I talked to my local mechanic and asked him if there was a way to tighten the belt slightly without affecting the shift points. The mechanic told me that there is no adjustment for belt tightening unless you replace the belt with a new one. Is my local Kawasaki mechanic telling me the truth? I have found my CVT belt at 1.06 in spec. The manual says it should be within .87 to 1.06 spec belt tolerances tightness. I was wanting to tighten the belt slightly to get it closer to .87 in spec.

 

The belt tension can be adjusted by removing one or more of the shims from the driven converter. What force were you applying when you measure the deflection? Are you experiencing any belt realted troubles because of the loose belt? I ain't fix it, if it ain't broken.

 

Hayashi

No belt related issues but did find alot of dirt in the CVT case. I cleaned it all out and just went ahead and checked my belt according to the service manual. The belt tightness is at 1.06. I used a flat roll bar and compressed the belt on both pulleys and measured the deflection with a ruler.

 

The book says that you should not put more than 13 lbs when measuring the deflection. You would need a force-gauge (who does it?!). It is typical that you would find lots of dirt inside the CVT housing unless you ride in highways like in Europe. CVT needs cooling air and it sucks in lots of air and the dust as well. The drive converter cover plate bearing is the first thing to go bad because of the dust. It will make a squealing noise when taking off, just like a loose belt would do. I would just keep riding since there is nothing wrong now, and install a new belt when the time comes.

 

Hayashi


You are correct on the 13lbs force since I didn't use a force tool. I am sure I was pressing more than 13lbs of force.