SuzukiSavage.com - squeeky drive belt

reeko YaBB Newbies 2004 No Login Offline Posts: 26 Slovak Republic Gender:	Re: squeeky drive belt Reply #15 - 02/09/05 at 06:29:33 Kropatchek aaa my fault too.. I didn't realized that there is spring in it also.. I thought there is just length important.. so now I know there's especially also tension important..
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Savage_Greg

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #16 - 02/12/05 at 09:40:26

Kropatchek wrote on 12/31/69 at 16:00:02:

The correct position for the belttool you find with your hand at the following position.
Feel on the underside just aft of the lower belt cover. There's a small bracket with a hole in it. Put the body of the tool in there. The other side on the belt at approx. 90 degrees. The correct tension is the middle of the 3 stripes on the plunjer.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

PS when greg has time he willpost a picture, won't you greg?

Guess that I'm way behind....yep, when I get a chance, I'll take a pic.

Don't forget the spark plug socket in the tool kit. It is handy because it is deep and you can turn it with a wrench.

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Savaged

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #17 - 06/14/05 at 10:56:28

I am not claiming to be a belt expert, but I can follow direction.
See photo Belt 01 for proper tool installation

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=5e46.jpg&.src=ph

See photo 02 for where my belt tension was when I used the 90-degree twist method. Tool was fully extended. Way too loose.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=4142.jpg&.src=ph

So I tighten the belt until the gauge went to the middle mark like the manual says. See photo 03. I also aligned the axel marks again proving I can follow the manual direction.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=bba6.jpg&.src=ph

After I had the proper tension, using the manual and Suzuki tool, I re-checked the belt with the twist method to see how it compares. See Photo Belt 04. I would say 45 degrees of belt twist is more in line with the results of the Suzuki tool method. I pushing pretty hard as you can see the blood color squashed out for my thumbnail.

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=65c8.jpg&.src=ph

Ok – now to answer some other question: Here is the force I measured at the middle line of the tool. Notice: I am just showing how I measured it. I was not talented enough to push the gauge, align the middle mark and take the picture at the middle line all at the same time. so the pictured forced is not correct, at the middle line the force is 186 oz (5257 Gr)

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=34bb.jpg&.src=ph

The distance is 3.27 “ (85.06mm) when the tool is at the middle line. See photo Belt 06

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/craig_marky/detail?.dir=9d17&.dnm=5f24.jpg&.src=ph

Finally – My thought is, unless you are a belt expert or really know something from someone who is, follow the manufacture recommendations. This what I tried to show here. This is my first belt drive bike “1996 Savage” so far, I see no draw backs with the belt drive and it is MUCH more quite than a chain.

Hope this was informative - Savaged

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DavidV Ex Member	Re: squeeky drive belt Reply #18 - 06/14/05 at 20:12:51 Just got an OEM Savage tool kit from RonAyers.com - sorry, no belt tension measurement tool included. Gotta get that one the next time around. Oops.
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Kropatchek

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #19 - 06/15/05 at 00:52:14

Thanks Savaged for sharing this information with us.
And the clear pictures too.

In the Bert Heises forum i read the information that, when you tighten the belt as per manufacturers recommendation, it is too tight and will make a lot of noise.

I did mine accoording Suzuki and loosened the belt a bitand the noise is almost non existent.

Greetz
Kropatchek Grin

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WD

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #20 - 06/15/05 at 01:32:08

I know of at least 2 Savages that used the 90 degree twist method and got 60K MILES out of the belt. Cheap drive belts tend to disintegrate at around 20K miles, tops, when "correctly" tensioned. Doesn't matter if it is HD, Yamaha, Suzuki, or the old school GSR Kawasakis.

Quiet, clean, lightweight...drive belts CAN be a good thing, if you live in a relatively temperate climate. Live in the desert? You'd best swap to a chain...Tsubaki O-ring chains, when properly maintained, can go over 200K miles. Rubber/related dry out, steel doesn't.

I hate to admit it, since I rather roundly/loudly bad mouth them, but I'm coming around to the "shaft drive rules" school of thought. Like a belt, no muss, no fuss. But, impossible to misalign. There are reasons why the mileage kings (Honda GL series) are shaft driven...
-WD

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Savage_Greg Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline Don't go around your ass to reach your elbow... Posts: 7844 SW Washington State Gender:	Re: squeeky drive belt Reply #21 - 06/18/05 at 07:53:57 As posted in the Rubber Side Down section in the topic about Bird in the Bike...the belt is adjusted. And I have to admit that the Savage belt gage sets the belt too tight. Go with the 90 degree method...so far, I have 400 quiet, squeakless, and non-chirping miles on this adjustment method.
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MacAttack

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #22 - 05/11/06 at 16:38:21

Also - about alignment - the marks on the swingarm aren't always accurate. There is a gauge sold in dirt bike stores that goes from the center of the swingarm bolt to the center of the axle bolt (the distance should be the same on both sides). It seems to me that a piece of copper or steel wire could be bent to make just such a gauge (I believe the one for sale is $50 or so).

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verslagen1

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #23 - 04/29/09 at 22:46:48

Here's method that's worked on 3 bikes so far.

Lift the rear wheel up off the ground, bike in neutral.
Hand turn the rear wheel in the direction of forward motion.
Looking from the rear, note which way the belt goes in the track, either towards the wheel or away from it.
Now turn the wheel in reverse. Does the belt track to the opposite side?
You want the belt to track in the middle of the pulley.

If you need to adjust loosen the axle nut and adjuster nut and have at it.

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Digger

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Re: squeeky drive belt
Reply #24 - 06/21/09 at 21:19:21

MacAttack wrote on 05/11/06 at 16:38:21:

Also - about alignment - the marks on the swingarm aren't always accurate. There is a gauge sold in dirt bike stores that goes from the center of the swingarm bolt to the center of the axle bolt (the distance should be the same on both sides). It seems to me that a piece of copper or steel wire could be bent to make just such a gauge (I believe the one for sale is $50 or so).

Here's one for less than 10 bucks:

Cheap Rear Wheel Alignment Tool

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« Last Edit: 07/05/09 at 19:47:58 by Digger »

Digger
2001, Metallic Glacial Blue, Raptor Petcock, Verslavy (first hole) (otherwise, mechanically, the bike is stock), 13,xxx miles
I don't own a cage.
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