lost 19 teeth from my drive belt

[imfleck]

Awesome dealer to take your problems to...

Thanks Peter for your well thought out rebuttal. I too feel that this was some catastrophic failure, though uncertain as to why. American power sports opioned that this was from excessive heat. The front spocket was flawless, the rear had one tooth that was marred though smooth with no sharp edges.

As I posted earlier I will be talking with Leaders power sports to have them open a ticket with BRP. Not expecting BRP to cover any of the cost, but would appreciate their interpretation of why the belt failed. When I have that information I will certainly share that here on the forum.

Al in Kalamazoo

Off-topic, sorry.

I rode my motorcycle to Kalamazoo from Massachusetts (850 miles) this summer. Went to Leaders, RPM in Kalamazoo. They sold me my new Spyder at $11K LESS than I was negotiating in MA. Awesome deal, awesome delivery, awesome post-purchase support. My wife wants a Spyder next year and we'll probably recreate the journey to save BIG $$$.

 

[Easy Rider]

what about ALL the other Ryders who've been able to ryde many 10's of thousands of miles WITHOUT any issues at all, some for more than 100,000 miles?! :dontknow:

So why on earth do you think there should be any recommendation for a needless change-out when out of the 'over 100,000' Spyders produced, no more than a few Spyder belts have ever failed??

So, where ARE the Spyders that have gone more than 100K on the original belt ?? Haven't seen any here yet.

And.....you have no way to really know how many belts have failed overall.

Belts wear. Chains wear. Even transmission and rear end gears wear.

The critical point is doing a GOOD periodic inspection and changing it when signs of abnormal wear show up.

What IS the service recommendation for the belt ?
I can't look it up 'cause me and the Spyder are about 1000 miles apart right now.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

So, where ARE the Spyders that have gone more than 100K on the original belt ?? Haven't seen any here yet.

I think that you missed post #3. He said he had 108.000 miles.

 

[Rogue Hawk]

It needs dentures

 

[Easy Rider]

I think that you missed post #3. He said he had 108.000 miles.

I went back and looked.

108,000 was the point at which it FAILED.

Not a good indication that they are good for over 100K......in my opinion.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

I went back and looked.

108,000 was the point at which it FAILED.

Not a good indication that they are good for over 100K......in my opinion.

In my math class we were taught that 108,000 was greater than 100,000. This would leave one using common sense to the fact that if something lasted to 108,000, it was good too 100, 000 miles plus 8,000 more.

But I grew up in a small town with a small school so the math might be wrong. :banghead:

 

[Buckeye Chuck 54]

Exact

108,352 to be sure.
Chuck

I think that you missed post #3. He said he had 108.000 miles.

 

[Easy Rider]

But I grew up in a small town with a small school so the math might be wrong. :banghead:

Yep. Might very well be.
ONE example does not make a good scientific sample.
And by itself proves virtually nothing.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

Yep. Might very well be.
ONE example does not make a good scientific sample.
And by itself proves virtually nothing.

Ok, how about another one from another thread.
maintenance guide tell you only to inspect and check tension the the belt at each service, never a recommended replacement as several other parts have. This again leads me to believe that the life expectancy of the belt is not known, and not a concern.
The only early replacements I have read about on here is the ones where stone damage, or some other kind of damage took place.
This also means that the people who are still riding on the original belt do not post because they are too busy out riding and having fun. It is hard to post on a forum how long your belt will last if you have never had to replace it.

SpyderAnn01

SpyderLovers SponsorJoin DateJun 2010LocationLas VegasPosts11,427Post Thanks / Like

I've got 122,000 on the 14 RT and it still has the original belt.​

​

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

BELT ADVICE

It's not just an opinion, Easy, it's the engineering derived recommendation from the belt manufacturer supported by the actual experience of all those other Spyder ryders & similar belt users out there!! :gaah: Apologies to them & recognising the trauma of their experiences, but really, so what that 3 other Ryders have reported a similar issue in this thread; what about ALL the other Ryders who've been able to ryde many 10's of thousands of miles WITHOUT any issues at all, some for more than 100,000 miles?! :dontknow:

So why on earth do you think there should be any recommendation for a needless change-out when out of the 'over 100,000' Spyders produced, no more than a few Spyder belts have ever failed?? And most of those were clearly attributable to picking up random debris, NOT just 'belt aging'!! And then there's the massive reliability exhibited in all the other uses the same type of Kevlar based belts are put to - the overwhelming evidence is that these types of belts are good for well over 100,000 miles unless they pick up some damage from road debris, & that generally tends to be terminal within a fairly short space of time/distance, so the statistical likelihood of random failure due to age is borderline miniscule.... any less at all and it would be completely non-existant! :lecturef_smilie:

Sure, I would've thought that having at least one replacement belt on hand for each different belt required by the various Can-Am offerings would be a smart thing to do from a Dealer's Customer Service point of view, but seriously, do you expect every Dealer to stock & every owner to change out their engine or their frame every 100,000 miles too?? What about their ball joints, or the front pulley, or any of the other components we hear about people having issues with here on the Forum?? Cos all those components actually have a significantly greater failure rate than the belts do!! Should they have a scheduled replacement too?! :dontknow:

:banghead:





Sorry, it's early here, I need

Ps: I'm glad you got out of that one without too much hassle IGETAROUND, & I'd assume the Dealer who did such a great job of getting you back on the road once your son picked up the spare DID check both the pulleys for damage?? Did they give you any idea of why they thought it failed in the first place??

