Installing Your F3 Belt Idler Pulley - Mike Mas

[IdleUp]

Hey guys - thought I would share a few images and comments with regard to installing the Can Am Idler pulley on the F3-S&T models.

Regretfully, BRP failed to install the Idler Pulley - on the F3 models resulting in a terrible and annoying vibration once the bike reaches speeds of 40 mph plus. Rather than BRP issue a recall to have the Idler pulley installed under warranty, they simply allowed the owners to to pay for their mistake and let us purchase the Idler and have the responsibility of paying our dealer to install it. I purchased my Idler Pulley from my dealer, they sell for around $35 plus shipping.

For those who wish to install the idler themselves - the procedure is straight forward and takes a little over an hour. The pulley will install on two supplied bolts that are presently holding a cross member which is located by the rear passenger foot peg. Basically you’ll just need to get access to the bolts, remove them and use the same hardware to mount the pulley to the bike.

Its important to note the pulley is spring loaded, therefore you’ll need to temporally jam a spacer between the pulley lever and the mounting base so when you release it, the pulley will remain perpendicular to the mounting bracket. This will allow you to easily lay the pulley in position and tighten the two bolts - Also use the edge of the frame as a guide so the pulley will be angled correctly with the belt. Once its tightened, be certain to remove your spacer so the pulley is free to contact the belt with its own tension.

To install the pulley you will need to remove the two left hand panels, the forward panel is held in with two hex heads in the front and two in the rear. You’ll also have to remove the plastic push pins under the removal access door on the left.

In order to remove the rear smaller panel, its best to remove the seat - this is accomplished by pushing in and turning the ignition key to remove the passenger seat - next remove the two 10mm bolts that retain the front seat, this will allow the smaller panel to lift up and dis-engage from the top retainer.

Remove the two cross member bolts with a 1/2” / 13mm socket with a short extension. Next, simply lightly tighten the same bolts through the Idler mounting bracket back in the same perma-nuts - alien the idler properly and tighten. Reassemble the panels & seat in the reverse order. I wish you guys a nice smooth ride! I have included some images below!

Regards -Mike Mas

[Roadster Renovations]

Very good presentation. I would suggest a short ryde with the tupperware off to make sure of correct alignment. May not even be necessary, but that's what I do.

[2dogs]

Very good presentation. I would suggest a short ryde with the tupperware off to make sure of correct alignment. May not even be necessary, but that's what I do.

Great advice!!

[Chupaca]

Doc
test before closing....

[eddieshep999]

Very good presentation. I would suggest a short ryde with the tupperware off to make sure of correct alignment. May not even be necessary, but that's what I do.

Good idea Doc would you suggest this when fitting the idler with your bracket on the RT
If the answer is yes you may want to amend the fitting instructions sent out with your bracket just a thought not intended to be a criticism

[Roadster Renovations]

Good idea Doc would you suggest this when fitting the idler with your bracket on the RT
If the answer is yes you may want to amend the fitting instructions sent out with your bracket just a thought not intended to be a criticism

That actually never occurred to me. I will do so. Thank You.

[Roadster Renovations]

That actually never occurred to me. I will do so. Thank You.

Done.

[IdleUp]

Thanks for the reply's guys - you can check it before you re-panel it but there's really nothing to do - just make sure the pulley arm is perpendicular to the frame rail / belt as shown in these images and you're good to go.

[Roadster Renovations]

Do they give a measurement for "A"? I would think that pulley alignment with the belt is more important than that measurement.

[ArachnidRyder]

Very good presentation. I would suggest a short ryde with the tupperware off to make sure of correct alignment. May not even be necessary, but that's what I do.

I just wish this device was an option for my 2012 RT. [emoji53]


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[IdleUp]

Do they give a measurement for "A"? I would think that pulley alignment with the belt is more important than that measurement.

No measurement, just parallel to the frame rail as shown. Note this pulley is a quick fix for the belt with no precision adjustments. its just a cheap ass plastic assembly with a bearing and plastic roller. They should have given these to us rather than have us pay for them - I mean this ain't no $8,000 motorcycle these f3's cost more than a lot of cars - you would think for $25,000 they would give you the pulley since they made the mistake of not installing it to begin with - with all the "Expert" riders and technical geniuses at BRP, did none of them feel this thing vibrate like hell.

Also, keep in mind your F3 is still going to vibrate at 60 mph from the imbalance of the engine. Our 3 cyl engines will never be as smooth as the first 2 cyl power plant Can Am's.

Regards - Mike

[Roadster Renovations]

I just wish this device was an option for my 2012 RT. [emoji53]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Please PM me.

[Cruzr Joe]

No measurement, just parallel to the frame rail as shown. Note this pulley is a quick fix for the belt with no precision adjustments. its just a cheap ass plastic assembly with a bearing and plastic roller. They should have given these to us rather than have us pay for them - I mean this ain't no $8,000 motorcycle these f3's cost more than a lot of cars - you would think for $25,000 they would give you the pulley since they made the mistake of not installing it to begin with - with all the "Expert" riders and technical geniuses at BRP, did none of them feel this thing vibrate like hell.

Also, keep in mind your F3 is still going to vibrate at 60 mph from the imbalance of the engine. Our 3 cyl engines will never be as smooth as the first 2 cyl power plant Can Am's.

Regards - Mike

Another take on this ............

BRP thanks for making this an affordable option, as opposed to the after market ones that cost several hundred dollars, this has taken all the vibration out of my belt, I hope that you make this a part of the spyders in the future.

