Do I need tolift the back tire in order to adjust my drive belt?

 

My owners manual advises to do checkon sidestand.

The 07 workshop manual does not specify that you need in the air but does give the deflection for on the ground and raised.
I would prefer to do raised as there is no weight on the rear tire and adjusting should then be easier and I believe more correct.

It advises for

FXST/FLSTC/FLSTF/FXSTB/FLSTSC/FXSTC
On jiffy stand. 9/16-5/8 in. (14.3-15.9 mm)
Veh upright and wheel off ground. 11/16-3/4 in. (17.5-19.0 mm)

FLSTN/FXSTD
On Jiffy stand. 1/4-5/16 in. (6.4-7.9mm)
Veh upright and wheel off ground. 5/16-3/8 in. (7.9-9.5 mm)

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks BlackDragon....I have the service manual and basically got the same thing.I will go by the dealerTuesday and talk to the service manager, he is a straight up guy,he is more interested ittrying to keep their customers happy than selling stuff they don't need. I really need to get the tool to check belt adjustment too...Thanks again

 

I have always adjusted chains with the bikes weight on the rear.
The entire reason for the slack is so that the rear swing arm can go from weight on the rear and still have enough slack so the rear suspension can move without the chain/belt binding.
I use to adjust chains to spec with just the bike weight and then when I went to the track the inspectors told me with my sitting on the bike I was too tight. This made sense in that if it was tight with me sitting on it the chain didn't have enough slack to move with any bumps.
My ramblings is just trying to say that if a 120lb person and a 250lb ride the same bike the belt needs to be adjusted different for each, imho and experience.

 

I adjust belt per service manual with the rear wheel on the ground and someone similar to my weight sitting on the bike. Adjusting the belt with no weight on the suspension can cause the belt to go to tight.

 

Thanks guys....the info is appreciated

 

Geoseismic's advice makes perfectly good sense to me. Whether belt or chain, whatever the "normal" stretch/load is would be the optimal tension setting.

Only thing that bites is that it may require buying someone a beer and waiting until tomorrow when dude gets off work...

 

Have any of you changed the drive belt? I changed my belt. I had to take off the clutch housing and clutch, drive chain..etc. I wondering what the trick is to putting the drive chain and clutch back on...I just can't get it to go on..I't like I need another fraction of an inch.