Guess who needs a new front sprocket?

[SpyderWolf]

My Spyder developed an issue where as I was ryding at low speed I could hear a whining noise coming from the front sprocket area. It sounded like a belt slipping on a car engine, but with the toothed belt on the Spyder I knew it couldn't be slipping. My rear belt alignment looked good, so I had no idea what it could be.

I took it to the dealer 2 Fridays ago for the DPS replacement, and they attempted to adjust the drive belt in order to remedy the noise situation without any luck. The owner said he was going to have to call BRP about it and see what they wanted him to do next. They got in touch with BRP and needed me to bring the Spyder back so they could remove the belt and check everything out.

I was supposed to drop it off today, but on Wednesday I checked the weather report and it was going to be 34 and raining this morning. The weather man was actually right on the money with this forecast. Lucky for me I left work early on Wednesday and rode it to the dealership to drop it off before they closed. I figured with the crummy weather I wouldn't be ryding anyway so it didn't really matter. As I was ryding down there my wife followed in the car and said she could hear the Spyder making a high pitched whine. It takes nearly an hour and a half to get to the dealer. I had my headphones in so I couldn't hear it, but I did notice the vibrations were much worse than I had ever felt, especially between 4600 and 4800 RPMs. That was enough to literally rattle my teeth, so I knew the problem was getting worse.

I just got off the phone with them, and apparently my front sprocket got out of alignment somehow. The belt was rubbing against the sprocket and actually wore a couple of grooves in it. So far they are ordering a new front sprocket and will install it when it comes in. Then BRP wants them to test it and see if there are any other problems, or alignment issues, with the new sprocket installed. So, as of right now, my Spyder is getting a new front sprocket at a minimum. I am seriously hoping there is nothing more serious with it than that, but only time will tell.

This is the first time my Spyder has spent the night somewhere else since I bought it, and it is a very strange feeling indeed. At least it is getting taken care of during the winter time, and hopefully I will be trouble free for the rest of the year.

[docdoru]

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=14189

[Firefly]

Bummer for sure..... hopefully the splined shaft is good--- sounds like it should be.

According to the shop manual, if they replace the front sprocket they should replace the belt and the rear sprocket too.

That being said, I know some that have replaced just the front without a problem---- doc seems to go through them every few months------

I've got a spare front sprocket and bolt that I carry on long trips-- just in case.....

Keep us posted.

[Raptor]

My Spyder developed an issue where as I was ryding at low speed I could hear a whining noise coming from the front sprocket area. It sounded like a belt slipping on a car engine, but with the toothed belt on the Spyder I knew it couldn't be slipping. My rear belt alignment looked good, so I had no idea what it could be.

I took it to the dealer 2 Fridays ago for the DPS replacement, and they attempted to adjust the drive belt in order to remedy the noise situation without any luck. The owner said he was going to have to call BRP about it and see what they wanted him to do next. They got in touch with BRP and needed me to bring the Spyder back so they could remove the belt and check everything out.

I was supposed to drop it off today, but on Wednesday I checked the weather report and it was going to be 34 and raining this morning. The weather man was actually right on the money with this forecast. Lucky for me I left work early on Wednesday and rode it to the dealership to drop it off before they closed. I figured with the crummy weather I wouldn't be ryding anyway so it didn't really matter. As I was ryding down there my wife followed in the car and said she could hear the Spyder making a high pitched whine. It takes nearly an hour and a half to get to the dealer. I had my headphones in so I couldn't hear it, but I did notice the vibrations were much worse than I had ever felt, especially between 4600 and 4800 RPMs. That was enough to literally rattle my teeth, so I knew the problem was getting worse.

I just got off the phone with them, and apparently my front sprocket got out of alignment somehow. The belt was rubbing against the sprocket and actually wore a couple of grooves in it. So far they are ordering a new front sprocket and will install it when it comes in. Then BRP wants them to test it and see if there are any other problems, or alignment issues, with the new sprocket installed. So, as of right now, my Spyder is getting a new front sprocket at a minimum. I am seriously hoping there is nothing more serious with it than that, but only time will tell.

