| Author | Message | ||
     Thunderboltloon |
After reading some of the comments about over-tight belts, I thought I had better check mine - sure enough, the dealer had it way over-tightened. It was absolutely rigid with my weight on the bike. I've slackened it off but now can't be sure that I have the wheel/rear sprocket exactly aligned with the front sprocket. My Dad tells me he ruined a belt on his Sportster by having the rear sprocket fractionally out of alignment, so I'm not keen to take any risks. Is it wise just to measure the length of the adjuster bolts and make sure they are equal? The problem I have is that they were a tiny bit unequal before I adjusted it - maybe it was further dealer ineptitude, but I'd hate to find out that they had that bit right and I'd set it up wrong. | ||
| Henrik |
T-bolt-loon; ideally you should measure the distance from the center of the swingarm pivot to the center of the axle - on both sides. Neither bolt length nor markings on a swingarm are really accurate. I've rigged a temporary "tool" using heavy duty wire bent at a right angle towards one end. I put the bent section in the center of the isolator bolts and then eyeball the location on the rod in relation to the rear axle. Others have made more accurate and easier to use tools. But the idea is the same - getting the distance between the center of the bolts and the center of the axle to be the same on both sides. Henrik edited by Henrik on April 08, 2004 | ||
| Thunderboltloon |
Thanks Henrik - I'll try that. | ||
| Ara |
I use a dial caliper and measure from the butt end of the swingarm caps (making sure they're snug up against the end of the swingarm itself) to the center of the axle. So far, this method has been quite effective. | ||
| Henrik |
Ara; unfortunately, if you do that you're *hoping* that the swingarm "arms" are equal length and that the caps are equal thickness ... which is nowhere near always the case. Swingarm pivot to rear axle distance is the safer bet for getting pivot and axle parallel. However, once you get the two lined up correctly, you can mark off the swingarm, so you have an accurate reference point for the future. Henrik | ||
| 2000m2 |
Does anyone know what the spec is on a 2000 M2 for the belt? A local shop told me it was loose, but they didn't know the spec on it. Thanks!  | ||
| Reepicheep |
Yeah, I know the spec for the 2000M2... its "wrong". Following the instructions in the manual cost me a 5th gear drive assembly (thank you very much). I now run it "sloppy loose". The "right" way to do it is to disconnect the shock, move the belt through the entire range of motion, and make sure it does not bind, That is then the right tension. Short of that (which I have never done), I now just run the belt so that while I sit on the bike, I can reach down, and pull the middle bottom of the belt up to touch the swingarm with only light tension. All IMHO, but I have a pile of parts here on the desk beside me that represent a hard lesson learned. | ||
| Hans |
After doing my very best to bring the sprockets in line, the belt doesn`t touch the flanges of the rear sprocket anymore, as it runs right in the middle: Keeping between 1 and 2 mm free on both sides.I suppose it was a lucky hit, but I am sure they are in line now. Hans | ||
| 2000m2 |
Reepicheep, thanks for the info! some guys at a local shop said it looked loose, but I wasn't sitting on it, so I'll make sure I look at that tomorrow. | ||
| Jonsbuell |
ALL My belt was loose on my y2k Cyclone with 600 miles on it adjusted it like a 1/16th of an inch. Was tight now 100 miles later loose again how much stretch is there in a new belt and when loose in first gear bike buck's at low speed just not smooth typical..? belt tighter when sat on as mentioned before here BWB Thanx J.B. | ||
| Reepicheep |
The factory manual says something like the main drive belt should have 1.5" deflection with 10lbs force with an unloaded bike. Following this spec (IMHO) lead to me needing several hundred dollars worth of transmission work. I don't know what they are thinking, why they have not fixed it, or if I am just confused. Now, I run the belt loose enough that if I am sitting on the bike (loaded), I can reach down and pull the bottom of the belt up to touch the swingarm with just a hint of tension on it. As the swingarm moves through its range of motion, the length between the front and rear sprocket changes significantly. You don't want the belt binding that movement *at all*. The belt won't break, other more expensive parts else will. The point where you "need the longest belt" will be when there is a straight line between the center of the rear axle, the center of the swingarm pivot, and the center of the front sprocket. If you adjusted it tight with the suspension unloaded, then rode it for 100 miles, there is a good chance you toasted the bearings inside your fifth gear drive assembly. You can (sort of) inspect these by removing the front sprocket cover and removing a cheap (disposable) seal pushed into the center of thing inside the sprocket (which is your fifth gear drive assembly). The XB's get around this with magic math and the idler pully, so that the necessary length of belt is constant regardless of swingarm position, some very cool thinking and great attention to detail. | ||
| Bbd |
has anyone designed or constructed a belt tensioner for tubers,perhaps bolted from the bottom swingarm-rearshock mounting bolt or from somewhere near the underside of the front pulley or even the lower belt gaurd mounting points? maybe using the xb belt tensioner or parts from it? | ||
| Reepicheep |
To get such a "simple" tensioner on the XB bikes, a lot of work on swingarm pivot versus sprocket positions had to be done at design time. Any retrofit for a tuber would be a lot more complicated. Run it scary loose. | ||
| Buellistic |
BUELLers: Any body out there in BUELL LAND want the TUBE FRAME BELT ADJUSTMENT INFORMATION(the WHOLE and COMPLETE STORY, "PLUS"  ??? E-MAIL me so "i" can get you e-mail address and "i" will ... Looked into this BELT TENSIONER after "i" got my 97S3T ... "IF" you improvise a BRACKET to DUPLACATE rear lower section of a SPORSTER FRAME one could use a SPORSTER BELT/CHAIN TENSIONER ??? "BUT" have not got around to doing it yet ... In BUELLing LaFayette |
