I ride a 1600 T-Bird and have an issue with a drive belt squealing noise. This especially if the bike has been sitting unused for a while, it normally disappears after a mile or so. I have adjusted belt but to no avail. Any ideas or tips anyone .
Gaz your entering a mine field where belt alignment is concerned, the noise is normally likened to a chirp a belt chirp, some say belt is to tight and not set up properly. others buy laser's to try and align belt. loads to read on here just look through topics - http://www.thunderbird1600.com As said cheap quick temporary fix is candle rubbed on belt edges takes it away as the noise can be bloody annoying, happily I dont have it on mine but had a small taste of it a few months ago after tyre change, happily it had to be redone and was gone second time round,
on a recent ride I was told this is a common "ailment" for T-Bird. Mechanical solution, Mats Adjusters: http://www.thunderbird1600.com/csp/...G AFTERMARKET REAR WHEEL ADJUSTERS.)&InPage=1 I was told by couple of T-Bird riders this works. good luck!
I've had this problem on my Tbird LT. Got some bike polish and sprayed in on the belt. Fixed the problem. Wessa
Thanks for that mate. Someone else suggested candle wax which works for a while. I decatted two weeks ago, not a balance pipe but straight through pipes, that along with the short HI flow pipes is drowning the noise out lol. I'll have a look at your suggestion though. Cheers
Candle wax was me, has the same effect as wessa's spray but isnt an all time fix. So you done the de-cat Gaz, Well come on then SPILL how does it sound ? How does it run ? Was it straight forward or what ? Straight through 45 degree bends did you cut 65mm from one end. and was it ok ? Its fecking terrible when ya got to chase some info TELL ME EVERYTHING- GOOD AND BAD
Hi Tez Sorry I've been busy, was meaning to get back to you.Yes 65mm from ends, no probs encountered. No remapping , just let it idle for ten minutes and then rode it. I reckon more power and wait for it , it sounds feckin great with the short HI flow exhaust pipes, especially on throttle, a bit of popping when decellerating in lower gears. One other biker said I wouldn't want to ride behind you for too long with that exhaust note. In town if you go easy on the throttle it's fine. My MOT guy said he would pass it but he wouldn't rev it too much lol
Any other options apart from replacing the belt? I took mine to a garage( usually deals in Yamaha, as their is no Triumph dealership) and they told me to replace the belt. Yes they did say apply soap and they did apply it but the sound came back very quickly.
It's probably not the belt so don't go changing that unless you're happy to spend money. There are two schools of thought and no-one seems to have the definitive answer on it. First thought are that it's the wheel alignment that causes the belt to squeal and you need to adjust properly to stop it. The second thought is that it's the belt tension and that Triumph specs are a bit too tight. Sorry, can't be more help but either of these are cheaper than a belt replacement. As has been said above other ways to stop the noise albeit temporarily and in no particular order are candle wax, silicone spray, silicone polish or any other type of silicone lubricant.
Usually wheel alignment to blame. These days I only let a knowledgeable Triumph dealer adjust the belt...even to the extent of having them fit a new rear tyre when it's due to change! Expensive but seems to work. I've just spent three days following a friend on a tbird with a squealing belt. It was horrible. Otherwise dry silicon spray will offer a temporary cure.
Just as an aside to this, I had some of this that I use for an exercise bike. It's designed for treadmill belts so reckon it's ok for motorbike belts and it has stopped my belt chirping completely.......only time will tell for how long. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carbusonic...282&sprefix=silicon+gel+for+tr,aps,139&sr=8-7
That's the sort if thing. Dry silicone. Halfords sell the cheaper but effective stuff as their own brand spray.
Got one of those old style mechanics to have a look. The first thing he said was it is out of alignment. I had the tire changed end of summer last year and had not ridden much after that at all. Got it jacked up on a normal jack and the side stand so the rear wheel was off the ground. He also said the tension is too tight and he aligned the wheels and adjusted the tension and there was no more squealing. I took it for a short ride too and did not hear any sound. Tomorrow I am taking for a longer ride and hopefully it is gone for ever.
Update. The belt keeps moving about so I think I need a Thunderbird wheel alignment tool. Can someone please let me know where I can get one either in Canada or USA? thank you
Might be quicker to get a triumph dealer do it. The Tbird belt runs tight compared to a Harley one so if you're used to aligning and tensioning hd belts you'll leave it too slack. You could join the thunderbird 1600 world forum and look up the many tips and methods for aligning and tensioning that you'll find on there.