Cruzr Joe

[Peteoz]

its just a cheap ass plastic assembly with a bearing and plastic roller.
Regards - Mike

It's not all that "cheap ass", Mike. Bigwhammy did some analysis on it and it's pretty solidly made. See below -

F3 Idler Pulley Kit (Esemble Roue Libre F3).
Known in Australia as a Idler Belt Kit.
For the technically minded.....
Appears that the swing arm (injection Moulded) and roller are made from Acetal so will be strong and last along time.
Japanese NSK roller bearings in roller and possibly in the pivot point.
Bolts are Class 8.8 medium Carbon Steel Heat treated. Proof load of 600 Mpa with Nilock nuts.
The spring looks like good quality also But I will be keeping an eye on it for corrosion.
The bracket is 2.5 mm (1/10 inch) plate steel.
It has about 6.5 kg pre load when flat.
Shame on BRP for not putting this on originally.
BRP will most probably still have it as an option to recoup R&D costs and hence avoid liability for an imaginary vibration (one that most of owners have experienced).

[IdleUp]

Thanks for the reply's - If anyone wants to thank BRP for deliberately leaving off an Idler Pulley that they knew was required, that's fine! You can't tell me that no one at BRP felt this belt vibrating. Everyone including BRP knew the F3 had a problem - my selling dealer told me and I quote; "speed up or slow down when the bike starts shaking its the belt"

If BRP would have acted responsible - they would have issued a notice and installed the part they intentionally left off your bike. Instead, they elected to play dumb about the problem then secretly designed this "Band Aid" Tonka Toy plastic Idler fix and the forced their customers to:

Find out "why" their bike was vibrating

To Incur the cost to buy the part and shipping.

To Incur the inconvenience to transport their bike to a dealer.

To incur the cost of 2-3 hours for a mechanic to install the part.

If you feel good saying thanks to BRP screwing us over on this problem then please go right ahead - But you can count me out!

Regards - Mike

[Cruzr Joe]

Thanks for the reply's - If anyone wants to thank BRP for deliberately leaving off an Idler Pulley that they knew was required, that's fine! You can't tell me that no one at BRP felt this belt vibrating. Everyone including BRP knew the F3 had a problem - my selling dealer told me and I quote; "speed up or slow down when the bike starts shaking its the belt"

If BRP would have acted responsible - they would have issued a notice and installed the part they intentionally left off your bike. Instead, they elected to play dumb about the problem then secretly designed this "Band Aid" Tonka Toy plastic Idler fix and the forced their customers to:

Find out "why" their bike was vibrating

To Incur the cost to buy the part and shipping.

To Incur the inconvenience to transport their bike to a dealer.

To incur the cost of 2-3 hours for a mechanic to install the part.

If you feel good saying thanks to BRP screwing us over on this problem then please go right ahead - But you can count me out!

Regards - Mike

Snickers.jpg

Don't let the petty things in life bother you, enjoy the day.

Cruzr Joe

[IdleUp]

It's not all that "cheap ass", Mike. Bigwhammy did some analysis on it and it's pretty solidly made. See below -

F3 Idler Pulley Kit (Esemble Roue Libre F3).
Known in Australia as a Idler Belt Kit.
For the technically minded.....
Appears that the swing arm (injection Moulded) and roller are made from Acetal so will be strong and last along time.
Japanese NSK roller bearings in roller and possibly in the pivot point.
Bolts are Class 8.8 medium Carbon Steel Heat treated. Proof load of 600 Mpa with Nilock nuts.
The spring looks like good quality also But I will be keeping an eye on it for corrosion.
The bracket is 2.5 mm (1/10 inch) plate steel.
It has about 6.5 kg pre load when flat.
Shame on BRP for not putting this on originally.
BRP will most probably still have it as an option to recoup R&D costs and hence avoid liability for an imaginary vibration (one that most of owners have experienced).

Thanks for the reply - I'm not trying to be overly negative however this idler in no way compares to a commercial made Idler. If anything goes wrong such as debris jamming it up or a bearing getting tight or locking up, the bearing will spin in that plastic pulley and melt down will occur in just seconds.

By the way guys - the BRP Idler is available from Amazon with free shipping

https://www.amazon.com/Can-Am-Spyder.../dp/B01MDU1QJC

[DLewis]

Thanks for the detailed instructions Mike! Took me all of 30 min. with your help. I'm glad I read this before trying to "wing it" per the BRP pics... saved me some time and $$!!

[Jeriatric]

Always a fan boy around to carry BRP's water.

[finsfanscott]

Thanks for the helpful thread, installed mine yesterday!

[BoxyLady]

Also, keep in mind your F3 is still going to vibrate at 60 mph from the imbalance of the engine. Our 3 cyl engines will never be as smooth as the first 2 cyl power plant Can Am's.

Regards - Mike

Just a note. i installed doc humprey's vibration dampener which is far from being a piece of plastic, by the way. a very nicely designed and milled piece of kit he has. Just mentioning it as numerous folks who tried the BRP unit have had to replace it several times due to it's construction materials and workmanship.

Also, our 2016 F3 limited has 0 vibration at any speed. we feel nothing through the foot boards, seat, or handlebar, whether it's 30mph or 80 or anywhere in between.

Like the OP I will never get over the gall of BRP in this respect. It just takes huge attachments for a company to improperly engineer/design/manufacture a product that universally exhibits this type of flaw, and charges the customer to fix it.

[BazF]

"numerous folks had to replace the BRP tensioner"
Well, I know ryders who have fitted the BRP item who have no complaints whatever.

[Peteoz]

"numerous folks had to replace the BRP tensioner"
Well, I know ryders who have fitted the BRP item who have no complaints whatever.

That’s probably why BoxyLady said “numerous folks” and not “everybody”, Baz
There have been quite a few reports of the roller bearing starting to fail on the BRP tensioner. I know, I was one, and my BRP tensioner was installed by a dealer. I now have Doc’s tensioner which I installed myself and it’s working a treat

Pete