I have a slight 'chirp' on start up that seems to come from the alternator area- goes away when the bike is warm. Haven't taken the cover off to examine any closer yet as it's currently 20 degrees in the garage so this is likely a Spring item; I'm just beginning the thought process here.
I have a replacement belt and am hoping that the issue is a worn belt. I don't know the history of the bike beyond a mention in the original ad from the PO that the alternator was changed. Doing a little digging it seems that there's a 'special tool' for tensioning the belt- of course there is . A nut-like device with a spring used with a torque wrench. I've found the part number - 83 30 0 401 699 and it's available on the Max parts list at $45.00. It is what it is I guess, but just wondering if there's an alternative tool/source or method for checking tension when I put the new belt on? Thanks as always!
^ Thanks for that. So it looks like just a second torque wrench to set both sides of the adjusting bolt? If I understood it correctly, it seems that the torqued tension on the nut keeps the alternator extended up while the bolt head side is torqued as well? And while not shown, I presume that this happens on both left and right side of the bike?
In the video he uses one torque wrench only on the left hand side of the bike at the back of the alternator to lift and hold belt at 8 nm.
Holding that in place at 8 nm he uses the other torque wrench on the left hand side of the bike on the front of the alternator to set it at 20 nm.
On the right hand side I did not see him do anything at the back side of the alternator, only 20 nm at the front bolt.
And the top bolt can not be reached without removing the front spring and shock absorber so he does it with an wrench.
Found another one with and without the tool https://youtu.be/0Zz-Hg_Af6c you get a closer view of the back of the alternator.
Left side only.
Thanks Mr. Bee- so it seems that the 'special tool' simply allows setting the torque value from the front of the engine by removing the nut and replacing it with the 'tool' for the purpose of tightening. I haven't crawled around the bike just yet (too cold in the garage at the moment) to see how easily this bolt is reached from the rear, but in the second video, if the 1150 is anything like that 1200, it seems easy enough!
I changed my belt last summer. The Haynes manual states it should be replaced after 36K. miles. It was more work than I envisioned. Adjusting to proper tightness with a torque wrench - the part that I thought would be complicated - was not that bad. You need to remove that gas tank but mine was off anyway for the brake fluid flush. Yes...that special tool would allow you to adjust from the front with the tank in place. The difficult part was removing the old belt and putting the new one in. The belts on my ride didn't just slip on and off when adjusted for the most slack.If I had to do it again I'd cut the old belt off.When installing the new one I had to remove the spark plugs and turn the engine over while my brother muscled the belt onto the pulleys. Also the top nut is hard to access and can't be set with any torque wrench I have. The dealer's shops must have some tools/methods to make all this easier. Good luck...do try to cajole someone to help.
Photoguy,
Your belt is definitely a little loose, most likely from years of wear. It squeaks on start-up because the alternator is in max output mode for every RPM it is at to replace the battery power of idle time normal discharge -and- the output voltage degrading big chunk of wattage the starter took out of it.
There is no mention of the year of your R1150's engine . . . it matters as they changed to a more elastic belt in 04/05(??). If you do not have a torque wrench you can use your thumb and index finger gripping the belt at the midpoint between the pulleys and are able to forcefully turn it ONLY 90 degrees (max) either way.
As luck would have it I changed an R1100GS alternator belt this past summer (same adjustment system as R1150R) and remember that ALL the alternator's pivoting and sliding mounting bolts had to be loosened slightly . . . to get the very frayed old belt off. It is then easy to put the new belt on, with the adjustment range held all-the-way to the fully loosened stop. With the new belt on and fully engaged in all of both the pully ribs, tighten the adjuster rack-n-pinion allen bolt, then loosely snug all the pivot bolts to prevent the alternator from hanging down too loosely so it does not corrupt the final adjustment when the mount/pivot/sliding bolts are tightened.
Appreciate the input Rob. Bike is a 2003. The only thing I know for certain at this point is that the sound emirates from that general area and sounds a little *like* a typical automotive belt squeak though shorter duration and the pitch doesn't change. I have a spare belt and figured that was the easiest to swap out and re-tension to what it should be to fix the issue. Fingers crossed that's all it is and not a bearing or other issue with the alternator... (or maybe it's just a chipmunk that has taken up residence)
I found it too difficult to access the head of the left-side (of bike) alternator-belt tension adjuster-bolt (ABTAB) from behind, so I made an adjustment nut out of an 8mm-acorn nut with a short length of 8mm-bolt screwed in to it as a spacer to leave enough depth in the acorn nut so I could screw it on to the front end of the ABTAB and it would bottom out in the acorn nut before tightening onto the alternator bracket. Then I could use it to tighten the alternator belt from the front of the bike - much easier. Now, especially on the road, it's a piece of cake to replace or adjust the belt per Rob's always great instructions and it takes up hardly any space to keep on board...
Hope this is clear enough to understand, it sounds way more complicated than it actually is!
I replaced my belt last spring. But it needs to be re-torqued as mine will chirp a bit as well on a cold day. Sunbeemer I like your idea of home made tool. I believe I'll copy your idea! I'll keep it stored next to my R's antifreeze tester.
The Older I Get, The Less I know. (in honor of MikeCam
'05 RT
'04 R
'03 R
CB750
KZ750
HD 350 Sprint
Just wondering if this would work for the special tool
It is just a 8mm threaded rod coupler with a set screw (grub screw) loctited inside
Since I have not done this yet I do not know if their is enough room to just leave this under the front cover in place
One end is the special tension tool Then after you adjust it Just flip it around and leave it in place as the locking nut
. A nut-like device with a spring used with a torque wrench. I've found the part number - 83 30 0 401 699 and it's available on the Max parts list at $45.00. It is what it is I guess, but just wondering if there's an alternative tool/source or method for checking tension when I put the new belt on? Thanks as always!
(or maybe it's just a chipmunk that has taken up residence) 
And you may have saved me from spending the $45 on a BMW nut 
