How to Maintain Your Drive Belt | MC Garage

A properly cared for drive belt can last a hundred thousand miles, and maintaining it just means checking its condition and tension about as often as you change the oil and filter. We show you how to inspect your belt and pulleys as well as check and adjust belt tension in this video from the MC Garage.

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A properly cared for drive belt can last a hundred thousand miles, and maintaining it just means checking its condition and tension about as often as you change the oil and filter. If your bike doesn’t have a belt-drive, we also have more MC Garage topics on replacing your chain and sprockets, taking care of your chain, and taking care of your motorcycle’s shaft drive. Want to know which motorcycle final drive is the best? Find out in our chain vs. shaft vs. belt drive MC Garage.

How To Inspect A Motorcycle Belt Drive For Damage And Wear
To inspect the belt, rotate the rear wheel and check the inside and outside surfaces, looking for cracks, missing teeth, tears, or holes. A few nicks in teeth or minor fraying along the edges is normal and nothing to worry about, but major damage means it’s time for a replacement. Next, take a look at the pulleys. If they’re chromed, you want to ensure that the material isn’t flaking off since that serves as a hard, durable coating. Otherwise, you’re just looking for uneven teeth, chipping, or other signs of wear.

How To Check And Adjust Motorcycle Belt Tension
Next up is your belt tension. Some manufacturers want the bike on the sidestand or with a rider on board when you check the tension, so make sure to reference your owner’s manual for the exact procedure and deflection specification. The Harley we worked with can be on the sidestand or held vertically, and it’s supposed to have 1/2- to 9/16-inch deflection under 10 pounds of pressure. To apply exactly 10 pounds you’re going to need a very well calibrated finger or a special tool like this belt gauge from Motion Pro. Yup, you need a special tool, but it’s inexpensive and has a universal fit, and that’s a small price to pay to only have to check your belt every 5,000 miles.

To check the deflection with the tool, slide the O-ring to the 10-pound line, put the tool perpendicular to the belt midway between the front and rear pulley, and note the measurement with zero pressure on the belt. Harley does you the favor of putting a window and 1/8th-inch graduation marks on the belt guard, but the tool has a ruler scribed on it as well. Once you’ve got your starting reference point, press on the bottom of the tool until the O-ring just touches the blue anodized based and measure the deflection. It’s a good idea to rotate the wheel and check the belt in several locations and then average the figure. That means adding fractions, but you’ll have to look up a separate how-to video for tips on how to do that.

If the tension is out of spec, loosen the axle and reposition the wheel to get the tension right. Some bikes will have a bolt with a locknut, while others will have a snail shell adjuster plate. Whichever style your bike has, make small adjustments—equal on both sides to maintain rear-wheel alignment—and recheck the tension until it’s spot-on. Then tighten the axle, check the tension one final time, and you’re good to go for another several thousand miles.

Interested in the belt-tension tool we use in this video? Viola:

00:23 How long should a belt last?
00:38 Inspecting a motorcycle belt drive
01:16 Checking the belt tension
02:40 Adjusting the belt tension

[shAdOwstAlkEr]

If you guys dont mind, I completed the survey even though I don't live anywhere near the land of the free. Dont really mind that I wont be able to win that gopro, but I'd be more than happy to contribute to the riding community all around the globe.

Cheers, Aj, Philippines

[juanmueses]

Hey guys, Ari, can you guys make a video on valve adjustment with shims and also break down the math to it plus going over long term affects of running either tight or loose over time. Great videos, really enjoy them.

[electriceye]

I'm rockin' a 2008 Buell 1125R with around 55, 000 miles and the belt still looks like it did the day I rode it home. It is even nicer because of the belt tension pulley do you don't have to deal with axle adjustment.

[-n]

When you said cactus I though you were going to say it'll bite you. My last interaction with a cactus was rather painful:)

[chan_kan_ride]

Guys. Whenever you do a survey please let us know that it's for people from particular places. I'm a fan of you and I'm from India. Not only me there are many audience outside US . We are also your fans and we too get excited about your surveys and giveaways. We also wanna be a part of your channel. Anyway you guys are amazing and this is a great video. You are helping us grow in motorcycling. Love you guys ... Love from India...😊❤️

[justdad]

It might be worth mentioning those would regularly ride on gravel roads to check the sprockets for small pebbles lodged in the sprockets, they can wreck a belt pretty quickly.

[tenacious_]

thanks for producing this video, good job ! i would like to add one point. for Indian bikes it is important that before you adjust the belt, the bike must be fully rested. do not adjust right after riding, allow it to cool down for a few hours.

[Worshipbyruben]

Hit 10k on my kawi and belt looks and rides like new. Can't go wrong with belt.

[KAICSDSC]

This guy is great. Ill fill out the survey

[TennRides]

I'm a firm believer in hug your kids in public, belt 'em on their bikes. Haha

[druegeme]

like with a chain, the most interesting part is at the end, when you torque the rear axle bolt and then check alignment and tension 'one last time'!

[namelessr]

I love watching these vids. Any chance you guys might review some of the higher end Ssr Motorsports dirt bikes?

[BRUISER]

No what..wait..is that a Harley in the MC Garage? ... is it full moon outside.. 😉

[TV]

Now that he did a video about how to check your motorcycle belt. He should do a video about how to replace an old worn out belt with a new one.

[Anime_Remastered]

I would like to see the review of your fatbob. Love that motorcycle.

[TechnMoto]

What a long ass survey that was holy crap

[BIOHAZARDCURE]

One the real though...Chain drive master race.

[renynzea]

On mine I have to use an app on the phone to gauge tension by the harmonic frequency of the belt being thrummed. Requires 25 kg of tension and those Harley gauges don’t go that high. Tried a krickett but heck if I can figure out to get a reliable reading with it.

[caboosez]

I designed the weld fixtures that welds the swing arm together.

[birben]

My Yamaha Warrior 1700 CC 2007 has some squeaky sounds. Do i need to lubricate the belt, could you please advise ?