Belt Squeal

awags · May 21, 2008

mines doing the exact same thing right now. a dab of silicone grease on the side of belt will cover up the noise but not 'fix' it. seems like a bunch have had the same problem. look through past threads theres been alot of discussion on this. mine looks like the engine/trans pulley is off a bit. havn't got thatfar yet though. my problem might be more severe- my problem seems to have started after i hit the ditch pretty hard. if i get it to stop i'll let you guys know how.

chopper · May 21, 2008

Mine wouldn't stop squealing so I put a chain on. The Big Dog truck driver said the rear pulleys were machined wrong and caused the squeal.

lee · May 21, 2008

I think the belt squeal is an issue with the pulleys that are not teflon coated and yours being an 03 it may not be. You don't have to get the bike up on a lift to adjust rear wheel alignment - just measure each side from say the pivot bolt to the centre of the axle and adjust it. should be able to do it on the ground.

Moespeeds · May 21, 2008

I dealt with this for 2 years/6000 miles by greasing the sides of my belt. No amount of re-tentioning or re-aligning solved the problem. Last month I changed my final drive belt, and the problem is gone for now. Make sure your belt tension is correct, if you grab the belt on a factory bike on the showroom floor, the belts are tight! Also, it helps allot of you can get the rear wheel jacked up. This way you can spin the rear and actually watch how the belt tracks. If you resort to greasing the sides of the belt, you'll want a jack anyway, makes it a 2 min job instead of greasing, moving, greasing, moving, etc.

BBChopper · May 21, 2008

Mine did it because the motor/trans were not lined up right. I re adjusted and all has be golden!:2thumbs:

awags · May 23, 2008

whats all involved to adjust engine/trans? Just basically loosen bolts and align w/ rear sprocket? My rear is good but front looks off a bit.

WB Cycles · May 23, 2008

03 and 04 models had a recall on the "belt squeak". Had my chopper in three different times and finally found out there was a "drive matrix" fix that BDM put out. The dealers goes through three attempted fixes that check the alignment and then the last stop was to use the teflon pulley. It worked for mine.

Raywood · May 23, 2008

roedog said:
I have a final belt squeal noise that's driving me nuts when I come to a slow and just before I stop. I thought i was my rear disk brake, but I think the alignment may be off on the back pulley a hair, that is why the belt is squealing at low speeds. Can I just lift the bike on a stand and adjust the back wheel side to side to correct this? Or is this something I should take into a qualified shop to do? Noise appeared more recently after this weekend of riding. Got on it hard once in a while when I was riding, but the squealing was not this persistent till now. Thanks for any help....

Sean
2004 Mastiff

Lots of threads on this subject. Usually belt tightness or alignment.

http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/technical/2460-belt-making-noise-again.html
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/dog-pound/1060-squeaky-ass-belt.html
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/drive-train/2121-vibration-chatter-problem.html
http://www.bigdogbiker.com/forums/general/3700-problem-belt-noise-when-i-come-stop.html

Gas Man · May 24, 2008

BBChopper said:
Mine did it because the motor/trans were not lined up right. I re adjusted and all has be golden!:2thumbs:

Same with me.

Remember with the one piece backing plates of the bdm primary, that the motor and tranny are perfect to each other. YOu just need it to be lined up with the rear pulley, but before you do that, the rear pulley needs to be lined up to the swing arm pivit bolt. Its a triangle of alignments.

Belt Squeal

roedog

Member

awags

Member

chopper

Member

lee

Well-Known Member

Moespeeds

Well-Known Member

BBChopper

Supports 2 Disabled Vets

awags

Member

WB Cycles

Well-Known Member

Raywood

The Pirate

Gas Man

Cool isn't cheap