Gravel Roads

[Arkridia]

I have been reading as much as I can for information on spyders and I am now concerned about driving one where I live. Most of the roads are gravel or dirt roads and I cannot afford to constantly replace the belts, what do you do to prevent this? Also, I read that you can swap the RS handle bars to RT and that will make it so you sit up straighter where do you the RT handle bars from? I know I will have more questions as I go but I appreciate all the people that have helped me so far.

[Saluda]

Slow speeds help. There is also a belt guard that can be purchased.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

I have been reading as much as I can for information on spyders and I am now concerned about driving one where I live. Most of the roads are gravel or dirt roads and I cannot afford to constantly replace the belts, what do you do to prevent this? Also, I read that you can swap the RS handle bars to RT and that will make it so you sit up straighter where do you the RT handle bars from? I know I will have more questions as I go but I appreciate all the people that have helped me so far. I live in rural VT which has a fair amount of gravel roads , however they are Hard Packed and don't really pose much of problem...... so it depends on haw loose the surface is .... Roads that they put " chip seal " on are the most dangerous for rocks getting onto the belt .... I made my own belt guard from sheet metal because I could for almost no cost .... However " Spyder Pops " sells a very good one ......... Handlebar swap .... this has been down by a few members here and they all love them .... However it is a DIY Mod ...... do an advanced search and you should find a few Threads and posts about how it was down , some have Pics ....... Happy New Year .... Mike :thumbup:

[Chupaca]

How many and how long are the roads your talking about. ? there are belt guards out there you can add. The slow ryding will also help. As to the RT bars you can check ebay, amazon, here in the for sale forum and cheapcyclepart.com or your dealer/BRP. :thumbup:

[Arkridia]

Thank you Mike, I was wondering what model would be easiest to have you modify something to carry my walker if I do not improve? I am used to doing some modifications to improve riding positions coming from two wheels. Never built anything always ordered from catalogs.

[Mazo EMS2]

As mentioned, I think slow speeds and a belt guard may help. I picked up one small stone from a newly chip sealed road and it was obvious right away when it happened, due to vibration. It was the perfect size to wedge itself in the rear sprocket. Had to dig it out with a screwdriver. I avoid gravel if at all possible.....but sometimes it just happens...:yikes:

[Navvet]

I have been reading as much as I can for information on spyders and I am now concerned about driving one where I live. Most of the roads are gravel or dirt roads and I cannot afford to constantly replace the belts, what do you do to prevent this? Also, I read that you can swap the RS handle bars to RT and that will make it so you sit up straighter where do you the RT handle bars from? I know I will have more questions as I go but I appreciate all the people that have helped me so far.


We live at the back end of a mile and a half rugged gravel road. Slow and steady is the trick. We try to keep our speed under 15mph so we don't kick up any gravel.

The ABS gets a good workout on some of the downhill sections.

Most people I know won't try riding any type of motorcycle back here but I also ride my Goldwing in and out all the time.

I do most of the maintenance on our road so my neighbors get to take advantage of my "motorcycle ready" grading.

[ruralgirl]

I asked this same question when I got my RT a couple years ago, and was advised about the missing belt guard: http://spyderpops.com/the-missing-belt-guard-fits-all-spyder-models-2008-2014-except-2014-15-rt/ I think this is the one you'd have to get. I got the RT version.

I live on and am surrounded by gravel roads, and the belt guard has kept me stone-free so far. A couple of times, I've headed out for a ride and returned only to find they'd dumped truckloads of huge, sharp gravel in lengthy stretches (like half miles) while I was gone; so deep you could barely walk on it. With nothing to do but slow waaaay down, curse and cross my fingers, I've made it home just fine.

[JayBros]

The Spyderpops belt guard was one of the first farkles I put on my Spyder as soon as I brought it home from the dealership. I agree with the others who suggest keeping the speed low. I don't ride many unpaved roads but if the road is hard packed dirt and gravel I don't worry much; however, if it's loose gravel I do a check at the end of the day to ensure I have not picked up any. Thanks to Spyderpops and good luck haven't thus far.

[Bob Denman]

If it's going to bother you: get the belt guard, and slow down a bit.
If it's not going to bother you: just slow down a bit anyway! :thumbup:

[johnsimion]

Hi, I wanted to say thanks for this thread. Even though I rarely go off paved roads, there are sometimes gravel parking lots and maybe even short stretches of gravel roads that I can't avoid, and honestly I've been kind of scared to death of them. I've had this idea in my head that picking up a single piece of gravel would essentially mean instant death for my Spyder. As I'm understanding this thread, if I go slow enough in these areas I won't likely catch any gravel at all, and if I do catch a piece of gravel and I pay attention for any funny noises, I can get it out before it ruins things. In other words, I'm worrying myself needlessly? Am I understanding this correctly or do I need to run out and buy a gravel guard lest my world come to a sudden and painful end?

