Tinkering with my belt

I ordered a Cricket II to see what my belt tension is AND so that I would have it for when I need to replace the rear tire. Jacked up the rear so the tire was off the floor and checked the tension. WOW ... Checked several more times and got the same results. Over 300 ... off the scale! got out the tools and the fun began. Watched several YouTube videos and got the tension down to 180 and had a hell of a time getting the belt to track properly, about 1 credit card from the flange. Musta done it at least 10 times before I finally got it right. Hopefully I didn't mess up my laser alignment. OR did I?!?:dontknow:

Another myth that gets repeated often. Nowhere does it say that proper belt alignment is one credit card thickness from the flange. Attached is the correct spec. It's not that tight.

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Originally Posted by billybovine

Another myth that gets repeated often. Nowhere does it say that proper belt alignment is one credit card thickness from the flange. Attached is the correct spec. It's not that tight.

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You are correct sir. :agree: NOWHERE does it say 1 credit card ... However, having measured my credit cards which ranged from 0.75 to 0.85 mm thick (the thicker one has a higher interest rate), I stand corrected. It should be 2 - 3 credit cards from the flange to put it within spec with the 3 credit card space putting it in the middle of the range. :2thumbs: The Can-Am technician I spoke to told me he likes it closer to the flange than the max of 5 mm or 3/16-inch. Sooo, ... Just don't use the raised number area of your credit card as it typically measures 1.30 mm and use the 2 - 3 credit card measure to be safe. Guess I'm gonna hafta machine up a 2 or 2.5 mm brass or steel plate to measure with.

Your alignment should be fine. Have you noticed less vibrations?

Howdy;

Sarge - yer killin' me. :2thumbs: Lucky fer me I got old CC's I can cut up and stack fer the precision instrument section of me toolbox.

So - I'm on the cusp of delivery here - what do ye fellers reckon my chances are getting the PDI fellers to lower the tension on my belt from the 'book' spec to something a tad less herculean, befer I ryde off into the sunset?

Cheers
E

It depends on how customer focused your dealer is, Entropy. I asked mine to set the air bag above the 16 F3-L to 60psi as I am a big lad. 10km down the road, I checked it.....yep, it was set to 0 psi. They hadn’t even looked at it :lecturef_smilie:

Pete

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Originally Posted by Entropy

Howdy;

Sarge - yer killin' me. :2thumbs: Lucky fer me I got old CC's I can cut up and stack fer the precision instrument section of me toolbox.

So - I'm on the cusp of delivery here - what do ye fellers reckon my chances are getting the PDI fellers to lower the tension on my belt from the 'book' spec to something a tad less herculean, befer I ryde off into the sunset?

Cheers
E

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Just don't use double back sticky tape or thick glue 'caus you'll add too much into yer thickness.:ohyea: That's why, in my original post, I said "about 1 credit card".

Mr. billybovine, No disrespect towards you sir. Just havin' fun with ya. You obviously know your stuff and I am a newbie Spyder owner. Only got 53 posts ya know.

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Originally Posted by Peteoz

It depends on how customer focused your dealer is, Entropy. I asked mine to set the air bag above the 16 F3-L to 60psi as I am a big lad. 10km down the road, I checked it.....yep, it was set to 0 psi. They hadn’t even looked at it :lecturef_smilie:

Pete

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Roger that, sir.


Reckon I'm fixin' to find out, lol.

Cheers
E

As long as you're belt is not running off the sprocket or up against the flange going forward or backward, your good to go. Remember the flange on the front sprocket is on the outside of the sprocket and the belt should not ride that flange either. If it is, you'll smell it.

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Originally Posted by DGoebel

Your alignment should be fine. Have you noticed less vibrations?

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Too soon to tell. I see you were USAF. I was an RV-1D Grumman Mohawk rider. Sat the right seat as a TO.


:ohyea:

Credit cards .......... phutttttt!

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/SggAA...LyI/s-l640.jpg

USAF 511/491/3C0 Once long ago...

Haven't gotten that far into the tryke yet. Got some of the parts for the 28k service on the way, guess I'll have a look then.

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Originally Posted by DGoebel

Your alignment should be fine. Have you noticed less vibrations?

