Belt tensioner.

[IdleUp]

I installed mine on Christmas Eve, one armed no less, due to rotator cuff surgery, that was an interesting install. We had some great weather here in NC, but I can't check it out to see how good it is for another 2 months or so until I can use the other arm .. Like everyone else, I agree that BRP should reimburse us for the cost, granted it's only $35.00, it should of been a recall or something don't think it would of bankrupt the company.

Wish you were closer friend I would have been happy to install it for you - glad you finished her and while it will improve the vibration, your F3 will still vibrate but its tolerable now - there is no way BRP should have released that bike with this inherent problem. They knew right well it had a defect and elected to dump it on their users rather than do the respectable thing and issue a recall and fix the damn thing.

Regarding the cost - I see a lot of incorrect $30-35 quotes here - you guys need to get that totally out of your head - My time and the time of others have a value to us we don't work for free for BRP! My friend in Florida paid $54 for his idler with shipping then paid $212 labor to his local shop. Since his service dept is only open on the weekday's he had to take a day off work and drive the bike 54 miles and drive home in the dark. In his own words this idler pulley nightmare will cost him close to $500 with his lost wages.

Quit kissing asse guys - this is a slap in the face from those cheap slobs at BRP to dump this on owners when our bikes have full warranty (Or Is It?) especially after we spent $25K which is close to 2-3 times the price of most bikes - Wake Up!

[Justacruisin]

We do.

Do you have one that will fit a 2014 ST-Limited
How much and a contact number.
Thank you,
Justacruisin

[Peteoz]

Quit kissing asse guys - this is a slap in the face from those cheap slobs at BRP to dump this on owners when our bikes have full warranty (Or Is It?) especially after we spent $25K which is close to 2-3 times the price of most bikes - Wake Up!

Thanks for that advice, Idleup......actually, I find YOUR comments above, far more offensive than anything BRP have allegedly done to us.....

[IdleUp]

Thanks for that advice, Idleup......actually, I find YOUR comments above, far more offensive than anything BRP have allegedly done to us.....

At least My comments are Free and your not Vibrating like everyone's F3

[IdleUp]

By the way if anyone needs help with the install - here's a post I created with a few images - Enjoy!

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...57#post1211557

[JohnCfl1]

Wish you were closer friend I would have been happy to install it for you - glad you finished her and while it will improve the vibration, your F3 will still vibrate but its tolerable now - there is no way BRP should have released that bike with this inherent problem. They knew right well it had a defect and elected to dump it on their users rather than do the respectable thing and issue a recall and fix the damn thing.

Regarding the cost - I see a lot of incorrect $30-35 quotes here - you guys need to get that totally out of your head - My time and the time of others have a value to us we don't work for free for BRP! My friend in Florida paid $54 for his idler with shipping then paid $212 labor to his local shop. Since his service dept is only open on the weekday's he had to take a day off work and drive the bike 54 miles and drive home in the dark. In his own words this idler pulley nightmare will cost him close to $500 with his lost wages.

Quit kissing asse guys - this is a slap in the face from those cheap slobs at BRP to dump this on owners when our bikes have full warranty (Or Is It?) especially after we spent $25K which is close to 2-3 times the price of most bikes - Wake Up!

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[Peteoz]

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Well, no one will be able to argue with that, John

[JohnCfl1]

I too am in Florida. I ordered my tensioner from Barney's in St. Petersburg and had it installed the following week. Their labor charge in $90 per hour. I was out the door for less than $100, part and labor included.

I do not question the sincerity of your belief in the factual scenario you reported, and realize you received your info second hand from your friend. But I do find it Incredulous that your friend, wanting an idler and dealer installation, would place an order with CanAm directly and pay to ship it directly to him so he could then drive it 54 miles to give it to his BRP dealer, rather than calling his dealer and telling them to get him one like most people would do.

Installation should be a little more than .25 hours so I wonder if your friend would share a copy of the invoice showing $212 labor for installation of a Spyder idler and maybe you could attach it to a post. You may also wish to give him guidance on time management. I assume his 54 mile ride to dealer took about 1 hour and then the what I suppose was 2 hours labor, I would think home by noon, not after dark unless he likes to sleep in.

And just to make sure I'm not coming across as abrasive, upon proof of a $212 labor charge for installation of the BRP belt tension idler at a BRP dealer, I will donate $212 to the charity of you or your friend's choice.

