Tension warning

J

Jim H

Guest
My belt has been making more noise than usual lately, just kind of complaining with its clicking under low load and I thought the tension idler needed extra help, ie., more tension. Added an extra spring so it's tight... on my way to the next town, three miles out from my house the belt gave way. Luckily it wasn't eighteen and I pedaled home. The short of it is this... my belt had been talking to me for about a month telling me it was tired and maybe coming to the end of its life. By over tightening the tension I helped to shorten the life of the belt by stretching the belt and the plys giving way at the weakest point. I guesstimate that I have 2000+ miles on this belt. That's not bad when you consider it has taken some time to feel and understand this system. The longer you ride a gebe, the better you come to know its nuances. Excessive tension on the belt, bad and gebers, listen to your ride it's talkin to ya!!!
 
New belt and gear arrived today, will install this coming Tuesday... after looking things over I realize that another contributing factor to the belts demise is the drive gear and drive ring are not lined up. I replaced my rear wheel and didn't take into consideration that the two wheels were different manufacturers, etc, etc... the broken belt was also frayed on one side. Will make the necessary adjustments and post results later. Live and learn! BTW, I don't think the tension was as much the culprit as was the allignment.
 
Jim, thanks for the info. The only problem which I have previously mentioned was the skipping/clicking issue. I will follow what you find out, thanks again.
 
Ok, couldn't wait for tuesday and installed the new belt today. The belt wasn't tracking dead center on the drive gear so I loosened the two engine mounting bolts and moved the engine ever so slightly until I was as near to center as possible and retightened. That's the ticket I think, will know when I get a ride in.
 
Just went for a 5 mile putt to see how the thing is handling... while I was installing the belt I also upgraded to the 14 tooth gear, 13 being standard. I have no speedometer but could tell the difference in top speed was increased. At my normal speed that I ride the engine revs were decreased significantly... instead of a high "reeeeee" it was more of a lower "wuhhhhhhhh". That's about as descriptive as I can get. Good to be on the road again...
 
Wasn't satisfied with where the belt was tracking so added a washer behind the drive gear... the belt is now centered in the gear. I was still experiencing the clicking issue prior to this adjustment and have yet to test drive it as I've been on duty here but tomorrow is a designated mb day so will post further results after a long ride.
 
Jim, thanks for the info. The only problem which I have previously mentioned was the skipping/clicking issue. I will follow what you find out, thanks again.

Mine is clicking, it's on the "down"circuit of the belt, looking at it "10 oclock" on the spokering, when the belt leaves the grooves.

I'm a thinkin', and its only come up SINCE framemounting, and it doesn't happen on all 4 bikes, that adding a washer or two, down on the axle, might shift THAT part of the equation, make for a truer belt circuit.
 
Rode 50 miles today and paid close attention to the nuances of the bike. Here's the stuff... the belt is tracking perfectly, nary a click, slip or abnormal sound did I hear out of her, gas mileage was increased on this ride because of the higher drive gear(14 tooth). Ordinarily I would refuel much sooner. The rpms are at a more comfortable level; easier on the rump and ears. Not knowing precisely the mph of this setup, I can say that it feels like a 4 to 5 mph increase in top end. Will get a digital speedo today to satisfy my curiosity. Overall I'm satisfied with the present tweaks.
 
Rode and tweaked today, added a trek speedometer and observed mph with 13 vs 14tooth drive gear. Also the thing was clicking and slipping... cured that with a tad more tension by adding another spring. Imo, the 40cc Tanaka requires a bit more tension due to it's torque. The engine mount assembly is used for all gebes engine configurations. Anything above 33cc's may need that additional tension to keep the belt tight enough that it doesn't slip. I'm happy w/ the results of that tweak. OK, mph and performance! The 13t drive gear gives better takeoff (less pedaling) and is a good combination of power and top end, my top speed is 28-30 on the flats, 32.8 slight downhill run. Cruising on the flats at 3/4 throttle 26-28 mph, depending on wind. The 14t gear needs a little more pedaling at takeoff but not really an issue when the belt is seated and properly tensioned. top speed is 31-33 on the flats, 34.8-35.2 slight downhill run. Cruising on the flats at 3/4 throttle is 29-31 mph. The rpm's are lower when cruising and the torque is slightly diminished but the 40 is quite a torquey little engine so it's not very significant. When I get a day to ride for a few hours, I may have to update my findings but at the moment these are accurate. As rack mounters know, it takes a certain amount of finesse to get the performance that these setups are capable of. So in summary, tension, allignment and takeoff (pedaling and throttle combined) are interrelated to a successful and productive ride and keeping our rubber on the road and out of the shop.
 
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