Drive belt, rear pulley and tire replacement?

[GlenCreek]

Hey guys is there a video anywhere on how to replace the drive belt on a spyder rt limited. I’ve been searching YouTube and google for an hour and can’t find anything on replacing the drive belt.

Thanks in advance

[JayBros]

You don't tell us they year of your RT-Ltd, but for the price of a service manual available at this link, https://canammanuals.com/, and video(s) of rear wheel removal you could do the job without too much trouble. When disassembling the Spyder to get the belt off, if you've any question about how things may go back together take pictures to guide you in the reassembly.

[GlenCreek]

You don't tell us they year of your RT-Ltd, but for the price of a service manual available at this link, https://canammanuals.com/, and video(s) of rear wheel removal you could do the job without too much trouble. When disassembling the Spyder to get the belt off, if you've any question about how things may go back together take pictures to guide you in the reassembly.

Sorry I have a 2013. I also have the service manual

[IGETAROUND]

Try these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWtbQPdKd8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t6sLLfl6aM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28PfjkuK7SI

Can't speak to the last two; however the first one will be spot on on how to do it step by step along with pointing out things not to do

Al in Kazoo

[GlenCreek]

Try these

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWtbQPdKd8w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t6sLLfl6aM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28PfjkuK7SI

Can't speak to the last two; however the first one will be spot on on how to do it step by step along with pointing out things not to do

Al in Kazoo

Thank you sir

[RICZ]

In one of those videos, he says to disconnect the height sensor rod prior to lifting the rear wheel off the floor. That's the firs time I've heard of that. Is it important to do that?

[Steve W.]

He mentioned that you might need BUDS to reset something, but I think it's more related to the possibility that the swingarm will drop more than the height sensor will allow. You don't want the weight of the swingarm and wheel hanging from that little rod and the sensor to which it is attached.

.

[Peter Aawen]

In one of those videos, he says to disconnect the height sensor rod prior to lifting the rear wheel off the floor. That's the firs time I've heard of that. Is it important to do that?


Sorta! nojoke If you don't, you risk either bending the bracket that the height sensor switch is mounted on; or actually pulling the sector arm completely off the brass shaft protruding out of the height sensor switch module! :shocked: Both of those occurrences will mean that your ACS will no longer work well, if at all! :banghead:

Do I really need to tell you how I know that BOTH of these are a real risk if you don't disconnect the height sensor rod before lifting the rear tire off the ground?!? :rolleyes:

[EdMat]

Sorta! nojoke If you don't, you risk either bending the bracket that the height sensor switch is mounted on; or actually pulling the sector arm completely off the brass shaft protruding out of the height sensor switch module! :shocked: Both of those occurrences will mean that your ACS will no longer work well, if at all! :banghead:

Do I really need to tell you how I know that BOTH of these are a real risk if you don't disconnect the height sensor rod before lifting the rear tire off the ground?!? :rolleyes:

Would this even come into play if you did not unbolt the lower shock mount. If the shock is in place it would limit the downward travel.

[K80Shooter]

Sorta! nojoke If you don't, you risk either bending the bracket that the height sensor switch is mounted on; or actually pulling the sector arm completely off the brass shaft protruding out of the height sensor switch module! :shocked: Both of those occurrences will mean that your ACS will no longer work well, if at all! :banghead:

Do I really need to tell you how I know that BOTH of these are a real risk if you don't disconnect the height sensor rod before lifting the rear tire off the ground?!? :rolleyes:

Peter, Does this apply to the 2020 RT Limited and up also? I just checked the repair manual and it does not say anything about this. Don't get me wrong as I'm not saying you're wrong or anything it's that I'm new to these and just wanting to make sure.

[Peter Aawen]

Would this even come into play if you did not unbolt the lower shock mount. If the shock is in place it would limit the downward travel.

Yeah, you'd think that the shock should limit the down travel enough for it not to be an issue, wouldn't you?! :dontknow: . But my personal ryde's 'bent bracket' occurrence happened with the shock still fully installed.... :mad:

However, I do think it's very much an 'individual event' sorta thing, cos I'd done & seen 'a few' tire changes before I came across either issue; but since having it happen to me and so actually starting to pay close attention/looking for them, I've seen these things on 'quite a significant percentage' of Spyder wheel/tire changes &/or lifting them enough to raise the rear tire off the ground - I haven't been keeping an exact score, but just guessing, I'd say maybe as much as a third of those I am involved with. :rolleyes:

And it's worth noting that probably just as many of the Spyders that I get to crawl over/under during various investigations/tasks these days ALREADY have some issues with the height sensing switch, it's bracket, the sector arm, &/or the height sensor rod itself! :shocked: . So I'm coming to believe that MANY of the 'non leak or compressor fail' type ACS issues that people have on their Spyders juuust miiiiight be due to lifting the rear tire off the ground without first disconnecting that height sensor rod, so they've ended up with a bent/broken bracket &/or damaged sector arm.... :gaah:

The bent bracket is usually a fairly easy fix, but if you bend it just once too often, there's a good chance you'll end up breaking it.... and that's NOT an easy fix! :lecturef_smilie: The sector arm issue is a right pain regardless, and there's really only one solution to that one - get a new height sensing switch! :p

