I know the belt change is a doddle and have previously tackled it before. While I'm still waiting for my Haynes manual, what are the main pointers to look out for?
CAM BELT CHANGE EASY GUIDE I did this as an experiment for those of you that are of nervous disposition wondering if you should change your cam belts yourself. It applies to my 750SS, but I guess it applies to many other models as well. It also applies to bikes that are running properly and don’t have timing issues. OK…..First of all make sure you have the right cam belts….earlier SSs at least up to my 1997 model had square teeth (part number 066029090), later models had rounded teeth. Get the bike up on a paddock stand and whip the plugs out. You only need to take off the right side fairing. Get the belt covers off…..the front one can be a b*******d, and you usually find you will have to undo the upper oil cooler hose union at the bottom. If you have carb heaters turn them off…..this minimises oil loss when you get the union undone…stick your finger over the end of the hose, pull the front belt cover out forwards and reconnect the oil hose union. Look for the timing marks on the three large belt pulleys and turn the engine over by hand until they all align with their respective marks on the casings etc….. (To turn the engine over either put it in second gear or use one of the belt pulley silly nut sockets to turn it). When you have the marks aligned, take a white marker (crayon or similar – chalk comes off too easy) and mark the outside of the front belt with an F (or Front), plus mark the belt where the timing mark is on the cam pulley. You can then do the same at the crank pulley (the double one) but the front belt only….if you turn the engine over slightly, you will see that each of the marks you made are in line with a tooth on the belt. Having made your marks, slacken off the adjuster bolts and swing the movable adjuster under and up behind the belt so it ends up on the inside of the belt rather than the outside. Take the belt off….it will come off easily…..when off, make sure your make your marks more visible (in fact, colour in the respective tooth on the inside of the belt). When the front is off, do the back belt….Mark a B (or Back) on it…….Then mark the cam pulley timing mark on the outside of the belt. The crank pulley (double one) is harder to do, so the easiest thing to do is mark an appropriate groove in the front belt pulley (I managed to get it next to the timing mark)…..and then pick another groove at random on the other side of the same pulley and mark that as well…. Mark the back pulley belt to coincide with those two marks. Slacken off the adjuster bolts and pull the belt slightly to swing the adjuster into the middle of the belt. Take the belt off the cam pulley – it will come off easily, but you will probably find the cam pulley pings off it’s mark because it is under spring pressure….Either remember which way it turned or turn it back anyway….it should stay there if you are careful. Then remove the belt from the double pulley. Now take the old front belt and the new front belt….for ease, turn them so that the lettering is in exactly the same position. Mark the new belt with an F exactly as the old belt. Mark one of the teeth on the new belt on the edge of the tooth and on the outside of the belt exactly as on the old belt. Now count the teeth between the two marks on the old belt and count out the same number of teeth on the new belt (in the same direction) and mark the appropriate tooth as before. Check them twice to make sure you have them right. Do the same with the back belt, only this time you have three marks to count between and you mark it B. Check them twice to make sure you have them right. When you are sure you have the marks correct, put the old belts to one side, and fit the back belt to the double pulley so that the two marks that are closer together are in line with the marks in the front pulley grooves. You will probably need to hold it in place while you fit it to the top pulley…….Don’t worry if the top pulley jumps again, just get the belt over the edge retainer so it is sitting on it…….now turn the pulley until the timing mark is realigned with the casing mark….you should see your marked belt tooth in line as well, so just push the belt on all the way so it drops into the appropriate groove. Now pull the belt out a bit and swing the adjuster back to the outside of the belt…..pull the adjuster by hand so that the belt is tight and tighten the bolts temporarily. Check those three marks on the belt all line up with the aligned timing marks. Now do the front belt in the same way. When you have them all in place and the belts are reasonably tight, slowly turn the engine over and listen / feel for anything wrong….If you have done it properly, it will be OK. Tensioning the belts is not too difficult……do the back one first…..If you have a fishing type spring scales, hook it around the adjuster wheels, slacken the bolts a bit and pull the scales backwards until they read 4.5kg or 10lbs. Tighten the adjuster bolts properly. Check the belt tension also with a 5mm allen key between the fixed belt wheel and the outside of the belt….you should able to push the 5mm key between them fairly easily but not a 6mm allen key. Do the same for the front belt. Turn the engine over again to see if AOK. Then plugs back in, and start the b*gger…….Let it get hot, use some throttle blips as well, then stop the engine…..(I was staggered by how much my belts tightened when it had got hot) and then let it cool and check the belts again….the key method will probably be OK on its own. It took me an hour……But I couldn’t finish it because a previous owner /s had mullered the special adjuster bolt head sockets, so I can’t fully torque them….I have to use a couple of brake disc bolts temporarily but they aren’t the same. Put your bike back together….and check the belts after 300 miles max.
use copperslip on pulley tensioner adjustment bolts, it makes undoing them a lot easier the next time
That is awesome info Arquebus, done mine before but they are due again now and your guide will be invaluable as I can't remember what we did! Many thanks to you.
That's what I've got trouble with, already knackered 1 adjuster bolt trying to undo it. If anyone has any ideas??
Copperslip? I threadlock mine. I don't ever want to hear THAT horrendous rattling again... Tip: (Once you have the easy front belt on, aligned and tensioned....) Don't fight the spring when putting the rear belt on. Just let the pulley slip back 90 degrees and then rotate the crank back 90 degrees to compensate. Slip the rear belt on without tearing your fingers to shreads, tension lightly, and then rotate the crank (and both belts & pulleys) forward 90 degrees to check alignment. All being well the marks will line up (if you've got a good eye for 90 degrees). If not, rotate back, slacken and adjust by a tooth.
Gently (ha ha) thump a Torx bit into it, or try knocking a socket onto the head.........failing that you might have to do what I did......drill the head of the bolt off so you can release the tension on the bolt, move the adjuster plate out of the way, then try turning the stub of the bolt with your fingers (mine came out) or stick a mole grip on it and then turn..... AL.
Yes - that works a treat, the bolt is only tight because it is holding the tensioner against the engine casing ! Remove the head and the stud bit will come out !
In which case do not use an extractor FFS......a short length of 8mm stud means a very spindly extractor and these days the quality of them is sh*te.......until you need to drill out a broken one. Better to drill the stud right in the centre and try a Torx bit in the hole.......or drill it right out and hope to god the ally thread is still there. AL
if you have a welder place a larger nut over damages bolt head and weld in place heat transfer will help loosen bolt gently turn with spanner works well on corroded bolts as alloy expands faster than steel and breaks seal use a damp rag over engine so that weld spatter doesnt damage anything usualy jobs a goodun...........
I was trying to suggest that the use of threadlock on these is very risky, I would also not advocate the use of an extractor !
