Converting an F800GS to belt drive.

Hi Nick,
Just wondering what, if any, progress might have been made on the project since the post in April.
Its been a few months now, or are you so busy riding it that you don't have time to write about it?
SuperTed

I wish, I wish...

Other commitments have taken priority over the last six months. My girlfriend and I built her a food caravan, I'm juggling three different projects at work, and I'm also making time to rebuild my LC - a clueless pedestrian ran in front of me three weeks ago. (I sent him flying, but the damage to the bike was also bad enough to put it out of commission for a while.)

The project is still very much on my mind, though - and you guys will be the first to know when progress is made! :)

Couldn't you have just 'adventurised' a V Rod ? You would've got loads of advice over on ADV .

I'll get my coat .......... :p

Don't laugh!... If someone could put TKC80s on a Ducati 1098, and then ride it in forests, I guess stranger things could happen...
 
Just when you all thought I'd forgotten. :)

Now that food truck and 'Work' work commitments are out of the way, I can proceed.
All the parts were laser-cut from 3mm mild steel except the base plate attached to the swingarm mounts, which is in 8mm mild steel.
This was just a trial assembly to verify that everything fits perfectly. With a bit of luck, I might get it all TIG welded this weekend.

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BMW F800GS chain to belt drive conversion kit

Great :thumb2 build :beerjug: cheers

I wanted to share that my company builds chain to belt drive conversion kits and we are actually in the process of building one for a 2010 BMW F800GS. All of our kits are 100% made in the USA and completely bolt-on. We design the kits to replace the existing original chain drive without any modifications done to the transmission or frame. If you have any interests or questions about the kit please feel free to contact us.

www.motorevs.us
 
It would be interesting to se what happened. Even if it never happened. It would be good to know if the solutions were working or not. JJH
 
Hi again, all!

I just replied to a PM Lindsay sent ages ago, so it wouldn't be fair not to post one here, too.
Long story short, the project is currently out of sight, but not out of mind. Sadly, I haven't ridden any of my own bikes in two years.

Just before I left Johannesburg (I now live in De Rust, in the Western Cape), the project's frame was welded.
Some pics are attached. This is literally as far as I've gotten: a couple of days after those pics were taken, I had to move house.

As soon as the new house is built, the project gets moved into a section of the workshop all its own - and work continues anew!
 

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Well, sad news... the F800GS belt-drive project is officially dead.
I've broken up the prototype, and am selling it as parts.

Apologies to all the peeps who were waiting to hear more. :tears
A number of factors contributed to this:
- Where I live now just isn't conducive to belt drive. Abrasive dust, sand, stone and rock, and I have to ride two kilometres of dirt road before I get to tarmac.
- I'm still building BMW projects, but I decided to shift my focus in the direction of shaft drive and more power. Hence replacement of the F800 project with a lightweight Hexhead-powered project (inspired by something like the HP2 Enduro/Megamoto).
- I hadn't ridden a bike that belonged to me in too bloody long. When Covid emerged on the world, I didn't have a chance to slow down - my workload actually sped up. So in addition to the crashed 2011 GSA I bought asa base for the new project, I also bought myself a running, mid-mileage 2010 GSA.
This one's been slimmed down a tad with GS bodywork and fuel tank, and currently wears Pirelli Scorpion Trails - I only get to ride it once a week or so, but it spends that time hunting down superbikes over the local mountain passes.
 
So sad to see it ended. After all the work. Pity you didn’t finish it even just to sell it on. Disappointing end. JJH
 
Enjoyed the thread and a shame you didn't get chance to finish it. Good luck on your future projects. Thanks for letting us know.
 
Pity you didn’t finish it even just to sell it on. Disappointing end. JJH

Yep, for me too. But it makes no sense for me to invest further R&D and money in a bike I'd then be forced to sell at a pittance because it had been 'bastardized'.
Putting standard, low-mileage F800GT and GS engines and parts on the auction block will at least allow me to recoup what I spent. An awful lot of capital is tied up right now.

Enjoyed the thread and a shame you didn't get chance to finish it. Good luck on your future projects. Thanks for letting us know.

I will. Thanks!
New thread and pictures due... soon.
 
Shame to see the project cancelled but I can completely understand why. It also shows that BMW got it right with the chain drive, for all the same things as you find being 2 kilometres down a dirt road.
Good luck with any future endeavours.
 


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