Guess who needs a new front sprocket?

[COOLMACHINE]

Sorry to hear Spyderwolf. I had over $4 grand in repairs on my spyder engine/trans/belt etc at 16 thousand miles. At the time, they did not replace the front drive sprocket so at 22 thousand miles, it went out as well. Warranty took care of it. Have only put a couple hundred miles on it since.

[musicarcade]

Sorry to hear Spyderwolf. I had over $4 grand in repairs on my spyder engine/trans/belt etc at 16 thousand miles. At the time, they did not replace the front drive sprocket so at 22 thousand miles, it went out as well. Warranty took care of it. Have only put a couple hundred miles on it since.

Man, you guys are REALLY getting me nervous! I have over 15k miles on my and I am planning to ryde to Maggie Valley in June and to Arizona next Sept.
I should be up to 20K by June.
I was hoping not to see a Spyder service center until late August just for a checkup to make sure my is ready for a long distance trip.

[Sarge707]

This group is Soo valuable. I,m going to Retorque every oil change and really consider a New Sprocket at 18-20 Thousand? $65 is cheap insurance because you KNOW we don,t like it in the Shop!!

[SpyderWolf]

Sorry to hear Spyderwolf. I had over $4 grand in repairs on my spyder engine/trans/belt etc at 16 thousand miles. At the time, they did not replace the front drive sprocket so at 22 thousand miles, it went out as well. Warranty took care of it. Have only put a couple hundred miles on it since.

Wow, I am hoping that is not the road I am heading down right now. Even though the warranty will take care of it, I am really missing it right now.

Man, you guys are REALLY getting me nervous! I have over 15k miles on my and I am planning to ryde to Maggie Valley in June and to Arizona next Sept.
I should be up to 20K by June.
I was hoping not to see a Spyder service center until late August just for a checkup to make sure my is ready for a long distance trip.

I will be praying for your Spyder as well Tom. With as much time as it has spent in the shop already, you would think it has become allergic to going there, and should run great just by threatening it.

This group is Soo valuable. I,m going to Retorque every oil change and really consider a New Sprocket at 18-20 Thousand? $65 is cheap insurance because you KNOW we don,t like it in the Shop!!

If the sprocket is only $65 then that would definitely be some cheap insurance, plus I wouldn't expect it to take up too much room in the trunk or any bags. Might not be a bad idea.

I called the dealer today and was informed the part came in on Wednesday and my Spyder was currently on the rack being worked on. I did not hear anything back from them before they closed, so will probably give them until noon tomorrow before calling back for a status update. I am still trying to stay positive about the whole thing.

[SpyderWolf]

My Spyder is still a no go as of today and the dealer is going to work with BRP some more to try to figure out what is going on. They got the new pulley and installed it along with a new belt, and worked on trying to align it for a long time. They were able to get the rear properly aligned, but the front is running too far to the outside and they are not sure why. I highly doubt I will be picking it up tomorrow, so due to the distance and work it will be at least next Friday before I can even think of picking it up. I am hoping they are able to fix the problem by then. It is getting a little more difficult to be patient, and positive, because it was gorgeous ryding weather today and will be for the rest of the weekend.

On a side note, I did ask them to ask BRP if the new 2011 sprocket can be retrofitted to the 08-10 Spyders. I am hoping they will remember to ask, and let me know what BRP says about it. In the end that may be the actual fix for all of the sprocket troubles people have had.

[Eraser]

Michael,sorry to hear that they can't cut her loose just yet.Keep the updates coming and try to keep your cool!

[Arthur---Mexico]

Freinds, Don;'t think about converting your belt drive to roller chain. There will be a big lubrication problem and a slapping situation caused by the long center distance. I imagine the whining sound is caused by a bad bearing either in the rear wheel or in the transmission. A spine fit is a snug fit. There are press fit splines too and they are used on components that don't need replacing where torque transfer is the important thing, like when you have to attach a large diameter component to a smaller shaft, where a single keyway isn't suffice to transmit the torque. I can understand why a bad bearing in either the transmission or the rear wheel can't be heard when running in reverse. You go very slow in reverse. After the whining of a bearing the next thing that happens is that the bearing will usually freeze. When a bearing freezes while being rotated something has to give. The bearing's inner race will spin/slip on the OD on the shaft it's mounted on or the outer race will spin in the bore that holds it tightly. In both cases this rotary movement will ruin the surface seat of the shaft or the interior diameter of the box that the outer race of the bearing fits in. It is fatal to either component. So a noisy bearing is a very bad sign and requires immediate attention. Whining can also be caused by bad gears in the transmission. The bolt that holds the sprocket to the splined shaft is there only to not permit axial movement of the sprocket, nothing more. It doesn't transmit rotary movement. If a spline fit is poorly machined (and it happens) and loose, the pulsing of the motor will cause the spline of the softer component to wear. It isn't wear that produces chips, it's more of a forging action of moving metal and it is progressive.

