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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | I copied this very informative post from Space Cowboy, so newer readers can get the use of it, and it won't be hidden in a mega-post. Hope that's okay, since it helped me very much and shows the value of searching past threads.. Thanks, RR
I had a very good conversation with a service guy at a Victory shop in Montana while I was on my recent 5400 mile trip from CO to WA to BC to MT and home. We talked a bit about belt noise. Here was his explanation....
Victory KNOWS there is a problem, and is working on it. He said that the belts on Victories are "hard" in comparison ot the Harley belts, which contribute greatly to the problem. He also told me there is a VERY tight tolerance between the Victory belt width, and the pulley size, so if the belt is not PERFECTLY aligned, you will get belt noise. He suggested that I occasionally focus on cleaning the belt and pulley, especially after riding on any gravel/dirt roads, or where there is a lot of road construction debris, like when they rotomill the asphalt in prep for a new surface. He suggested I use a tooth brush to clean the pulley and toothed portion of the belt, which I personally think is a crock!
I had the dreaded belt noise problem on my Vision as well. Three visits to the dealer's service dept did not cure it. With help from pollolittle's write up on him adjusting his own belt, I adjusted mine, and the noise was gone. That was almost 6000 miles ago! Currently, I notice a slight noise when under acceleration when I first start out on the bike, not the constant ear splitting noise I once had. Because my rear tire is BALD, I'm awaiting delivery of a new rear tire, then I'll remove the rear wheel, take it to the dealer to have the tire installed on my wheel, then I'll reinstall the wheel myself, realign the wheel myself, and I'm pretty confident that I'll have no belt noise for a long time.
I like the one idea above about blowing out the dust/dirt/road grime from the belt & pulley, but it will be a cold day before you'll see me with a toothbrush, cleaning by belt & pulley!
For all of you that currently have belt noise, do one very simple check - get down on all fours behind the bike and look at how your belt CURRENTLY aligns on the rear pulley. If you cannot verify that the pulley is not against either the left or right edge (most likely) of the pulley, you have an alignment problem! If you have or have access to a motorcycle jack, align it yourself, as it is easier than you could possibly think! It will take about 30 minutes to complete, you only need a large crescent wrench capable of opening to 1-1/16", and a 1/2" wrench. Here are the steps:
1. Lift the bike so the rear wheel is off the ground
2. Place the trans in neutral
3. Loosen the 1-1/16" axle nut
4. Turn the right side ("passenger" side) rear axle adjuster 1/4 turn using a 1/2" wrench - move axle towards front of bike if belt is against right side of pulley, or move axle towards rear of bike if belt is against left side of pulley.
5. Turn the left side ("driver" side) rear axle adjuster 1/4 turn, using a 1/2" wrench - move axle towards rear of bike if belt is against right side of pulley, or move axle towards front of bike if belt is against left side of pulley.
6. Spin rear wheel by hand, turning wheel as if the motorcycle is going forwards at least 2-3 full rotations
7. Observe if drive belt is now centered on rear pulley - if so, skip to step 9.
8. If observation in step 7 shows drive belt is not centered on rear pulley, repeat steps 4, 5, 6, & 7 until belt is centered.
9. Carefully tighten the 1-1/16" axle nut to factory specs
10. Lower the bike off the motorcycle jack
11. Enjoy chirp-free riding!
My recommendation with the above is IF you repeat steps 4-7 more than about 4 or 5 times, you should recheck the belt tightness to see if it still is within spec. By turning one side of the axle one way, and the other side of the axle the other to help align the wheel and belt, its relative location on the bike does not change significantly, and should not cause the drive belt tightness to go out of spec. If you have to make a LARGE number of adjustment cycles to get the belt to track properly, it MAY affect the belt tightness spec.
I hope this helps...I know I was sure frustrated for some time when my belt was making so much noise, so I can surely sympathize.
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Vision Tour Comfort Midnight Cherry
Adopted 3/29/08 - 11300 miles as of 8/17/08
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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | So I'm getting ready for a trip and my belt has been squeaking two-up for about a week. I tried adjusting the belt, and since it's against the right side of the pulley, I naturally moved the right side of the axle backwards a little bit, thinking then the left side would be closer to the front, and the belt would move over that way. Unfortunately, like most things scientific, the real answer, as proposed by Spacecowboy above, appears to be the exact opposite, I suspect because the belt will actually "climb" to the most rearward side of the pulley as opposed to "falling" to the most forward side. Oh, well, that's why I don't live in Vegas, since I got a 90% chance of blowing a 50/50 bet.
