Like a good owner I diligently used my belt tension tool to check and adjust my drive belt.  I figured that a squeaky belt came with the package because I followed the owner's manual, right?  After research and help from this website, I now have a nice quiet drive belt.  Here's what worked for me:

1.  Throw your belt tension tool in the trash, recycle it, or find something else to use it for (doorstop?).

2.  Elevate your rear wheel.  It's critical to be able to spin it to adjust the belt.  This website has an excellent home-built lift, I built mine using scrap lumber I had sitting around.

3.  Loosen the axle nut.

4.  Ignore the marks on the frame for axle alignment.

5.  Adjust the axle nuts until all of the following is true:
    A.  When you spin the rear wheel, the belt rides in the center of the rear pulley.
    B.   Grab the belt between the front and rear pulleys and twist.  Using moderate force, you should be able to twist the belt 90 degrees or a little less.

6.  Tighten the axle nuts and double-check your belt alignment to be sure that nothing moved.

You're done!  Enjoy the less obnoxious ride.

Paul Christiansen
Hammond, Oregon
2005 S40

I use bees wax. A little application to the belt edges once in a while gets the squeek out.

odvelasc wrote on 07/22/09 at 15:47:01:


I've been doing this for some time and find it's worked well on all 3 bikes that I've done it to.

Slight mod to his instructions though.  Spin the wheel one way and adjust, spin it the other way and adjust again.  repeat until the belt is mostly in the center.

Now if it can't be done... you got a problem with either the rubber dampers or the bear the pulley rides on.