Opinions wanted - How I and the Dealer handled a service issue - long read warning

[Peter Aawen]

the sprocket edge has a slight angle to keep belt from riding UP. So the gap on top will be a smidge wider than down at the teeth. That is where the credit card gap should be checked. IF the belt is riding too hard on side flange, it will squeal!!!

But if it's NOT Squealing, don't sweat the small stuff!! :thumbup:

And if it's still concerning you - despite being told by more than one person here that the belt WILL & DOES walk around on the sprocket during use and that if it's not actually riding up on the sprocket's raised lip, then even if it doesn't 'look' ideal, it's still OK - maybe you should learn how to do it yourself?? You wouldn't be the first nor will you be the last to make the effort to learn how to do things like this yourself simply because you don't trust the dealer/dealer's techs to do it properly! :banghead:

Or if you've still got warranty, then why not just... wait for it.....



Ride More, Worry Less!? :dontknow:




Either of those can be a viable option, and anything else is really just likely to stress you out needlessly even more than this has already, which effectively negates the point of owning a bike/Spyder, doesn't it?? And by now, you should realise that the dealer really doesn't have the same concerns about this as you do, so trying to force them to do anything else is truly just an exercise in futility and likely to cause them to stiff you in other ways just cos you're a bother to them; so effectively, if you continue down that path, you're just :bdh:

Just Sayin'!!

 

[Mikey]

Googled it. He is about 3 and a half hours from me. :sour:





Assuming you are correct (and having dealt with similar alignment issues with pulleys with my job I know this to be true) then I would then expect to randomly see it further or closer to the flange. Thanks for the pointers. The dealer told me basically they it's not an issue unless they see wear marks on the belt or F3.

By "tight against the flange" I assume you mean literally riding up the flange or physically disfiguring due hitting the flange? The image I posted seems to show a gap, but you cannot get a feeler gauge in there to measure. I believe its an image illusion driven my how the flange and belt are made. Weather allowing, I will take it for a short spin and recheck for any movement.

I will also start my research on belt adjustment. The BRP Service Manual is good, but the devil is in the details and BRP is bad with those at times!


:cheers:

That is exsaclly what I am talking about!!! That belts going to drift, every time you look down at it it wll be somewhere else, trust us!!!!

 

[FrogmanDave]

What are the forums thoughts? Does the image look OK to you?

It looks fine to me. That is exactly how mine has looked since brand new. I really think you are stressing over nothing. I think you will be fine for many, many miles.

 

[broderp]

Thanks everyone for the input you have provided. At this point I will just monitor the belt tracking and see what happens. I'll check at every fill up for a month or two and if I don't notice anything detrimental I will let it go.


This may be TMI, but to put some things into perspective, my OCD is that I have to have every detail correct or it bothers me. I have a hard time saying that something is just "good enough". The hardest part is I am very aware that I am this way but time and time again find myself (usually after the fact) drilling deeper than I likely need to. It doesn't help that my job (thank goodness) allows me to drill very deep and satisfy my need for perfection. Someone without this 'disorder' would likely not understand what I mean. I can't even buy socks without a spreadsheet and I can't make an on the spot decisions (such as what to order in a new restaurant) without frustration. I'm not joking. :helpsmilie:

So, thanks for the input I hear you all and it's nice to know that in some cases I am not alone in my plight with the dealer!

:cheers:

 

[BajaRon]

In the end, there are things to worry about, and things that just don't matter that much. The manufacturer has to put a number on this spec to have a hard reference. Like torque values. Some are very important, others not so much.

The 1mm spec. for the drive belt is one of the lesser important ones. The real criteria is that the belt be close, but not rub on the inner pulley flange. That's the real spec that needs to be adhered to. Like the Spyderlover that had the dealership change out the 0-40 oil, adjusting a belt that is not rubbing is not necessary. Belts don't move much, if at all, from where they run on the initial install. Yes, they wander some, especially in reverse. But 1mm or any clearance at all is pretty much the same thing on the drive belt. (Kind of 'An Inch is as good as a Mile' theory) Since it wasn't rubbing the inner flange, I am leaning with the dealership on this one.

Now, if you're going to make an adjustment anyway, then the 1mm is a good way to go.

