Motorcycles aren't dangerous-people are dangerous. There are always those quick-to-talk individuals that bad mouth open primaries, but we'd bet it wasn't the primary's fault if something happened. It is up to someone to install the open primary drive components, adjust them, affix necessary guards, and in the end ultimately up to the rider to know it is there and how to ride accordingly.
Open primaries have been used on motorcycles and especially choppers for as long as motorcycles have been around. Both chains and belts have been used for this purpose, but belts have many advantages like low maintenance, weight, durability, cleanliness, and are less likely to saw through something caught in them unlike the tall teeth on chain sprockets.
Today's belt drives like Rivera Primo's are well-made and refined from those old squared-off units of the past. They not only look nice but they are made to last.
Maybe you have a bike with an old mismatched belt drive or even an open chain on it that you'd like to church up a bit. Or you are looking to convert from a stock closed primary to an open setup. With all the good deals on pre-Evo big twins out there, the latter seems to be fairly common these days.
That's how the '78 Shovelhead shown here started out almost a year ago, it was a big bike with lots of stuff all over it, but was put on a diet. You don't need a big wide belt drive for most stock or mild older Harleys bulking up the left side of the scooter and Rivera Primo hits the right happy medium with its 2-inch early open belt drive setup. Going hand-in-hand with the belt drive is the Pro-Clutch for '36-84 big twins. The diaphragm-style Pro-Clutch is a great upgrade from a stock clutch or even for higher performance machines while retaining easy hand or foot control. Our Shovel had a stock clutch with who knows how many miles on it and a recent tranny sprocket change from 23 to 25 teeth was taking its toll on the old clutch around town. So with clutch replacement looming in the not too distant future anyway, the choice was made to go with the Pro-Clutch. After all, the stock unit was basically engineered back in the 1930s!
If you don't already have an open primary on your bike now, you'll need to get a kickstand stop and tranny mainshaft bearing support from Rivera Primo and an age old transmission adjuster bracket to tension the belt. Don't forget to tighten down all five tranny mounts when you're done and re-adjust the rear drive chain. Depending on your confidence as a rider, as mentioned before, Rivera Primo has many different levels of belt and pulley guards to keep you safe. If you have mid controls or floorboards especially, you'll want to pick something up or make a guard, some forwards like the ones on this shovel protect the rider's heel.
All in all, the swap only takes a couple of hours. Now that side of the bike looks great, but possibly the best thing about it is how nice the Pro-Clutch works! It was really unbelievable how much better the clutch works now, it doesn't need to be heavily slipped off the line from a dead stop anymore and it feels even easier to squeeze than the OEM unit. Do yourself a favor and hook up with Rivera Primo and upgrade your current H-D or your next project! SC