Moving down a dirt/gravel road

[frj322]

Hey folks...
So life has thrown us a curve ball and we're going to be moving to a house down about a half mile of dirt/gravel road. Wondering if anyone is in the same boat and can offer any advise? I know Spyderpops? makes a belt guard but I contacted them and they said it's not available for the F3S (wife and I each have an F3S). They said they make one for the F3T and Limited, not the F3S. I'm terrified we may have to get rid of our Spyders....
Is anyone living on a dirt/gravel road and still riding?

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Hey folks...
So life has thrown us a curve ball and we're going to be moving to a house down about a half mile of dirt/gravel road. Wondering if anyone is in the same boat and can offer any advise? I know Spyderpops? makes a belt guard but I contacted them and they said it's not available for the F3S (wife and I each have an F3S). They said they make one for the F3T and Limited, not the F3S. I'm terrified we may have to get rid of our Spyders....
Is anyone living on a dirt/gravel road and still riding?

IMHO, there isn't any substantial difference in the frame / swingarm design in any of the F 3 models..... I would contact them and ask what changes they made in the part to make the F-3 T and the Limited different, I'm betting there isn't any …… I'd also ask what makes the F-3 S different from either of the others...……… It could be the person you talked to , just gave you the easiest answer they could think of …… good luck ……. Mike :ohyea:

[ARtraveler]

Rocks that get thrown up by the Spyder can be a problem.

We encountered damage to belts twice when encountering rocks.

Incident 1: spouse had to check out a campground. It had the gravel road about a mile long. She picked up a rock in the belt. It came out, but damaged the belt, and we ended up replacing it.

Incident 2: happened in my driveway in the early spring. Wanted to get the Spyder out for the maiden voyage of the year. Got stuck in some snow and trying to gun the engine, the back wheel dug into the gravel and the belt snapped in half.

Spyderpops gravel guard does work...but not available for your rig. Driving "slow" so the rocks don't get kicked up is your solution. Inspect belt often, and you should be alright.

We turned down one home here, because it was on a two mile long gravel road.

[Mikey]

Just take it easy and pick your way! Hopefuly someones taking care of the road and not one you can hold a mud run on! Go slow youll be fine.

[frj322]

Thanks for the replies so far, please keep them coming, we need all the help we can get!
This is move going to put us in a position where we will be mortgage and rent free for life so it's really a no-brainer....

[JP58]

The F3s swingarm is totally different from the F3T-F3L They share the same one as the RT.

[Chasinsparks]

I go down a gravel road quite a bit to reach a park, I have RTL and no belt guard, I go slow and move about to the road as I see fit. Been doing for about 2 years now. I would not travel at speed though, the posted is 25 and I do 15/20 max.

[MonPaul]

Don't want to give you any guarantees, but I have a long gravel road and driveway and I just take it really slow. No problems yet.

[Gwolf]

I have 2 miles of dirt, limestone with small rocks and pieces of shell every time I go in and out. I been riding on dirt roads for almost 60 years. It is not a big problem. The last 30 years or so I have been riding belt final drive bikes. The last 20 years I rode one that had no belt guard at all on it. The belts last as long as most of the ones ridden exclusively on the paved roads. Take your time on dirt or gravel and don't spin around or do anything that will throw the rocks up. It will be fine.

[Rob Rodriguez]

I live 1.25 miles down a dirt road. Been riding my Spyder for 6 years down it at all speeds with nothing other than stock belt guards with no issues.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

The F3s swingarm is totally different from the F3T-F3L They share the same one as the RT.

Thanks - I now remember that is the case ….. Then I think the one for the RT could be used if it was extended a bit …… good luck …. Mike :ohyea:

[billybovine]

I drive maybe 50 miles of gravel roads a year. Doing this for 9 years. No extra belt guards or protection. No damage ever. I talked to a head tech at a large Spyder dealer a couple years. About belt damage from gravel. He claimed they had only changed one out that had some damage. They recommended to the customer that it did not need to be changed because the damage was small and not on the edge. But the customer wanted it changed.

