Posted by rayray on July 31, 2002 at 03:24:17:
On July 23rd I posted a problem that I thought I might be having with my clutch. As the bike rolled there was a "bang" with each revolution of the back tire. I actually jacked the bike up, looked everything over and couldn't find the cause. I loaded the bike onto the pickup truck and took it to the dealer. The mechanic didn't even look. He heard me pushing the Savage across the parking lot and said "you have something stuck in the belt pulley". Dang, if he wasn't right. We watched the rear belt pulley as we rolled the bike and sure enough, there was mud packed tightly between two of the pulley teeth. Every time the belt passed over the mud, the belt tightened and that's what was causing the "bang" as it passed over the mud-caked teeth and then loosened on the clear teeth. I hadn't ridden the Savage over the weekend and obviously one of our famous South Texas Mud Dauber (a hornet or wasp-typ insect) built a nest on my pulley. When the belt made a pass over the mud nest it just packed it into the teeth. I can't believe I missed it. It took more than a screw driver to pry the tightly packed mud out of the teeth. The mechanic had to use a pick. But, it was an easy fix and cheap too... didn't cost me a cent. Just a couple of laughs. I didn't realize how easy it is for something to get stuck in the pulley. Oh well, you live and you learn.