I need to know how to replace a 2001 soft tail Harley final drive belt. Does the swingarm have to be removed?

How to remove, replace motorcycle swingarm and drive belt ...

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Mar 27, 2013 - Uploaded by mrmaxstorey How to remove, replace motorcycle swingarm and drive belt ..... Fix High Speed wobble on the Harley ...

this is a pretty big job, the whole primary needs to come off, clutches, compensating sprocket, and inner primary. you need to unbolt the swingarm, remove the left side isolator, unbolt left shock, carefull sneak the belt between the trans housing and swingarm. If you wanna tackle this yourself. your are gonna need a manual, there are alot of specs to follow. you really need to look closely at the 3 transmission seals, any wetness, i would change them, i usually change them all anyway. you need to change the inner primary seal and starter shaft seal while you're in there.

Replacing the final drive belt is a bit of a job and I don't suggest it for the amateur mechanic. It does require some tools that the average person does not usually have in his toolbox. In order to replace the final drive belt, not only does one have to remove the entire primary drive including the clutch and the inner primary cover, but you must also remove the rear wheel and the swing arm. On your FXR, the transmission is mounted in rubber mounts that are supported by the same bolt as the swingarm. This means that you will have to support the frame and the engine seperately in order to get the swingarm out. You will have to retorque the engine sprocket to 150-165 foot pounds and the clutch mainshaft nut torques to 60-80 foot pounds in the LEFT HANDED DIRECTION. If you have to remove the front belt pulley, you'll need a special socket to get the large nut off that holds it on and the threads on it are also LEFT HANDED. It torques back to at least 150 foot pounds as well. So, you'll need a "pulley locking tool" to hold this pulley while you torque it as well. I would suggest the purchase of a service manual as well since this is a moderately complicated job and sometimes "a picture is worth a thousand words".

Good Luck
Steve

To change the final drive belt on your Fatboy, first disconnect the battery. You have to drain the primary and remove the cover. Take the engine sprocket nut loose and remove the plate in the center of the clutch assembly. Remove the mainshaft nut that holds the clutch assembly on. This nut has LEFT HANDED THREADS. Then, remove the starter jackshaft. Go the right side of the bike and remove the exhaust system so that you can remove the starter. Then take the inner primary cover off. You may have to remove the front belt drive pulley. Since you're in this far, you may as well remove the pulley if you have the proper tools and replace all the transmission seals behind it. Then, remove the rear wheel and the swingarm. Do not bend the new final drive belt into a radius any tighter than about four inches or you may damage the cords inside the belt. You will need a torque wrench that is capable of applying at least 150 foot pounds of torque to the engine sprocket nut and torqe 60-80 pounds in the LEFT HANDED DIRECTION for the clutch assembly. The front belt drive pulley torques to 150-165 foot pounds as is also LEFT HANDED THREADS and you'll need a "belt pulley locking device" to hold it while you take the large nut off and put it back on. If you plan on doing this job, I would advise the purchase of a service manual as sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Good Luck
Steve

I would think that you'd have to at least replace everything from the swingarm back but this may result in a misalignment of the front and rear final drive belt pullies. There's more to installing a fat tire than simply cramming it under there. Harley may have went to the narrower belt on the Sporty like they did on the Big Twins. Having never done this, I'm really not in a position to advise you on it.

Good Luck
Steve

Replacing the final drive belt is a pretty good job on a Softail. You must drain and pull the outer primary cover, remove the engine compensator sprocket and the clutch assembly. Then take the starter off and you have to remove the exhaust pipes and take the bolts out of the oil tank to do that. Then you have to remove the inner primary cover from the engine and transmission. Then, you take the rear wheel out from under the bike, remove the rear fender, and take the swingarm out. You'll also need several special tools to do the job with including a Service Manual. I would never attempt a job of this complexity without a manual to refer to.

Good Luck
Steve

To change the final drive belt on your Softail, you must drain the primary and pull the outer primary cover off. Then, you must take the engine sprocket, primary chain, and clutch assembly off. Then you must remove the starter and the inner primary. Then, raise the bike and remove the rear wheel and the swingarm. It's quite a job.

Good Luck
Steve

Check your final drive belt. I've seen the break and just sit there on the bike looking like nothing is wrong. With the engine off and the transmission in neutral, reach under the swingarm and grab the belt. Pull it hard.

You may also have a stripped out front final drive belt pulley. The splines have been known to wear out and then the pulley simply spins on the final drive gear.

Good Luck
Steve

Changing the drive belt on a Sporty is a snap compared to a big twin. First you'll have to remove the rear brake master cylinder and pedal or at least take the bolts out and move it out of the way. Remove the front pulley cover. Remove the rear wheel and the shock on the right hand side. You should be able to work the belt off the front pulley and get the new back on.

When you put the new belt on and tension it, make sure you keep the adjuster bolts of either side of the swingarm about the same length. This ensures that the rear wheel is aligned with the swingarm.

Yes, the Outer and Inner primary has to come off as well as the swingarm. The belt will not go on without removing the swingarm because of the way the frame is made.

Good Luck
Steve