[frj322]

These are all great replies! Really helping to put my mind at ease. Thanks everyone!!!

[ruralgirl]

Don't panic! It's not a biggie. I live 1.5 miles from the nearest pavement. All roads out of here are dirt, and many of my destinations never see pavement. I do have the missing belt guard on my RT, but I don't rely on it, meaning I slow down as if I didn't have it. Depending on the size and depth of the gravel, I might never leave first gear, or I might hit 4th on a smooth stretch. I worry more about our deplorable paved roads which make my RT shake and rattle like a plastic toy. You'll be fine!

[foxtail1]

I have an F3S and a 1 mile gravel driveway. I’ve been going in and out on the Spyder for 2 years without any problems. At first, I went really slowly, but now I drive it about as fast as I do my car.

[Airborne]

Got a pretty steep. gravel, 600m long drive with lots of loose rocks and stones of all sizes, haven't had any problems at all.

[Peter Aawen]

As others have suggested, Don't Panic!!

As always, YMMV, but I DON'T run a belt gaurd while I DO do a WHOLE LOT of dirt & gravel road ryding, even seeking it out at times :2thumbs: I'd estimate that I've easily covered 30,000 km of gravel & dirt off the black-top, and even when I do get to ryde on 'made roads', a lot of them are loose 'chip seal' covered.... and with a total of over 60,000 kms on my 'bought new' 2013 RT now, if it really was as critical NOT to ryde our Spyders on the dirt as some seem to think, then surely I'd have had at least some belt issues by now?! :dontknow: Not happening tho, my RT's belt looks just like a new one, no signs of stone damage at all, and I DO get it checked by other eyes fairly regularly, altho I do most of my own maintenance & servicing.

I 'try' not to ryde on the worst stuff, but I certainly don't usually detour or choose routes to actively avoid dirt. Have you seen the vids from Europe of an F3 on the dirt & in the mud? That's the sort of vid you'd get of my ryding if I ran a camera for that sort of thing (my Safety-cam footage isn't anywhere near that quality tho!!) Whenever I hit the gravel I only slow enough to maintain control, ensure safe handling, & appropriate 'emergency braking' if necessary; and I have been known to purposefully hang the tail just a liddle bit, altho I should admit that I do generally check for stones or pebbles fairly carefully after most gravel road rydes, but only once I get home & can lift the rear wheel to make checking a little easier. :thumbup:

Basically, I reckon it's best just to Ryde More, Worry Less! :ohyea:

[ChicagoSpyder]

Lots of fun on roads like this and some of the best sights are at the end of a dirt road :riding:

https://youtu.be/QfXEff-UtWo

173701

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

If all of a sudden you start feeling a strange vibration in your Spyder check the rear sprocket. Twice now in three years I've had a pebble get stuck in the teeth and every time the belt rode over it it caused a shake in the bike. No damage to the belt!

[PistonBlown]

A rider here has fitted a Spyderpops guard to their F3s with a bit of modification, I don't know the details of where the bracket came from etc. but here's a closeup from a photo to give you an idea of what they've done:
173728

Having said that I ride on a lot of gravel/dirt roads and not had an issue. The only time I have had a stone in my belt was after riding over some freshly laid, and still hot, chip & tar. The tar helped the stone chips stick to the tires and then flick everywhere.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

Orrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr make your own rock guard, that's what I did..... It's not Rocket Science, and was fairly easy to Fab up...…. jmho Mike ..:ohyea:

[MakoShark2]

From memory I think I've read somewhere that the F3S swing arm design makes the belt less prone to rock damage than the RT/F3T.

[PistonBlown]

From memory I think I've read somewhere that the F3S swing arm design makes the belt less prone to rock damage than the RT/F3T.