This is the first time my Spyder has spent the night somewhere else since I bought it, and it is a very strange feeling indeed. At least it is getting taken care of during the winter time, and hopefully I will be trouble free for the rest of the year.

Sorry to hear that brother, but glad it's getting taken care of. I wonder how the belt looks? And if the belt needs replacing who will pick up the check for it. It doesn't sound like you got any warning at all before things went wrong. I'm just glad you weren't 300 miles away. I sure hope the trouble is localized to the front sprocket and that everything inside the engine casing is OK.

[SpyderWolf]

http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=14189

I may have just reached 17,000 miles on mine, when did your first one let go. I also had the belt tension adjusted and bolt re-torqued, but it may have been too little too late for me.

Bummer for sure..... hopefully the splined shaft is good--- sounds like it should be.

According to the shop manual, if they replace the front sprocket they should replace the belt and the rear sprocket too.

That being said, I know some that have replaced just the front without a problem---- doc seems to go through them every few months------

I've got a spare front sprocket and bolt that I carry on long trips-- just in case.....

Keep us posted.

I did not ask for enough details when he said replacing the front sprocket. I am assuming they are ordering whatever may be damaged. I know that could be a bad thing, but have to trust them at the same time. He did mention checking some other bearings as well, so we will see. Oh yeah, I forgot they are putting a new belt on it as well. These belts must be pretty dang tough though, and I am happy it didn't break or anything.

Sorry to hear that brother, but glad it's getting taken care of. I wonder how the belt looks? And if the belt needs replacing who will pick up the check for it. It doesn't sound like you got any warning at all before things went wrong. I'm just glad you weren't 300 miles away. I sure hope the trouble is localized to the front sprocket and that everything inside the engine casing is OK.

It sounds like BRP is going to take care of this one for me. The engine casing will be the next place they are going to investigate if there are still issues with the new sprocket and belt. That is why I am hoping for the best right now.

[Aussie spyder]

I hope for you that it is the pulley only.my spyder shaft has to be replace and the bearings. estimated time 20 hrs.engine has to be taken out of the frame, casing split parts replaced and every thing put back again.spyder is at the dealer for over 6 weeks waiting for parts.

greetings Henk Australia

[SpyderWolf]

I hope for you that it is the pulley only.my spyder shaft has to be replace and the bearings. estimated time 20 hrs.engine has to be taken out of the frame, casing split parts replaced and every thing put back again.spyder is at the dealer for over 6 weeks waiting for parts.

greetings Henk Australia

Thanks for the well wishes Henk! I am sorry to hear your Spyder is in that shape, and am definitely hoping mine doesn't have to go that far to be fixed. I wish you the best in getting yours squared away soon.

[Firefly]

Make sure and tell them you want to keep the old belt---- would make a good spare to carry in case of emergency..........

[SpyderWolf]

Make sure and tell them you want to keep the old belt---- would make a good spare to carry in case of emergency..........

That's a good idea, if it doesn't really show any obvious damage, I didn't see any when I was checking it before dropping it off, especially with having 2 Spyders to look out for. Thanks for the tip.

Hopefully by this time next week you'll be planning your riding for the weekend. I hope all goes well.

I am hoping so as well. They are currently thinking the new parts will be there by Wednesday, depending on the weather, so next weekend may just be a possibility.

I am keeping a positive outlook on it. It is much easier to do this when it is cold and raining outside than if it was in the middle of beautiful ryding weather as well. But it is what it is.

[Lamonster]

Sorry to hear that Bro. I hope you caught it before there was damage to the shaft.

[IWN2RYD]

Sorry to hear that Bro. I hope you caught it before there was damage to the shaft.