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Not necessarily.
IF.....what you did affects the belt ALIGNMENT, then it likely affectes the wheel alignment too.......and rear wheel alignment is an important part of the overall adjustments.

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Originally Posted by Easy Rider

Not necessarily.
IF.....what you did affects the belt ALIGNMENT, then it likely affectes the wheel alignment too.......and rear wheel alignment is an important part of the overall adjustments.

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Ask Squared Away about this.

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Originally Posted by 2dogs

Ask Squared Away about this.

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And for the benefit of the rest of us.......
What will he say about it ??

go no go gauge 1- 3/16 will be handy.

I wonder if anyone has actually ever compared a Krikut gauge to the tool that's actually specified in the service manual; the Gates Sonic Meter?

In what respect? I think it would be like apples and oranges. The issue at hand is solving the belt vibration or reducing it to an acceptable level. I've not seen any references to the sonic meter and solution results. I could have missed them if they were reported on, but the folks using the Krikut seem to be happy with the 160/180 lb. range. For what it worth my first adjustment from the dealer in 2014 checked out on the Krikut at 280. That range vibrated like all get out. I'm down now to 180/200 with an RR dampener and most all the vibration is gone. The dampener exerts approx. 7 lbs of down pressure on the top side of the belt which seems strange to me. I would think the dampener would work better on the down side where the slack occurs. But it seems to work ok where it is.

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Originally Posted by Jetfixer

I wonder if anyone has actually ever compared a Krikut gauge to the tool that's actually specified in the service manual; the Gates Sonic Meter?

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Yeah, I would like to see that comparison too! :agree: Well ... Not sure which meter correlates to the BELT TENSION METER (P/N 529 036 115) but, Amazon shows one costing $688 and another costing $785. Somehow plucking a guitar string, or belt, to measure tension just doesn't seem ... right. The manual states the tension is 236 lbf with a tolerance of +33.7 lbf. I do know that ambient temperature, temperature of the belt, humidity and barometric pressure will all play a factor in the frequency of any material plucked to create a set frequency. AND i'm sure some of those will also influence the performance of the Krikut. I know what I'm gonna use in my tool box. (I'm frugal, not cheap)
:cheers:

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Originally Posted by Sarge

Yeah, I would like to see that comparison too! :agree: Well ... Not sure which meter correlates to the BELT TENSION METER (P/N 529 036 115) but, Amazon shows one costing $688 and another costing $785. Somehow plucking a guitar string, or belt, to measure tension just doesn't seem ... right. The manual states the tension is 236 lbf with a tolerance of +33.7 lbf. I do know that ambient temperature, temperature of the belt, humidity and barometric pressure will all play a factor in the frequency of any material plucked to create a set frequency. AND i'm sure some of those will also influence the performance of the Krikut. I know what I'm gonna use in my tool box. (I'm frugal, not cheap)
:cheers:

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I have the Gates Tension Meter. I bought a brand new one really cheap by surfing the internet and found it on a close out. I also use it for my Indian. The thing works very well and is fast. Especially with my Indian since I don't have to measure belt deflection. Great investment if you can find one under $300.00.

I also have the Gates Sonic Meter. It is the tool that is specified by the Can Am Service Manual. I would like to know how the two tools compare accuracy-wise. Seems to me that a plastic tool that snaps over-center might not be as accurate as a calibrated device that must have the mass, width, and length of the belt entered into it before you take a reading. Not to mention that the manual calls for taking at least 3 measurements with the wheel is specific positions, and then averaging the readings.

Not a sonic test tool, but this video is informative and does make a confirmation of accuracy. Training video from Dayco.
https://youtu.be/0DZYfYFccAM

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Originally Posted by h0gr1der

Not a sonic test tool, but this video is informative and does make a confirmation of accuracy. Training video from Dayco.
https://youtu.be/0DZYfYFccAM

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WOW! Well ... that works for me then. Actually, it's within 0.98571428 % of the Krikit gauge. Close enough for me. I'll put the extra $288 + towards other farkles. Thanks for the video and other help you fine folks have helped me with.

:2thumbs::yes::2thumbs::yes::2thumbs::yes::2thumbs :

I think my thumb is calibrated pretty close :roflblack:

Saw the post at first as “my bell”, which quickly went to the song “my ding a ling”. It’s amazing how fast things go south when your tired...