The guy who fitted the one in my picture had one stone through his belt so went to the dealers for a new belt. On the ride back home from having it fitted he went through some roadworks and damaged the new belt with two more stones...hence the semi-DIY guard and my comment about hot chip and tar:-)

[SKME]

OK guys, thanks for all your input. Managed today to install the belt guard. Took it for a ride around the block and so far no sound of it brushing against the tire or belt guard. Now off to check on belt guard tensioner

[Peter Aawen]

....... Having said that I ride on a lot of gravel/dirt roads and not had an issue. The only time I have had a stone in my belt was after riding over some freshly laid, and still hot, chip & tar. The tar helped the stone chips stick to the tires and then flick everywhere.


The guy who fitted the one in my picture had one stone through his belt so went to the dealers for a new belt. On the ride back home from having it fitted he went through some roadworks and damaged the new belt with two more stones... hence the semi-DIY guard and my comment about hot chip and tar:-)

And THAT's why I reckon you should worry more about chip-seal, especially if it's still hot!! :lecturef_smilie: . Dirt &/or Gravel roads aren't really that much of an issue if you ride to the conditions; but that bloody chipped gravel & tar stuff is sticky and nasty stuff! :mad: AND it's not just the belt you've gotta worry about with that stuff, cos it'll get stuck all over your paintwork & in all sorts of hidey holes & crevices under your Spyder/Ryker too! :cus:

[Big F]

Hey folks...
So life has thrown us a curve ball and we're going to be moving to a house down about a half mile of dirt/gravel road. Wondering if anyone is in the same boat and can offer any advise? I know Spyderpops? makes a belt guard but I contacted them and they said it's not available for the F3S (wife and I each have an F3S). They said they make one for the F3T and Limited, not the F3S. I'm terrified we may have to get rid of our Spyders....
Is anyone living on a dirt/gravel road and still riding?

Just similar to some of the other responses. I have a 2 block long driveway - half asphalt and rock and just take it slow and easy and have never had a problem with my RT Limited.. Good luck and safe riding
BIG F

[ButterSmooth]

Now that I've started riding gravel/dirt roads on a regular basis, my concern is no longer the belt. Washboard surfaces shake my windshield violently side-to-side and I'm sure the supports are at risk. Lowering it all the way helps, but it still freaks me out...

And Peter is right on target -- it's the chip seal you have to worry about.

[GreatPumpkin]

I live on a gravel road and I work on a gravel road....most of my family live on other gravel roads.....Ride them all the time.....just go slow and don't be spinning your tires .....

[Many brands]

Hey folks...
So life has thrown us a curve ball and we're going to be moving to a house down about a half mile of dirt/gravel road. Wondering if anyone is in the same boat and can offer any advise? I know Spyderpops? makes a belt guard but I contacted them and they said it's not available for the F3S (wife and I each have an F3S). They said they make one for the F3T and Limited, not the F3S. I'm terrified we may have to get rid of our Spyders....
Is anyone living on a dirt/gravel road and still riding?

And pick your spots on the road. GO slow !

[Mikey]

:2thumbs: Love it!!!!

[pidjones]

You are in North Georgia, so your gravel is most likely limestone. Limestone gravel edges rapidly round off and should do less damage than say, granite.

The black will be impossible to keep clean with limestone dust, however. That's why my '21 RTL is Chalk Metallic.

[GoNoGo]

:chat:

[Big F]

My driveway is partial asphalt/crushed rock and about 3 blocks from paved street. Have been living here for 5 years plus and merely take it slow and have never had a problem. I have a 2018 RTL and no belt guard.
BIG F

[baxter]

Rode many hundreds of miles on loose gravel roads in the Northwest Territories and Yukon as well as Alaska with an exposed belt drive Harley and no issues. Did not drive really slow either.

[Slick51]

Perfect excuse to buy a Ryker Rally!

[GreyGhost]

If anyone is familiar with the Pinto Canyon Road between Marfa and Presideo or the Old Maverick Road in Big Bend National Park you’ll know the gravel roads I rode last week..no issues..

[SeniorRider]

Beautiful country!