That said, I had read before that some belt dressing would also take care of the problem. Well, I bought some, squirted it on a portion of the belt that was exposed, figuring it would spread itself evenly around the pulleys, etc., as the wheels turned. It stopped the squeal, sure enough, but then I had a "grench-grench-grench" noise. Thinking I was on the right track, I applied more, figuring that as an American, more is better, and I just needed enough to coat everything better. The "grenching" noise kept getting worse. Scratching my head, I reread the can, and the words "for V-belts" jumped out at me with new importance. What does a slipping V-belt have in common with a toothed belt that squeaks? Not much, as the v-belt needs GLUE to stop slipping and squealing, and the toothed belt needs LUBRICANT! If the teeth are still there, slipping isn't the issue. So I boogied over to my garage medicine chest and pulled out a spray bottle of "Wax as you Dry" and squirted a liberal dose on the belt and crossed my fingers, and lo and behold, the problem seems solved for the time being, until I get an opportunity to adjust the right side of the axle forward a bit to try and align the thing on the pulley before I hit the slab. Hope this helps, and frankly, I'm thinking of picking up a small can of silicone lube to spray on the belt in case the problem returns while I'm on the road or I'm unable to cure it with the adjustment approach.
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Iron Butt
Posts: 669
Peachtree City, GA | Just us a bar fo soap... run it along the teeth and your good to go for a couple of weeks...
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | http://www.latus-harley-davidson.com/Poly-Oil.htm | |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | Webhair - 2011-06-21 7:58 AM
Just us a bar fo soap... run it along the teeth and your good to go for a couple of weeks...
Unless it gets wet ... | |
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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | I thought about a bar of soap, but wouldn't that make it "squeaky clean?" Then I'd be right back where I started...LOL (SILENCE!!! I KEELL me!!)
Actually, last night, I adjusted the belt the right direction and sprayed some silicon on it and Voila! problem solved. At least for the time being, I'll know more when I test drive it tonight to see if the silicon dries out and the dressing starts dragging again...wish I'd never have put that jazz on there. Oh well. But the belt feels so much better. Even though I still thought I had plenty of slack in it, it really does work better when it's looser. Weird. And I'm still taking the can of spray on the trip, because the belt dressing I applied earlier is still there, and man, it sticks like glue without a coating of some kind. Hopefully it'll wear off or sublimate away or something. | |
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Tourer
Posts: 444
Bay of Gigs, WA | Just got back from an 800 mile ride over the weekend and had to spray the belt nearly every time I stopped to extinguish the "grench-grench-grench" sound, but it worked, and lasted each time 'till I stopped, regardless of the distance. I suspect the silicone dries and allows that stupid belt dressing I stupidly applied to make the noise. Time will tell if it goes away or not. While not a deal breaker, this belt thing is a pisser. None of the hawgs on the ride had any issues with their belts. Seems like a no brainer to me, can't figure out why it's such a gremlin on VV's. Sucks. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 4278
| Gates makes our belts along with h-d belts and all dragster. If we could only pull the right saddle bag we would have it made. My belt is about a whisker away from the flange. When the humidity gets high in the garage the belt will squeak but after five blocks its gone. I keep loosening right adjuster and add to the left with no luck. I bald now from pulling my hair out. I think you have to put the bike up on a air lift table so you can get some kinda look. I think the book does say have the wheel off the ground or table. Now I have to get a air lift to see if I can get some of my hair back. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 2027
Brighton, TN | You will be surprised just how far out of adjustment that belt is. | |
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | Does any of you all with squeaky belts live in Virginia or eastern NC. I've got to hear want one sounds like and how you have your belt adjusted.
I adjusted mine by the current specs, I never can get it aligned, it is the orginal pulley and I don't have a squeak. I had a growl when the belt was set to the original adjustment though, but never under the current spec. | |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1117
Northeast Ohio | Chris, it is a loud chirping sound. It almost sounds like the trunk hinge, but a lot louder. 
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | Okay, I'll try to equate that to my growl, because it sounded like a big dog growling like you were trying to sneak some food while he is eating. But, as soon as the belt was loosen to the specs, by the gage, and by the book, it went away. I cannot get my belt to ride center on the pulley, not by anybodies instructions, not even pollolittles. But, since it don't make the hideous noise, I don't worry with it. I found that when the belt is correctly adjusted, it feels loose at rest on the ground. That is contrary to how belts on the typical motorcycle is adjusted. | |
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Newer, shorter belt thread