Near Plum Point, I began to feel a slipping in the belt while heading up a hill. "Not good" I said out loud to nobody. I was keeping the speed below 30mph but even then something didn't feel right. Was it the gusting headwind slowing me down or something else internal to the belt and case? Most likely the later. I had prepared for the inevitable break yet optimistically hoped it wouldn't come.
A loud snap and immediate loss of power signaled the end of my last belt. "We'll that's that" I muttered, pulling over to the sloping sandy shoulder.
Taking stock of my inventory, I had two frayed and chewed up belts to choose from and a stock clutch which I suspected was fully engaged due to worn springs. Hot belt fragments had melted to the spare clutch I carry so it was clearly no longer an option. Replacing the ill fitting clutch springs from the worn clutch into my OEM Honda clutch, I began to bolt the assembly together. My plan was to limp back a few miles to the NAPA auto parts I passed and order a few belts there and wait. Not the best choice but without a house in sight and wind and rain closing in, it was all I had.