And lastly IdleUp, I do not question for a minute the sincerity of your belief. And I know what you're talking about. I went and had dealer replace standard rear shock/spring with the "occasional two up" on my 2015 F3S which should have come standard.


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[cmarsala]

Not "everyone else" agrees that BRP should reimburse us, cmarsala. Some don't have any issue with it, some just drive through it with no concerns, and some it annoys the crap out of. It didn't annoy the crap out of me, but I thought it would be a good mod to install, so I outlaid $40 and voila.....no more buzzing.

It would be nice if BRP did reimburse us, it was a design flaw and by coming out with a fix, they acknowledged there was a flaw. With that said, the part cost me$34.99 plus tax, I'm retired so my labor was free, but if I was paid by the flat rate at the dealer, it would of only been $30.00 .3 labor according to BRP. Even only being able to do it with one arm, well I did cheat and took my arm out of the sling, still only took me 35 minutes and 1 pain pill, just can't take it out yet until the shoulder heals

[Roadster Renovations]

Do you have one that will fit a 2014 ST-Limited
How much and a contact number.
Thank you,
Justacruisin

PM me.

[IdleUp]

As I said I'm not trying to be negative on this forum but please look at it this way;

If a part fails on our Can Am's during warranty what do we do? We bring it to a dealer and they fix it and BRP pays for the new parts and labor.

Why is the idler any different - BRP knew the belt was vibrating which fatigues the drive line and hurts the entire bike from excessive vibration. The very fact they came out with the idler confirms the very fact they knew there was a problem that needed to be fixed.

The question is then:

If your Can Am has a defect (which it did) during the warranty period, then why is it "WE" have to pay for the parts and labor and not BRP?

That's why we have warranty periods when they buy a bike - its designed to protect us from defective manufacturing and parts.

I'm sorry - its not the cost of the part or the time to install it that pisses me off - its just the fact that BRP screwed each and every one of their F3 buyers, those slobs knew they had a defect and instead of issuing a recall like a manufacture is supposed to do, they acted dumb for months hoping the problem would go away and only after the problem was exposed to the public and driving dealers crazy with complaints did they rush out and make a half-assed Idler which just minimally works. To make matters worse, they had the nerve to "SELL IT" to their customers and let them bear the expense and time to have the part installed. This is now becoming a standard procedure of Corporate thieves.

Bottom line - I've owned Can Am's since late 2007 and there has always been quality control issues, if you think the Idler problem is bad, I suffered for years with two Can Am's with severe electric steering issues which they initially denied. The power steering would stop working then when you were pushing like hell to complete a turn, it would intermittently come back on resulting in over-steering and loss of control. After they denied there was a problem - they finally issued a recall after guys started having accidents as the result of the steering.

I owning four Can Am's I assure you this F3 is the one I will buy - BRP lost a damn good customer.

[armyspydervet]

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What shop charged him $212?!?!? I'm wondering so I NEVER go there. I have "zero" mechanical experience and installed the pulley in 20 minutes.

[Peteoz]

What shop charged him $212?!?!? I'm wondering so I NEVER go there. I have "zero" mechanical experience and installed the pulley in 20 minutes.

My dealer actually installed it for free as he had panels off and was doing a belt alignment and tension anyway. I know that's a "dealer" initiative, rather than a CanAm one, but the whole thing cost me $48Aud. I would rather spend that and have CanAm spend their money on new model development rather than recalling a zillion Spyders.

[IdleUp]

What shop charged him $212?!?!? I'm wondering so I NEVER go there. I have "zero" mechanical experience and installed the pulley in 20 minutes.

One this is for certain Mr Can Am Genius "You Did Not Install That idler In 20 Min" so let's get serious!

There is no way you removed the side panel, remove the seat remove the rear panel find and remove the bolts install the idler - align the idler - then re-install all the tupperware and seat in 20 minutes. You no doubt spent 20 minutes un-boxing it to figure how it went on like the rest of us!

His shop charged him 2.9 hours, service dept are there to make money or did you forget most dealers are now charging up to $600 for a oil change & service.

Do me a big favor - if you can't post something that's credible, then don't post anything at all. You might a a good candidate to get a job at Can Am since you're so quick to tell tales!

[Lamonster]

One this is for certain Mr Can Am Genius "You Did Not Install That idler In 20 Min" so let's get serious!

