650 drive belt failures

[Strompilot]

I talked to a friend of mine from Oregon yesterday, who had a 650 Burgman, but got rid of it due to drive belt issues.  He told me he has a friend that had one, too, and his drive belt actually failed for reasons the dealer's service department was unable to determine.  Apparently to remove and re-install the drive belt on the 650, the engine has to be completely removed, as does the both the front and rear ends of the bike.  His friend's bill for the new belt install was $2600.00++!!  Fortunately for him, Suzuki stepped up for half the bill, but he sold the scoot immediately.  Dick also sold his and got a Silver Wing.  I'm just curious if anyone else has had this experience, and if this is a serious, common problem with the 650.  If so, perhaps Suzuki needs to re-design this.

[Valalvax]

How many miles on each?

[msgtphil]

It's a well documented issue and an easy prevention has been discovered. Check the 'sticky' at entrance to 'Suzuki thread'.
http://maxi-scoots.com/scoot/index.php?topic=41.0
 Though I am still a bit perturbed at Suzuki's failure to step up with a recall, warning to customers to keep an eye on the problem part and past reluctance to take responsibility for repairs.

[Leo38]

After reading about this issue here and on other forums, I ordered a couple of replacement stopper bolts for my '06 650 from Ron Ayers - p/n 21748-10G10 @ $4.72 ea.
For what it costs, figure I'll replace them each year.
An ounce of prevention .............

[Maggie]

I think the issue Greg speaks of is separate from the bolt issue???

I replaced my bolt last May and have checked it at every oil change since.  (I change oil every 3,000 miles, yes I know to soon but makes me feel better.)  I have noticed no change in the bolt. It is a stronger metal that the original bolt.

[robster]

there are 3 reason why drive belt fails:
1)worn out/old
2)factory defect
3) uneven/worn out primary or secondary sheaves(in this case, primary and secondary sheaves must be replaced $$$$. before installing new cvt belt.

[msgtphil]

I think the issue Greg speaks of is separate from the bolt issue???

In that case, oops.

[Maggie]

Still good to mention

[Buffalo]

In the cases that I have read about when a belt failed on a 650 and the cause was tracked down it turned out some other part failed first causing the pulleys to lock up and ruin the belt.  Those causes have been traced to stopper bolt failure, bearing failure due to water entering the ECVT, foreign matter getting into the ECVT usually due to rodents, input spline failure, and failure of the friction pads inside the primary pulley.  Sounds like a lot but only a very small fraction of 650 owners ever have a problem with the ECVT. 

Suzuki made a change to the input spline after the 04 model that solved that problem.  Periodic inspection and replacement of the stopper bolt solves that issue.  Not riding the bike in water deeper than the floorboards solves the water incursion problem.  If you store the bike in an area that has problems with mice and other rodents there is a simple modification that can be made to cover the ECVT exhaust port to keep them out.  The problem with wear on the friction pads inside the primary pully has only been recently discovered.  I've only heard of a couple of mentions of it so not much data is available.         

[Valalvax]

Good post buffalo, impressive

[Buffalo]

Addressing Wingpilots other question. Yes it is true that the ECVT in the 650 is not easy to remove.  If you do it according to the instructions in the shop manual you will remove all the body panels and drop the module that includes the engine, transmission and final drive unit out then unbolt the tramsmission from the engine.  A couple of folks have reported that they were able to do it without dropping the whole module out.  They just removed the motor mounts and lowered the engine down far enough to gain the necessary clearance to pull the ECVT loose from the engine.    

[Yellow Jacket]

Just so I understand, the whole motor has to at least have to be lowered to change the belt? What is the replacement interval for the belt?

[robster]

normally it's every 12k miles...

[toadonthego]

there is no service interval on the belt, I think you are referring to a 400 belt which is a different critter altogether. our club has been riding for 2 years just about every weekend and our rides are normally between 150 to 250 miles, we have seven 650 burgman riders ranging from 2003 to 2007 models and no one has experienced any tranny or belt problems. on my wifes and I 650s we have 20,000+ miles on each and to date the only required repairs were light bulb replacement, they have been flawless.

Toad

[Maggie]

The belt for the 650 is "for life".  The Burgman 400 is recommend to be changed at 14,500.

[robster]

belt can still be used up to 15-18k miles but there are already some cracks in between the groves...for safety purposes,i'd rather replace it,than being stranded out of nowhere.

[WildBillPurdue]

In the cases that I have read about when a belt failed on a 650 and the cause was tracked down it turned out some other part failed first causing the pulleys to lock up and ruin the belt.  Those causes have been traced to stopper bolt failure, bearing failure due to water entering the ECVT, foreign matter getting into the ECVT usually due to rodents, input spline failure, and failure of the friction pads inside the primary pulley.  Sounds like a lot but only a very small fraction of 650 owners ever have a problem with the ECVT. 

Suzuki made a change to the input spline after the 04 model that solved that problem.  Periodic inspection and replacement of the stopper bolt solves that issue.  Not riding the bike in water deeper than the floorboards solves the water incursion problem.  If you store the bike in an area that has problems with mice and other rodents there is a simple modification that can be made to cover the ECVT exhaust port to keep them out.  The problem with wear on the friction pads inside the primary pully has only been recently discovered.  I've only heard of a couple of mentions of it so not much data is available.         

Thanks Buffalo... After having 2 cvt's replaced, and prepping for a court case, I have become quite educated on this issue, and you nailed it. The show stopper for the big "S" will be the fact that they went with a thicker bolt, along with strength enhancement...

[Maggie]

We changed a spline on club members 650 recently.  Surprisingly a very easy job.  It is a shame Suzuki does not put out blanket notices regarding these issues.

The difference in the old version to the new version is very very noticeable.  Hope Suzuki does right by you Bill before the necessity of filing papers... etc.

[Buffalo]

belt can still be used up to 15-18k miles but there are already some cracks in between the groves...for safety purposes,i'd rather replace it,than being stranded out of nowhere.

Rob I put 21,000 miles on the belt in my 400 before I replaced it and a number of other Burgman 400 riders I know have done the same.  I inspect them when I do my maintenance and if they are not showing cracking or excessive wear I continue to run them. 

The belt on my 650 is approaching 69,000 miles of use now.  I don't have any plans to replace it unless I have an ECVT failure.  The belt on the 650's ECVT is very different from from a normal CVT belt.  It an aluminum and fiber composite with the aluminum providing the wear surface.       

Of all the 650 owners in my Dallas Burgman riding group, none has had a belt failure.  The bikes range from 04 to 09 models.  One member of the group has had a ECVT failure.  In her case the ECVT quit shifting correctly but it did not lock up.  When it was taken apart the belt was still in good condition.   It had in excess of 50,000 miles on it at the time and it is an 07 model like mine.         

[HappyPuppy]

I had a 2004 B650 that was run over by a truck and totaled by the insurance. I got it from the insurance company and parted it out. Yes you can get at it by removing the motor mounts. That is what I did to start the disassembly. It may save some time, however I  would do it the book way. It will make much easier to examine any wearable parts. The panels are difficult to fit on right, as they a large and odd shaped. Someone to assist would be a big help.