Vibration at 67-75 MPH on F3-S

[Grandpaspeed]

Due to the diminished storage, I have a rack planned also. They will both attach to a main mounting bracket.
Installing either the backrest or rack will require the same mounting bracket, you will be able to add or remove either piece with minimal labor.
The backrest will be first, after that I will be looking for opinions as to what size rack will be needed to satisfy the needs of most.
For those that like to remove their rear fender, the rack will also serve to keep their passengers backside dry on wet roads.

Thank you as that's what I want, I mean need.:clap:

 

[Tom in NM]

Small, it may be this . . . .

. . . I got in some more riding in the last two days and was finally able to create ( maybe ) your vibration.

In my last tests, I moved through the 60-90 MPH range and could not detect anything like a vibration. For about 20 miles, I tried that in both 5th & 6th gears, slowly throttling up and down to see if I could find any area of 'vibration'. Nope. I checked my belt as well as I could and it was at spec.

Yesterday and today I was out again - @ 250 miles, I am still in break-in mode, but testing some limits - and maybe I ran across what you are experiencing.

In 5th & 6th gear - going over 50mph, if I 'cranked' the throttle ( like to quickly pass or to put more space behind me from an approaching vehicle ) the engine would roar to life and the F3 would shoot ahead. There was a 'vibration', but it was ( to me ) just the engine/exhaust roaring to life. It only lasts a second. It didn't feel like "grinding" or anything bad. There was no hesitation in how the power-curve felt or that the belt or transmission was slipping.

Really, it felt like if you are sitting on the F3, with your feet firmly planted on the pegs, and start it up. To me, it does this va-Rooom thing - where the "R" in the "Room" part is accented and the "oom" part is a descending growl. I get the same 'vibration' on my F3 at startup, it is just not as strong as it is at 70mph.

Actually, you can kind of see/hear what I am talking about if you look at the video Lamont posted where the Spyder is started up and rev'd a couple times without a muffler.

That ":cus:-off" tearing/shredding exhaust sounds like the 'vibration' feels.



So, to recap:

No "vibration or grinding" when doing an easy roll of the throttle while in 5th or 6th gear at any speed between 50mph & 90mph.

Vibration/sensation when fast acceleration in 5th or 6th gear between 50mph 70mph. Nothing noted in downshifting or deceleration in that speed/gear range.

Lower intensity vibration/sensation at startup, when motor comes to life. ( no belt involved )

No, it is not your imagination. ( BRP may call it a feature. )

My Spyder GS or ST-S, never did anything quite like this - but as much fun as they were, they never performed like an F3 either.


If what I did and felt matches the conditions you were in when you felt it, I don't think it is a problem. A different muffler may tame it down or perhaps make it more noticeable. I would be interested if a belt-tensioner would change anything, so, like you, I will keep my eyes and ears open. I am no Scotty and I only have my years of motorcycling/car experience to go by - but I am not concerned.

As always, consider advice, but make up your own mind.

Tom

 

[Racy2]

Non of my three belt drives on my three Harley's ever did that Bob. Nor has any of my belt drives vibrated on my two Spiders. Belt is loose or not aligned properly is the culprit.

Jack

All the Harley's I have ridden vibrate so much that you would never notice a belt anyways.

 

[Smallz]

. . . I got in some more riding in the last two days and was finally able to create ( maybe ) your vibration.

In my last tests, I moved through the 60-90 MPH range and could not detect anything like a vibration. For about 20 miles, I tried that in both 5th & 6th gears, slowly throttling up and down to see if I could find any area of 'vibration'. Nope. I checked my belt as well as I could and it was at spec.

Yesterday and today I was out again - @ 250 miles, I am still in break-in mode, but testing some limits - and maybe I ran across what you are experiencing.

In 5th & 6th gear - going over 50mph, if I 'cranked' the throttle ( like to quickly pass or to put more space behind me from an approaching vehicle ) the engine would roar to life and the F3 would shoot ahead. There was a 'vibration', but it was ( to me ) just the engine/exhaust roaring to life. It only lasts a second. It didn't feel like "grinding" or anything bad. There was no hesitation in how the power-curve felt or that the belt or transmission was slipping.

Really, it felt like if you are sitting on the F3, with your feet firmly planted on the pegs, and start it up. To me, it does this va-Rooom thing - where the "R" in the "Room" part is accented and the "oom" part is a descending growl. I get the same 'vibration' on my F3 at startup, it is just not as strong as it is at 70mph.

Actually, you can kind of see/hear what I am talking about if you look at the video Lamont posted where the Spyder is started up and rev'd a couple times without a muffler.



That ":cus:-off" tearing/shredding exhaust sounds like the 'vibration' feels.



