Ask the Editors: Belt Replacement Cover Trouble

By Jason Giacchino - May 7, 2023

Something isn’t right here.

Dear ATVC: Ok, what’s the secret to getting the belt cover off and on? I swapped my belt and managed to get the cover out after some twisting around. Problem was I couldn’t get it back on. I eventually took the tire off, backed off preload and pulled the lower end of the shock. This is obviously not going to work trail-side if a belt breaks. Can somebody explain what I’m doing wrong? Is there a specific angle to set the primary and an angle to reinstall the cover?

It’s a 2023 if it matters. The yt videos seem to skip the cover pull and reinstall.

We assume you are referring to the outer clutch cover? If so, this question is difficult to answer because ordinarily removal and re-installation of this cover should be a simple matter of lining up the cover to to the assembly and tightening (or loosening) the perimeter screws.

Removal of the rear wheel and shock height adjustment should certainly not be necessary to access the cover or any of its fasteners, nor should the cover make contact with belt or primary (or secondary) – so that no special angle adjusting should be necessary.

Typically the only other adjustment you should have to make is loosening the airbox intake hose clamp so that it can be disconnected. Other than that, a lift makes the job exponentially easier but you shouldn’t even have to drop the wheel.

What we’d recommend, since it seems the process of swapping the belt itself gave you no trouble, is to watch a few clips on clutch cover removal specifically. We’ll get you started with a couple: