Tire change, belt and muffler/exhaust Question

Concerning my 2014 ST-S

Does the muffler need to be removed when changing the rear tire?

I had my tire changed. Service center has been nothing but problems. I have had to take the bike back three times due to something they did wrong such as gouging the rim trying to fix separate the calipers because they locked them up while removing the tire...and breaking the brake calipers the 2nd time they had to remove the wheel, etc. so they had to replace the rotors.

I got it back Thursday. Rode it for a bit yesterday just to make sure of things.

I noticed it was making a much higher pitched noise out of the muffler. Also the bike seems to ride harder, meaning it feels and sounds if I am in 4th gear when at 70mph even though I'm in 5th gear.

I was supposed to go on a ride today all day. Before we left, we had lunch and a friend said the reason for the sound is because the muffler is no longer attached. You can pull it apart. And the belt is not near enough over towards the sprocket and there should be a credit card width between the inside sprocket and belt. The belt is actually a small width hanging off of the outside of the sprocket.

Here's what I am talking about:


Service manager just told me they did not do anything with the muffler when changing the tire, so that is not their fault. And the belt might need some sort of special adjustment...why did they not do that when in there.

I do not feel safe because of the belt and the fact I don't know what else could be wrong. I can only see the obvious things.

All I wanted was a tire change and it's been nothing but a mess and hassle. It's basically a brand new bike minus father time due to the maintenance I have done to it...but by another service shop. This was a new place much closer.

Thanks all for letting me vent...any suggestions or am I just paranoid with less patience because of all the other issues with them...? And, I'm not naming names because I'm trying to give them the benefit of my bad doubt...again.

Words of wisdom. Don't do what I did and hope somehow your current dealer and tech are going to change. They aren't.....not now, and likely no time soon. Ask around, find who others are using, even if it means towing your Spyder there. One long trip will likely save you months of frustration that yield "0" results. jm2c

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Originally Posted by Jeriatric

Words of wisdom. Don't do what I did and hope somehow your current dealer and tech are going to change. They aren't.....not now, and likely no time soon. Ask around, find who others are using, even if it means towing your Spyder there. One long trip will likely save you months of frustration that yield "0" results. jm2c

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I agree. This place is semi-new with Spyders, but that is NO reason to have such poor service. The next closest is 3-4 hours away, which is where I bought the bike. I've already called them. They know what I'm going through and will review the bike top to bottom and let me know what might have been broken or other. I am not driving it because I don't feel safe with the belt, brakes and parking brake being or possibly being a safety hazard for myself and others around me. And then I remembered I not longer have a truck and trailer...traded and sold. Been a hectic month, so memory is a bit rusty.

So, I'm looking at either $200+ for a hitch if a can find light enough trailer my Sportage can haul with the bike and one that is large enough for the bike. Or uhaul...but the ramps are not long enough...I'd have to jerry-rig something.

I can either save that money by going back to this service center Tuesday (because there are no tech's there on Monday's WTH??) or I can spend more unnecessary funds to figure some way to get the bike transported safely.

I want to go to my dealer...and suggestions on transporting?

A lot of money for transporting and having another service center labor and possible parts plus a day off from work does not sound like a fun day.

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Originally Posted by bayoumanPIBE

I agree. This place is semi-new with Spyders, but that is NO reason to have such poor service. The next closest is 3-4 hours away, which is where I bought the bike. I've already called them. They know what I'm going through and will review the bike top to bottom and let me know what might have been broken or other. I am not driving it because I don't feel safe with the belt, brakes and parking brake being or possibly being a safety hazard for myself and others around me. And then I remembered I not longer have a truck and trailer...traded and sold. Been a hectic month, so memory is a bit rusty.

So, I'm looking at either $200+ for a hitch if a can find light enough trailer my Sportage can haul with the bike and one that is large enough for the bike. Or uhaul...but the ramps are not long enough...I'd have to jerry-rig something.

I can either save that money by going back to this service center Tuesday (because there are no tech's there on Monday's WTH??) or I can spend more unnecessary funds to figure some way to get the bike transported safely.

A lot of money for transporting and having another service center labor and possible parts plus a day off from work which won't be a fun day off.

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No friends with truck and trailer? Sure it will cost you gas and a 12 pack.......but hey!

Make arrangements to take it in on a day off and pick it up on the following day off (if parts aren't needed). Most good dealers will work with you.

Your belt looks to need just a little adjustment. Slacken the axle nut, turn the cap screw in the right-hand adjuster approx 1/4 turn anti-clockwise. With the hand brake applied push the bike backwards, this will move the axle forwards to seat the adjuster. Nip up the axle nut and run the bike enough forwards to check the alignment of the belt. If it's good, fully tighten the nut and refit the plastic ends.

