$, then you would spend 1500 US$ in 10 years. If you stretch the interval to 3 years, youīll spend 900 US$. 600 bucks saved, sounds good right? Now, if a belt snaps because itīs too old or whatever has happened to it, add 1500+ US$ to the math, depending on what will be damaged if a belt snaps. Plus itīs likely that this would happen during a riding season. Iīd be proper pissed off if all my buddies are riding and I would be forced to sit at home, sunny weather, broken engine... Believe me, I have been sitting home this year and in 07. No. Fun. At. All. You even get these nice asshole text messages from your "friends" saying how good the ride is and how perfect the racetrack is, how much fun theyīre having... bastards.
600 $ in 10 years, thatīs 60 bucks a year, 5 $ a month, 17 cents a day. Iīd think twice about it
A few inspirational pics for you and your belt change:
I wouldnīt toy with the idea of stretching the intervals. Because if it does fail, what have you saved?
I had a belt snap on me once and it was >1000 Euros to rebuild the engine. Which actually was the cheaper way of doing things, since the crankshaft didnīt get damaged. I needed 4 new valves, 1 new piston (changed them for 2 Omega ones although I didnīt have to), then get the bottom end checked out get new bearings...
New belts every 2 years cost you 100-150 for the belts, unless you take the cheap Gates/Quentin Hazel/Renault belts which are a fraction of the cost but no OEM product. The stealership shouldnīt take more than 1 hour to swap the belts. They usually do an oil change so new oil + filter may come up on top.
Anyway, if you now stretch the whole thing to 3 years with a set of belts, what are you saving in the end?
Imagine you will keep the bike for 10 years, which is very unlikely. Then you do 5 belt changes with a 2 year interval. Letīs say a service of this kind costs you 300$, then you would spend 1500 US$ in 10 years. If you stretch the interval to 3 years, youīll spend 900 US$. 600 bucks saved, sounds good right? Now, if a belt snaps because itīs too old or whatever has happened to it, add 1500+ US$ to the math, depending on what will be damaged if a belt snaps. Plus itīs likely that this would happen during a riding season. Iīd be proper pissed off if all my buddies are riding and I would be forced to sit at home, sunny weather, broken engine... Believe me, I have been sitting home this year and in 07. No. Fun. At. All. You even get these nice asshole text messages from your "friends" saying how good the ride is and how perfect the racetrack is, how much fun theyīre having... bastards.
600 $ in 10 years, thatīs 60 bucks a year, 5 $ a month, 17 cents a day. Iīd think twice about it
A few inspirational pics for you and your belt change:
Ben710 - don't get me wrong, I'm not saying dont do it, what I'm saying is the 2 year comment from your dealer isnt always true. Yes you are correct with your math, etc. and if the guy has the cash to do it, then for a piece of mind, do it, but I wouldnt worry about it since it's a 05 with very low miles on it.
It is part of preventative maintenance for a good reason. I got my belts on order and will do the swap this fall. I know the factory ones will be pristine when I pull the cover but I am doing it anyway.
Like Ben said, you can stretch it out or you can have a peace of mind. Expensive engine repairs is one thing. The last thing I want is a broken belt and locked up engine going at a good clip.
Ducati is taking lessons from Ferrari regarding belt change intervals. Put the fear of destruction in customers and generate plenty of work for service departments.
IMO, the two year rule would be the worst case with a healthy safety factor: belts adjusted to borderline specs, no warm up by the owner, lots of time at high rpm.
Replacement intervals are a conundrum. Hell, on a car the belts can can go 10 years or 150,000 miles.
On the 2V engines the two year cycle is pretty much on target. This is predicated on the wear induced by the small diameter idler rollers that flex the hell out of the belts. And the generally small drive sprockets that all ducs use.
Now on the later 4V engines such as the testastrettas the idler diameters are huge in comparison. This fatigues the belts less therefore a longer service interval could be derived. I don't think there will be a revised recommendation to increase the duration for two reasons. A. The factory probably doesn't collect data based on long term test to failure criteria. B. They make a lot of money selling belts.
I dunno, I'm sure I could stretch the interval but call me chicken or whatever, I'll still feed it a set of these outlandishly priced belts every two years. Still trying to think of what to do with all the old belts I have laying around. Lessee,, 2002 bike every two years x 2 belts = 8 used belts hanging on a hook in the basement.
I also have an older Goldwing. These belts are like $60 each from Honda. But the bike has been running fine for 15 years on Toyota Corolla belts (Gates) from NAPA at $13 each. I stick a set in every five years or whenever I think of it. Go figure.
Location: Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Bristol, Rhode Island, U.S.A.
Posts: 711
I've dread the emergence of this thread.I've done it 4 times since 2002 on my 996 using my Lowener gage.When i last installed a set,i soon after had the new SPS cam's dialed using the "twang" method.
I'm afraid i am lazy and do not wish to perform this service until one more season is finished.I may also screw up my cam timing with a new set of belts.I should've opted for an adjustable set of wheels.
Besides,my Schwinn needs major rework this Winter season.
Just saying,this subject is a touchy one as nobody wants belt failure.
How many "close calls" have happened due to an unused condom being "heat cycled" in the wallet of some poor teenager?? Hey they're rubber! Change em or sweat it out! LOL
My two-valve Ducati was built in 1997. I have owned it for 9-10 years now and the belts have not been changed in the time that I have owned it. They are almost certainly the original belts, as it's very unlikely that they would have been changed before I bought it. It doesn't get ridden much, but I started it up the other day and it didn't go 'bang'. If I am going to keep it I probably should change the belts soon myself (maybe I could do it) or get someone to do it.
belt change
Linear Mode
