Tire changes, belt changes, and swing arm maintenance are just a few of the reasons belt adjustment and rear wheel-alignment are part of Road Star ownership. By learning to do it yourself, you can save some cash, and make sure the job gets done properly.

If your rear wheel is not pointed in the same direction as your front wheel, tires wear out more quickly, the bike feels less balanced, and your drive belt may quickly wear.

There are at least three ways to align your rear wheel:

• Match the rear wheel’s alignment to the front wheel’s straight-ahead position.
• Align the rear axle’s alignment to the frame’s alignment by matching it to the swing arm pivot.
• Align the drive belt to track properly in the rear drive pulley.

The first method is covered in another Road Star Clinic article: The $6 Wheel Alignment Jig. Its author suggests tying straight edges to each side of the rear wheel, then adjusting the rear wheel until both straight edges are equidistant from the -- centered -- front wheel. While this method is clever, cheap, and potentially accurate, it won't work with a hydraulic center lift (it obstructs the straight edges). And I don't really have the garage space or the budget for a proper, non-obstructing lift. (See “The $6 Wheel Alignment Jig” article in this website for details.)

The second method, ‘Aligning the rear axle to the swing arm pivot,’ is the way Yamaha recommends, although they offer no opinion -- pro or con -- for other methods. This method aligns the rear wheel by measuring the distance from the rotational center of the swing-arm pivot to the rotational center of the rear axle on each side the frame. When the distances on each side of the bike are identical, the rear wheel must be pointed straight. This should also make the drive belt track properly within the pulleys, theoretically. Note: This is currently the method I use and recommend, too.

The third method, 'Aligning the drive belt to track properly within the rear drive pulley,’ can be highly accurate and doesn't depend on measurement devices, but it is often very time consuming, repetitive, and potentially frustrating. With that said, I admit that this was my method of choice for 4 years, and an estimated 25 alignments (due to the many related mods I did).

This article gives several variations and refinements on the standard alignment procedure to reduce error and guess work from the task. It's a fairly simple and quick procedure, and doesn't take many tools.

Hydraulic Center Lift --or other means to lift the rear wheel off the ground. Note: This is optional for all but one of the methods described here (belt tracking).

A hydraulic center lift is one of those tools that, once purchased, you may wonder how you ever did without it. For example, it can raise your bike high enough to ease pressure on your back and knees during many common maintenance tasks like washing, waxing, and oil changes. So if you don't yet own one, this may be a good excuse.

Center lifts consume about the same floor space as a large produce box (flattened), and, although they maneuver easily on wheels, hydraulic lifts are fairly heavy. Also, if your bike's suspension has been lowered you may need someone to help you support your bike while you slide the lift in or out.

Hydraulic motorcycle center lifts are available from places like the following:

• Harbor Freight Tools
• Sears
• Baron Custom
• WholesaleTools
• JCWhitney
• Yamaha, and other motorcycle dealers

Expect to pay $60 to $280US.

Belt Tension Gauge --optional. As far as I know, few owners use these. See details within the text of this article. Yamaha part#: YM-03170

Measuring Device --such as a tape measure, a length of ceiling-fan pull-chain, Trammel Points, or other measuring tool. See the Rear Wheel Alignment Jigs and Gadgets article in these web pages for more information.

Torque Wrench --optional, but recommended. You want a torque wrench capable of recording at least 85 ft-lbs. A torque wrench prevents over tightening, which can be worse than under tightening. For instance, the rear axle must be tight, but if over tightened some riders have broken their axle bolt. A torque wrench will solve this issue, and open a world of other wrenching confidence.

27mm Wrench --If your exhaust pipes extend back and over the area near the rear axle, you may need a 27mm box, open-end, or large Crescent type adjustable wrench. Otherwise, you can use a 27mm socket.

22mm Wrench --You'll need a 22mm socket, box, or open-end wrench.

Note: You'll also need zero, one, or two socket wrench handles, depending on how many sockets you'll be using. See text above, and instructions below for details.

12 and 14mm wrenches --You will need a 12mm socket, box, or open-end wrench. You'll also need a 14mm open-end wrench.

Optionally (but recommended), you may also want a 14mm socket and extension. This is used to loosen/tighten the rear brake caliper bracket bolt, which can be problematic to reach. See photos within this document to see why.

Before we launch into taking things apart we should first see if any adjustment is necessary.

As the Road Star Service Manual points out, the drive belt must be properly tensioned. Too tight, and the belt can stress bearings in the transfer case, making them wear prematurely or seize up, causing great danger. Too loose, and the belt could skip teeth or break, also causing great danger.

Belt tension is usually measured and adjusted with the bike resting under its full weight, although it can be done with the rear wheel suspended, too – just be sure the change in position is accounted for, as described appropriately below.

