Well guys, I see that we are all in the same boat. My belt has just recently began squeeling when I first take off. I took my cover off and measured my deflection. Right around 1.25 inches. I couldn't get my drive pulley off so I haven't changed my shim yet. Would like to know how you guys get your belt off without taking your drive pulley off. Even with my belt as loose as it is, I couldn't get it off. guess I wasn't reefin on it hard enough!!

Nyroc has the right idea. As soon as Gates brings out a belt, I'm buying one. I have also been looking for an aftermarket clutch setup. I would like a complete unit, not just the spring kits that you can get from Erlandson Performance. I think the 650s clutch is inadequate for the machine as I have grooves in my drive clutch sheaves at the bottom. How are your guys sheaves for wear?

 

Mastrblastr, I put a socket wrench on the drven pulley and turn it while guiding the belt off the pulley with my fingers. Any slack you need is provided by the spring in the driven pulley.

I just realized an important point regarding what Wolley said a few days ago about the new 650s, that the deflection is already at the service limit (.125). Wow! That is not very bright of the facotry.

I took my shim out and replaced the belt, now my deflection is .87 (the minimum). So my new belt should last a whole lot longer than the first one (750 miles), since it is adjusted better. People say that the tighter belts don't wear as much as looser. I bet I will get more than 750 miles on the next one.

Wolley, I tried putting the trans in gear, but the torque wrench has a huge mechanical advantage over the brakes and I did not feel it would work, nor did I feel it was safe. The method I used seemed safe and really worked well. See this photo.

 

Dash

I bought my prairie from Newgate Honda and my Kodiak from Layton Cycle (both under the same owner)...they beat all the other dealers in the area by 50 -100 bucks when i was researching my bike (prairie for 6200 and the kodiak for 5300)...now with that said...both their service departments stink...took the kodiak in on a tuesday and they said they would have it friday for our ride...went in on friday and they didnt even know they had it...took it to them 3 times for the same jetting problems and they didnt fix it...took it to careys (they ripped us off price wise charging for stuff we didnt ask to be done) and they got it right the first time.

Now the prairie was a different nightmare...took it to newgate as it was going through gas and had an initial delay when i would gun the throttle...they kept it for about two weeks and told me they thought the belt could be bad and it wasnt covered under the warranty...I asked if they checked it and they said NO didnt really need to...it had 35 miles on it...so i told them i wasnt happy with their answer as i couldnt see a belt going that quick unless it was factory defect...THE OWNER tells me you can ruin a belt pulling out of the dealership and their was nothing he could do...I loaded the bikes and took it to big boys toys...they did something with the choke cables and all seemed fine until this recent trip...also newgate messed up my vin number and i have been trying to straighten that out for months...the bike they mixed the numbers up with is out in West Point...wonder if it is your bike...where did you get yours from? If i was you I would take my prairie to big boys...even vescos seems to be interested mostly in sales and little in servicing the bike after its purchased.

 

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Wolley, I tried putting the trans in gear, but the torque wrench has a huge mechanical advantage over the brakes and I did not feel it would work, nor did I feel it was safe. The method I used seemed safe and really worked well. See this photo. >>


I realized something after I thought about it long enough. Torque on the Prairie is somewhere around 38ft/lbs and the nut should be torqued to 69 ft/lbs. It's very possible that one could damage something by attempting to use the tranny and brakes to hold the driven pulley.

 

Dokyo

I bought my Kodiak fom Vescos. They are a good bunch. No BS, and fair. But a little out of the way. I bought my Prairie from White knuckle motor sports needless to say I will never shop there again. As far as Newgate.... I don't trust them. They had my jetting all screwed up. I ended up having a small Kawasaki shop in Mt. Pleasant re-jet my wheeler. It runs great now... plus they were much cheaper. It seems like the larger city dealerships want to stick it to you.

Have you found your Prairie to be a little more sensitive to altitude changes. My kodiak would run great in the valley (4500 ft) and would still tear it up at 11,000 ft. My prairie seems to be a little more sensitive.

 

Dash

You have a Kodiak and a Prairie 650 also...I am here in Layton, we will have to hook up sometime...I have the 01 Kodiak for the wife and the 02 650 for myself...waiting on the airbox mod from a company and still debating over which airfilter to use...you like K&amp;N aye...what year kodiak do you have...I will have to give Vesco's another shot...I am actually looking for a couple of Ozarks for the kids...maybe see what they have to offer

 

IMHO: I'm starting to believe everyone is jumping to too many conclusions over a little belt noise. The belts appear to be a reinforced neoprene compound that ride on not 1 but 2 smooth steel surfaces. A quick sqauwk on take off should be expected once the belt has enough time on it to develop a slight glaze at the contact points. Mine has 450 or so miles on it now and I don't intend to show any concern until the noise begins to linger beyond the initial take off. Mine started with the ocasional quick squawk 300 miles ago while pulling up 100 or so old fence posts and it is still just once in a while usually when taking off easy. My point is, there has to be some slippage on take off between rubber and steel, so it's logical there will be a little noise. Let's not fix em till they break.

 

Dangerous--- Your theory being sound, why doesn't the belt squeal from day one? I am concerned about getting 40 miles away from my hauler, and busting a belt. I am not the type of person that fixes things thast aren't broken, BUT I do like to maintain my equipment for the sake of reliablity and performance. I ride my bikes hard, but maintain them well,too. NO walking out of the woods for me, thank you!
I will again state: I maintain that the factory is not setting the tension on these belts correctly, and that the quality of the belts is not consistent. When Gates comes out with a P-650 belt, I would bet big $$$ that these drive problems will vanish! Just my opinion........Who's next?

 

I bought the Ozark for the wife. She really likes it. It is a nice machine for the money and deffenently recomend them. I am amazed at what that little thing will go through.

 

Monte-- I looked one over in the woods last w.e. Seems to be a nice little bike. It blows its competitor, the Recon out of the water with its features. Like the DISK brakes. Cool little machine, I am sure she'll love it!