 

[broderp]

In the end, there are things to worry about, and things that just don't matter that much. The manufacturer has to put a number on this spec to have a hard reference. Like torque values. Some are very important, others not so much.

The 1mm spec. for the drive belt is one of the lesser important ones. The real criteria is that the belt be close, but not rub on the inner pulley flange. That's the real spec that needs to be adhered to. Like the Spyderlover that had the dealership change out the 0-40 oil, adjusting a belt that is not rubbing is not necessary. Belts don't move much, if at all, from where they run on the initial install. Yes, they wander some, especially in reverse. But 1mm or any clearance at all is pretty much the same thing on the drive belt. (Kind of 'An Inch is as good as a Mile' theory) Since it wasn't rubbing the inner flange, I am leaning with the dealership on this one.

Now, if you're going to make an adjustment anyway, then the 1mm is a good way to go.

Point well taken. Thanks.

If I make the adjustment (I likely will at some point) then I will be setting it at 2.5mm from the flange and accepting a variance of +/- 1mm or my OCD will bug me to no end. I also know that if I set it and it's good, then I will likely not notice it after that unless it's really out, so the chances are it may move or settle into a place outside my target, but - out of sight out of mind. Sounds crazy, but that's how it will go. I won't care if it takes me 4 hours.

:cheers:

 

[EdMat]

If you do decide to do some adjusting remember that the right adjuster has the greatest effect on belt placement on the sprocket, the left adjuster has the greatest effect on the belt tension.

 

[Woodaddict]

the 1mm is working fine. If you try to go to 2.5mm, just might try to rub on the LEFT side of FRONT pulley, so be careful. You'll have to pull off side cover to view front pulley, or look up from underneath. That might be a problem

 

[Mikey]

Point well taken. Thanks.

If I make the adjustment (I likely will at some point) then I will be setting it at 2.5mm from the flange and accepting a variance of +/- 1mm or my OCD will bug me to no end. I also know that if I set it and it's good, then I will likely not notice it after that unless it's really out, so the chances are it may move or settle into a place outside my target, but - out of sight out of mind. Sounds crazy, but that's how it will go. I won't care if it takes me 4 hours.

:cheers:

I hate to put your OCD in overdrive, but the reason Ron suggested 1mm is that when you adjust at the back pulley, your also making sure that the belt don't rub the front one also!! So, think about we have been trying to tell you!! Get on that thing and ride more, worry less!!

 

[broderp]

If you do decide to do some adjusting remember that the right adjuster has the greatest effect on belt placement on the sprocket, the left adjuster has the greatest effect on the belt tension.

Thanks! Thats what I thought, nice to have someone confirm.

the 1mm is working fine. If you try to go to 2.5mm, just might try to rub on the LEFT side of FRONT pulley, so be careful. You'll have to pull off side cover to view front pulley, or look up from underneath. That might be a problem

Yup, already thought of that. That could turn into a who can of worms. Adjusting that would be a major pain and not very practical. Changing the front pulley angle is almost futile and I'm not sure of how much "in and out" room it has to slide - or it's ability to shim...

I hate to put your OCD in overdrive, but the reason Ron suggested 1mm is that when you adjust at the back pulley, your also making sure that the belt don't rub the front one also!! So, think about we have been trying to tell you!! Get on that thing and ride more, worry less!!

Thank again, I have a decent mechanical background which helps. I have experience with aligning two pulleys (think band saws- but for cutting food) and these pulleys were independently adjustable and not "fixed like the front pulley on the spider! :gaah:. I have had to adjust for not only the angle, but the alignment and Twist of two pulleys running a belt between them! It's a small part of the reason I wanted the dealer to do it.. I know how this can go!

:cheers:

 

[Woodaddict]

Then throw in the possibility that the engine can be skewed. Start messing with that and the can of worms just might grow into COBRA'S :yikes::yikes::yikes:
I have read somewhere in other posts that there is a turnbuckle to skew the engine

 

[EdMat]

I have read somewhere in other posts that there is a turnbuckle to skew the engine

There is, but you only want to mess with it when you need a "Hail Mary"

 

[JB62]

looks better without lower piece of fender.