There is no way you removed the side panel, remove the seat remove the rear panel find and remove the bolts install the idler - align the idler - then re-install all the tupperware and seat in 20 minutes. You no doubt spent 20 minutes un-boxing it to figure how it went on like the rest of us!

His shop charged him 2.9 hours, service dept are there to make money or did you forget most dealers are now charging up to $600 for a oil change & service.

Do me a big favor - if you can't post something that's credible, then don't post anything at all. You might a a good candidate to get a job at Can Am since you're so quick to tell tales!

Not sure why you think it's okay to jump on a guy like this but it's not.

His time is pretty much right on as you can see my video install is less than 5 min. with narration. The panels take less than 5 min. to take off and another 5 to 10 max to button everything up.

[IdleUp]

Not sure why you think it's okay to jump on a guy like this but it's not.

His time is pretty much right on as you can see my video install is less than 5 min. with narration. The panels take less than 5 min. to take off and another 5 to 10 max to button everything up.

Ok - this is getting pretty comical now, it's gone from 20 Minutes to only 5 minutes! LOL

You couldn't even get your tools out in 5 minutes, let alone install the idler, so lets quit trying to confuse the issue with "Stupid" remarks.

If you think a (non selling) dealer is only going to charge you for a 5 - 20 minutes to install this idler then you believe in the tooth Fairy. Or have you forgot they charge $500-$600 for an oil change and service which really does take only minutes.

The real issue here is not how long it takes to install the part - the issue is the fact the slobs at BRP are making their owner pay for a "Warranty" part and the labor to install it. If you're happy with that, then this topic is way above your capability to understand what its all about - so don't worry about a thing.

[Bob Denman]

Perhaps it's just time for you to sell the bike, and move on to another hobby??
You've managed to insult the fellow who owns this site, the manufacturer of your bike, and a good friend of mine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMj7UcjPZ0U

[Firefly]

I guess I'm a bit slow... mine took 25 minutes. BTW....Lamont never said 5 minutes for the whole job...
Anyhow.... with over 100,000 miles between 3 Spyders I've experienced many of the various manufacturing issues, recalls, etc.
I was upset over the DPS issues as those were safety related... but they finally got the DPS done right. This tensioner isn't a safety issue... just a rider comfort one.
I would have been just fine putting 100,000 on my F3 as it is. The tensioner just makes things smoother. It's a motorcycle! They vibrate! I put a tensioner on my 2008 GS.... cost me $200 and didn't do as much as this one. It was my choice and I didn't do it until after 50,000 miles.
This whole 'BRP should pay for the tensioner' idea is ridiculous. I use Grip Puppies for comfort too... should I send them the bill? I'm ordering a Corbin seat as the stock seat sucks...should BRP pay for that?
C'mon..... let's be realistic here. The Spyder isn't perfect and never will be. This is why we have add-ons and 3rd party aftermarket accessories.
If you love the ride you'll keep it and tweak it to your needs.
If not.. sell it and move on.


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[Benggolf]

True. Realistic view; I like it.

[Peteoz]

Ok - this is getting pretty comical now, it's gone from 20 Minutes to only 5 minutes! LOL

You couldn't even get your tools out in 5 minutes, let alone install the idler, so lets quit trying to confuse the issue with "Stupid" remarks.

If you think a (non selling) dealer is only going to charge you for a 5 - 20 minutes to install this idler then you believe in the tooth Fairy. Or have you forgot they charge $500-$600 for an oil change and service which really does take only minutes.

The real issue here is not how long it takes to install the part - the issue is the fact the slobs at BRP are making their owner pay for a "Warranty" part and the labor to install it. If you're happy with that, then this topic is way above your capability to understand what its all about - so don't worry about a thing.

Unfortunately, you have made the issue "how long it takes to install the part" by insulting all those who don't agree with you, Idleup. I said it earlier, and I will repeat it now....my dealer charged me zero, zip, zilch to install the tensioner, so I guess I must believe in the tooth fairy.

Also, as I said earlier, I believe this should be a "user pays" decision, as the vibration doesn't bother everyone, and I would rather CanAm spend the money on future development. I don't believe that makes the "topic" way above my capability to understand, either. It's just that I have a different take on it from you.

[armyspydervet]

How do I change my username to Mr. CanAm Genius.

