From: tp0x+@cs.cmu.edu (Thomas Price)
Subject: More on KZ440 Belt Drives
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 20:03:37 GMT

This just in:

Date:    Thu, 10 Sep 1992 15:51:45 -0400 (EDT)
From:    TODK@ARIEL.LERC.NASA.GOV (John A. Gazzaniga)
Message-Id: <920910155145.20202460@ARIEL.LERC.NASA.GOV>
Subject: Belt drive for 440LTD
To:      tp0x@cs.cmu.edu
X-Vmsmail-To: SMTP%"tp0x@cs.cmu.edu"

                                               Sept. 10, 1992
  Dear Mr. Price
       I am sorry to hear about your misfortune on the attempt-
  ed conversion of your 1981 440LTD to belt drive.
       The reason that I am writing this note to you is that I
  am attempting the same thing.  You see, I also own a 1981 440.
  I have discovered that there were two belt drives for the 440LTD.
  The first was for the '80-81 models with the clutch actuated by
  the clutch cable on the left hand side (of the rider) of the engine.
  With the '82 models on different sprockets, belt guard, and belt
  were used.
       At the dealer where I buy my Kawasaki parts they had a new
  countershaft sprocket lying around which I bought for approximately
  $35.00.  Getting the belt was a real eye opener.  The early model
  belts ran for about $100.00 brand new.  The late model belts ran
  for about _$300.00_ brand new!  At that point I decided that if I
  were to get a belt for the m'cycle it would be the early belt version.
       The rear spocket for either version was of an equally outrageous
  price.  Trying to find an early belt drive sprocket used turned out
  to be a nightmare.  You see, the early belt was the narrower one
  with the late belt being, of course, the wider.  This is perhaps where
  you were ran into trouble.  There is also a difference in the tooth
  number of both the belt and the sprockets.  The used sprockets that
  everyone seemed to have was the late model 65 tooth sprocket.  What
  I needed was the early 60 tooth sprocket.  I eventually got one from
  Mike's cycles in Oregon after several weeks.
       Since I intend to work on the LTD in a couple of months I haven't
  tried the fit of things yet.  It should, however, fit as this version
  of the belt drive is the same as the model that ran concurrently with
  the chain drives of those years ('80-81).
       I write this e-mail to you for basically two reasons.  The first
  is that I think belt drives are a neat idea particularly in the clean-
  ing department.  So I would implore you not to give the idea up com-
  pletely.  The second reason is that as I do not currently post to any
  newsgroups perhaps you could pass this information on to rec.motorcycles
  if you so desire.  I have some crude notes about belt widths and teeth
  number somewhere so if you need the information I could scare it up
  some how.  Good luck with selling your current belt drive.  Happy riding
  and so long for now.

                                                   --John Gazzaniga
                                                     NASA Lewis Research Center
                                                     Cleveland, OH

Thanks, John!

Tom

******************************************************************************
  tp0x@cs.cmu.edu   |   Mr Ethical   |     Tom Price, Obscure Dropout
  1981 KZ440LTD     |    DoD #518    |  	  I'm the DoD.
******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles