Tension/Alignment screws

[treva]

I want to lower the belt tension on my 2017 F3-S from 225lbs to around 180 lbs on the ground. Trouble is the right & left belt alignment/tension adjustment screws will only turn about 1/6 of a turn each. Don't want to force these screws for obvious reasons. Anyone had this problem & how did one fix it?

[Mikey]

If the axle bolt is loosened up you should be able to turn them any way you want, butt if you are turning them in make sure the caps that the screws are in don't get loose also, then you have to put your wrench over the head of the axle and tap it fwd till they are tight agaist the swing arm. there is a good you tube on it.

[treva]

If the axle bolt is loosened up you should be able to turn them any way you want, butt if you are turning them in make sure the caps that the screws are in don't get loose also, then you have to put your wrench over the head of the axle and tap it fwd till they are tight agaist the swing arm. there is a good you tube on it.

Mikey, thanks for the reply. Yes the axle nut is very loose, but the screws refuse to turn any more than as stated.

[jcthorne]

Do not attempt to turn those screws with the rear wheel on the ground. You should never have loosened the axle nut with full belt tension on the axle either. The adjustment screws are under significant load. Raise the rear wheel off the ground to adjust tension.

Tension measurement should be done with the rear wheel off the ground and the swing arm hanging on the rear shock. That is a known point in the swing arm arc and where the tension in the service manuals is specified. It goes up from there depending on how much load is on the bike.

[PW2013STL]

Assuming you are turning them counter clock wise. I would remove the axle nut completely to see if your axle is up tight to the swing arm slot. If so you have no more adjustment, but if not you may need to raise the Spyder off the ground to take the pressure off the tire to allow you to move it forward.

[treva]

Do not attempt to turn those screws with the rear wheel on the ground. You should never have loosened the axle nut with full belt tension on the axle either. The adjustment screws are under significant load. Raise the rear wheel off the ground to adjust tension.

Tension measurement should be done with the rear wheel off the ground and the swing arm hanging on the rear shock. That is a known point in the swing arm arc and where the tension in the service manuals is specified. It goes up from there depending on how much load is on the bike.

Assuming you are turning them counter clock wise. I would remove the axle nut completely to see if your axle is up tight to the swing arm slot. If so you have no more adjustment, but if not you may need to raise the Spyder off the ground to take the pressure off the tire to allow you to move it forward.

Thanks jcthorne. I loosened the right hand side axle nut to finger tight prior to lifting the wheel off the ground before i attempted to adjust either screw. Not sure what you mean by '' you should never have loosened the axle nut with full belt tension on the axle either''. Could you please explain.

[treva]

Assuming you are turning them counter clock wise. I would remove the axle nut completely to see if your axle is up tight to the swing arm slot. If so you have no more adjustment, but if not you may need to raise the Spyder off the ground to take the pressure off the tire to allow you to move it forward.

Thanks PW2013STL. I marked both screws prior to adjusting to see how much i would have turned them when finished. Yes, tried turning both screws c/clockwise, but would only turn about a 1/6 of a turn. Tried turning them clockwise but they only turned back to where they were before turning c/clockwise. I'll check out your suggestion regarding the ''axle is up tight to the swing arm slot''.

[Chupaca]

there have been some issues with those adjusters on the F3's breaking. If you cannot get them to adjust you might want to take it to the dealer and let them work with it. If they do break they can warranty them and save you the trouble and time. If the threads have been streched or damaged you may have to replace them anyway. Going back and forth with as much force as you feel safe with is the only way to maybe get them to turn freely....

[treva]

there have been some issues with those adjusters on the F3's breaking. If you cannot get them to adjust you might want to take it to the dealer and let them work with it. If they do break they can warranty them and save you the trouble and time. If the threads have been streched or damaged you may have to replace them anyway. Going back and forth with as much force as you feel safe with is the only way to maybe get them to turn freely....

Yes Chupaca, I'm going to try a few of the other suggestions, but ''going back & forth safely'' hopefully will free them. If not, then it's the dealer's problem. Thank you.

[treva]

With the wheel off the ground i screwed the right hand nut off the axle. Had to remove muffler to get a good view of the sliding block which the adjusting screws move. Tapped the axle in a little & it felt free. Tried to turn the screws but they refused to move. Next with a piece of wood under the wheel, i levered the wheel up & down gently. At the same time i tried adjusting the screws & hey presto they moved & quite easily.
Belt tension is now at 180lbs with wheel on the ground & belt alignment is good.[ slightly wider than a credit card at rear & 2 credit cards at the front sprocket ].

Thanks for the above posts & they were food for thought.

[PW2013STL]

Good to hear!

Thanks for letting us know

[Mikey]

Sounds like a light spray of wd may be in order! Good to hear you got it!!