With the bike upright, the belt and adjustments are more accessible. If you have a helper, they can upright the bike, straddling (but not sitting) on the bike.

If you’re working solo, you can raise the center lift snug against the frame to keep the bike upright, but not actually elevate the frame. If you do this, be very sure the bike is stable. There's a fine line between uprighting the bike while leaving it under its own weight and giving enough lift to keep the bike from toppling over.

If your rear suspension has been lowered, or you have loaded on enough weight to lower the average rear ground clearance, you should consider raising the bike to a position where the centers of the front pulley, the swing-arm pivot and the rear axle all line up. This is the belt's tightest point, and the position Yamaha recommends for adjusting belt tension.

Now it's time to check the belt. There are two accepted ways to measure tension in the belt, and they are both pretty easy to do. The two methods are:

• Deflection -- Which involves pushing up on the lower portion of the belt. Yamaha suggests using a tension gauge, available through them. However, many do-it-yourself mechanics approximate the necessary, 10lbs force by hand.
• Torsion -- Which means twisting the lower portion of the belt with your hand.

Measuring Belt Deflection Using a Tension Gauge

If you have a belt tension gauge, adjusting the belt’s tension is easy and should be accurate. Just put it in position under the belt at the measurement window in the lower belt guard, and measure the deflection. If the bike is under its full weight, the window should read a 7.5mm to 13mm (1/3rd to ½ inch) deflection at 10lbs of force. Tip: If you have the rear wheel is off the ground while you’re doing this measurement, the window should read a 14mm to 21mm (0.55 to 0.83 inch) deflection at 10lbs of force.

Note: The tension reading is found by subtracting the un-deflected reading from the deflected reading.

Note: If your lower belt guard has been removed, as many owners have, the correct measurement position is approximately ½ the distance between the pulleys. This should be very close to the rear of the bend in the lower swing-arm tube.

Measuring Belt Deflection Using Your Fingers

This take a bit of skill, so unless you're confident you can reliably approximate 10lbs of force with your fingers, practice a little before you attempt tensioning your belt.

To practice, find a ten pound exercise weight plate or a 10lb bag of flour or other available 10lb substitute. Practice gauging 10 pounds of finger pressure.

Push up on the drive belt with 10lbs of force in the same location as described in the Using a Tension Gauge above, and measure the deflection.

Measuring Belt Torsion -- Another Option

Instead of deflecting the belt to check tension, many owners twist the lower portion of the belt with their hand, using a moderate force. If you have not previously removed (and discarded) your lower belt guard as a cosmetic or safety mod, your guard must first be remove.

To remove the lower belt guard, just remove the three bolts holding it in place, and work it off and out from the bike.

Grasp the belt with fingers and thumb. Twist the belt using moderate pressure. It's fairly easy to get the right twisting force. Just steadily increase your twist until you reach a point where it takes considerably more force to twist the belt very little more. Then back off just a bit.

Your grasp should be done approximately half way between the pulleys.

The belt is correctly tensioned when it twists about one quarter turn, as shown in the photo above.

If your belt requires adjustment, first, loosen the single, 14mm bolt that secures the rear brake caliper bracket to the lower swing arm, on the right side of the bike. It is the one with the bolt-head that points straight up. See photo below.

Then just hold wrenches on both sides of the rear axle and loosen (but don't remove) the nut from the right side. The left-side (bolt) takes a 22mm wrench. The right-side (nut) takes a 27mm wrench. See photo below.

Tip: To protect the bolt's chrome, you can place a piece of clean cloth between the bolt and wrench.

Tip: Depending on what exhaust pipes you have, you may have to use a box wrench or open-end wrench on the right side. When I had stock pipes, and even when I had Bub Big Willy pipes, I only had room to use an open-end type wrench. I didn’t have a 27mm open-end wrench, so I used a good quality, adjustable, Crescent wrench.

Next, unlock the adjuster bolts. These are horizontal bolts pointing toward the axle, one on each side. To unlock an adjuster bolt, hold a wrench on the bolt-head while using an open-end wrench to loosen the bolt's lock nut. As you do this, be careful not to turn the adjuster bolt, as you will unintentionally change the axle alignment by doing so. See photo below.

To increase belt tension, screw both axle adjuster bolts in by the same amount. If you need to ease belt tension, screw them both out by the same amount.

Then take another belt tension measurement and repeat the above steps until your belt is properly tensioned.

When you have finished, lock the adjuster bolts by holding a wrench on the bolt-head while using an open-end wrench to tighten the bolt's lock nut. Remember, be careful not to turn the adjuster bolt, as you will unintentionally change the axle alignment by doing so.

Once your belt is tensioned, you can proceed to wheel alignment. While not necessary, I recommend you first raise the bike’s rear wheel from the ground.

Tip: If you wish to align your rear wheel using the Belt Tracking Method, skip to the last page of this article.