So, to recap:

No "vibration or grinding" when doing an easy roll of the throttle while in 5th or 6th gear at any speed between 50mph & 90mph.

Vibration/sensation when fast acceleration in 5th or 6th gear between 50mph 70mph. Nothing noted in downshifting or deceleration in that speed/gear range.

Lower intensity vibration/sensation at startup, when motor comes to life. ( no belt involved )

No, it is not your imagination. ( BRP may call it a feature. )

My Spyder GS or ST-S, never did anything quite like this - but as much fun as they were, they never performed like an F3 either.


If what I did and felt matches the conditions you were in when you felt it, I don't think it is a problem. A different muffler may tame it down or perhaps make it more noticeable. I would be interested if a belt-tensioner would change anything, so, like you, I will keep my eyes and ears open. I am no Scotty and I only have my years of motorcycling/car experience to go by - but I am not concerned.

As always, consider advice, but make up your own mind.

Tom

Tom - Thanks for the detailed response! That does not really describe what I am feeling. I need to take it to the dealer one of the days they are open and it is above freezing! Mine is very consistent. Starting at around 65 and most prevalent between 69-71 just rolling on the throttle causes a very noticeable vibration that lasts 1.5-3 seconds...I am hesitant to take it to the dealer because that means they need to test ride it and I don't want anyone riding my bike!

 

[Jharpo]

Vibration Worse than my ST

I accepted delivery of my F3S on 1/21/2015 and to date have logged 750 miles. The only complaint I have is the vibration that on my ride starts the buzz in the handlebars and pegs at 64mph gets progressively worse to 72 then starts to lessen and disappears at 74. Does it affect the performance of the bike? No it doesn't. Is it annoying? Absolutely. This is not my first rodeo and I've experienced these harmonic belt vibrations on my 2009 GS, then my 2013 ST Limited. On neither of these Spyders was the vibration as pronounced as it is on the F3. I believe that is probably due to the additional power and torque plus the longer drive belt. I've already had several conversations with Jim at SmoothSpyder, and will be ordering my belt tensioner as soon as they are available. The tensioner on my ST basically reduced the vibration on that motorcycle by 95%. If the tensioner does the same for my F3S, I will be a happy camper. If not, I will learn to accept it as one of the annoying quirks of Spyder ryding. Love my new F3 and I won't let this ruin it for me.

 

[bullant12]

I wouldn't compare the vibrations of the belt on a Spyder vs a Harley. The belt on ANY Spyder is one of the longest belts on a rear belt driven vehicle so without a tensioner/supporting pulley in between, vibrations will be common. I felt a few vibrations on my F3 but nothing to make me panic.

 

[Orange Spyder Man]

I think its a design problem that is ignored by Can Am... if the belt is too long to minimize belt harmonics... Can Am should install a belt dampener...

osm

 

[DB Dan]

Vibration on new F3

Hi all = My first post. Have had new F3 for 2 weeks now & almost broken in. Luv it! Got 30.8 mpg not using eco-mode w/fwy & twisty riding.
My friends got the same F3 a few days after I did & they both have a fairly significant grinding type vibration. It only occurs in 6th gear around 68 to 70 mph & approx. 6,800 to 7,000 rpm. The reviews I saw prior to purchasing also mentioned it. If anyone improves this situation with a belt tensioner4 or adjustment please advise with all details.
Thanks, DB Dan

 

[rtlister]

vibration correction under warranty???

Non of my three belt drives on my three Harley's ever did that Bob. Nor has any of my belt drives vibrated on my two Spiders. Belt is loose or not aligned properly is the culprit.

Jack

i have a 2014 Spyder RT Limited and I get this same vibration. I only have 4000 miles. Will BRP warranty cover this?

 

[Retired 2012]

Hello all,
I finally hit the highway and unfortunately I to have a very bad vibration from 65-73 mph.
It felt like I was riding on a metal grate, over or under that speed it ways very smooth up to 87 mph then I backed off.
While slowing down the vibration was there but no where near the same rough feeling.

What needs to be done to eliminate this ????

 

[Tom in NM]

1st Step

What needs to be done to eliminate this ????

What has your dealer said about this?

tom

 

[Lamonster]

Hello all,
I finally hit the highway and unfortunately I to have a very bad vibration from 65-73 mph.
It felt like I was riding on a metal grate, over or under that speed it ways very smooth up to 87 mph then I backed off.
While slowing down the vibration was there but no where near the same rough feeling.

What needs to be done to eliminate this ????

Any belt this long will have some vibration, most motorcycle guys never notice it because they're use to it on their bikes. As far as eliminating it you can't, you can move it around to a different speed by adjusting your belt tension. More or less will change the RPM it happens at.

