I've done the belt adjustment on my 2008 RK a few times and am looking for either tricks or shortcuts.

I have the factory service manual and try to follow the procedure exactly, but it's almost impossible to torque it to 105 ftlbs, back the axle nut off one full turn, and then torque it again without the tension adjustment moving at all and having to start over again. Yesterday I spent three hours in a 95 degree garage and tried it four times and still couldn't do it.

I'm using a crescent wrench on the left side nut and I have to put a lot of pressure on it with my boot to keep it from turning, but it's a lot of torque and the bike moves a little and it slips and here we go again.

Usually the first time torquing it goes fine and it slips the second time after having backed the axle nut off one full turn. The manual says this procedure is required to prevent damage to some kind of split race bearing, but I still don't understand what that's all about.

One time when I thought I had done it perfectly the cam on the left side had shifted maybe 1/16" away from the frame stop where it's supposed to rest, and it was time to start over.

Just wondering what your secrets are. Thanks.

 

I have a ’08 EG.

Make sure that the surfaces of the spacers/washers/cam are clean and dry, free of any grease or oil.

The first time that I replace the rear tire, I was a little too free with the anti-seize that I use on the axle. I got some on the spacer/washer/cam surfaces. Everything was moving when I tried to torque the axle nut.

 

I use sockets with extensions to get past the pipes. Lot easier than an open end and less likely to slip off.

 

First of all, I hate the cam adjuster set-up on the touring bikes. Of all the various designs I've seen this is the worst method of adjustment I've run across if you're looking for any sort of precision with either belt tension or wheel alignment.

That said, here's something you can try to help out. As you are applying the final torque, do it incrementally. At each increment of torque, stop and check the belt tension. If the belt has loosened up, turn the axle to tighten the belt before proceeding to the next torque increment.

 

Sadly this is exactly how mine came when I purchased it new.
I have bought a wrench to use on belt side & socket with ext for the other. I park against the wall to prevent bike movement, and another set of hands & eyes always seems to make it easier. For the record I have seen much better set ups for wheel alignment. Don't trust the alignment cams always double check that the belt rides in the center of the pulley.

 

Trying to do it exactly is your problem. There is no perfect, just get it close. And it is better to have the belt a little loose than a little tight. I'm sure you had it there every time you did it.

 

I have never backed nut off once tension is set & my 09 manual says nothing about doing that. I've adjusted 2 different bikes probably 25 or 30 times & never done that & have never heard of anyone doing it that way. I'm not sure where you read that, but it's not in my manual. I also am not a big fan of the cam system since the right side cam has about .040 movement on the flat, not very precise.

 

What I did was this. Once you have the cams up against the stops with initial torque,
then I put a small metal rod under the cam on the right side (loose cam) to hold it in place while I torqued the axle to final specs. I wedged the rod between the cam and the lift table.
This worked great, before this I was having the same problem you are.

 

This is what I use now. Use to dread the belt adjustment but not anymore. I also bought the torque wrench adapter so I don't have to remove the mufflers anymore. Jims also makes one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HARLEY-TOURI...495e67&vxp=mtr

 

I've learned through hard experience that I can make it worse rather than better if I get too fixed on the factory spec, which is something like 6/16 - 7/16 deflection, because sometimes it will slip within the 1st 100 miles after the adjustment and be worse than before I adjusted it. I had the service manager at the local Harley dealer take me through five or six bikes on the showroom floor to learn the "feel" of the right deflection, and the new ones varied widely, so I usually don't get concerned until the deflection is about 14/16", because it varies wildly due to wheel position and temperature.

The thing that concerned me this time is I kept getting 1/16" to 1/8" gap on the right side, between the cam and the frame, and was concerned about bearing wear due to misalignment.

I also realized one problem was I was trying to do it with the bike in neutral, which was a lot of my problem. The bike kept rocking back and forth.