Which is the best Belt Tensioner for an F3 LTD?

[AY4B]

Got a new F3 Limited a few days ago and found it to have a lot of vibration at highway speeds. I was looking on here and found basically 2 different styles, one applies tension to the upper side and the other to the lower side.
now I'm confused, is the vibration coming from the upper side which is pulling or the lower side which has the slack?

[Crossbow]

Got a new F3 Limited a few days ago and found it to have a lot of vibration at highway speeds. I was looking on here and found basically 2 different styles, one applies tension to the upper side and the other to the lower side.
now I'm confused, is the vibration coming from the upper side which is pulling or the lower side which has the slack?

I put the the brp damper pulley which goes on the top , all vibration gone. Now saying that I am keeping a very close eye on pulley and bearing. I only have about 4000 Km on it so we will see.

crossbow

[Bob Denman]

Two Words for you: Doc Humphreys!

[AY4B]

Two Words for you: Doc Humphreys!

That is the one I’m leaning to but was wondering why there are 2 different kinds. The Smooth Spyder says that it wont work with LDT’s because they can not bolt to the air controlled shock.

[AY4B]

First i need to get the dealer to check to see if the tension is right. I did not have much vibration on my ST.

[Badco149]

I will be going on my second summer with the Smoothspyder tensioner. I have ZERO vibration and ZERO worries about the bearing wearing out. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. High quality. Very solid build.
IMHO

[Sarge707]

First i need to get the dealer to check to see if the tension is right. I did not have much vibration on my ST.

Right On- Get the tension Right Per the Dealer and you Should Not need a tensioner -

[Pirate looks at --]

Have to agree no vibration at all here! You have to have it set up right!

[papanorm]

I have about 16,000 miles on a Smooth Spyder for my ‘16 F3L. It cured the vibration issue and is built like a tank.

[AY4B]

I have about 16,000 miles on a Smooth Spyder for my ‘16 F3L. It cured the vibration issue and is built like a tank.

[AY4B]

Its interesting that both Smooth Spyder and Roadster Renovations approach it from 2 different directions with the same results.

[SpyderAnn01]

Right On- Get the tension Right Per the Dealer and you Should Not need a tensioner -

If that was truly the case I doubt that BRP would have gone through the expense of making a tensioner.

[AY4B]

If that was truly the case I doubt that BRP would have gone through the expense of making a tensioner.

I wouldn't even consider a BRP tensioner after watching this video giving a comparison.

[Roadster Renovations]

I wouldn't even consider a BRP tensioner after watching this video giving a comparison.

Wow, been a while since I did THAT video! At the time of this being made, the BRP damper had just come out and there had been no failures at that point. Kind of neat that what I said proved out. Anyway, I have had many improvements since this video and I will try to list them all by their order so that there is no confusion.
1. We changed the aluminum roller to nylon. On our initial testing on my Daytona we found that the aluminum scratched and transferred that lightly to the top of the belt. The nylon does not do that. As far as longevity, we replaced a roller the other day for a customer that had some noticeable wear. It could still have been used, but since I was servicing his unit we replaced it. He had 40,000 miles on it. The bearings were still perfect with no wear.
2. We increased the diameter of the pivot spring as a few of them were failing. This also happened to the BRP units also.
3. We determined that since there was very minimal adjustment on the BRP kits, we would be unable to offer just the arm. They were not getting into a good enough position. Our brackets are slotted and allow for more adjustment.
4. We began to find that the BRP units' pivot point was seizing up and locking up away from the belt. We added a outer seal to keep grit from getting into the pivot. We also added a grease fitting to make maintenance easier.
5. We included an adjustment block that allowed perfect alignment with the belt.
These changes have been in place since about May last year. We have not found a need to do any more changes. We still warranty everything for 1 year and the roller and bearings for 2 years.

https://www.roadsterrenovations.info/products

[AY4B]