[ARtraveler]

Another vote for belt guard and slower speeds. I have a long gravel driveway and I broke a belt when I got the Spyder stuck during the spring thaw. The other time, we were exploring a camp grounds with gravel roads. Rocks did it. :yes:

[MercerLake]

Understand your concern, adding a "Missing Belt Guard" will help reduce the worry. I ride several hundred miles a year on National Forest Roads with no problem, the road to my house is travelled also, ride so the rear wheel is in one of the tracks of the road, slow down 20-30 mph is fine. Three :f_spider::f_spider::f_spider: and no problems yet.nojoke Big rocks 1-2" and bigger will not kick up, it is the little pebbles that pose the most danger to the belt/ sprocket.:yikes:

[Arkridia]

I asked this same question when I got my RT a couple years ago, and was advised about the missing belt guard: http://spyderpops.com/the-missing-belt-guard-fits-all-spyder-models-2008-2014-except-2014-15-rt/ I think this is the one you'd have to get. I got the RT version.

I live on and am surrounded by gravel roads, and the belt guard has kept me stone-free so far. A couple of times, I've headed out for a ride and returned only to find they'd dumped truckloads of huge, sharp gravel in lengthy stretches (like half miles) while I was gone; so deep you could barely walk on it. With nothing to do but slow waaaay down, curse and cross my fingers, I've made it home just fine.

That is a great price compared to replacing a belt thank you

[PistonBlown]

RT Bars on an RS
You can only do this if you have an RS 2013 or later. Earlier RS/GS's have different bar mounts that are not the same as an RT.

Gravel Roads
I've got Spyder Pops belt guard. Done a far bit of riding on gravel roads, including a dried up river bed, and they have never damaged my belt.


Only thing I've found is that the nanny isn't very fond of going up steep gravel roads where the surface is also 'corrugated'. The nanny tends to cut in a bit too much.

I have damaged my belt, but that was when I had to ride over newly laid chip and tar. The problem then was that the tar made the stone chips stick to the front tires and these then came back as a shower towards the belt. I stopped at the end to clean my belt out but unfortunately missed one small stone that then damaged my belt. The only think that could have prevented those stones was a fully enclosed belt guard.

[ruralgirl]

I have damaged my belt, but that was when I had to ride over newly laid chip and tar. The problem then was that the tar made the stone chips stick to the front tires and these then came back as a shower towards the belt. I stopped at the end to clean my belt out but unfortunately missed one small stone that then damaged my belt. The only think that could have prevented those stones was a fully enclosed belt guard.

I consider sticky, newly laid asphalt as necessary to avoid as a collapsed bridge. I won't drive on it. I've screeched to a halt, done a 180, and found another route more than once. Spot applications that I can carefully go around are one thing, but when it's a full-width job, I refuse to be one of the tamper-inners.

[ruralgirl]

..... Am I understanding this correctly or do I need to run out and buy a gravel guard lest my world come to a sudden and painful end?

Run out and buy a missing belt guard lest your wallet's belt suddenly gets tightened by several notches. Slowing down certainly helps, but even in first gear, which I've done many times for a mile or more, there's nothing like knowing you've done all you can to prevent belt homicide. Get thee to spyderpops.

[Arkridia]

I noticed that you no longer can get a belt guard for the rs and gs any suggestions on where I could get one seeing that these are more in my price range. I do not want to spend more then 10,000 just to find out that I do not like it. I can always upgrade but coming from two wheels it is an adjustment and while I feel I will like it I also have to build a building to store it because I do not want it in the weather. I am still keeping options open I have atleast 9 months before I go to court.

[PistonBlown]

I consider sticky, newly laid asphalt as necessary to avoid as a collapsed bridge. I won't drive on it. I've screeched to a halt, done a 180, and found another route more than once. Spot applications that I can carefully go around are one thing, but when it's a full-width job, I refuse to be one of the tamper-inners.

Unfortunately in my case the only detour was over 200km round trip to rejoin my route just 15km further, problem with NZ is that sometimes there's not many options:-)
Was doing an checkpoint rally (Iron Butt) at the time so had to press on. The belt wasn't too badly damaged as I found the stone as the next petrol stop. I managed to ride with it for another 2 days, complete the rally, then get it replaced.

[Peter Aawen]

I noticed that you no longer can get a belt guard for the rs and gs any suggestions on where I could get one seeing that these are more in my price range. I do not want to spend more then 10,000 just to find out that I do not like it. I can always upgrade but coming from two wheels it is an adjustment and while I feel I will like it I also have to build a building to store it because I do not want it in the weather. I am still keeping options open I have atleast 9 months before I go to court.