 

[capt.jim]

I fitted a tensioner to mine today, it fit well and was an easy install.
Unfortunately and surprisingly it didn't do much at all for the vibration that was present between 68-71MPH while accelerating.
Where 10-14 Lbs. has done wonders for most of the other models, even 20 Lbs didn't make a noticeable difference, maybe due to the larger sprocket or longer belt.
I'm not done yet, but it isn't looking too promising.

 

[RPM]

I fitted a tensioner to mine today, it fit well and was an easy install.
Unfortunately and surprisingly it didn't do much at all for the vibration that was present between 68-71MPH while accelerating.
Where 10-14 Lbs. has done wonders for most of the other models, even 20 Lbs didn't make a noticeable difference, maybe due to the larger sprocket or longer belt.
I'm not done yet, but it isn't looking too promising.

Have you come up with any solutions? I too have a marked vibration/grinding at around 65-72 mph. It's fairly strong. Annoying but not a big deal, I guess. Would be nice to get rid of if though...

 

[RPM]

Hi,
My 2014 Spyder RT-S SE6 Jan 30, 2014 had a little bit of the belt making noise/vibration similar to what you are talking about while under power or up hills at speed.
The belt was adjusted too far/tight to inside of rear pulley and I think set off the belt bouncing around making a little noise.
The 2014 RT-S was very touchy in adjusting the rear axle, belt side to side adjustment clearance.
Took me off & on about 1 week adjusting belt side to side rear pulley clearance, until adjusted belt about 1/8" off inside of rear pulley before the noise finally went away.
No belt vibration or noise in past 17,000 miles on 2014 RT-S SE6.
Hope this helps others.
Jim

Good job! I'm not mechanically inclined as you appear to be. I can't imagine the dealer would be willing to be as patient as you were to find that sweet spot for the belt but good to know! Thanks.

 

[Ronbo]

CAPTAIN JIM-BELT TENSIONER

I have a tensioner in the works for the F3, along with a backrest.
I took the demo from my dealer for a 35 mile ride and the vibration was quite pronounced, my wife even noticed.
My demo was set in Kilometers and it was around 123-125 which converted to 76-77 MPH.
My magnesium SM should be here any day, I can hardly wait!
My LG headset that I had worn around my neck for a year blew off and got ran over in the first mile, I haven't even taken delivery and it's already costing me. It was worth it though.

Captain Jim,
put me down for a smooth Spyder Belt Tensioners as soon as they are available for the F3!

Ron

 

[rtlister]

My 2014 is just barely broke in good ...and has the belt vibration at 65-75. Does BRP warranty cover this? Like you say, the vibration is annoying for sure. And I figure that vibration over time can't be good for the bike?

 

[vgibbs4]

I accepted delivery of my F3S on 1/21/2015 and to date have logged 750 miles. The only complaint I have is the vibration that on my ride starts the buzz in the handlebars and pegs at 64mph gets progressively worse to 72 then starts to lessen and disappears at 74. Does it affect the performance of the bike? No it doesn't. Is it annoying? Absolutely. This is not my first rodeo and I've experienced these harmonic belt vibrations on my 2009 GS, then my 2013 ST Limited. On neither of these Spyders was the vibration as pronounced as it is on the F3. I believe that is probably due to the additional power and torque plus the longer drive belt. I've already had several conversations with Jim at SmoothSpyder, and will be ordering my belt tensioner as soon as they are available. The tensioner on my ST basically reduced the vibration on that motorcycle by 95%. If the tensioner does the same for my F3S, I will be a happy camper. If not, I will learn to accept it as one of the annoying quirks of Spyder ryding. Love my new F3 and I won't let this ruin it for me.

Well we just got one Friday. It's awesome. That vibration is terrible. You don't spend that kind of money to deal with such a horrible vibration. Can am better figure it out. I wouldn't keep something that didn't ride smooth fr 0-100

 

[Ronbo]

VIBRATION, GRINDING ON F3

Has anyone noticed a vibration when you roll on the throttle at 67-75..worst mostly at 69ish-71? It is a pretty strong grinding feeling.

Traded my 2014RT LTD in for F3. RT did the same thing, Smooth`Spyder belt tensioner got rid of 95% of problem. My F3 wasn't doing it much the first 200 miles, at 450 miles, it's very noticeable. I'm thinking maybe belt tension changed as the break`in mileage increased, or maybe I was having so much fun that I didn't notice. At any rate, I just sent Capt. Jim an e`mail wanting a smooth spyder for my new ride. I intend to get one as soon as available. I'm also going to get belt tension checked.

Ron

 

[vgibbs4]

Ours is brand new. Has a terrible vibration in the 70's. Not happy.