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Buell Forum » THUMPer Forum » Questions from New Buell Blast Riders - ThumperFAQ » Belt Tension « Previous Next »

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Blackhat
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2003 - 11:38 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hey, bought the wife a Blast about 2 months ago. Less than 300 miles. The belt seems awfully loose to me. Well over an inch of play. Don't know what the specs are; I was hoping one of you could help me out. I also don't know exactly how it's adjusted, short of taking it apart and looking for myself. I'll ride behind her from a dead stop, and it nearly looks as though the rear wheel is trying to hop off of the ground. Is this "chug" normal, or is the slack in the belt a contributing factor? Any help is appreciated.

Ty
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Gearheaderiko
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 12:24 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Belt is ok at .5 inch deflection. or 1 inch (half in up, half in down!)with 160lbs rider on the bike. Sounds like tension is okay. Belt(and rear wheel) is non-adjustable. Have not as yet heard of any tension related problems.Belts do look as if they bounce.
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Ezblast
Posted on Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 12:26 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Thats torque digging in - Blasts have a steady diet of tires - lol - everythings preset on the Blast - you could drop by a dealer and check another Blast to see if yours is normal - sounds ok to me but with such I could be wrong - lol - Got Thump?! Just Blasting on the Dark side?! EZ
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Bumblebee
Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 04:47 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The belt seems really loose if no one is on the bike. Put a rider on there and check it again.
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2016 - 10:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

}I have a bad belt problem. My 2007 Blast has broken 4 belts in the last 2 years with less than 2000 miles on each one! The last time it only lasted a month! There are no rock or damaged spots, each time was a new belt, yes I have all my guards on. The first time the local looser HD shop did it and the front sprocket was replaced. This time though when I looked at the tension it is moving about an inch. I know specs say .5 inch. Each time the belt broke I picked it up off the road. Each time it was broken clean with the strands sticking out from the inside as if it was pulled apart too hard. NO DAMAGE OTHERWISE! So the service manual says I am supposed to change the drive gears also but this is my thought... they are metal and have no signs of wear so how will changing them magically make my tension increase? Also, belts stretch as they grow older and when you go over bumps or slam on it from a stop the tension goes loose to tighter. All that is bad... why should I not just rig a simple wheel with a spring on a bracket behind the chain guard on the wheel hugger? Wouldn't this solve all the problems and avoid any drive gear replacements? One would definitely fit there and still look stock. I could use aluminum L bar and drill a hole in it put the screw for the wheel hugger through it and epoxy the thing to the wheel hugger itself when I am finished. Has anyone tried this before?}
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2016 - 10:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My other thought would be to get a belt tension wheel from another machine and Chicago it in on either the wheel hugger bolts or the muffler bolt. Both are in the direct area. I rode it a bit tonight just a mile or so and when there was no traffic looked at the belt. It does wiggle a bit. My theory is with a tension wheel of the slightest pressure would stop this and in effect work better under stress such as pot holes and times the swing arm goes up and down. Thoughts would be great.... has anyone added a tension wheel to their blast? If so how and did it work well.}
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2016 - 10:22 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

SAME AS POST IN WHITE THAT IS HARD TO READ SORRY.... I have a bad belt problem. My 2007 Blast has broken 4 belts in the last 2 years with less than 2000 miles on each one! The last time it only lasted a month! There are no rock or damaged spots, each time was a new belt, yes I have all my guards on. The first time the local looser HD shop did it and the front sprocket was replaced. This time though when I looked at the tension it is moving about an inch. I know specs say .5 inch. Each time the belt broke I picked it up off the road. Each time it was broken clean with the strands sticking out from the inside as if it was pulled apart too hard. NO DAMAGE OTHERWISE! So the service manual says I am supposed to change the drive gears also but this is my thought... they are metal and have no signs of wear so how will changing them magically make my tension increase? Also, belts stretch as they grow older and when you go over bumps or slam on it from a stop the tension goes loose to tighter. All that is bad... why should I not just rig a simple wheel with a spring on a bracket behind the chain guard on the wheel hugger? Wouldn't this solve all the problems and avoid any drive gear replacements? One would definitely fit there and still look stock. I could use aluminum L bar and drill a hole in it put the screw for the wheel hugger through it and epoxy the thing to the wheel hugger itself when I am finished. Has anyone tried this before?}
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2016 - 10:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Other things I have looked at are... the swing arm, the rear wheel bearings, the rear engine area in general, the alignment of the drive gears and the mounting of the drive gears themselves. All look good, are tight and in a straight line with each other. I even went as far as putting it on stands and a platform jack to wiggle and see if something was in need of service. All was tight except the belt having about 2 times the play.
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Gearheaderiko
Posted on Thursday, July 07, 2016 - 10:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Adding as tensioner is a bad idea because it uses a ribbed belt. Tension is not your problem.
Is the suspension stock? Is the bike stock?
How are you installing the belt?
Are you prone to wheelies or burn outs?
Some blasts have this problem and I've yet to figure out why (besides obvious abuse).
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Monday, July 11, 2016 - 12:59 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