Peter I agree with you .... But you need to consider " WHO " you are trying to give information to ..:roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack: ......... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Easy Rider]

This again leads me to believe that the life expectancy of the belt is not known, and but a concern.

​

Exactly.
And a lot of things can shorten the life span, including improper maintenance and insufficient inspections.

Two examples of an exceptionally long life is only a tiny bit better than one.

My guess on the results of his "official complaint/inquiry to BRP":
They probably will say that a proper inspection would have shown the wear LONG before it actually fell apart.

But of course that is not possible.........since HE is the one doing the inspections.

 

[Fatcycledaddy]

Peter I agree with you .... But you need to consider " WHO " you are trying to give information to ..:roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack: :roflblack: ......... Mike :thumbup:

:agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree::agree:

 

[billybovine]

Loosing belt lugs as described is often a sign of under tensioning of the belt. I have no idea if that is the case here. It would be interesting to know if the tension was checked regularly and adjusted. Also what tension was aimed for.

 

[RinconRyder]

There is a myriad of things that can affect belt life: aggressive or easy driving, ambient air temperature and humidity, maintenance (or lack thereof) and, of course, damage.

I live in a hot, dry climate and for that reason I tend to be very conservative with things like windshield wipers and belts of any kind. Even though it doesn't rain much here, when it does you really need your wipers so I change mine at least every three or less years. My cars get new belts about every three years too unless they show significant wear beforehand. I have been told that I am wasting money by doing this BUT just one failure while in between gas stops can ruin a trip (and a wallet) so I would much rather be safe than sorry.

The same will apply to the RTL. I am not likely to put a ton of miles on it but when it reaches half-life (about 50K miles) it will get a new belt. A couple hundred bucks spent at my convenience is so much better than having it go belly-up in the middle of nowhere.

As far as I know there is no award for Maximum Miles On Your Drive Belt. :firstplace:

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

They probably will say that a proper inspection would have shown the wear LONG before it actually fell apart.

I have always heard, and in my limited experience seen, that visual inspection will almost never disclose any evidence of imminent failure of a toothed belt. That's why automobile manufacturers state a mileage number for replacement. If you recall the early Ford Escorts experienced a lot of belt failures and engine destruction because the original mileage number was 60k. After a couple of years Ford dropped the number to 40,000 and designed the engine to tolerate belt breakage. I had one that broke at 39,000 miles. The broken belt looked just fine except for the break! :bowdown: Five hours after the belt broke I was driving the car again!

 

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Loosing belt lugs as described is often a sign of under tensioning of the belt. I have no idea if that is the case here. It would be interesting to know if the tension was checked regularly and adjusted. Also what tension was aimed for.

We'll have to wait to see if Mike has an early failure. He touts running the belt more loose than tight, although I'm sure not floppy loose.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

FLIPPY - FLOPPY - BELT

We'll have to wait to see if Mike has an early failure. He touts running the belt more loose than tight, although I'm sure not floppy loose.

IMS - you beat me to saying this :lecturef_smilie: ..... It's not that loose :roflblack: .... But this does give me pause for thought ...... I've got 35,000+ on my 14 RT ..... looks OK but that means little :banghead: .... The belt doesn't flop around , because a buddy has watched my belt while we were riding together... I have always been concerned about BRP specs ... They mis-calculated once BIG time with the Engine pulley shaft Failing :gaah: ......I shall see .......... Mike :thumbup:

 

[Easy Rider]

I have always heard, and in my limited experience seen, that visual inspection will almost never disclose any evidence of imminent failure of a toothed belt.

Absolutely and totally NOT true.

But often you need to remove the belt and flip it inside out so the "teeth" are exposed to check for wear and cracking.

Ask any seasoned mechanic who sees a lot of serpentine belts on older cars.

It needs to be a GOOD inspection, not just looking at the smooth backside.

 

[IGETAROUND]

missing teeth

Loosing belt lugs as described is often a sign of under tensioning of the belt. I have no idea if that is the case here. It would be interesting to know if the tension was checked regularly and adjusted. Also what tension was aimed for.

Billy, I checked the tension with every rear tire change which was between 8K (on the OEM), and 13-16K on three other rear tires. Was running 180-200 on the Kricket gauge with the rear tire on the ground.

As to your comments Easy Rider: My guess on the results of his "official complaint/inquiry to BRP": They probably will say that a proper inspection would have shown the wear LONG before it actually fell apart.

But of course that is not possible.........since HE is the one doing the inspections.

I respect your right to your opinion, as we all have a thought about how something "should" be or be done.

I have purposely held my unkind thoughts and comments on your responses to my posting. I would be most appreciative if you might consider doing the same; thank you in advance.

I contacted Leaders RPM today; sent them the pictures I've taken of the belt and will deliver the belt to them to convey to BRP before the week is out. My request to BRP will be for their and Bates's expert opinion as to what may have contributed to this failure. Will post the official response if and when one is received.

Al in Kazoo

 

[safecracker]

I had to replace my belt at 49,000 miles this spring. I had 75% of my teeth cracked all the way across. I do run my tension around 120 to 105 lbs. I do get less vibration. As suggested maybe a looser belt causes this. I do not know. I did not have any stone damage. Bruce