belt rubbing on tyre

[chris007]

hi all
i have a doug kiem chopper and the rear belt is rubbing against the rear tyre.
if i measure from the swing arm pivot to the back wheel axle the right side is 3/8 of a inch further back than the other side to make it clear the tyre. but when moving it still rubs on the tyre edge.
i have altered the alignment so both sides are the same and the belt is pressing on the tyre edge when not moving.
do i need a rear pulley spacer and if so do i have to put one on the front pulley to match as the belt is up against the out side edge of both pulleys with it set at the moment.
my bike

 

[oldmutt]

I would ask him. Doug does all of my service work and he and Chris are good people. Show him and see what he says. If the axle was off 3/8" there is something wrong with the swing arm or the pivot bearings. Have him look at it before you have an accident.

 

[Brew]

Did you recently have some maintenance performed on the rear tire, like a tire change or something? If so, I would bring it back to the shop that performed the maintenance and have them correct it... Just saying, sounds like something wasn't put back together correctly. By the way welcome to the site and that's a nice looking scoot...

 

[woodbutcher]

Did you recently have some maintenance performed on the rear tire, like a tire change or something? If so, I would bring it back to the shop that performed the maintenance and have them correct it... Just saying, sounds like something wasn't put back together correctly. By the way welcome to the site and that's a nice looking scoot...

yea, if you just had a new tire put on the back, the new one could be a little wider than the last one causing it to rub. all tires are not created equal.

 

[chris007]

i have just bought the bike. and i live in england.
it was bought as a rolling chassis off doug and was imported to england 2 and a half years ago. the tyre doesn't look new.

 

[Oscar Maldonado]

Tire could be under inflated. (aired down) Check to make sure that you have proper air pressure.

Just throwing some thoughts your way.

 

[chris007]

tyre pressure was at 37 psi so i have put 47 psi in.
i will have to see if that helps.
looked at the belt today and it is also touching the swing arm when moving as the paint is missing at the bottom.
the belt has 3/8 th play in it.
here is the swing arm

 

[woodbutcher]

somebody did some BAD engineering on that bike.

 

[Oscar Maldonado]

somebody did some BAD engineering on that bike.

Yep, I agree.

Something is definately not right. The air pressure in the tire wouldn't cause that.

When you say 3/8" play in the belt what are you meaning?

Is that the movement of the belt up and down or sideways.

Could be that they possibly removed the rear tire and when reinstalled they might have spaced it out wrong and never caught it.

Hate to say it but you should take it back to them and tell them retrack the rear for you.

 

[chris007]

the play in the belt was up and down.
and it was a private sale. so no chance of taking it back.
need help to put it right please.
bike is from the states. i am in the uk.
do you think a 1/8 th pulley spacer will do the trick to move the belt over.
if you go any bigger it will hit the frame

 

[Moespeeds]

Make sure your swingarm pivot bolts or axle is in good condition and not twisted or broken, causing a misalignment in the swingarm. You should also measure from your axle blocks to the swingarm pivot on both sides to check. If everything is squared away, you will need a pulley spacer. Have one made, or goto Pulley Spacers \ Adapters*::*Motorway Engineering Co. and find something that fits. Could be that the clown who assembled it never bothered. Also check out www.clubchopper.com for a lot of knowledge about one off customs. Keep in mind that with a belt, there is no lateral movement so clearance is clearance, whether it's 1" or a cunt hair it doesn't matter.

 

[Oscar Maldonado]

Follw Moe's advice and you'll be straight Chris.

 

[chris007]

the right hand adjuster is about 1/4 further back than the left side.
i made both sides equal and the belt was closer to the tyre with the wheel straight

 

[woodbutcher]

might not be what you want to hear, but, keep in the back of your mind that you can swap it out to a chain drive and get more wiggle room if there is no other option. also, start at the front and make sure the tranny is in alignment with the motor and work your way back from there. it may not just be the belt or back tire out of line.

 

[lee]

I would start at the back and work forward - just me maybe. Chris - whereabouts in England are you? Something is seriously fucked up there. Get the rear wheel square whether that makes the belt rub worse or not. Then take it from there. Does the rear wheel look centred in the swing arm? As wood said you might need to go to a chain but thats no bad thing and you would still might need some offset or a spacer on the wheel pulley / sprocket. It looks pretty tight between the belt and the swingarm plate.

 

[chris007]

whats the best way to check if every thing is in line
do you need to take any parts off to check for alignment.
i live in nottingham

 

[lee]

the first thing I would do is get the bike up in the air and roll the rear wheel forward just see how the belt tracks across the two pulleys. Best way to check if the rear wheel is pointing straight forward is to get a couple of straight edges, lasers or flouresecent light bulbs, one either side, and see how the rear wheel lines up with the front. If you google it you might some useful stuff. Especially do this if you don't know if the swing arm is square. Once the rear wheel is pointing forward see how it looks in the axle blocks but 3/8 difference either size is massive. Once you know everything lines up OK then you can work on the clearance issues.

 

[chris007]

here are some pics to show the belt clearance.
clearance ok

not much room

same

 

[chris007]

thanks for the advice.
i will have a look in the morning and let you know

 

[chris007]

checked the rear wheel was in line with the front and it is now.
when it is set from the swing arm pivot point thats right to.
to get it to clear the tyre i put some washers behind the rear pulley to space it out 1/4.
now the belt clears the tyre. seems ok at the front pulley.
i am going to order a 1/4 pulley spacer for the back.
do you think that will be ok to leave the front one with out a spacer.