Hi all,

Just had my front tire changed at the local stealership (I know, I know, but the last one was all cracky and I was in a hurry to get it done).
Anyway.
After changing the tire and test-running the bike, the mechanic who worked on it said "the belt tension is very loose...this could have been a result of the cush drive bearings becoming worn out".

Now, the first thing to say is that according to the twist-test found on this site, the belt tension is actually, if anything, a tiny bit tight. It is definitely not "very loose" So I'm inclined to take anything they say with a full bag of salt. However, hearing that parts of my bike I've never even heard of might be work out warrants at least a check.

So, wise-folks of the forum, a couple of things:
1) Where is the cush drive bearing, anyway? It sounds like it's somewhere on the front pulley, but I don't have much clue.
2) How would I check to see if it's still in working order?
3) What's the likelihood that it is worn out (at about 10,500 miles, albeit with a rather large me riding on it the last 3,000)?
4) If it does need replacing, what kind of time, cost and difficulty am I looking at?

JoG - I started with a Google of this forum and found basically nothing, which was the second thing (after being told that my slightly-too-tight belt was in fact massively too loose - yeah, way to get me to let you work on my baby again...) that made me start to think that this was a common case of mechanic's inexperience with our special little late-80s delight. But who knows?

1st, we like the belt loose so anything a stealership says that is a symptom of something... run away.

cush drive... yeah you got one, on the rear pulley hub in between the wheel.
grab the rear pulley, does it move alot? no then it's ok.
moves but what's alot? idk, but it's probably ok.
moves alot? might need a new hub bearing, might be ok with bots rubber damper tighterner.

I can wobble the rear pulley maybe 2-3 degrees with respect to the rear wheel. It doesn't seem like "a lot" to me. Maybe that is a lot.
Doesn't *seem* like there's much to worry about right now. If nothing's going to fall off or snap immediately, I'll investigate the bearings next time it's not hellishly hot outside, but this in North Carolina and that won't be until mid-September.

justin - they got $35 for labor plus about $9 of things all billed as some variation on "miscellaneous crap". So, not terrible, but still money that I wouldn't be out if I were better a planning and checking my tires.

Dealers usually tighten the belt way too tight...
Harley's have more pliable kevlar belts and they like to be tight,... our bikes use an industrial grade, plastic belt, they run better looser...
If it ain't slippin on the cogs, it ain't too loose...

ustin - they got $35 for labor plus about $9 of things all billed as some variation on "miscellaneous crap". So, not terrible, but still money that I wouldn't be out if I were better a planning and checking

I pay at least that much if I haul the wheel in already off the bike..

The amount of rotation of the cush drive isn't of much concern.....it doesn't seem to wear out.

The "play" that is of more concern is the "wobble".....try and move the pulley by grabbing the front and rear, and push/pull and see if you can get the pulley to wobble (not rotate).

If the pulley wobbles it is an indication the bearing is getting worn.  You can do the rubber floor mat modification and it helps......a bushing installed on the pulley hub is even better!

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1446828836


The bushing modification can be done by anyone with a lathe, and you don't need the floor mat if you have the bushing.

http://suzukisavage.com/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl?num=1496178642

Naah, it's more common than Suzuki would wanna admit.
Problems Because of it?
Pretty much nonexistent aside from the belt squeak.