And with that I think I will order one for my tool box just in case... Maybe a belt as well

[SpyderWolf]

Sorry to hear that Bro. I hope you caught it before there was damage to the shaft.

Thanks Lamont. I noticed the noise for a little while, but if the vibration was any different I didn't really notice it until after they attempted to adjust the belt to stop the noise issue. They played with it for quite a while, but no matter where they set it on the rear sprocket the problem was still there. I rode it home from the dealer 1.5 hours, and did notice a difference in vibration during the trip but adjusted the RPM range to get rid of it. It sat at the house until I took it back to them, another 1.5 hour ryde, and the vibration was a whole lot worse. This was the first time I had someone else, my wife in the car, tell me they could hear the whining at speed as well.

I am hoping that I caught it early enough that no damage was done to the shaft. At the same time I am a little worried because I obviously didn't catch it before it wore grooves into the pulley.

[SpyderWolf]

And with that I think I will order one for my tool box just in case... Maybe a belt as well

I would hope that with the new lower belt tension spec and the re-torquing of your front bolt at 6,000 miles, that the primary cause of failure has been resolved. At least half the miles on my Spyder were put there before the belt tension was lowered, so there is a chance that I have had an issue for a long time and it just slowly worked its way to this point. It seems like it has been quite a while since we have read of another sprocket failure on here, especially since the lower tension deal.

I know Doc has been through several, SethO, BJT, DLTang, and Aussie Spyder have had issues as well. Are there many more than that so far, or am I now a member of an elite group of ryders?

However, with all of that said, it might not be a bad idea to have those parts in your toolbox if you think you may need them some day. My hope would be the sprocket will rust and fall apart before you ever needed it though.

[docdoru]

With the shaft damaged one can ryde the Spyder with a new sprocket for about 8-10 k. Not recommended ...

[groundeffect]

Michael, sure hope things work out good here, and it looks as if your Dealer and BRP are working good together, so . Hopefully you'll be back and Spydering again soon, without other issues.

All the best of luck from Newfoundland.
Dean

[sylblk]

same happened to my machine, first sprocket splines damaged by loose bolt. second sprocket lost on freeway speeds. the se5 constantly goes on a accell/decell snap to front sprocket during the throttle blip downshifts. threads in the output shaft damaged by loss of bolt... enough with this. after threading shaft to a larger bolt, i drilled small hole on bolt's head and safety wired to sprocket. no locktite needed and rechecked torque every oil change. no problem. recommend this to all spyders expecially se5's.

[SpyderWolf]

With the shaft damaged one can ryde the Spyder with a new sprocket for about 8-10 k. Not recommended ...

I certainly hope they don't give it back to me with a damaged shaft. That would definitely suck, and cause even greater problems in the future. I expect my Spyder to last for at least as many miles as you got out of your first engine.

Michael, sure hope things work out good here, and it looks as if your Dealer and BRP are working good together, so . Hopefully you'll be back and Spydering again soon, without other issues.

All the best of luck from Newfoundland.
Dean

Thanks Dean. I should also count myself fortunate that this is not my only means of transport, as it is for yourself and some others on here.

same happened to my machine, first sprocket splines damaged by loose bolt. second sprocket lost on freeway speeds. the se5 constantly goes on a accell/decell snap to front sprocket during the throttle blip downshifts. threads in the output shaft damaged by loss of bolt... enough with this. after threading shaft to a larger bolt, i drilled small hole on bolt's head and safety wired to sprocket. no locktite needed and rechecked torque every oil change. no problem. recommend this to all spyders expecially se5's.

That is a very interesting solution to the problem. What size bolt did you thread the shaft for?

There is a part of me that wonders how well the Spyder would do if converted over to a chain drive instead of the belt? I never had any sprocket issues on my sport bike, and I also had the ability to switch out the sprocket sizes based on what type of performance I wanted. Of course, I am pretty sure it would be best to wait until my Spyder is out of warranty before doing something like this.

