| Author | Message | ||
     Steveford |
Perhaps this will be of help. I had to replace my original belt at 60,000 miles and the new one is idiotically tight. The shop manual suggests squeezing the belt together behind the pulley which is fine if you have hands that can pop cannon balls like they were grapes. I ended up taking a ratcheting tie down and wrapped that around the belt (behind the pulley) and up around the frame by the ECM. I ratched that tight as can be and was able to get the axle to go in. Those belts get rather warm when they're new, don't they? I also took the opportunity to repack the rear SKF wheel bearings with Valvoline Moly Grease which is a good thing as those suckers were just about dry. No wonder those bearings fail so often - super tight belts and dry, skinny bearings... | ||
| Nobuell |
From an older post: I could not find much information regarding belt tension from Goodyear but Gates has a very good manual on belt tension for their Polychain belts that are similar to the stock belt. Using the Gates data, a new belt tension should be 108 to 118 lbs for .375" deflection (top center pushing down). A used belt should be 78 to 88 lbs for the same deflection. When I changed my last belt, the tension was way over the new value. I slotted the left hand pulley bracket hole with a rat tail file. Slotting the top of the hole slightly allows the pulley to pivot on the right hand bolt relieving the tension. I slotted the hole a little at a time until I achieved the proper tension. Tighten the nuts when complete to standard torque. Since then, I have not experienced the two-up tight belt sensation previously referenced. To check the tension the belt, I used a small load cell and a tape measure. I had my wife hold the tape measure against the side of the belt and pushed down on the belt with the load cell. I could read the tension from the load cell and see the deflection on the tape measure concurrently. I believe the pulley arrangement to be a sound design. I believe the problem is a stack up of tolerances and variables regarding swing arm length, motor location and belt length that may over tension the belt. After a few thousand miles of operation, the belt tension is within the correct tension range for a used belt. | ||
| Steveford |
Good information, thanks! Right now I'm in throttle cable hell. The return cable's slotted ferrule is no longer attached to the mounting plate and I don't think I have a prayer of popping it into the hole with it in place. I think I'm going to have to see about pulling the plate out to repair it which, I'm afraid, is going to mean pulling the throttle body. This old pile has been fighting me tooth and nail as it wants to be put out to pasture. | ||
| Steveford |
It lives once again and runs well. New belt, new throttle cables (I was able to set that ferrule in place once the ignition coil was removed and maybe some Green Loctite will hold it there), new ignition coil and new brake pads. That damned bike takes a dump each and every Summer - thank God for the tube frame Buells to keep me going. Compared to the X1W it feels like riding an EZ Boy recliner. | ||
| Bpt |
I understand about how tight the new belt is. I replaced mine at 20k and it was very tough to get the tensioner on, and I used a Free Spirit tensioner. The new belt teeth need the tension just to sit in the pulleys properly. | ||
| Uly_man |
60K on a belt sounds REAL good. I only got 7.5K out of my two 06 AKD Uly belts. Most chain sets are only good for 20K and thats with a oiler and lots of other care. I knew a guy once that did lots of miles and he would remove the chain every other weekend and clean it in a oil bath. Even then he said 40K was max on the set. At 60K most Jap bikes need a "ground up" rebuild and are more or less only fit for the bin. At least here anyway. If I get just 20K out of a belt/wheel bearing set they will need to use plastic surgery to remove the grin on my face. The AKE belt is quite tight to fit. I have a AKF as a spare and it is MUCH stiffer than the AKE. (Message edited by Uly_man on September 02, 2012) | ||
| Steveford |
I'm not really complaining about the belt life - motorcycle U-joints would likely be on their way out around the same time and would cost quite a bit more. 60K would eat up a lot of chains and sprockets, too. When I was selling Buells I was repeating the life of the motorcycle bit with the belt but how many bikes hit 60,000 miles? It's just been a lot of little stupid things with the bike but it sure feels good to have it going again. The tube framed Buells are a lot of fun but aren't all that wonderful for highway and city commuting as the suspension is just too stiff. My S2 would be better suited than an S1 or X1W but that particular bike is too pretty to ride into Harrisburg, PA every day. |