I'm not familiar with that exhaust but it seem weird to have a clamp and a single flange. I'm sure someone will be along to enlighten us soon.

Is that an aftermarket muffler system? My attachment parts are different........

Factory set up with two bolts, two nuts, two springs and a sealing gasket between the two parts.

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Originally Posted by Jeriatric

No friends with truck and trailer? Sure it will cost you gas and a 12 pack.......but hey!

Make arrangements to take it in on a day off and pick it up on the following day off (if parts aren't needed). Most good dealers will work with you.

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No friends with either at the moment...still meeting new people and such. I believe I can use the same boards I put together for my trailer I had at one point and sold due to life things. They would probably work on the uhauls low riding 6x12 trailer and they have a pick-up.

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Originally Posted by PinkRosePetal

Your belt looks to need just a little adjustment. Slacken the axle nut...

I'm not familiar with that exhaust but it seem weird to have a clamp and a single flange. I'm sure someone will be along to enlighten us soon.

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I can live with a little a adjustment instead of some incompetent tech creating an accident waiting to happen on my ride. I'll look at it tomorrow and see how bold I am to try that...sounds simple enough, but so did changing out the lights and reflectors with all LEDs...ugh. But, worth it.

Anyway, with all I had to go through with them freezing the calipers by accident and then manhandling them to the point of breaking and then having to replace my brake rotars, send my rim to a body shop for repairs intead of buying a new one, and now telling my I have to replace my parking brake cable because it will not tighten anymore and my bike will roll with force but I'm told it should not move...so I'm not sure what to believe.

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Originally Posted by ARNIE R

Is that an aftermarket muffler system? My attachment parts are different........

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Yes, it is an aftermarket. The dealership had this catalytic by-pass system with custom exhaust on another bike and I really liked the sound, so they put it on at my request. I just do not remember the setup looking like this. I thought it looked more liky yours.

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Originally Posted by ARNIE R

Factory set up with two bolts, two nuts, two springs and a sealing gasket between the two parts.

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I can probably just tighten mine back on with the strap setup it has, but I'm sure it'll just come apart again at some point. Do you know if I can get parts such as yours with the two flange items holding it together? That seems more solid.

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Originally Posted by bayoumanPIBE

.......

I can probably just tighten mine back on with the strap setup it has, but I'm sure it'll just come apart again at some point. Do you know if I can get parts such as yours with the two flange items holding it together? That seems more solid.

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To fix that abortion of a muffler join it'll take a bit of tube cutting followed by fitting a replacement flange to carry the bolts & then welding on a bell shaped flared end in order to carry the carbon gasket that's meant to fit between the bell shaped end on the muffler pipe & the pipe that still has the flange under the Spyder.... so you (or someone??) will hafta source all that before cutting/welding/fitting all the neccessary bits in place & then bolting it up in order to make it work..... :dontknow: Whoever did that mish-mash of a botched up job needs a good slap upside the head! :shocked:

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Originally Posted by Peter Aawen

To fix that abortion of a muffler join it'll take a bit of tube cutting followed by fitting a replacement flange to carry the bolts & then welding on a bell shaped flared end in order to carry the carbon gasket that's meant to fit between the bell shaped end on the muffler pipe & the pipe that still has the flange under the Spyder.... so you (or someone??) will hafta source all that before cutting/welding/fitting all the neccessary bits in place & then bolting it up in order to make it work..... :dontknow: Whoever did that mish-mash of a botched up job needs a good slap upside the head! :shocked:

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Exactly what he said on the additional flange and flared end.

Meanwhile, clamp the muffler on, check for leaks. Then, raise the rear wheel, engine off, bike in neutral. Loosen axle nut. Turn right axle adjuster clockwise one flat. The end is a Allen, and look close. 1 flat. Snug axle nut. Spin tire by hand 10 revolutions. See if the belt migrates inboard. Be Patient. 1 flat at a time, and snug the axle each time. Might take a few tries. Once you got it, tighten axle nut. Go ride it. Check brakes, double check belt and muffler clamp. Find a muffler shop. Ask for two loops of wire welded on. Use springs from loops to flange. Go ride.

Ok, so I get the bike back yesterday after I highly suggested they re-adjust the belt. The belt seems to be where it should be. They tightened the muffler clamp, but there is still a loss of air pressure. I will be definitely taking ya'lls advice and connecting the muffler better with help from a professional if need be...not this service center.

The parking brake still does not keep the bike from rolling.

Once again, they cannot get the parking brake to set where the bike will not roll. It takes a bit of pushing pressure, but it should not roll at all. The first time I got the bike back, they said they set the parking brake but come to find out as I was driving away, they tightened it to the point of over tightening which then set off the parking brake sensor light. I stopped, got off and just left. It took them another day to figure out why.

