I have a 140/90 rear tire and have to keep the stock shocks at their highest setting or else the bike bottoms out on bumps.  This bottoming out is actually the tire hitting the inside of the rear fender, not the shocks bottoming out.  Scary as heck at freeway speeds.  I also have the front pulley swapped out with the 25 tooth Kawasaki front pulley.  

These 2 features are making it hard to get the belt loose enough.  Last night I tried to loosen it a bit more to kill the squeak but found by pushing the rear tire all the way forward it looks really close to the right side of the swing arm (will get a pic tonight if possible).  There's more space on the left side and I'm sure I've kept the spacers correct as I have them labeled.  If it looks like that at rest, I'm concerned it may make contact when it's spinning fast and the centripetal forces (or are these centrifugal forces?) make it a little taller.  Pushing it all the way forward doesn't seem too loose in my situation by the twist test.

Final problem is I really want better shocks with the possibility of occasionally (read "rarely") riding 2-up.  The better shocks are mostly for my own comfort.  But if go to 11-11 1/2" progressives or shocks from an Intruder, it seems like I'll never get the belt loose enough given the larger rear tire and the bigger front pulley.

Any ideas or thoughts on this?  Rear tire is too new to consider going to a 140/80.  Really tired of the lack of suspension with the stock shocks at their highest setting.

I have the 140/90-15 rear and KAW front pulley (all other relative components stock) and have had no issues with fender rubbing.

My rear wheel is almost all of the way forward with only very minor adjustment rearward for tracking the belt straight in the rear pulley, and I can do the "90 degree" twist pretty close to what we say it should be.  I can't afford to go any tighter no doubt, but I feel like I am dialed in pretty well.  

My shocks (I think) are on the middle setting and I am about 160lbs.

If I had a tire rubbing the fender I'd bite the bullet. That is a pretty bad issue. :'(

Tightest belt location is with pulley, swingarm axis, and axle all in line.
That's pretty close to you sitting on the bike.
The 11 or 11.5 shock will give you longer action than the stock shock.

Tocsik wrote on 05/10/17 at 12:58:23:


I think it is a Pirelli, but I'll check and let you know for certain.

I had Intruder shocks and Dave's 25 tooth along with Michelin 140/90-15 tire (Tallest tire I could find) . No issues with belt tension or tire/swing arm clearance.

MMRanch ran the Michelin Commander tire and a Kawasaki pulley - but he also had taller shocks.  Taller shocks to tend to give you a bit looser belt....however they also introduce the scenario that the belt tightens as the suspension is loaded....so you want the belt a bit looser when no one is sitting on the bike.  Check the tension when the front pulley, swing arm pivot and the rear axle are in a straight line (as Verslagen said)....and that is the position where the belt will be tightest.

FWIW, my rear is a Pirelli, though I think that isn't a critical piece of information from the rest of the recent comments.