[bushboarder]

I've read all the threads on belt deflection and under stand it needs to be roughly 5-7 mm. I measured my belt using a Motion Pro 10lb belt tool.
It seems to me my belt has way too much play in it. I've only got about 300 miles on the bike.
I measured with the bike both on sidestand and on a lift. Am I doing something wrong here or possibly got a defective belt tool?
I did the measurement at three different locations on the belt.

Any ideas?

 

[Mentat Ix]

Your belt is way too loose. Mine came from the dealership that way too. Congrats, though; it took me years to figure it out on mine.

 

[SmokenJoe]

Yep, tighten it up or ride to dealer.

 

[StrykerBabe]

Mine needed to be tighten at the 600 mile check, guy said it was crazy loose.

 

[sscottab]

Mine needed to be tighten at the 600 mile check, guy said it was crazy loose.

mine was very loose then also and the dealer adjusted it for me at no charge.

 

[bushboarder]

I'm finding that getting the belt not to rub is a pain in the ace!
Got so frustrated last night that I gave up... I'll have at it again this evening after work with at least a six pack on hand.

 

[SmokenJoe]

Mine rides to the left of the pulley all the time. Not enough to do any damage. Not sure you can get it dead center anyway.

 

[toby]

My wife's new Stryker is way loose too at 300 miles. I just checked it after seeing yours. Time for a trip to the dealer for adjustment. I checked it before we left the lot and it was tighter than mine and now it's way looser.

 

[SmokenJoe]

My wife's new Stryker is way loose too at 300 miles. I just checked it after seeing yours. Time for a trip to the dealer for adjustment. I checked it before we left the lot and it was tighter than mine and now it's way looser.

Just tighten it yourself. Then you know its right. And your honey will be grateful.

 

[toby]

Just tighten it yourself. Then you know its right. And your honey will be grateful.

She does all the wrenching herself on her bike and she is a stickler for having the right tools for the job, and we don't have a torque wrench since my toolbox got stolen. We Are slowly replacing tools. It's hard though replacing a lifetime's worth of tools.:tsk:

 

[SmokenJoe]

Don't need a tourqe wrench for that. Open end will do.

 

[1304cc]

Guys, is a specialized tool to check the belt tension really necessary? I'd love to do this adjustment myself following the how-to's posted in other threads. Can I gauge the belt play just from the window on the belt guard and do an accurate job?

 

[SmokenJoe]

I do it w without any special tools. Keep both sides equal on the adjusting screws.

 

[Stryker2012]

Have always just used my finger...moderate pressure. Never used a torque wrench on anything much more than heads, intakes, and rods/bearings.
110 lbs of torque is pretty hard so like joe said..you can use a regular wrench if your confident in what you're doing. If you want to torque...that's fine too never had a wheel fall off in 40 years of riding. As far as keeping the belt centered, I could never get it to stay either...When I would have to do the final axle tightening, it would always stay just left. No whine, no wear, so it's fine.

 

[BillyD66]

Personally I think both the 10lb belt tool and the torque wrench ARE required to do the job correctly. The belt tool is like $20 off Amazon and the torque wrench can be had from Harbor freight for $10 or rented for free from Autozone etc. Seems like a small investment to me. Then again I have a lot of tools and the money I save DIY more than pays for most of them...
Standard Disclaimer: Don't attempt this yourself if you aren't 100% sure you know what you are doing. Pay the shop once and ask if you can watch. Ask lots of questions.
You'll probably be taking the wheel off every 10K or less to replace a tire so understanding how to do this job can pay off easy. For me tire changes are $35 off the bike and double if on the bike...

 

[toby]

It's actually easy to do without a belt tension tool wants you know how far the belt moves at the proper tension. You get a feel for that and how many lines on the belt guard it moves to. With two fingers and a good amount of pressure you can't move it more than you can with a tool.. To make sure it's not too tight jack the bike up and spin the wheel, if it drags it's too tight.

 

[mikoloe]

I do it w without any special tools. Keep both sides equal on the adjusting screws.

Gangster style ~ I'm learning boss

 

[SmokenJoe]

Gangster style ~ I'm learning boss

A good man there Bro.

 

[1304cc]

I already own a torque wrench for work on the car. I was more concerned about the tool to measure the belt deflection.
The fewer jobs done by the dealership, the better.

 

[CntryUSMC]

I had mine adjusted by a mechanic yesterday just so I could see how it was done. Very easy to do and will do it myself from now on.