'87 Flt - stock. 81,000 miles original belt and pullys, and every since near new....

If I adjust my drive belt to specs, after riding long enough to get the oil warm, the belt is tight as a banjo string, sometimes to the point of roaring. I've kept it loose and ridden till warm then adjusted to a good tension - that seems to work.

Just wondering if anyone else has this going on with their ride?

 

Haven't noticed that, but then again, haven't looked either!
I adjusted the belt on our 02 RK last fall because the belt was squealing. Yes, it IS tight when done to spec. The manual says to let cool to ambient temperature, I assume because a warm belt stretches some.

 

THIS A GREAT FORUM!

I cross-referenced the subject and read a lot of posts stating the belt seems to tighten up when warm formost bikes. Not unlike people, all pieces of machinery have a personality of their own so finding that happy middle in adjustments is always good!

 

seems to work by doin it like this... adjust it a little looser than the book says cold... ride it a bit till its good and warmed up... then on the side stand push up in the bottom part of the belt ...if the top of the belt dont move I figure it too tight, but if the top moves just enough to see it move it should be just about right..

 

AN alternative way to adjust is to grasp the top of the belt and twist. It should onlygo to 90 degrees. If you can twist it farther, it needs tightened. If you do this you will find that it is right within HD specs.

 

After decades of riding, belt-tension fluctuations just became evident to me. I adjusted my belt just before a ride to the TX hill country recently, actually looser than spec, and was surprised to see it tighten considerably after riding 100 miles. When I returned I ran some tests using HD's 10# procedure:

Arrival after 525-mile return trip: 3/16"
After 3 hrs. cool-down: 5/16"
Next AM: 3/8"
Adjusted in cool garage to 9/16"
Outside (85°) for two hours, no riding: 3/8"
After short ride: 5/16"
Next day, cold: 7/16"

I've left it here, as all seems fine and it is not out of spec when hot. I expect the belt to get tighter when the weather gets hotter, and if so I will adjust again to compensate. I would like tension to be no less than 3/8" when hot. BTW, I have an '07 SG with 12½" shocks, which should put me between specs for SG/RKS and other EG's.

 

Neither my '07 owners or service manuals specify when to adjust it or at what temperature. The service manual only mentions that no rider, passenger, or luggage should be on board--and the bike can be either suspended on a jack or on the kickstand. So, I remove the saddlebags and tour pak, as you'd need to remove the saddlebags to adjust anyway, and leave it on the stand.

I will adjust the belt when cold from now on, though, and on the loose side. I'll probably use 1/2-9/16" cold, which is looser than spec, which will tighten on its own to within specs when hot.

 

I have checked at the HD shop with some of the older veteran techs.They had me get a feel for belt tension,mine can be twisted about 45 degrees.

 

Well I don't think I would do anything different than what you do now! Come on you got 81000 miles on what you have been doing! No way you could say your doing something wrong and that anyone could tell you to do it better!

 

I used this technique while I owned my '96 RK, and after 115k it still has the original belt. I guess there's some wisdom in using the twist method, although on this new bike I started using the gauge, which I've had for 10 years. This has complicated my life considerably, and now I worry about it while I never did before.