Best belt tensioner = No belt tensioner at all !

[MagYukon]

Hi,

Just my recent experience.

In 2017, after a few rides with my 2016 F3T, I decided to put the BRP belt tensioner. Since then, vibration was gone and everything was fine.

After reading many comments on failure of those tensioner, I pulled the trigger on the upgraded Pulley from Lamonster last year.

When I removed the BRP one, after about 20 000Km, everything was looking just fine. so the replacement was more for a peace of mind.

Las friday, I went back home from a very short ride and started to hear a very strange noise. As soon as I got home, I started my investigation to come up to a very bad, broken pulley which was probably starting to hurt my belt. By chance, everything seems to be OK on the belt.

20200523_032439222_iOS-544x725.jpg
20200523_032500245_iOS-544x725.jpg
20200523_032507760_iOS-544x725.jpg

what the roller looks like new
Roller 2.0.jpg

Since my first tensionner installation, I had my rear tire replaced and never tried the Spyder without my tensioner. To my surprise, it looks like the shop who did the installation of my new rear tire had adjusted my belt to the exact correct setup because I fell no vibration at all after removing the defective tensioner.

That's why I think that the best of all Belt tensioner you can have is the one that you don't have to install on your Spyder !

[BajaRon]

That is really too bad having your bearing fail (which is what I assumed happened). I would think these little wheels turn at an astounding speed. It's good you caught this before you lost the belt as well.

I don't think it is possible. Or at least reasonably possible, to get everyone's belt adjusted so that there is no vibration at all at any speed. You are very fortunate.

One other, slightly off subject, thing I would like to mention is that these are not 'Tensioners', though you hear them called this all the time. They are Vibration Dampeners. They do not add any meaningful increase to belt tension. I hope everyone understands that their sole function is to reduce, or eliminate, belt vibration. 'Belt Tensioner' is a misnomer for this device.

[MagYukon]

That is really too bad having your bearing fail (which is what I assumed happened). I would think these little wheels turn at an astounding speed. It's good you caught this before you lost the belt as well.

I don't think it is possible. Or at least reasonably possible, to get everyone's belt adjusted so that there is no vibration at all at any speed. You are very fortunate.

One other, slightly off subject, thing I would like to mention is that these are not 'Tensioners', though you hear them called this all the time. They are Vibration Dampeners. They do not add any meaningful increase to belt tension. I hope everyone understands that their sole function is to reduce, or eliminate, belt vibration. 'Belt Tensioner' is a misnomer for this device.

You are right. it is not a tensioner. But it looks like it's what most people are calling them.

My point was not really to scare anyone or to make bad comments on product. I just want to advise everyone to be aware of what can happend.

And most of all, always listen to your Spyder. If you listen to it, you can prevent a lot of bad things.

[JP58]

I like the belt Dampener. It makes my F3L smooth. I will always use Lamonsters. That said it is not a lifetime part. It is a maintenance item. I will change the roller out every 10,000 miles which is coming up in 2k miles. It looks fine but for 50 bucks every 10k it is much cheaper than a belt. It also gives me some peace of mind.

[BajaRon]

You are right. it is not a tensioner. But it looks like it's what most people are calling them.

My point was not really to scare anyone or to make bad comments on product. I just want to advise everyone to be aware of what can happened.

And most of all, always listen to your Spyder. If you listen to it, you can prevent a lot of bad things.

Yes, fully understood. And not a bad time, at the beginning of the riding season, to mention it. Could same someone a belt for sure.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

After I got my new 14 RT home, one of the first things I did was to take some of the OEM tension from the drive belt .... I remeber way back when BRP had the tension way to high and there were quite a few Bearing failures .... I have run lower tension on all three of my Spyders and never had an issue .... that also removed 98% of the belt vibes I had....... annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd it was free .... I have discovered during my 73 years that there are folks who let " less than perfect " .... Ruin there lives ... I have high standards, but to me Perfect doesn't always have to be achieved ..... good luck .... Mike

[stu]

So mike what tension do you run.

[FastOldGuy]

Following. I was also thinking to loosen the tension a small amount.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

So mike what tension do you run.

I learned to use numbers that work while the Spyder is on the ground .... 150 -160 lbs using a KriKit II gauge .... Mike

[RICZ]

Here's a tip for prolonging the life of sealed bearings. Carefully remove the seal - it's just pressed in lightly - and add more grease to the paltry amount that's in there.

[Freddy]

[Navydad]

Seems everyone's bike reacts differently to the belt tension settings. I had vibration and installed Docs dampener. It worked great for just over 20,000 miles and it was starting to fail. Since the weather wasn't great and I was bored I decided to play with various belt tension settings. I went with the 160 on the ground as many use and the vibrations were bad. I kept going down all the way to 140 and no improvement. What the heck, lets go the other way just for giggles. I found a sweet spot at 180 measured with Kriket wheel on the ground. No vibes at all until 90 mph. I can live with that. 2015 RT ridden two up 95% of the time. No more dampener for me.

[FastOldGuy]

Here's a tip for prolonging the life of sealed bearings. Carefully remove the seal - it's just pressed in lightly - and add more grease to the paltry amount that's in there.

After years of Bearing Seminars and educations, 100% grease is not good.

[Deputy Dog]

What is the best to use?

[RICZ]

After years of Bearing Seminars and educations, 100% grease is not good.

On another thread, I added a shoulda sed. Clean the bearing of the old grease and do not completely fill with the new. Also, when I had my machine repair biz, the bearings I dealt with turned a lot slower than those on tensioners.

[BajaRon]

What is the best to use?

I would definitely use a high quality, fully synthetic, bearing grease. And I agree, more is not better in a sealed environment. You need only enough to coat all surfaces, and just a LITTLE bit more.

[T.P.]

Once a side shield blows out it's open to all the moisture and road grit till it seizes up and stops rolling and chucks a ball bearing or 2 out the side.
looks like that's what happened to yours.

T.P.

[stu]

Thanks mike

[SpyderAnn01]

Hi,

Just my recent experience.

In 2017, after a few rides with my 2016 F3T, I decided to put the BRP belt tensioner. Since then, vibration was gone and everything was fine.

After reading many comments on failure of those tensioner, I pulled the trigger on the upgraded Pulley from Lamonster last year.

When I removed the BRP one, after about 20 000Km, everything was looking just fine. so the replacement was more for a peace of mind.

Las friday, I went back home from a very short ride and started to hear a very strange noise. As soon as I got home, I started my investigation to come up to a very bad, broken pulley which was probably starting to hurt my belt. By chance, everything seems to be OK on the belt.

20200523_032439222_iOS-544x725.jpg
20200523_032500245_iOS-544x725.jpg
20200523_032507760_iOS-544x725.jpg

what the roller looks like new
Roller 2.0.jpg

Since my first tensionner installation, I had my rear tire replaced and never tried the Spyder without my tensioner. To my surprise, it looks like the shop who did the installation of my new rear tire had adjusted my belt to the exact correct setup because I fell no vibration at all after removing the defective tensioner.

That's why I think that the best of all Belt tensioner you can have is the one that you don't have to install on your Spyder !

Totally agree, I had a “ million mile” tensioner that crapped out about 950,000 miles short and took out my belt.