[Aussie spyder]

Hi Spyderwolf.
I did have the same problem.belt running o.k on the back but on the front it did run in to engine casing.the spline on the shaft was worn out and movement in the shaft bearing.
greetings henk.

[PCBeachBum]

My Spyder is still a no go as of today and the dealer is going to work with BRP some more to try to figure out what is going on. They got the new pulley and installed it along with a new belt, and worked on trying to align it for a long time. They were able to get the rear properly aligned, but the front is running too far to the outside and they are not sure why. I highly doubt I will be picking it up tomorrow, so due to the distance and work it will be at least next Friday before I can even think of picking it up. I am hoping they are able to fix the problem by then. It is getting a little more difficult to be patient, and positive, because it was gorgeous ryding weather today and will be for the rest of the weekend.

On a side note, I did ask them to ask BRP if the new 2011 sprocket can be retrofitted to the 08-10 Spyders. I am hoping they will remember to ask, and let me know what BRP says about it. In the end that may be the actual fix for all of the sprocket troubles people have had.

Michael, I was hoping to see better news about your Spyder as stated in my email. Hang in there my friend its best to get it all at once. Instead of getting it back, only to find out you still have a problem that has gotten worse with the shaft and bearing problems. This way you know they are getting it done right the first time and the good weather will be around for a longtime to come, this season.

[SpyderWolf]

Thaks for the support everyone.

Arthur, everything you posted makes perfect sense but so far they haven't found anything wrong with the bearings or shaft, at least that they have told me of. What they did say is that my pulley was actually warped and the belt cut those grooves into it. I am thinking in order to warp the pulley, there had to be a weakness somewhere else and this may just be the beginning of a very long journey.

Henk, mine sounds like yours with the exception that my belt is running too far on the outside of the front sprocket, and they can't get it to shift over yet. Their thinking right now is that if they give it back to me it is just going to do the same thing all over again.

I wish when I call they would give me a blow by blow description of everything they are doing and what they have tried. So far I haven't gotten that and am providing you with exactly what I have been told. This leaves me wondering about many things, such as is the shaft still straight, are all of the bearings good, is the rear sprocket damamged, and so on, but I don't have the answers to any of that yet.

It is supposed to reach 60 degrees today, there is not a cloud in the sky, it is kind of windy, and would be a great day for a ryde.

[docdoru]

What they did say is that my pulley was actually warped and the belt cut those grooves into it.

Did they check the back whell bearings?

[Raptor]

Thaks for the support everyone.

Arthur, everything you posted makes perfect sense but so far they haven't found anything wrong with the bearings or shaft, at least that they have told me of. What they did say is that my pulley was actually warped and the belt cut those grooves into it. I am thinking in order to warp the pulley, there had to be a weakness somewhere else and this may just be the beginning of a very long journey.

Henk, mine sounds like yours with the exception that my belt is running too far on the outside of the front sprocket, and they can't get it to shift over yet. Their thinking right now is that if they give it back to me it is just going to do the same thing all over again.

I wish when I call they would give me a blow by blow description of everything they are doing and what they have tried. So far I haven't gotten that and am providing you with exactly what I have been told. This leaves me wondering about many things, such as is the shaft still straight, are all of the bearings good, is the rear sprocket damamged, and so on, but I don't have the answers to any of that yet.

It is supposed to reach 60 degrees today, there is not a cloud in the sky, it is kind of windy, and would be a great day for a ryde.

Mike, I am starting to get nervous for you man. I hope like that they will get this right. I don't mean to insult anyone here, but how well do you know these folks working your machine? Do you think it might be time for a second set of qualified eyes to look this over? There seem to be things that are not adding up. I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see how this plays out.

All the best, bro.

[Firefly]

They need to go back to square one on this one IMO.

Tear it all back down, replace rear bearings (all 3), put a new rear sprocket on -- then put it all back together and see how it tracks.