If you don't go out of your way to ryde on gravel or sticky newly laid asphalt, then in all likelihood you probably won't have anything much to worry about! Just exercise a little caution, slow down if you feel that might help, plan your routes if you must, but certainly don't get all twisted or bust a gut or even change plans just because you discover that there's a little gravel between you & your chosen goal. I've ridden 10's of thousands of kms without a belt guard, I don't avoid dirt, gravel, or chip seal, and here in Aus, I'd estimate that the majority of the total kms that I've ridden on have either been on dirt, gravel, or chip seal; and apart from regular checks after I've done some particularly gravelly roads, I just don't worry too much about the belt & I have never had any issues - after all, life's too short to waste worrying about what is really just inconsequential stuff; & besides, many modern bikes use these belts and by far the majority of their owners NEVER have any issues with the belt for their entire ownership!! I'd also guess that MOST Spyder Ryders Do Not have a belt guard, and that MOST of them probably NEVER have had or are going to have any issues with stones in their belts or in their pulleys either!! :2thumbs:

So if you want to buy an RS or a GS to keep the investment reasonable to start with, don't sweat it too much if the Spyder you choose doesn't have a belt guard, but if it does, consider it a BONUS!! :yes: :yes: If it doesn't, or if you are still concerned, I guess you could probably find an insurance company or a bookie & see what odds you can get on needing to replace a belt if you feelthat you must cover the risk somehow, but I reckon that the chances are in your favour that you won't ever have any problems or need a new belt. :rolleyes: Hey, I could be wrong & you might need one the first week you own a Spyder, but seriously, do you sweat so much over the risk of a tire blow out every time you get in your car?? :dontknow: The odds of that happening are FAAAAARRRRR greater than the odds of whatever Spyder you choose stuffing a belt, and how often have you had a blow-out?? :gaah:

So all up, I reckon that the best bit of advice you could take on-board about this is to
Ryde More, and Worry Less!! :ohyea: :2thumbs: :yes:


Ps: for the short term, just buy a cover for whatever Spyder you get; after all, it's really a motorbike, they are MADE to survive being out in the weather! :lecturef_smilie: Sure, cover it when you aren't actually ryding, it'll stop the seat from getting dirty - at least you could do that until you have the ready funds & know you are likely to continue ryding; but once again, it's really not worth spending money or stressing & worrying about something that in all likelihood is never going to be an issue or cause a problem! :dontknow:

All of life is a gamble, and when it all comes down to the nitty gritty...

life is a just a sexually transmitted terminal disease that not one of us is going to survive! :opps:

So live it while you can, and don't waste too much of what little time you have worrying about things that you really have very little control over! :thumbup:

[asp125]

We had a belt guard on our Spyder, still on there actually. In 30,000mi of riding we had to replace one belt because of stone damage. Now, perhaps we may have had more stone damage without the guard, but I personally think it's luck of the draw. The belt guard is more like cheap insurance, you may need it, you may never need it. Meh, we just slow down a bit on gravel and not worry about it. I've ridden on chip seal, old pavement, down gravel driveways.

[asp125]

I noticed that you no longer can get a belt guard for the rs and gs any suggestions on where I could get one seeing that these are more in my price range....

http://spyderpops.com/the-missing-belt-guard-fits-all-spyder-models-2008-2014-except-2014-15-rt/

[newbert]

http://spyderpops.com/the-missing-belt-guard-fits-all-spyder-models-2008-2014-except-2014-15-rt/

Just a general question about this: Do all Spyders after 2014 come with a belt guard? I ask because the one shown in the link only covers "all Spyders" thru 2014.

F3's aren't mentioned since they're a more recent model, but do they need a 3rd party belt guard as well?

[asp125]

Just a general question about this: Do all Spyders after 2014 come with a belt guard? I ask because the one shown in the link only covers "all Spyders" thru 2014.

F3's aren't mentioned since they're a more recent model, but do they need a 3rd party belt guard as well?

Seems the F3 and 2014 and up have their own versions

http://spyderpops.com/rt-rts-rt-limited/belt-guards/

http://spyderpops.com/2016-up-f3-touring-and-limited-only-missing-belt-guard/

But in any case, if you're handy with a sheet metal bender and tin snips, I think you can fabricate just about any year belt guard.

[Bob Denman]

I consider sticky, newly laid asphalt as necessary to avoid as a collapsed bridge. .