Check out the broken one shown in the pic below - the silver arm with a hole at each end in the middle bottom of the pic is the issue... that should be firmly affixed to the little shaft you can see sticking out of the switch to the right. Only it's just a press fit with a dimpled impression on the end of the shaft to hold it firm... no key-way or a weld etc to keep it connected properly or even in place! So if you over-stretch that rod/arm/switch linkage just once, if the switch bracket didn't bend to allow the stretch, then there's a good chance that if it hasn't simply broken off completely, then the sector arm will be loose on the switch and your ACS will behave somewhat erratically, IF it still works at all! :banghead:

My recommendation to avoid any of these issues.... Simple really, just disconnect the height sensor rod before lifting the rear tire off the ground! :thumbup: . But it is your Spyder, so you can choose to do whatever you like..... :rolleyes:

[EdMat]

Peter I have to wonder if this could happen when you hit something on the road and the rear tire comes off the ground. If so it would seem to be a major design error.

[Peter Aawen]

Peter I have to wonder if this could happen when you hit something on the road and the rear tire comes off the ground. If so it would seem to be a major design error.

I guess it could occur, but not only would the tire itself hafta lift off the ground, you'd also hafta top out the suspension hard enough for it to be an issue! So I reckon you'd hafta be REALLY unlucky for the rear wheel to come off the ground & top out the suspension in anything short of an incident where you'd have a whole lot more issues resulting to worry about, both personally & Spyder-wise; or you'd hafta be REALLY TRYING bleedin' hard to get the rear wheel airborne at full suspension extension!! :yikes:

In my experience, our Spyders (& Rykers!) have been designed well enough so that it's not really all that easy to get just ONE front wheel into the air, altho it is possible given enough speed thru a hard enough turn; and it's a whole lot more difficult to get BOTH front wheels into the air at the same time, altho again, given enough speed (ie, a LOT of speed!!) and exactly the right crest/bump in the road, that too has been done! Martin the Vlogger even video-ed his effort, and it wasn't an easy thing to achieve! :lecturef_smilie:

But apart from those fairly limited &/or exceptional circumstances, the fronts rarely want to lift at all, and our Spyders are designed (pretty well in fact) to keep the rear tire even better planted than the fronts, despite anything much that the ryder might do - well, not without going to stupidly extreme measures, anyway!! :rolleyes: I've completely shattered a SHOEI Helmet visor on the top edge of an RT's windscreen during a FULL ON Emergency Stop, and there was no sign of the rear tire lifting off the ground at all - in fact, checking the video after I'd changed my shorts, it seemed that while the rear suspension did lift a lot, it didn't even top out!! :shocked: So I reckon it'd be pretty hard in anything vaguely considered akin to 'normal riding' to actually lift the rear tire enough to be an issue!! nojoke

So at least IMHO, you probably won't encounter either a bent bracket or the damaged/broken sector arm unless you make a practice of lifting your Spyder's rear tire off the ground without disconnecting that height sensing rod first.... but that's just me/my opinion, and as always, YMMV! Only please, don't take that as a challenge & go out to try and show that lifting a rear tire is more likely/possible than I think. :thumbup:

[JayBros]

My Green Manual has a very detailed explanation of how to check and set drive belt tension with a Gates sonic meter, including pictures and a caution not to lift the Spyder under the rear shock always by the frame, and specifies the rear wheel must be off the ground; however, it makes no mention of disconnecting the ride height sensor arm. I have watched too the technician at the dealership I patronize for installation of rear dark side tires on more than one occasion remove the rear wheel and he does not disconnect the ride height sensor arm. He puts a jack under the frame to take the strain off the rear wheel and the service lift has a trap door that he lowers to get fender clearance to remove the rear wheel. I DO NOT know if he resets anything with B.U.D.S. after changing the tire and remounting the wheel but the last thing he always does is check the belt tension with a Gates meter.

[EdMat]

I guess it could occur, but not only would the tire itself hafta lift off the ground, you'd also hafta top out the suspension hard enough for it to be an issue! So I reckon you'd hafta be REALLY unlucky for the rear wheel to come off the ground & top out the suspension in anything short of an incident where you'd have a whole lot more issues resulting to worry about, both personally & Spyder-wise; or you'd hafta be REALLY TRYING bleedin' hard to get the rear wheel airborne at full suspension extension!! :yikes:

:

All it takes is a critter running full bore out of the weeds, on a back country road, hell bent on suicide by spyder. Gets all but the left front tire airborne. And yes, it does create issues. nojoke

[Peter Aawen]

All it takes is a critter running full bore out of the weeds, on a back country road, hell bent on suicide by spyder. Gets all but the left front tire airborne. And yes, it does create issues. nojoke

Well, there is that!! :yikes:

But I'd think that sorta qualifies as 'REALLY unlucky', wouldn't you?? :dontknow:

[Gordy]

if you remove the bottom rear shock bolt when rear wheel is raised off the floor the sensor bracket will be bent if you do not disconnect the sensor ask me how i know

[K80Shooter]

So let me ask this, is there a how to or anything on doing this?

How's the best way to get to it and such?

I assume it's mounted near the top of the rear shock?

[Woodaddict]

not that hard to see. goes from the frame to swingarm. the bolt is on rear pulley side just around top side belt. i took mine off when changing tire with shock bolt out

[K80Shooter]

@Woodaddict. Thank You.