| Author | Message | ||
     Jbolt |
Has anyone tried using the "Free Spirits Modified Belt Tensioner" on a bike with a chain conversion? http://www.trojan-horse.co.uk/prods/169.html On my last trackday a lot of people had questions about the slack in my chain. I'm new at the whole Buell/chain thing. The guys at tech told me it should have about 1.5" of slack. Problem is, with that setting the chain got way too tight while riding. I didn't even make it out of the pits that way. For now it's set to: With me on the bike, there is about 1". Without me on the bike there is about 3". Is that right? Why is there such a drastic difference? | ||
| Trojan |
The belt tensioner is NOT desigend to use with a chain, although we do have a specific chain kit using a similar design that is manually adjusted. This allows you to run a chain on a race Buell using the stock swingarm rather than have to buy the full Erik Buell Racing race swingarm kit. We used this kit very succesfully racing our XB. You can see this here: http://www.trojan-horse.co.uk/prods/174.html If you are running the Buell/Erik Buell Racing swingarm kit then you should be able to adjust the chain using the axle adjusters. If you are using the stock swingarm you would need an adjustable tensioner such as with the Free Spirits kit. 3" does seem to be very slack indeed. Where are you measuring the tension and is this with the bike on a stand or on its wheels? The chain will always tighten slightly when you sit on the bike and with suspension movement simply because the drive sprocket is not concentric with the swingarm pivot point, but it should be a 3" range of movement. | ||
| Jbolt |
Thank you for the speedy reply. I'm not sure if it's the Erik Buell Racing swingarm but it is a modified swingarm. I was measuring total movement up and down, in the middle of the forward and rear sprockets. The bike was sitting on it's tires, standing straight up. What I ended up doing was adjusting the rear axle with someone of matching weight sitting on the bike. The kit you linked above is an attractive setup. Unfortunately, I'm not willing to pay for a whole new kit when I already have one. Maybe on the next one. | ||
| Froggy |
Could you please post pictures of your swingarm? | ||
| Slaughter |
Swingarms would be pretty easy to identify by seeing a pic Hals, Conrath's, Wood Craft's are all similar, the odds are yours is one of these -- unless yours is one of the simple chain conversions that uses a stock swing arm (without the axle-slider tension adjustment). | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
Josh Be cautious of what "The Guys at Tech" say about Buells. As a rule unless they own one they know very little about the these fine bikes let alone specific details concerning swing arm geometry. The bikes they see every day such as GSXR, R-1 and such are not the same. While the stock design maintains an even belt tension, it does not when converted to chain. I have used almost all the different conversions systems on both race and street bikes and the chain always needs to looser than expected. The XB RR actually has a real nice piece of molded plastic that protects the swing arm against chain slap. For racing where you need to change sprockets the total swing arm works best, but it can be used with the "Trojan Horse" tensioner to maintain a specific wheel base. For a street only bike I prefer just one of the tensioner conversions. American Sport Bike has a tensioner kit available without all the extra sprockets that are not needed for the street. There is a need to watch what your chain is doing at first to get an idea how loose/tight it needs to be. Too tight it binds and wears the rear sprocket, too loose it slaps a round on the swing arm. If you chose a good quality O-ring chain, once you get it right it almost becomes maintenance free, just keep it and the rear sprocket clean and "Ride it like you stole it." Terry - www.jtsperformance.com | ||
| Jbolt |
I went back and looked at the listing from when I bought it. "Hal’s swing arm and 520 chain added for 2009 season with 21/48 sprockets." So, I guess it's a Hals unit. I'll post a close up of it soon. Oh, and I dropped it off this morning for paint. It's going to be white and candy apple red. I can't wait to see it done. | ||
| Jbolt |
Also, where can I find more sprockets like this one?  | ||
| Buelldyno_guy |
Vortex makes 520 chain rear sprockets for XB's. Give Al a call at American Sport Bike. |