Shop manual says to replace front,rear and belt at the same time.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[musicarcade]

Mike, I am starting to get nervous for you man. I hope like that they will get this right. I don't mean to insult anyone here, but how well do you know these folks working your machine? Do you think it might be time for a second set of qualified eyes to look this over? There seem to be things that are not adding up. I guess we'll have to stay tuned and see how this plays out.

All the best, bro.

Believe me, Where Michael and I live there aren't a lot of options as to where you take your Spyder.

It may take a few calls to techs in Canada to get everything back to what it should be. Hopefully they will get the problem solved soon.

I understand the frustration. Hang in there Michael!

[Greg H.]

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.

The BEST had better cover the issues with mine! $2,000+!? Ouch!

[SpyderWolf]

Sorry for the delayed reply on this issue. I got my Spyder back last Friday, 2/18/2011, and rode it home with no issues. The next morning we went to Chattanooga, TN, cage trip, for a couple of days. First thing Monday morning I dropped a 42 pound plastic pail of cat litter on the inside of my right ankle, and have been out of commission and on crutches until today. Now, on to the rest of the story.

My front pulley issue was apparently different than everyone else's so far. There were some definite translation issues over the phone between myself and the dealer as to what the actual problem was. As it turns out, the pulley was not warped and the splines were fine, but it had a definite groove worn in it.

The quality of the pictures is not the best, but it is all I have.

This picture shows the shiny groove that was worn into the pulley. If you notice the black area to the left, that ridge was high enough to catch your fingernail on, and keep the belt from being able to move out of the groove for proper adjustment.



The outer flange on the pulley also had some serious wear marks on it where the belt was rubbing the metal away. That would be the squealing noise I was hearing. You can see the shiny marks.



This picture shows the wear on both the tooth portion and the outer flange.



This picture shows that the splines inside the pulley were still in good shape, so no need to worry about the shaft.



The rear pulley did not show any signs of damage or wear and the bearings are good to go as well. The outer edge of the belt had started to show wear as well, from rubbing against the flange like it did. All the parts had to be shipped back to BRP due to the warranty claim. The standard BRP warranty covered this repair for me.

So, the good news is I have my toy back and everything appears to be good to go with it. The bad news is the weather here has been gorgeous and I haven't been able to ryde. I am hoping to change that very soon though.

[docdoru]

This is good news Any explanation from your mechanic: "why"?

[groundeffect]

Hi Michael - very good you have been covered under warranty. That's good news. Also, thanks for sharing all of this info with us with pictures and good text!

Here is to healing-up and ryding soon!

[SpyderWolf]

This is good news Any explanation from your mechanic: "why"?

The only thing they could figure is it somehow got out of alignment at some point, and was never able to be moved back to where it was supposed to be. Their thoughts were perhaps the initial belt tension mixed with improper alignment lead to the wear issue. Once the groove was cut there was nothing that could be done to correct it. Not sure if that is the root cause or not, but it made sense to me at the time.

Hi Michael - very good you have been covered under warranty. That's good news. Also, thanks for sharing all of this info with us with pictures and good text!

Here is to healing-up and ryding soon!

Thanks Dean. I am getting ready to see if I can manage getting in and out of the hot tub for some therapy now. I am sure I can get in, but getting out might be a problem and there is no one here that can lift me. LOL Take care.

[groundeffect]

Thanks Dean. I am getting ready to see if I can manage getting in and out of the hot tub for some therapy now. I am sure I can get in, but getting out might be a problem and there is no one here that can lift me. LOL Take care.

A hot tub - sure sounds like good therapy, you're on the right track for recovery for sure, good stuff!

[NancysToy]

A hot tub - sure sounds like good therapy, you're on the right track for recovery for sure, good stuff!

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

[musicarcade]

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

Get those dogs of yours to pull you out!

[SpyderWolf]

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

Get those dogs of yours to pull you out!

Thanks guys. The injury happened last Monday, so the time for ice and elevation has pretty much passed. I was only in for 20 minutes, and have to admit that it did not make it feel any better. I was also able to get out okay, as evidenced by typing this message. No help from the dogs was required.

[Eraser]

Great to hear about you getting your bike back,Michael.
Sorry about your household accident,Ankles-OUCH....Heal well my friend!

[Raptor]

Great to hear about you getting your bike back,Michael.
Sorry about your household accident,Ankles-OUCH....Heal well my friend!

Good stuff on the Spyder, Michael. I bet you were pretty relieved when you saw good splines on the old front sprocket. The metal must be pretty soft to get grooved out like that. Probably by design to protect the output shaft. Either way, glad she's back home.

Now if we can just get that ankle fixed up, you'd be back in black!!