Wow, been a while since I did THAT video! At the time of this being made, the BRP damper had just come out and there had been no failures at that point. Kind of neat that what I said proved out. Anyway, I have had many improvements since this video and I will try to list them all by their order so that there is no confusion.
1. We changed the aluminum roller to nylon. On our initial testing on my Daytona we found that the aluminum scratched and transferred that lightly to the top of the belt. The nylon does not do that. As far as longevity, we replaced a roller the other day for a customer that had some noticeable wear. It could still have been used, but since I was servicing his unit we replaced it. He had 40,000 miles on it. The bearings were still perfect with no wear.
2. We increased the diameter of the pivot spring as a few of them were failing. This also happened to the BRP units also.
3. We determined that since there was very minimal adjustment on the BRP kits, we would be unable to offer just the arm. They were not getting into a good enough position. Our brackets are slotted and allow for more adjustment.
4. We began to find that the BRP units' pivot point was seizing up and locking up away from the belt. We added a outer seal to keep grit from getting into the pivot. We also added a grease fitting to make maintenance easier.
5. We included an adjustment block that allowed perfect alignment with the belt.
These changes have been in place since about May last year. We have not found a need to do any more changes. We still warranty everything for 1 year and the roller and bearings for 2 years.

https://www.roadsterrenovations.info/products

Thanks Doc,
I could not find a more recent video that did a comparison as well as that one did. I did however see that you had made some improvements. I just ordered one, Thanks.

[Roadster Renovations]

Thanks Doc,
I could not find a more recent video that did a comparison as well as that one did. I did however see that you had made some improvements. I just ordered one, Thanks.

Saw that! It will go out tomorrow! Thank You!

[AY4B]

Saw that! It will go out tomorrow! Thank You!

One more thing to scratch off my long list. It was near the top after the ride I went on Sunday.

Probablly the next thing Ill get is the Baha Ron Swaybar, Then a Lamonster Drivers backrest.

[AY4B]

All in all, Im really loving my new F3 limited!!

[Bfromla]

So you mentioned seeing oil spot on the ST is that all you needed for excuse for F3?

[AY4B]

So you mentioned seeing oil spot on the ST is that all you needed for excuse for F3?

That was an excellent excuse I would say!!

[Jambo Creek]

I have a 2017 F-3 LTD, now with 8,000 miles on it. It had the high speed vibration that drives new owners nuts, so about 4,000 miles ago I had the BRP tensioner installed. After watching the video of the aftermarket tensioner I now wonder about the BRP part’s durability. It fixed the vibration, but if it breaks, will BRP cover the repair and replacement under warranty? What if it trashes the $300 drive belt?

[PaladinLV]

You MAY need a LASER ALIGNMENT!
Unless they did it b4 u bought it.

AJ

Got a new F3 Limited a few days ago and found it to have a lot of vibration at highway speeds. I was looking on here and found basically 2 different styles, one applies tension to the upper side and the other to the lower side.
now I'm confused, is the vibration coming from the upper side which is pulling or the lower side which has the slack?

[AY4B]

You MAY need a LASER ALIGNMENT!
Unless they did it b4 u bought it.

AJ

Vibration at highway speeds has nothing to do with the alignment. That would be a whole nuther discussion.
I brought it up with the salesman and they still say that they already are laser aligned from the factory. I will try to at least get them to check it because they do Rolo laser alignments there. The bike handled very well on last Sundays ride in the twisties, but I could see a new sway bar would help it.
I did order a BR sway bar today along with a ton of other stuff. It will keep me busy for awhile putting it all together.
sway bar
vibration damper
bump skid
performance muffler bypass pipe
fog lights with rings
front fender LEDs
rear LED brake, turn, run,flash kit
Garmin 590

[AY4B]

I have a 2017 F-3 LTD, now with 8,000 miles on it. It had the high speed vibration that drives new owners nuts, so about 4,000 miles ago I had the BRP tensioner installed. After watching the video of the aftermarket tensioner I now wonder about the BRP part’s durability. It fixed the vibration, but if it breaks, will BRP cover the repair and replacement under warranty? What if it trashes the $300 drive belt?

I would also be worried about the BRP one. I have seen threads on here of failures and it aint pretty. Doc said in the video I posted that they work fine for at least a couple of years.

Edit!! read Doc's response to this post on page 2. I would remove that tensioner ASAP!

[AY4B]

Its that way with the stock hiem links that hold the sway bar. Once you change one out and see the difference, its kind of scary. The Baha Ron links are very well made solid aluminum where the BRP ones look like a very flimsy plastic piece that look kind of cracker jack. I did my ST Limited