:shocked: I hope that you don't have too many of these in your neighborhood... :yikes:

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

The first 2 years riding my '14 RT-S I picked up stones 3 times. All 3 times I was riding where fresh asphalt was being laid down. Those little stones are tar covered and very sticky. You can tell when you get one stuck in your belt. I was able to pull over and push my bike watching the sprocket. I saw the bump and with a screwdriver picked the stone out.
My original belt lasted 108,000 miles and it's failure wasn't caused by any stones, it just got tired.
Chuck





I have been reading as much as I can for information on spyders and I am now concerned about driving one where I live. Most of the roads are gravel or dirt roads and I cannot afford to constantly replace the belts, what do you do to prevent this? Also, I read that you can swap the RS handle bars to RT and that will make it so you sit up straighter where do you the RT handle bars from? I know I will have more questions as I go but I appreciate all the people that have helped me so far.

[gnorthern]

Just a heads up. I received the Spyderpops belt guard just after I stripped a bolt on my Spyder and became really paranoid about working on it. After some looks I decided to have my local mechanic install it since I was brining it in anyway. Even the professional could not figure out how to install it.

I am holding on to the belt guard and will ask somebody else to try. There is another Spyder dealer about 80 miles away.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Just a heads up. I received the Spyderpops belt guard just after I stripped a bolt on my Spyder and became really paranoid about working on it. After some looks I decided to have my local mechanic install it since I was brining it in anyway. Even the professional could not figure out how to install it.

I am holding on to the belt guard and will ask somebody else to try. There is another Spyder dealer about 80 miles away.Often this is a problem for the " Professional " they either Can't or just Won't think out of the box. When you OWN something , and have a vested interest in it , makes a difference ..... Mike :thumbup:

[Mad Mac]

I remember the 1st belt drive bike I owned was a 01 Yamaha Roadstar and I did worry about getting a rock caught in between the belt and pulley because I kept forgetting that I was on a street machine and not on one of my race bikes or dual sports. I always took it easy when going into a campground or some scenic area. Luckily I experienced no issues and always went slow enough to not kick up dust or stones. Like others have said, it's the "luck of the draw". I seem to have always kept it in my mind that "stupid is expensive" since I have always had to pay my own way. Good luck with your choice and enjoy the ride! Mad Mac:doorag:

[ruralgirl]

:shocked: I hope that you don't have too many of these in your neighborhood... :yikes:

Actually, we kinda do! Not so much big bridges, but we have a slew of old concrete abutments that finally crumble badly enough for the road commission to notice and shut down (like when the holes are big enough to drop a kid through). For safety, they completely remove them, but then we never know when or IF they'll ever be replaced. There's one a few miles from here that's been out for a quarter century. There's one even closer on an important road that's been out since last Spring. That's when, if you REALLY have to get to the other side, you either hop on your ATV or saddle up your bravest horse! :D

[ruralgirl]

Just a heads up. I received the Spyderpops belt guard just after I stripped a bolt on my Spyder and became really paranoid about working on it. After some looks I decided to have my local mechanic install it since I was brining it in anyway. Even the professional could not figure out how to install it.

I am holding on to the belt guard and will ask somebody else to try. There is another Spyder dealer about 80 miles away.

The one for the RTs is indeed weird to put on. My husband and I gave up trying to position it so it didn't touch the belt. So we actually cut a tiny section off of it to give it a hair's breadth of clearance.

I have to admit that, as others have said, who knows how much, or if, the guard works. But, for me, it's simply a comfort to know that the big hole that BRP inexplicably leaves in the guard is now covered.

[UtahPete]

Just a heads up. I received the Spyderpops belt guard just after I stripped a bolt on my Spyder and became really paranoid about working on it. After some looks I decided to have my local mechanic install it since I was brining it in anyway. Even the professional could not figure out how to install it. I am holding on to the belt guard and will ask somebody else to try. There is another Spyder dealer about 80 miles away.
I can't imagine what would be too difficult for anyone with marginal tech skills to tackle;

http://cdn3.bigcommerce.com/s-a0lab8c/product_images/uploaded_images/spy149-missing-belt-guard-instructions-001.jpg?t=1456436144

[DGoebel]

Just a heads up. I received the Spyderpops belt guard just after I stripped a bolt on my Spyder and became really paranoid about working on it. After some looks I decided to have my local mechanic install it since I was brining it in anyway. Even the professional could not figure out how to install it.

I am holding on to the belt guard and will ask somebody else to try. There is another Spyder dealer about 80 miles away.

GNorthern, Which year and model Spyder do you have? It's not in your signature.

[gnorthern]

GNorthern, Which year and model Spyder do you have? It's not in your signature.

2016 FT-3.

[Lew L]

The very first mod I did to our 2014 RTsnojoke.


Lew L