I have never noticed the rolling until after all the issues with this service center that the bike moved...so I cannot say for sure they screwed it up like the other things when changing the tire and replacing the rotors and messing up with calipers.

I tested rolling it before I left. It rolls easier than before!!! All they said was that is the tightest they can set the parking brake and I need a new cable. I strongly asked again to try and adjust. So, while in the hot parking lot these two guys are on the ground tightening the two nuts on the cable

They get the cable tightened just enough before over tightening. That's as far as they will go. And I can come back if I want them to replace the cable.

After all the crap I've been going through, I decided to look up some things within this forum and others. I found one video of a guy adjusting his parking brake, but for a RT. He adjusted the brake lever and then used the nuts for fine tuning. He removed a nut holding the lever and rotates the bar inside and then puts the lever back on...that's basically it. Here's the video URL if anyone has not seen it yet...pretty short and to the point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=qnIgEZ1pgRw

I did not see these service guys do that or even mention it.

Can my ST-S parking brake be adjusted like the RT in the video? It has a bolt instead of a nut as shown below. I'm afraid they screwed up my cable or more. They kept talking about an actuator under the panels and such...sigh.

I apologize for any grammar mistakes...I'm a bit upset and at work, so...ya know. I thought of buying a service manual...

Reminder: This is my 2014 ST-S SE5 toggle switch parking brake (not manual)

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Originally Posted by bayoumanPIBE

Ok, so I get the bike back yesterday after I highly suggested they re-adjust the belt. The belt seems to be where it should be. They tightened the muffler clamp, but there is still a loss of air pressure. I will be definitely taking ya'lls advice and connecting the muffler better with help from a professional if need be...not this service center.

The parking brake still does not keep the bike from rolling.

Once again, they cannot get the parking brake to set where the bike will not roll. It takes a bit of pushing pressure, but it should not roll at all. The first time I got the bike back, they said they set the parking brake but come to find out as I was driving away, they tightened it to the point of over tightening which then set off the parking brake sensor light. I stopped, got off and just left. It took them another day to figure out why.

I have never noticed the rolling until after all the issues with this service center that the bike moved...so I cannot say for sure they screwed it up like the other things when changing the tire and replacing the rotors and messing up with calipers.

I tested rolling it before I left. It rolls easier than before!!! All they said was that is the tightest they can set the parking brake and I need a new cable. I strongly asked again to try and adjust. So, while in the hot parking lot these two guys are on the ground tightening the two nuts on the cable

They get the cable tightened just enough before over tightening. That's as far as they will go. And I can come back if I want them to replace the cable.

After all the crap I've been going through, I decided to look up some things within this forum and others. I found one video of a guy adjusting his parking brake, but for a RT. He adjusted the brake lever and then used the nuts for fine tuning. He removed a nut holding the lever and rotates the bar inside and then puts the lever back on...that's basically it. Here's the video URL if anyone has not seen it yet...pretty short and to the point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_c...&v=qnIgEZ1pgRw

I did not see these service guys do that or even mention it.

Can my ST-S parking brake be adjusted like the RT in the video? It has a bolt instead of a nut as shown below. I'm afraid they screwed up my cable or more. They kept talking about an actuator under the panels and such...sigh.

I apologize for any grammar mistakes...I'm a bit upset and at work, so...ya know. I thought of buying a service manual...

Reminder: This is my 2014 ST-S SE5 toggle switch parking brake (not manual)

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Have you had enough?

It's a number of years since I dismantled this completely but I seem to remember the brake lever (held on by bolt number 4) can be fitted in more than one position. If it has been disassembled and refitted wrongly, it could be in such a position that it's at full pull on the cable but not fully turning the mechanism within the caliper. The manual doesn't show the caliper disassembled for me to check this for you but it's worth a look-see. Remove the cable, remove the return spring and remove bolt 4 to have a peek.

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Originally Posted by Jeriatric

Have you had enough?

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LOL, Oh :cus: yes I have; they won't be seeing me again. Especially now I know they take classes online and only one of them has a license to ride. How can you be a service technical mechanic for street rides and at the very least not have any type of hands on training. AND I DON'T MEAN then hands on training on my bike by breaking it and attempting to fix it. Svc manager actually said that...the techs have had a learning experience with this bike.

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Originally Posted by PinkRosePetal

It's a number of years since I dismantled this completely but I seem to remember the brake lever (held on by bolt number 4) can be fitted in more than one position. If it has been disassembled and refitted wrongly, it could be in such a position that it's at full pull on the cable but not fully turning the mechanism within the caliper. The manual doesn't show the caliper disassembled for me to check this for you but it's worth a look-see. Remove the cable, remove the return spring and remove bolt 4 to have a peek.

