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General Category >> Rubber Side Down! >> Belt Alignment
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Message started by Kropatchek on 08/30/04 at 07:04:46

Title: Belt Alignment
Post by Kropatchek on 08/30/04 at 07:04:46

Hi all
What's your favoured and/or best trick to get the beltpulleys aligned?????

I've heard of a divice which uses a laser for propper alignment, does anyone have experience with that???
Greetz
Kropatchek

Title: Re: Belt Alignment
Post by Gargoyle on 08/30/04 at 07:56:53

This is what I do. First I use the markings on swingarm with the adjusters. Once I have them in the same place I check belt tension. Then with bike on a lift I spin wheel and sight down belt to visually confirm alignment.

Title: Re: Belt Alignment
Post by Pat B on 08/30/04 at 08:31:58

Gargoyle wrote:

Have you been watching me work?? That's the cheapest/easiest method that I have come up with. It seems to work fine.

Title: Re: Belt Alignment
Post by gitarzan on 08/30/04 at 11:36:59

I have often wondered about this. I've seen lot's of message here and at Bert's regarding this.

My question is: Which is more important? A properly aligned belt or properly aligned tires? Or is once the belt's OK, the tire's close enough? Or vice-versa?

Or is Suzuki's engineering perfect? I mean if the alignment marks are inaccurate, could one expect the distance from the wheel being perfectly on center to the gear being set perfect as well?

When I wrenched on my old Yamaha, I was particular about getting the wheels perfectly aligned and it paid off in handling. Of course, I was much younger then and did have have the internet wasting all my time...

Title: Re: Belt Alignment
Post by Greg_650 on 08/30/04 at 14:39:03

gitarzan wrote:

Of course, I was much younger then and did have have the internet wasting all my time...

I like that...if the internet had been around when I was younger, I'd have never done anything :P

First I believe that some weight is supposed to be on the rear wheel when you adjust the tension otherwise it may be too tight when the rear end goes to it's highest position with the shocks compressed. The gage is a "happy medium" kind of thing...and the swingarm and the front pulley are not exactly on the same centerlines. Therefore it can be loose all the way down and tight as a bow string all the way up

And like mentioned above, I have jacked the wheel off the ground to check the alignment of the belt on the pulley...to see if it rubs more on one side then the other, but in the process, I found that the marks are pretty accurate for the rear wheel alignment....so I guess that the welding fixtures for assembling the swingarm are pretty close (I'd like to think so)