Concern about an open primary

Energy One
J

joey1158

Member
From a safety standpoint, just how 'safe' is an open primary? To me, it doesn't look as safe as having everything enclosed but I thought I would ask the experts and get their opinion(s). And besides, is there any good reason to have one at all? Thanx
 
H

hayseed

Member
I rub me foot on mine all the time and no issues, more aware of where my legs go now than on bikes with enclosed primary -- i have more concern from hot pipes than the belt..
 
W

waternazzi

Active Member
oh and lets not forget stones and anything else that gets caught up in it.dont get me wrong I do like the look of an open primary but if in was to get one those would b my concerns.as they say here...just my 2cts
 
Mickeetwo

Mickeetwo

Guru
They look and sound Cool.....that overrides any negatives :D No oil leaking back into the starter is a plus also. On my bucket list to get one. If I only had the Benjamins
 
Brew

Brew

Troop Supporter
No issues here been running a 4" belt on mine for 2 years without any hiccups. Never caught the pant leg and if you're that worried about getting your pant leg caught they do sell a guard. I guess the question to you is, DO YOU WEAR BELL BOTTOMS? :D
 
liferider

liferider

Looking forward to retirement
I have a BDL open primary with a 2.5" belt. It looks and sounds fantastic. Yes, one of my big concerns was catching my boot cut jeans in it. I have only done it once and I had the bike in neutral and I actually put my pants in the primary to see how bad it would be. It was a quick jerk like a 2 year old jerking on your pants leg. After it was spit out the bottom that's all there was. I felt silly but I had to assure myself I would not be drug off the bike and have to have a prosthetic leg attached like I was told. They are not dangerous. As for rocks, yep I caught one and messed a belt up. Cost me $165.00. BUT the 1st belt lasted 2 yrs. now go back in time with me. My 107 creates a lot of torque. About every 3-4 months I had to get a primary gasket due to oil drips created from the torque of the engine and my 1.5 spacing to my primary. On the 2003 choppers the offset is 1.5". Every time I got a new primary gasket to stop the oil from coating everything under and behind the primary it cost about $150.00. So as you can do the math. The open primary maintenance is so much cheaper for me! I do check for rocks now. The other thing is with a open primary I have a dry clutch not a wet clutch. So about every 400 miles I open my clutch plate cover and blow out my clutches with a air compressor removing all the dust. Takes about 10 minutes.
 

Attachments

ringo

ringo

Active Member
The reduction in rotating mass = quicker revs
The reduction in weight = better performance
No primary fluid to worry with
And most important is its just fucking cool!
 
Little-Boo

Little-Boo

Well-Known Member
Troop Supporter
I have had my Baker for about 7 years with no issues. I even had it chromed which according to baker is a no no :2thumbs:

Carlos :whoop:
 
titus722

titus722

Active Member
I have a karata 4 inch ,, no issues , no pant leg getting caught , no rocks being thrown ,, it's perfect ,, buy one , u won't regret it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top