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I'll certainly take a closer look. I don't mind myself learning on my bike unlike those...sigh..techs.

Should I leave the bike turned off, make the adjustment, put it back together and then test it...or any warnings or notes I should be aware of...? I have read where some have locked up calipers and such other accidents by messing with this section of the bike.

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Originally Posted by bayoumanPIBE

LOL, Oh :cus: yes I have; they won't be seeing me again. Especially now I know they take classes online and only one of them has a license to ride. How can you be a service technical mechanic for street rides and at the very least not have any type of hands on training. AND I DON'T MEAN then hands on training on my bike by breaking it and attempting to fix it. Svc manager actually said that...the techs have had a learning experience with this bike.

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What a shame. Probably best I say no more.

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Originally Posted by bayoumanPIBE

I'll certainly take a closer look....
Should I leave the bike turned off, make the adjustment, put it back together and then test it...or any warnings or notes I should be aware of...?

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Chock the front wheels using a couple of bits of timber, release the handbrake - ignore the Syder's objection. Slacken the adjusting nuts to release the cable, unhook the spring, remove the bolt 4. Mark the position of the arm on the end of the central spindle so you can at least set it back to where it is now if you lose its place. As I said, it's ages since I dismantled one but my recollection is there are little splines in the lever and on the shaft so the lever can be located in numerous positions... of course, I might just have dreamt that... ;)

This is correct - that lever has splines. After pulling out the bolt, pull off the lever. Then - BY HAND - rotate the spline shaft on the brakes clockwise fully. This will put the pads right on the brake rotor. Now slide the lever back on, with the top AS FAR LEFT as you can get it. This way when the lever is pulled to the right it will engage the brakes immediately. Set the nuts so the cable is is not pulling, but is snug. You should have only 1-2 clicks on the parking brake to lock it super tight. Before all this - be sure you don't need brake pads! The whole procedure is in the service manual, get on EBay for $20 or so, download the PDF. I have two Spyders that needed this done. After new pads put on, it only takes about 1000 miles and the parking brake needs adjusting, as well as brake fluid topped off. They wear in quick.

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Originally Posted by stevencovert

This is correct - that lever has splines. After pulling out the bolt, pull off the lever. Then - BY HAND - rotate the spline shaft on the brakes clockwise fully. This will put the pads right on the brake rotor. Now slide the lever back on, with the top AS FAR LEFT as you can get it. This way when the lever is pulled to the right it will engage the brakes immediately. Set the nuts so the cable is is not pulling, but is snug. You should have only 1-2 clicks on the parking brake to lock it super tight. Before all this - be sure you don't need brake pads! The whole procedure is in the service manual, get on EBay for $20 or so, download the PDF. I have two Spyders that needed this done. After new pads put on, it only takes about 1000 miles and the parking brake needs adjusting, as well as brake fluid topped off. They wear in quick.

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The service guy said they put new rotors on it because of the caliper situation. I don't know about the brake pads just yet.

Hey...I went ahead and purchased the service manual from BRP "2014 CanAm Spyder RS-ST Series Master Collection-HDS".

I cannot find it in the manual, but it was late last night and it's been a hell of a few weeks with incompetence techs. I'll keep reading.

Thus far, I read through everything with brakes, but I could have overlooked things. It has all about brakes but only shows how to adjust the cable nuts, not the tensioner / brake lever.

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Originally Posted by PinkRosePetal

..... The manual doesn't show the caliper disassembled for me to check this for you ....

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I was trying to save you some dollars a few posts back! It's not in my manual either.

I'd remove the arm and fit it one or two splines anti-clockwise. Personally I'd try two splines first, if it's ok, fine, if not one spline is the way to go.

Hey, I haven't forgotten about this. I just have not had a chance to try. As for now, the parking brake seems to have gotten much tighter and the bike does not move like it did.

I have no idea why. But, I still want to take this apart and check it out. I'm sure it will get loose again.

Thanks ya'll!!

They didn't take the brake line off the caliper did they, if so they may have air in the lines! Brakes can be a pain as long as you go threw the steps you'll be ok! Like a friend of mine told me, it's only nuts and bolts!!!!:cheers: You'll get it, and there's some pride in knowing you can do a better job than the last monkeys did!!!! You go

There are two official dealers and two independent service centers in the MO/AR area. There is only one that I would not consider going to. Three have good reputations.

Please PM me and let me know which dealer you are dealing with. I am curious.

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Originally Posted by ARtraveler

There are two official dealers and two independent service centers in the MO/AR area. There is only one that I would not consider going to. Three have good reputations.

Please PM me and let me know which dealer you are dealing with. I am curious.

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I wanna know too. Please.