Oh, IdleUp... I do like what you did with your frame bars.

[cmarsala]

One this is for certain Mr Can Am Genius "You Did Not Install That idler In 20 Min" so let's get serious!

There is no way you removed the side panel, remove the seat remove the rear panel find and remove the bolts install the idler - align the idler - then re-install all the tupperware and seat in 20 minutes. You no doubt spent 20 minutes un-boxing it to figure how it went on like the rest of us!

His shop charged him 2.9 hours, service dept are there to make money or did you forget most dealers are now charging up to $600 for a oil change & service.

Do me a big favor - if you can't post something that's credible, then don't post anything at all. You might a a good candidate to get a job at Can Am since you're so quick to tell tales!

IdleUp
You might want to lighten up a bit, If you down loaded the instructions from BRP (www.instructions.brp.com), they say installation time is approximately 0.3 hour and depending on labor rates, it could work out to $30.00 to $50.00 plus parts, and as far as install time, I didn't have to remove my seat, I just removed one screw from the Tupperware and loosed up the other and carefully rotated the panel out of the way. Like I said, only being able to use one arm, I got mine done in 35 minutes and 1 pain pill, I guess being a retired aircraft mechanic helps a little, so 20 minutes isn't unreal. If someone was charged 2.9 hours, yes they need to find another shop as they got ripped off.
Sorry, but if I owned this forum and you insulted me as you did to Lamont, I'd remove you from the site, you may want to consider another hobby, you don't seem to be happy with you Spyder, just sayin!

[armyspydervet]

IdleUp
You might want to lighten up a bit, If you down loaded the instructions from BRP (www.instructions.brp.com), they say installation time is approximately 0.3 hour and depending on labor rates, it could work out to $30.00 to $50.00 plus parts, and as far as install time, I didn't have to remove my seat, I just removed one screw from the Tupperware and loosed up the other and carefully rotated the panel out of the way. Like I said, only being able to use one arm, I got mine done in 35 minutes and 1 pain pill, I guess being a retired aircraft mechanic helps a little, so 20 minutes isn't unreal. If someone was charged 2.9 hours, yes they need to find another shop as they got ripped off.
Sorry, but if I owned this forum and you insulted me as you did to Lamont, I'd remove you from the site, you may want to consider another hobby, you don't seem to be happy with you Spyder, just sayin!

Since i got him so fired up, I should come clean about my install time. It may have taken me a few additional minutes, but I already had my Tupperware off as I was installing a GPS wire and some LED lights. Plus i followed Lamont's video to a "T" which takes any guess work out of the install. It's obvious that IdleUp is "FiredUp" about having to pay for the pulley, so I take no offense to his comments. I know how long it took me, and it sure wasn't as long as his friend was charged for. As for Lamont removing him, I doubt he would do that. He's a good man and usually allows people to have their opinions on this site...regardless of them being right or wrong.

oh, and his comment on dealers charging $500-$600 for oil changes...that just solidifies my desire to stay away from where he does business. My dealer charges between $225-$250

[acpd22]

Called the dealership and they did not have one in stock. Ordered it and was told 3-4 business days. Part person called me back a couple of hours later and told me it was back ordered and would probably take 3-4 weeks to get it in. Hummmmmmmmmmm! Guess I will find something else to bolt on my arachnid in the meantime.

[jcthorne]

One this is for certain Mr Can Am Genius "You Did Not Install That idler In 20 Min" so let's get serious!

There is no way you removed the side panel, remove the seat remove the rear panel find and remove the bolts install the idler - align the idler - then re-install all the tupperware and seat in 20 minutes. You no doubt spent 20 minutes un-boxing it to figure how it went on like the rest of us!

His shop charged him 2.9 hours, service dept are there to make money or did you forget most dealers are now charging up to $600 for a oil change & service.

Do me a big favor - if you can't post something that's credible, then don't post anything at all. You might a a good candidate to get a job at Can Am since you're so quick to tell tales!

I
have installed quite a number of these (couple dozen). We bill 0.5 hrs to install one. Zero if we have the panels off for other work. 20 minutes is a bit low but it DOES NOT take 2.9 hours. If the dealership really charged you 2.9 hrs labor for 30 minutes or less of work, they stole from you. Its as simple as that. And that is not a BRP issue but with that dealership.

Over billing time is theft. Plain and simple.