Awesome! Thanks everyone. I'll take a look at it this weekend assuming weather holds up (no garage).

Probably try the soap/wax suggestion first then taper the teeth later if it's needed. Anyone have a picture of their belt after this has been done as a reference?

justin_o_guy2 wrote on 05/10/16 at 09:57:00:


That "wondered me" as well.......the only thing I could imagine doing was taking an angle grinder to the outside - then taking the belt off and turning it around to do the other side.

It shouldn't be ground at a shallow angle - you just need to take off a very small amount of the bottom of the tooth.  All you are trying to do is stop the tooth from sliding on the pulley sides as the belt engages on the pulley.

I don't hear those high pitched noises anymore....so I have no idea if my belt squeaks or whines.  (My wife lets me know if I am whining too much)!

Good news! Tightened the belt and the squeak is gone!

Tightened ~1/2 notch a little less - might be a bit too tight. I'll probably adjust it. Rode around for a while and squeak is completely gone. Thanks for the help everyone!

But there is some bad news. I think it is probably time for a new belt... When I got back from testing it out. I noticed some white bands on the belt and then upon closer inspections some small cracks. :-\

https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=1192912A1A6F67A!99649&authkey=!ABdKhU3XPYJ
yqug&v=3&ithint=photo%2cjpg

1) How much does a new belt cost?
2) How hard is it to put one on?
3) Approximately how much would it cost to have a dealer replace it?

The belts can be over-tightened, and those white cracks on the outside of the belt are a good indicator that the belt was run too tight at some point.

Youzguyz and Raydawg have both needed belts..not sure of the mileage when they needed them - but it was up there.  Raydawg had his break while he was riding, and he was not sure why it broke as the belt showed no issues (other than no longer being a circle).

Drey wrote on 05/17/16 at 12:12:47:


There is no way to know for sure how long ti will last......it could go for a very long time.  I would keep riding, and watch for a chance to get a good used belt when one comes along.  Often folks are building bikes where they want a chain, and belts are available several times a year in the Marketplace.  Obviously you want one as new and as low mileage as you can find.  Every now and then you can find one on eBay that is affordable - but often they are overpriced and sometimes damaged.

This one looks nice - but is expensive:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUZUKI-LS-650-SAVAGE-DRIVE-BELT-CRUISER-27611-24B00-1...

This one looks good:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-650-LS-SAVAGE-LS650-Used-Rear-Drive-Belt-1998-...

This one appears to have some cuts in it:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Suzuki-650-LS-SAVAGE-LS650-Used-Rear-Drive-Belt-1998-...

This one is overpriced and scary looking....looks like is came from a bike stored outside in a junkyard:
kkAAOSwo0JWMWSg&vxp=mtr" target="_blank">http://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-suzuki-ls650-savage-belt-/181916220417?hash=item2a5b0d3c01:gkkAAOSwo0JWMWSg&vxp=mtr

I don't believe the belts decompose from exposure.....they are well protected from the sun!

The most important thing to do is keep the belt at a proper tension, and I believe a bit loose is a bit better than too tight.  And keep the pulley aligned....and do the floor matt mod to the pulley hub so the rear pulley wobbles as little as possible.  And listen for a "click,click,click,click" that would indicate you have a stone stuck in the belt....and remove it ASAP.

It is my belief it should be done ASAP, and it is never "too soon" to do it.  I did mine at 1,200 miles.

The bearing in the pulley hub will get less eccentric load on it when the floor matt support is added.