I was wondering if anyone of you guys have ever adjusted your drive belt.

I have the Know thy Hog video, the process seems pretty straight foward, but checking the belt tention in 3 different places seems kind of difficult, by the time you do the first check, than roll the bike ahead check a different spot than that all over again, for the 3rd time, I mean WTF is it to tight or loose.

I guess I will have to mark the belt in 3 different places divide it into 1/3's and see what I come up with.

I'll have to go to the local stealer and get the tension guage also, unless there is another way with out the guage.

Is there an easier way?

Tom

 

Unlike chains, the belts don't really flex or stretch that much, if at all. Some of the earlier ones did but even those pretty much stopped stratching after a few hundred miles and once adjusted neeeded little adjustment. Heck, even chains these days don't stretch like they used to. You have to really work at it - a lot of hard miles and no chain lube to get them to stretch any. The point here is that under normal riding conditions, except for the regualr service intervals, you should not need to adjust the belt tension. Ergo, its not something you really need to worry about. But.......

If you are getting ready to do work, check the tension before you start. Take note of the tension so you can reset it to that point later on. The belt guage is the easiest way to do it accurately. There is also a tick-mark guage on the lower belt guard. The owner's manual or service manual can help you with using that. If you have another bike handy, you can cross-ref the tension between the two and match it up.

After you have some experience you can pretty much do it by feel. I am getting pretty good at setting the tension, and ensuring the sprockets are lined up straight, and I don't own a belt guage. Yes, having it set to proper tolerances is always the best way to go. But you can get pretty close just by look and feel. I get about 1/2-5/8" of flex if I push on the bottom of the belt with a finger. I can spin the back wheel a few times and by looking at where the belt is on the sprocket I can tell if it is toe in or out.

 

like bensonjv, i use the comparison techinique, check and get a feel for the tension before you do work as belts typically don't stretch much over time and will generally hold proper tension over time unless your drag racing your bike after every stop, otherwise compare tension to that on another comparable bike, preferably another sporty. I don't own a tension gauge and would only get one if they sold them for $5. Also be very attentive to the wheel/belt alignment, as belts are very sensitive to alignment compared to chains, and can wear down on the side of the pully if it's a little out of adjustment.