Has any one had any truble with the drive belt getting tighter after about 10 or 20 miles? This has been going on for about 2 weeks I can check the tension before I ride, Ride for a while 10 or 20 check it and its tight. When it cools down its back to the right tension. Does anyone have any ideas *** to what could make the belt do that. 08 ultra classic. thanks.

 

Normal for the belt to tighten up when it gets warm/hot when being riden. That is why it states in the service manual to check and adjust the belt when the motorcycle is at ambient temperature.

David

 

I would think it's because the pulleys expand as their temp goes up

 

I had that problem with mine (09 Ultra), when it got hot it was so tight that I was getting a rubbing noise from the rear end, had the dealer loosen it and no more noise issues and everthing seems to be fine. I've been told that when the metal pully's get hot they expand and cause the belt to tighten up. FWIW my belt is looser than spec when cold but at least the rubbing noise is gone.

 

Thanks guys for the information I had never noticed that before. I guess its nothing to worry about then. Save time and $ don't need to take it in to have it looked at then. thanks again...

 

At the risk of increasing your anxiety, unscrupulous dealers over tighten final drive belts. This results in final drive seal wear, which causes a nasty oil leak from the trans. Big bucks to fix.

It's a good idea to get the tensioning gauge and check the work whenever a belt is tensioned by someone other than you.

This can save you a thousand bucks.

 

It can happen and it does not make any difference if the owner does it or the Harley shop does it, It just happens. If it does happen you just have to redo it. Not a big deal, just don't wait too long before you readjust it.

 

Has anyone found the stock tension settings to be too tight? On my Ultra, I set it to the stock 3/8 to 7/16 range and don't notice any noise difference between how it is set now and how it was before: about one inch cold.

 

Yes, they are too tight for my taste. Spec on a SG is 1/4-5/16" cold, and if you use this spec the belt will be tight as a banjo string after a few miles in hot weather. I use the same tension I did on my '96 RK, which after 120k miles still has the original drive belt and has had no tranny seal or bearing problems. I use 9/16" cold, which translates into about 1/4" when hot, which to me is a good belt tension. I have taller-than-normal shocks (13¼") and my bike should be compared to an EG with stock shocks which has a spec of 3/8-7/16" cold, IIRC, which IMO is still too tight.

 

Thanks iClick, I should have probably left the belt alone - it was about 9/16 cold before I tightened it, thinking it was too loose...! No worries, it's easy to do. Appreciate the advice.