Drive Belt alignment issues

2014 RT spyder SM6 36,000 miles

I am having issues with my drive belt not staying aligned. I had my rear tire replaced Fall of 2017, "Canam Dealer Medford Oregon". After riding
approximately 2,000 miles the belt shifted to the left of the rear sprocket. I had the front sprocket removed and inspected, they also inspected
the belt and rear sprocket, aligned the belt and sent me on my way "Canam dealer Lamar Texas", 400 miles later the belt came out of alignment again.

Would one of the belt tensioners available help keep it aligned?
Is this a known issue?
Is there a fix?

Thanks for any help

A tensioner is just that. The solution is an experienced, reliable technician. At 40+ miles and on my fifth rear tire my belt rides in the same place it did when I rode it out of the dealership on day 1.

I had the same problem after having a new tire installed by a "stealership." The rear wheel was not aligned correctly, resulting in abnormal wear on the right side of the tire, so I had another dealer-a good one-replace the tire and align the rear wheel correctly. The first dealer no longer sells or services Spyders. Gee, I wonder why.......

The alignment and axle torque were not done correctly. A belt tensioner cannot correct that.

I've got a lot of Spyder miles under my belt ..... The belt moves on the Sprocket way more than people believe ..... Most times during a ride , when I stop I'll often check the belt/sprocket alignment ..... most times it has moved from when I last looked at it..... this doesn't concern me at ALL .......it's very long belt and even the slightest vagary in it's manufacture will improve the chances of it wandering .............jmho ..... Mike :thumbup:

Both our RT and F3 have been correctly aligned for over a year. They are the same every time we stop. We run Vibration Dampers on both. Not saying that a Vibration Damper will stop a wandering belt, but Mike does not use one on his Spyder. I believe that properly aligned and tensioned belts should keep their alignment. If they are not then it is either a technician issue or a mechanical issue. I would find someone else to adjust it and see how that goes.

I have adjusted several that were ryding the inside rear sprocket flange so bad that they had a rubber smell when they road up. When adjusting them I found that in extreme cases, it has temporarily lengthened the inside of the belt, making it out of true. Almost impossible to adjust, but if you stop it from being jammed against the inner flange, it will eventually equalize and be able to be correctly adjusted after a few thousand miles. I don't have any science facts, other than how the belt behaves. With it having Kevlar in it it is not going to act like a normal cage belt.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by canamjhb

The alignment and axle torque were not done correctly. A belt tensioner cannot correct that.

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I did not understand this reply. I understood the alignment part, but what axle torque are you referring to here?

Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mebgardner

I did not understand this reply. I understood the alignment part, but what axle torque are you referring to here?

Thanks.

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I beleve he is refering to not having the correct torque on the axle nut ( it should be 166ft#) so if to light the axle maybe shifting causing the belt to move.

When torquing the axel, it is important to make sure the axel does not move after correctly aligning the belt. I use a rubber mallet to smack the axle wrench to make sure the adjustment dogs are tight before tightening the axle nut. Then, I tighten it most of the way and re-check alignment. After I am satisfied, I torque the nut to specs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PW2013STL

I beleve he is refering to not having the correct torque on the axle nut ( it should be 166ft#) so if to light the axle maybe shifting causing the belt to move.

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I torque to 130#...then my back starts to hurt--I'm saving the 166# in case i purchase a semi--tractor trailer.
Darrell

Quote:

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Originally Posted by dave_mairs

2014 RT spyder SM6 36,000 miles

I am having issues with my drive belt not staying aligned. I had my rear tire replaced Fall of 2017, "Canam Dealer Medford Oregon". After riding
approximately 2,000 miles the belt shifted to the left of the rear sprocket. I had the front sprocket removed and inspected, they also inspected
the belt and rear sprocket, aligned the belt and sent me on my way "Canam dealer Lamar Texas", 400 miles later the belt came out of alignment again.

Would one of the belt tensioners available help keep it aligned?
Is this a known issue?
Is there a fix?

Thanks for any help

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Jack the rear tire off the ground & let it spin slowly in 1st gear. Check to see how much run-out you have on the rear sprocket.
Darrell