SuperMax Products

• Comment: Fails WP:NCOMPANY. Noting the SuperMax website is a primary source and not independent or reliable source for establishing notability. Dan arndt (talk) 05:55, 29 October 2026 (UTC)

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SuperMax Products is an American engineering and manufacturing company specializing in high-performance belt-drive conversions and drivetrain components for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Founded by drivetrain pioneer Phil Ross, the company helped develop the modern motorcycle poly-chain belt drive and pioneered a process for rebuilding pulleys with polyurethane overlay.

History

In the early 1970s, motorcycle builder Phil Ross sought an alternative to traditional roller chain final drives, which required high maintenance and were prone to stretching under the power of custom V-twin engines. After being turned away by Uniroyal, Ross approached the Gates Rubber Company in Denver, Colorado, in 1972. He showed up on a custom gooseneck chopper which got the attention of the Gates engineers.

At the time, Gates engineers John Redmond and Don McCombre were developing an industrial poly-chain belt for snowmobiles but were struggling with belt failures caused by environmental debris. Soon they recognized that motorcycles represented an untapped application for the technology they developed for snowmobiles and quickly switched industries and the Gates engineers partnered with Ross to adapt the system for motorcycles.

Early prototypes using No. 45 and No. 65 Kevlar cord belts failed prematurely; Ross and Gates engineers later discovered the failures were caused by minor alignment offsets between the motorcycle engine and transmission casings. The team eventually stabilized the system by implementing heavy-duty No. 80 cord Kevlar poly-chain belts

Technical Innovations

Polyurethane Pulley Overlays

During initial testing in the mid-1970s, Ross discovered that conventional aluminum drive pulleys wore out rapidly under high-torque loads. Alternative experiments with hard anodizing failed to stop the wear, while switching to solid steel pulleys introduced excessive rotational weight and expense.

To solve this, Redmond and Ross engineered a method to manufacture and rebuild motorcycle pulleys using a specialized polyurethane compound bonded directly over the pulley teeth. Finalized in 1975, these polyurethane overlays matched the drive belts' material composition. This drastically reduced friction, eliminated raw metal-to-belt wear, cushioned drivetrain shock loads, and let worn vintage pulleysand aftermarket pulley keep there design and allowed them to repair pulleys instead of scrapping them.

Clutch Hub Integration

To facilitate the initial poly-chain testing, Ross pioneered the mechanical integration of standard Harley-Davidson clutch baskets into custom-machined billet aluminum rings. This design allowed the high-strength industrial synchronous belts to interface smoothly with existing motorcycle primary and secondary drive architectures.

Impact and Legacy

SuperMax Products became a aftermarket parts supplier to the American custom chopper movement during its peak growth eras during the 1980's into the late 2000's. The company's drive systems were heavily utilized and endorsed by prominent custom motorcycle builders, including legendary chopper designer Sugar Bear. The company continues to operate as a specialized provider of custom belt drives and pulley remanufacturing services. Phill Ross pased away in December of 2009 from cancer. His wife Vivian Ross toook over operation along with the Ross family to carry on SuperMax operations.

See also

• Changer (motorcycle)
• List of motorcycle manufacturers
• Belt drive (motorcycle)

References

This article "SuperMax Products" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:SuperMax Products. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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