Aligment Via Axle to Pivot Measurement

Measure the distance from the swing arm pivot to the axle, on each side of the bike. To do this, you must first remove the swing arm pivot covers. These are located just below the passenger foot peg brackets. They simply pop off. See photo below.

Photo Note: The photo above shows a close-up of a chrome, right-side, swing arm pivot cover. The large, spotted piece beneath my fingers is an exhaust pipe. Note too, that there is a custom (non-stock) passenger foot-peg mount partially covering the swing arm pivot.

To measure the distance from the swing arm pivot to the axle, use a tape-measure, a dowel, a straightened hanger wire, a small chain, or any other device you can mark. Then place one end of your measuring tool at the precise center of the swing-arm pivot hole. See photo below.

Now locate the precise center of the rear axle hole with your measuring tool, and mark (or read) the center point. See photo below.

Now do the same thing on the other side of the bike. If the readings are not identical, you must adjust your axle. See next section for adjustment instructions.

Note: Do not measure to any other axle, wheel, tire, frame, or swing-arm-pivot points. The wheel may not be precisely true, the tire may be out of round, other points on the frame may not be mirrored exactly to the opposite side, and the diameters of each side of the axle and each side of the swing arm pivot are all different. So the only consistent points to use are the CENTER points of axle and swing arm pivot.

Making Alignment Adjustments

The adjuster bolts are horizontal bolts pointing toward the axle -- one on each side. To unlock an adjuster bolt, hold a wrench on the bolt-head while using an open-end wrench to loosen the bolt's lock nut. As you do this, be careful not to turn the adjuster bolt, as you will unintentionally change the axle alignment by doing so. See photo below.

The left-side adjuster is much closer to the pulley and belt than the right-side. Therefore, I recommend making alignment adjustments solely on the right-side, unless your alignment is way off. That way, your alignment adjustments will have only minor impact on belt tension.

The Road Star's stock, right-side adjuster bolt faces forward -- oriented in the opposite direction from the left-side. However, since it is affixed to the adjuster-block, not the swing arm, its effects are the same as the left-side adjuster. For example, screwing the left-side adjuster bolt IN will push the axle rearward. Likewise, screwing the right-side adjuster bolt IN will pull the axle rearward. See photo below.

Note: Since the right-side adjuster bolt end is far from the belt, compared to the left side adjuster, it lacks much of the belt’s tension force. So as part of your wheel alignment process, you must closely inspect that the right-side alignment-bolt is fully in contact with the rear of your swing arm. That means there should be no gap between the adjuster bolt and the rear of the swing arm. See photo below.

Tip: If there is a gap, no matter how tiny, use a rubber mallet (or other non-marring tool) to nudge the alignment-bolt into contact with the rear of the swing arm. To do this, you can rap the rear side of the axle-nut, the head of the adjuster bolt, or the left side of the tire.

Snug the axle nut with your wrenches. See photo below.

Then check your alignment, and your right-side adjuster bolt contact point, again. Re-adjust as needed.

When you have finished, lock the adjuster bolts by holding a wrench on the bolt-head while using an open-end wrench to tighten the bolt's lock nut. Remember, be careful not to turn the adjuster bolt, as you will unintentionally change the axle alignment by doing so.

Torque the axle to 65 to 85 ft-lbs, or 110ft-lbs. See the note below.

Note: The Road Star Service Manual recommends 110 ft-lbs, but some riders have reported that this much torque has twisted or broken their axle. As a precaution, many riders now use as little as 65 ft-lbs. I feel more comfortable with 85 ft-lbs. Use the torque you feel comfortable with; just be sure it's enough to hold the axle in place under the stress of the engine's power, but not so tight you might break the axle -- which is hollow.

Next, don't forget the brake caliper bracket. Torque the bracket's bolt to 35 ft-lbs.

Double check your work. Wheels are important in keeping pavement off your skin.

Next, check the belt adjustment via a short test ride. If there is a whining sound, the belt is probably too tight. If you hear a chirp sound when you downshift hard (that isn't the tire), the belt is probably too loose. If adjustment is indicated, do the following:

• Loosen the rear axle nut.
• Loosen the brake bracket bolt again.
• Re-tension and realign your drive belt.
• Make sure the right-side adjuster bolt contacts the rear of the swing arm.
• Torque the axle nut (65 to 85 ft-lbs, or 110 ft-lbs). See axle torque note above.
• Torque the brake bracket bolt (35 ft-lbs).

Lastly, reinstall your lower belt guard if it was removed.

Unfortunately, Yamaha left large holes in the ends of the pivots and the axles. Try as I might, I just didn't feel confident estimating the precise center of each hole. I firmly held my tape-measure's position, then estimated the center of the corresponding hole. However, I knew it was way too easy for me to be off by as much as 1/16 inch -- maybe more.