To answer your question yes it is stock and no I do not pop that many wheelies. I have not had a chance being that the last belt was less than 2 months old. How totally awesome do you give me credit for?! I would have to be one wheel to the ground all night and day to break a belt that new! There was a rear end collision a few years ago. I am one of the few people that have been hit by a 2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee at 2o+mph and lived to tell. I only got some whiplash and a few bruises. I had only owned the bike about 2 weeks and took it to the local HD shop (Silver Eagle HD... avoid them at all costs! They are in Waterloo Iowa and I would haul things to Charles City if I did it all again!) There have been some clunks in the transmission. It will be in a gear then I start to move and something bangs the rest of the way in place. It is not consistent but happens. Also there are false Neutrals between 2,3,4 and 5th if I am accelerating quickly between gears. Again not consistent. Both problems are happening less often as I ride but the belts are breaking faster. Silver Eagle treated me like crap, fixed things wrong and blatantly refused to crack the case to look at the transmission like I told them to the day I was hit due to the shifter being locked. I hit it really really hard with my heel and popped it loose enough to get it the mile or so down the road. It looks fine and most the time rides well but this belt thing is costing me $100 every 5 months or so and is dangerous since you never know when it is going to fail. I know you are going to blame the trans and I would say that definitely could be the problem BUT as I was stating earlier in the last post if the belt were just a bit out of specification then how would changing drive gears change the tension? I am just trying to eliminate anything else before I have to dig into the wonderful Blast trans case. I mean seriously if I try a tension wheel and it does not work what am I out? Another belt that will break prematurely anyway?

FYI I blame Silver Eagle for getting hit in the first place. The bike would run poorly at times they said it was "bad gas" and get a higher octane which I did. My bike stalled at the red light right after it flipped green and an old dude hit me hard as I was starting it. After 3 months they finally fixed it (or so they said) but when the guy brought it out to me it was running really bad. I mentioned it and he said he would take in back in because he thought so also. He said the mechanic would look it over and possibly check the spark plug. 8 min or so later he came back and the bike was doing fine. He said bad gas again blah blah. I drove it home and a few days later it ran ever crappier so I pulled the seat, tank etc. and got the plug out.... I am 45 and have NEVER seen a spark plug inside an engine with rust like this one had. Then as I was shining it with a brush it dawned on me that was the reason I almost died. I was so angry I threw it across my garage and just bought a new plug. I have much more to say about Silver Eagle and the way they have been incompetent and straight out disrespectful to me as a customer but that is another post entirely!
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Evilstalkerhorne
Posted on Monday, July 11, 2016 - 01:09 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I know you will say I should have checked the plug sooner and you are correct except for the fact THE HD SHOP TOLD ME IT WAS JUST OLD/BAD GAS. They did not even want to check the plug. Probably due to the fact one has to remove the seat, disconnect the battery and then remove the tank to do so. Any shop worth it's wrenches would have checked the plug, I am kicking myself to this day for not doing it the first night I owned the bike but when you buy something from your local HD shop you expect a certain standard of quality.... clean fresh oil, shined plug, good gas. You also expect if they tell you something it is correct. They SHOULD know more than the backyard garage type like myself. Silver Eagle just obviously does not care about the customer past how much $$ they can get from you~ it almost cost me my life. They got $3000 for the bike and another $3000 + in repairs until I admitted to myself they were worthless.
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Gearheaderiko
Posted on Monday, July 11, 2016 - 09:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

1st: it's not the trans.
2nd: HD dealerships have always just wanted the Blast GONE. I ordered mine in late 2001 and paid cash for it. I took it in for its 1000 mile service (just for warranty purpose) and got it back FILTHY, a lot dirtier than when I left and I was friends with a guy that worked there (still friends, 20 years). That would never have happened with a Harley. The horror list of sadness from Blast owners and HD dealerships is VERY long. They don't want your business-period. It's Against my beliefs-but I do think Blast owners are better off working on their own bikes. Which is sad, but overwhelmingly true.

My only guess is your swingarm got tweaked in the accident and is running constantly twisted. Look at the way it was designed and it's almost foolproof for error. It's possible they are storing the Blast belts in the poorest conditions making them dry, brittle and prone to breakage. Also improper installation can cause early failure (contrary to one you tube video- it IS NOT like a bicycle chain). But it's not the trans.

Unless you're into taking complex engines apart or are willing to drop some money on a big bore kit and upgrade the trans, redoing a Blast trans just isn't worth it. Cheaper to get another low mileage Blast (of which there are still plenty).
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Gearheaderiko
Posted on Monday, July 11, 2016 - 09:24 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

PS you can plug the plug without taking anything apart and if you're working on bikes everyday,you'd know this. They Don't Care. It's not that one dealer, it's all of them when it comes to the Blast.
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Monzaracer
Posted on Wednesday, October 05, 2016 - 03:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Not every dealer hated the Blast, many had zero issues working on them. And actually used them to move owners up. I know my dealer ALWAYS helped me, tech were great and they always call me if 883 superlow comes through. As that's my next want.
Also do not try to add tensioner u less you convert to a chain.
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