Hey guys just curious which way works best for belt adjustment...on jiffy stand or rear wheel off the ground.Also any other things I might need to be aware of and I do have a manual....thanks in advance.

 

We need to know what yr./model bike you have.

 

It works much better on a Jack. If all you are doing is adjusting the belt? Do yourself a favor, Don't loosen the axle nut all the way. Loosen it a little to maybe 40 ft lbs. Rotate the left side welded nut clockwise very slightly. It only takes a very small movement. Check the belt tension. If everything is ok, re-torque to 100 ft lbs. If you go too far, loosen everything up and start over.

I do it this way and my right side cam does not move when I do the final torque to 100 ft lbs.!!!

 

Haven't checked my manual on that , but I'm thinking if the right side cam doesn't move, the wheel isn't going back evenly. Am I wrong?

 

Along those lines - but manual says more like 20 ft lbs. It's possible to skew the axle if it's not quite loose enough. Funny thing whenyou do that . . . undo the axle nut just a bit and you may hear the axle "pop" into true due to the swing arm "flats" forcing the axle to be at 90 degrees to the flat surfaces.

 

You dont know what he is saying. When you tighten the one side wiggles around out of adjustment. At times its difficult to keep both sides the same.

 

I have yet to adjust the belt on my 2011, but I think HD screwed up. On my 1988 Harley used threaded adjusters and nuts. All I had to do was count the number of turns on the nuts and the tire/axle was always centered.

 

Having dealt with the cam adjusters since 2008 (Road King) I think the screw jack arrangement would be better, I don't like the cam/axle system. Not having ever had the other system I can't make a fair comparison. Once you make your first adjustment, let us know which system you believe is more user friendly. I suspect that to change the adjustment system would require a swing arm replacement.

 

In over 20 years of owning belt-drive Harleys I have only ever checked and adjusted with the bike on the jiffy, using the factory tension tool. The ritual seems to have changed over the years, but I do it the simplest way!