[sylblk]

14mm shank don't remember thread pitch but the damaged hole was just the right size for the new thread after the original bolt stripped the shaft hole. imho, it's a bad idea to retighten a bolt fittted with thread locking. techically, the bolt should be removed, threads chased with tap and die and new thread locker ( locktite) should be used every time . safety wiring eliminates the need for thread locking compounds and is time tested guarantee the fastener will never come loose...

[SpyderWolf]

14mm shank don't remember thread pitch but the damaged hole was just the right size for the new thread after the original bolt stripped the shaft hole. imho, it's a bad idea to retighten a bolt fittted with thread locking. techically, the bolt should be removed, threads chased with tap and die and new thread locker ( locktite) should be used every time . safety wiring eliminates the need for thread locking compounds and is time tested guarantee the fastener will never come loose...

Thanks for the additional info. I appreciate it.

[jimcrom]

I just got mine back after 19,000 miles with a replacement of the shaft and the sprocket. $2250 for the repairs. (not covered by extended warranty/Western Services) I was at a shop and when I showed them the parts, an off hand suggestion to consider; inspect the sprocket more often as it is cheaper to replace a sprocket than replacing the shaft and the sprocket.

I hope for you that it is the pulley only.my spyder shaft has to be replace and the bearings. estimated time 20 hrs.engine has to be taken out of the frame, casing split parts replaced and every thing put back again.spyder is at the dealer for over 6 weeks waiting for parts.

greetings Henk Australia

[SpyderWolf]

I just got mine back after 19,000 miles with a replacement of the shaft and the sprocket. $2250 for the repairs. (not covered by extended warranty/Western Services) I was at a shop and when I showed them the parts, an off hand suggestion to consider; inspect the sprocket more often as it is cheaper to replace a sprocket than replacing the shaft and the sprocket.

Ouch on it not being covred by the extended warranty you bought. Mine is still under factory warranty, and then the BEST will kick in for 3 years after that. Sorry to hear this ended up costing you on top of the warranty you bought.

[Raptor]

I certainly hope they don't give it back to me with a damaged shaft. That would definitely suck, and cause even greater problems in the future. I expect my Spyder to last for at least as many miles as you got out of your first engine.

Same here! I'm thinkin at this point to re-torque that front bolt every oil change now. Since you are already in that area and have the covers off it sure can't hurt.

There is a part of me that wonders how well the Spyder would do if converted over to a chain drive instead of the belt? I never had any sprocket issues on my sport bike, and I also had the ability to switch out the sprocket sizes based on what type of performance I wanted. Of course, I am pretty sure it would be best to wait until my Spyder is out of warranty before doing something like this.

I have thought the very same thing on numerous occations. Now that these reports of sprocket issues are coming up it makes me think about it even more. Camtecj, The gentleman with the show Spyder did it so we know it can be done. That might just be on my list of post-warranty things to do.

[SpyderWolf]

I actually think the reports of front sprocket trouble have slowed down a whole lot since the lower belt tension specs were set. Perhaps I am delusional though.

I was talking to a friend of mine about possibly converting it to chain drive after the warranty is up, and he reminded me that I live down a dirt, mostly sand, road. I wasn't even thinking of that part of the equation.

[musicarcade]

I actually think the reports of front sprocket trouble have slowed down a whole lot since the lower belt tension specs were set. Perhaps I am delusional though.

I was talking to a friend of mine about possibly converting it to chain drive after the warranty is up, and he reminded me that I live down a dirt, mostly sand, road. I wasn't even thinking of that part of the equation.

Hey Michael, sorry to hear of your issues- hope your back on the road soon.

[SpyderWolf]

Hey Michael, sorry to hear of your issues- hope your back on the road soon.

Thanks Tom. No word from the dealer today, so I am hoping the parts will show up tomorrow. Weather is supposed to get cold and rainy again, so that makes it easier to be patient.