After seeing that my Road Star was going to require periodic wheel alignment, I decided to make it simpler and quicker for me to get more accurate and consistent results. First I checked on some of the online Road Star forums. I found that many other owners had come to the same conclusion I had, but developed different solutions.

See the Rear Wheel Alignment Jigs and Gadgets article, in the Tech Articles area on this website for details on making measurement jigs, tools, and other ways to align the rear wheel.

In a perfectly simplistic world, adjusting the rear wheel to exactly match the swing arm pivots would guarantee perfect belt tracking. Alas, the Road Star world is not so simplistic in many cases. This is why many owners align their rear wheel by getting the belt to track gracefully within the confines of the rear pulley. Note: “Gracefully,” means something slightly different for 1700 series Roadies than for 1600 series ones.

However, even this approach presents real-world challenges. Engine torque and frame flex can make it impossible to maintain a belt tracking ideal. But if a method which does not rely on measurement tools for accuracy appeals to you, read on.

This procedure must be done with the rear wheel off the ground, and the transmission in neutral.

First, adjust the belt tension as described earlier in this article.

Before proceeding, be sure the single, 14mm bolt that secures the rear brake caliper bracket to the lower swing arm, on the right side of the bike, has been loosened. It is the one with the bolt-head that points straight up.

Turn the rear wheel in a forward rotation by hand. Safety Tip: Watch your fingers! It may take 4 or 5 full revolutions, but you should see the belt begin to favor one side or the middle.

If the belt favors the outside edge of the pulley – especially if it does so with more than slight favor – you adjust the axle’s right side forward. Tip: Stock belts should not favor the outside edge of the pulley, although some aftermarket belts will.

If the belt favors the inside edge of the pulley – especially if it does so with more than slight favor – you adjust the axle’s right side rearward.

If your bike is a 1600 series, belt alignment which slightly favors the rear pulley’s inner edge is common and normal. If your bike is a 1700 series, belt alignment in the center of the rear pulley is considered ideal, though not necessary.

Note: Since the right-side adjuster bolt end is far from the belt, compared to the left side adjuster, it lacks much of the belt’s tension force. So as part of your wheel alignment process, you must closely inspect that the right-side alignment-bolt is fully in contact with the rear of your swing arm. That means there should be no gap between the adjuster bolt and the rear of the swing arm. See photo below.

Tip: If there is a gap, no matter how tiny, use a rubber mallet (or other non-marring tool) to nudge the alignment-bolt into contact with the rear of the swing arm. To do this, you can rap the rear side of the axle-nut, the head of the adjuster bolt, or the left side of the tire.

Snug the axle nut with your wrenches. Then hand-turn your rear wheel several full revolutions again to check your alignment. Also check your right-side adjuster bolt contact point, again. Re-adjust as needed.

When you have finished, lock the adjuster bolts by holding a wrench on the bolt-head while using an open-end wrench to tighten the bolt's lock nut. Remember, be careful not to turn the adjuster bolt, as you will unintentionally change the axle alignment by doing so.

The beauty of this method of alignment is that it is very sensitive to minute changes. However, many times alignment looks perfect in the garage, only to change dramatically once driven on the road. In my experience, it is uncommon to maintain perfect belt tracking even after creating perfect alignment in the garage. It can drive you nuts to try.

Torque the axle to 65 to 85 ft-lbs, or 110ft-lbs. See the note below.

Note: The Road Star Service Manual recommends 110 ft-lbs, but some riders have reported that this much torque has twisted or broken their axle. As a precaution, many riders now use as little as 65 ft-lbs. I feel more comfortable with 85 ft-lbs. Use the torque you feel comfortable with; just be sure it's enough to hold the axle in place under the stress of the engine's power, but not so tight you might break the axle -- which is hollow.

Next, don't forget the brake caliper bracket. Torque the bracket's bolt to 35 ft-lbs.

Double check your work. Wheels are important in keeping pavement off your skin.

Next, check the belt adjustment via a short test ride. If there is a whining sound, the belt is probably too tight. If you hear a chirp sound when you downshift hard (that isn't the tire), the belt is probably too loose. If adjustment is indicated, do the following:

• Loosen the rear axle nut.
• Loosen the brake bracket bolt again.
• Re-tension and realign your drive belt.
• Make sure the right-side adjuster bolt contacts the rear of the swing arm.
• Torque the axle nut (65 to 85 ft-lbs, or 110 ft-lbs). See axle torque note above.
• Torque the brake bracket bolt (35 ft-lbs).

Lastly, reinstall your lower belt guard if it was removed.

Ride on.

Questions should be asked in our forum (Use discuss link below). The forum is very active and you stand a good chance of getting your questions answered there. If you would like to leave feedback for the author, or have additional information you think will benefit others, please use the comment section at the bottom of this page.

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DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only.  Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure.  You assume all risks associated with the use of this information.  NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION.  Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.

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