| Author | Message | ||
     Mark_weiss |
I'd noted that the old belt was losing tension. At 24k miles, I could turn the idler pulley with finger pressure.  Scissor jack raises the bike just enough. Rear brake caliper is off, lower belt guard, & front guard. You also need to remove the three right side screws from the chin fairing. That's all  Remove axle, wriggle the belt off of the rear pulley, wriggle the wheel out.  Remove the footpeg mount. Wrap in a cloth so that the paint does not get chipped. Don't forget the 7/16 screw from the lower bag mount. Remove the brace. One long screw & three short ones.  Work the belt out. The two side screws from the side of the rear fender need to be removed so that the belt can slide out.  Belt's out!  Now reverse the process. The tools that I needed that are not in the full tool kit were a torque wrench, socket for the rear axle, & hex driver bits. The new belt is MUCH tighter. The rear axle took a lot more patience to install. Using the scissor jack allowed me to adjust the bike's height so that I did not have to raise the wheel while aligning the axle. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Buellerxt |
Thanks for the pictures and explanation, Mark. The belt was losing tension but is that a sure sign it needs to be replaced? Any chance it would have been fine for another 24,000 miles? Thoughts on why it lost tension? Thanks again. | ||
| Towpro |
I do like the popular idea of keeping that old belt on board as a spare. Since it's loose, it will be easier to install on the side of the road. But I am 20K miles behind you. I hope they still sell belts by the time I have 24K on mine  | ||
| Paint_shaker |
Can I have your old belt? | ||
| Skifastbadly |
If I'm reading this right, you removed the rear wheel and the footpeg mount to replace the belt. That's not necessary. The proper procedure is to loosen the rear axle, then remove the frame component which allows the belt replacement. I put on a new belt after mine failed in the field. | ||
| Jim_williams |
Hey Skifast, I remember that adv post. I have it printed, and, with my tools on my bike. Now, I jut need to come up with a spare belt  | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Jim, American Sportbike has them. I'd grab one if I were you. I'd have been screwed that day without the spare. I hope my experience is never of any use to you, though. | ||
| Dr_greg |
That is absolutely correct. Replacing belts (with rear wheel in place) is not a difficult field repair. Just make sure you're carrying the tools (and a spare belt). --Doc | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
>" Just make sure you're carrying the tools" That having been said, anyone have an idea of where a 7/8" wrench can be found for cheap? I want to chop one and use a pipe for torque. I was thinking of getting a walmart lug wrench. | ||
| Froggy |
You don't need a 7/8" wrench. I did my belt change without removing the wheel. | ||
| Itileman |
Pawn shop if you still feel the need for a 7/8 wrench. Should set you back 25 cents or less. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I was putting on a new rear tire, so rolling the wheel out was not any extra work. It made wriggling the old belt out, and the new one in, much easier because the pulley was out of the way. I removed the footpeg mount because it was easier to access the swingarm piece with the mount out of the way. I started to work around it, then decided that with only four screws to remove it would be quicker to just swing it away. Roadside? I'd leave the wheel in place but I might still remove the footpeg mount. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I don't know if there was any specific cause for the belt to lose tension. My worry was that if the belt got loose enough to be able to lose contact with the idler pulley, it could whip and shock load, thereby doing it in (applied lesson learned with other belts). The old belt is now a backup and could be put on quite easily at roadside. If I were to carry it with me. Mark SE AZ | ||
| Pso |
Towpro-Lots of us got a 2nd belt and swapped out the original at a tire change, idea being we would have a spare and it would also be stretched out if needed fo rroadsie repair. I have not heard of any problems with the latest iteration (I believe it is the third model)belt failing. Also some folks have said that the indication of a belt failure is often that it becomes much easier to turn by han. | ||
| Midnightrider |
Just picked up a new belt. Anybody got a link to the adv post? Thanks | ||
| Aesthetics |
Changing belt without removing rear wheel? Assume its a used belt, could imagine getting a fresh tight belt all that way. If new, any tips/tricks? Would love this to be a roadside fix. Also as a note: I use a rear jack stand, not center. When changing the belt you have to loop it over the stand first, then raise bike. The belt needs to go in between the stand and the swingarm, hope that makes sense. | ||
| Froggy |
Aesthetics, you don't need to remove the wheel or even use a stand. Just remove the swingarm brace and front pulley guard. Can be done with either used or new belts, but obviously a new belt will be harder to install.  |
