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SuzukiSavage.com
/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Drive belt replacement $350 or..... /cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1208973048 Message started by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 10:50:48 |
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Title: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 10:50:48 Sorry to bring up this tired topic up again. I've done a ton of research regarding the drive Belt squeak/chirp/squeal and have tried everything I found on this site and others. I'm riding an 1987 Savage with 15,000 miles on it and the chirping is starting to drive me insane. Seems to make the most noise while cruising at slow speeds. Probably can't hear it when riding faster due to the noise of the Trapp. The belt is starting to show very "slight" signs of wear on the inside so I thought that maybe I need to realign the rear wheel. The marks seem to be even, so I tried the twist method and got good results. The pulley teeth looked fine also, although there is some oxidation on the pulley nuts/bolts when you look inside of the tranny cover. I would really like to squirt some lube in there, but am concerned about it spreading to the pulley teeth. I decided to stop at a couple of local shops today to get a diagnosis. One shop is well respected in the riding community so I stopped there first. They said "it's the original belt and needs to be replaced. It should run about $300-350, do you want us to order the belt?" Ok, I could deal with that but don't order it just yet. Since the bike is 21 years old, they may have a valid point. Rode over to shop #2. They took a look, and confirmed that the alignment is spot on. They looked at the belt, checked the tension which they said was fine, and thought that it would run for many more miles, "with" the squeak of course. They suggested buying some belt dressing from an auto parts store since they didn't have any on the shelf. They didn't seem to think that I needed a new belt, which was a relief. My two previous bikes (both old Iron Head Sportsters) were chain driven so the belt drive is new to me. Seems like there are so many do's and don'ts. Do use dry lube, don't use "any" lube. Use soap, use belt dressing, don't use anything, etc. I could probably buy the belt and do it myself with the Clymer, a bit of sweat and a few choice words. I would be doing it on the street outside of my third floor apartment. My neighbors hate me anyway due to the oil changes, noise from the Trapp and the oil spots from my old Audi which are now a permanent part of the street. Any suggestions on belt dressing, or anything else that may help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Paladin. on 04/23/08 at 14:52:13 At $300 for a new belt I'd do a quick conversion to chain -- which would allow me to adjust the final drive ratio for a little more low end grunt or less rpm at highway spped, depending on if Im blasting the streets or on tour. But it shouldn't squeek, so it is fixable once you figure out what where and why it is squeeking. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by vtail on 04/23/08 at 15:31:48 Ron Ayers lists this belt at $146 It's listed under transmission http://fiche.ronayers.com/Index.cfm/Module/Main/TypeID/26/Type/Motorcycle/MakeID/2/Make/Suzuki |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 16:38:11 Thank you both for the replies. I should have clarified that the quote that I got was for the belt and the install. I went to the ronayers site and found the belt, thanks for the link. But I have to agree with the "why" it's actually squeaking before doing the install. Wouldn't make sense to do a replacement without finding the cause only for it to happen again. I'll pull the tranny cover and belt guard off tomorrow and take a look at the pulley. Something isn't right in there. Thanks again. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by vtail on 04/23/08 at 16:50:45 That belt should go a looootttt longer unless it very old and showing signs of cracks in the rubber like old tires do. Then the rubber has hardened and probably needs replacement ;) |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by verslagen1 on 04/23/08 at 16:52:37 I would also pull the rear wheel while you're at it. The bearing in the pulley hub may be loose or worn out. Or you may find that the rubber dampers are heavily worn. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 16:59:13 One thing it's not is "dry." If anything, it's probably a bit too wet. Probably from the plug cap leak that spits oil where it wants every other day. You know, covers, exhaust etc. Did notice some oil on the belt guard yesterday. Have the cap on order as well. Only the inside of the belt has a little bit of wear. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by thumperclone on 04/23/08 at 17:10:45 i use belt dressing..here in western colorado wild temp swings and humidity(or lack ther of) my 06 s belt was givin me fits..did the 90 deg tension.did the plunger tension(comes in toy kit with bike)all to no avail..last sat i rode UP out of our valley (4500') to about 6000 feet the changes... temp? humidity?(2 ear pops worth) were e nuff to get the belt squellin again..carry the lube in my saddle bags..when it comes time am goin to chain convert..less hassel will buy BEST chain i can find AND lower hgwy crusin rpms...jmo |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 17:19:46 I hear ya. I'm 8 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, not the best environment for anything with moving parts. Add to that the sand..... What kind of dressing do you use? I've read good things about Krylon 12293 Ace Silicone Lubricant Spray on the Harley Forums. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Sandy Koocanusa on 04/23/08 at 17:28:41 I can't help a bit with the belt issue, but as to that last problem you mentioned: If the neighbors complain about having to watch you work on your bike in the street, just ride it up the three flights of stairs and work on it in your apartment. Make sure to test the trottle response a few times while it's in there. I'll bet you'd never have trouble with them again. :o |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/23/08 at 17:34:39 I like that idea! |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Reelthing on 04/23/08 at 19:01:39 dang for three fiddy that better come with a kiss |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by thumperclone on 04/23/08 at 19:26:01 4E797970687475727B1C0 wrote:
