Before and After Video of Belt Tensioner

[GeoffCee]

Catch a look at this video on YouTube:

It's a pity that the engine noise has been replaced by "music" but the video does a good job of showing the before and after effect of fitting a SmoothSpyder belt tensioner.

 

[Farmboy]

A great BIG difference! Its the small things that BRP cant figure out... They spend more time engineering electronics thats not necessary and knows nothing but "LIMP HOME MODE" Great vid.

 

[Bob Denman]

:shocked: Wow! That's osme difference...
Thanks for the informative video!
"Oh Honey..."

 

[spyder3]

as jim has explained it to me...."each pound on the tensioner only raises the static tension about 2lbs. so it's really not very much additional pressure on anything, plus it is spring tension."

 

[GeoffCee]

You only showed the bottom of the belt. What is the top of the belt doing? Also if you have the belt tension at the factory spec at 450n +/- 150n with the Gates 507C meter and you engage the tensioner what does that do to the over all belt tension?

I didn't claim responsibility for filming or editing this video. I came across it on YouTube and passed it on for other Spyder owners to see particularly as there have been so many questions about tensioner effectiveness. I don't know what the top of the belt is doing, nor what the tension readings are, nor do I give a rat's *ss. You got to see this because I was impressed by the video. I think it demonstrates Capt Jim's SmoothSpyder belt tensioner beautifully. That's it, friend, end of discussion. :banghead:

 

[capt.jim]

You only showed the bottom of the belt. What is the top of the belt doing? Also if you have the belt tension at the factory spec at 450n +/- 150n with the Gates 507C meter and you engage the tensioner what does that do to the over all belt tension?
I have a Gates meter and have done some experimenting as I figure the procedure out and found that it doesn't take much force to change the reading. I would think that after one gets the tension set on the tensioner you would need to go back and reset the over all belt tension. With the belt tension set to 450n with the rear wheel off the ground and you put the rear wheel back on the ground with full machine weight on the rear wheel the tension reading goes up to 1010n. These number are from my RT.

That is quite a drastic change in numbers. The top of the belt gets tighter under acceleration or going up a hill etc., and the bottom of the belt gets slightly looser, loose enough that it will scuff the inside of the bottom belt guard sometimes. The weight and extra baggage of the RT loads the belt more and exacerbates the problem. Unless you have passed the center line of the arc of swing arm travel it will get even tighter with the weight of rider and passenger or hitting bumps, anything that compresses the suspension. Next time you check it with the meter, have a couple people sit on it to see what difference it makes, once you pass the neutral point of swing arm travel arc the static tension should decrease, just not sure where that point is. According to my Kriket gauge, 10 lbs. on the tensioner only added about 20lbs. to the overall static tension, your meter would show a more precise number, but I think it is negligeable and shouldn't increase the static tension enough to warrant changing it. I believe BRP has raised the static tension back up again from 450 +/-150, if anyone has any information? The tensioner may also will produce a small whistle or whine sometimes from the cooling ribs on the belt as they pass over the pulley, which seems to correspond with the belt tension also, I can move the whistle around or eliminate it, depending on my static setting, much like the vibration I used to have, possibly one reason BRP hasn't added one yet, maybe they didn't want to throw another possible noise into their other mix of belt noises, a smooth backed belt would likely eliminate the whistle. The video was made in Germany, thanks Barthel.

 

[GeoffCee]

Unless you have passed the center line of the arc of swing arm travel it will get even tighter with the weight of rider and passenger or hitting bumps, anything that compresses the suspension.

What part does the RT's air-assisted suspension play in ameliorating this?

A regular unassisted spring compresses as its load increases but I've noticed that the air suspension of my RT keeps the aiming point of my Euro-spec headlights surprisingly constant under a wide variety of load conditions. Doesn't this mean that the air suspension is compensating for changes in load?

 

[capt.jim]

What part does the RT's air-assisted suspension play in ameliorating this?

A regular unassisted spring compresses as its load increases but I've noticed that the air suspension of my RT keeps the aiming point of my Euro-spec headlights surprisingly constant under a wide variety of load conditions. Doesn't this mean that the air suspension is compensating for changes in load?[/QUOTE
I can't really answer this, I don't have air suspension, does more air pressure raise the back end or just give you a firmer ride I would guess. It would seem if you have a softer setting and a passenger gets on, the lights will raise somewhat. If you jack the spyder up under the frame and take the rear shock bolt out and let the swing arm drop down the belt will become loose enough to come off, without messing with the adjusters,the belt will get tighter the further the swing arm rises until it passes the point where the front pivot point of the swingarm is below the center line between the front and rear drive pulleys, then the tension will start decreasing due to the arc of the swing arm theoretically, but I think the rear suspension is bottomed out and out of travel before then.