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Rogue_Cheddar on 04/23/08 at 19:48:08 When I got my Savage 2 years ago, the belt had a notch in it from a rock, and squeaked like heck. After running around to dealers getting quotes from $275 to over $500, I got a new belt from BikeBandit and a Clymer's and haven't looked back since. You know you wanna wrench it. :D |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by thumperclone on 04/23/08 at 20:34:11 [quote author=6F525A4858627E555859595C4F3D0 link=1208973048/0#13 date=1209005288 You know you wanna wrench it. :D [/quote]kinda.. got a sound sysem for xmas and B day last dec...hooked it up to a fused switched hot via headlight relay at the front forks( it was cold and i was lazy)didnt look forward to pullin the seat (pass back reat and bag on rack(long multi attached tool to get to hex head nut for rear bolt[06 1 piece seat])saddle bags in way of getting to side seat boltsn then pullin the tank...well got tired of not bein able to stop and listen to some tunes stopped w/o key bein on... (got a new battery yesterday $72 @ batteries plus had left key on too many times 2 years on oem) SO yesterday pm tore into er 3 hours later got a new switched fused wire up to the amp mounted between the fly screen mounts...point is "you gotta want to wrench" ;) |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Jack_650 on 04/23/08 at 22:41:02 First thing I suggest is that you don't, I repeat, do not trust the notches on the rear do-hicky for adjusting your belt. They are at best an approximation of accurate. Instead, raise the back wheel off the ground, spin the wheel by hand (in neutral of course) and then set the adjusters while watching the belt. At first move the nut quite a bit just to see how the wheel adjustment moves the belt back and forth on the rear gear. Then once you see how things work back there do the fine adjustment thing to get the belt running in the center of the gear. Also you want to make sure the belt guard doesn't start to rub against the belt. First time I adjusted mine after replacing the rear tire I did it with the guard off. When I put the guard back on after everything was perfect I had a whole new set of noises to deal with. Fortunately, as has been mention elsewhere on here, a pry bar/tire iron is a most excellent belt guard adjusting tool. Oh, by the way, the bike sat all winter here in southern MN, outside on a trailer with two bike covers on it. After a couple hours on the battery charger and the fuel valve set to reserve it started right up. No smoke, no arguing, no sputtering. Gotta love it when a plan, no matter how lame, comes together. Of course it's supposed to rain here and drop back into the forties again for a week or so. Just my luck. Jack |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Hell, Billy on 04/24/08 at 00:18:08 Don`t get that belt too tight, most folks over tighten it. I use good ol' WD 40 for squeaks, I spray the belt and the pulleys. Let it sit for a couple minutes and then ride it. No squeaks, works for me.. B |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by PhilM on 04/24/08 at 00:35:23 0D2029291A072C29293C450 wrote:
Agree with the "most people overtighten" thing. Dealerships all seem to as well. I'd suggest just slackening the belt a little bit and see if it helps with the squeaking. At least you'll know if tension is the cause of the noise and it's easy to do. Re using wd-40, I've been tempted to spray mine but haven't yet - I worry that the oil will attract grit/dirt. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by KwakNut on 04/24/08 at 03:44:31 Where would we all be without WD40? I've found that it's pretty good at fixing annoying squeals on car fan belts as well when for some reason a correctly tensioned belt keeps on making noise, but it can attract dirt. Better to use a silicon spray which has the same effect but seems cleaner and is not harmful to rubber based items. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by photojoe on 04/24/08 at 04:04:16 Hey thanks for all of the responses, very helpful indeed. Yeah, I actually do like the feeling of doing my own repairs. I will take heed and start with loosening the belt a touch and use some silicone lube and see how that goes. I'll probably order the belt as well. If any of you find yourselves around the Jersey shore area, give me a shout. One thing I do know how to do well is make slammin pictures, and if you're ever around my area I'll be happy to photograph any of the forum members with their bikes. Thanks again. A very generous bunch here. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by Reelthing on 04/24/08 at 06:26:41 4C5453485356533C0 wrote:
That is one of the best things about these bikes - a few areas are pretty tough for a DIY - like the bottom end/transmission but these seldom cause any issues - generally you can do most everything that needs done - and likely as well as if not better than most dealers because you care about what your doing - the best example is the oil leak out of the head plug - the dealers cause or at least do not prevent most of these at the first service, then they diagnose it as a head gasket leak and charge a wheel barrel full of money to fix it. Your better off staying away from those folks. |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by MMRanch on 05/14/08 at 21:39:15 My belt squeek went away when I discovered a product called "Metal Protector" (kinda like a spray on wax) the carrier evaportes and leaves behing a smoth finish on the belt. I found it at the Honda shop in Nashville Tn., that was 2 years ago and I'm still on the first can. My bike has 27683 miles and still on the same belt. I did put a new bearning under the rear pulley once. Check if the pulley wiggles independly of the rear wheel. Save your belt money for gas and ride a lot. Be safe |
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Title: Re: Drive belt replacement $350 or..... Post by mick on 05/14/08 at 23:30:56 I use a belt dressing brand name "Gunk" it works for me. If you still have a noisy belt try ear plugs. In other words don't worry about,it's a motor cycle,you want quiet get yourself a rolls royce. And if you decide to get a new belt ,do it yourself,a very easy job,with a little tuition I think even the president could do it,on second thoughts probably not,but you could. |
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