Belt vibration - what's the current thinking on this

[Pictreed]

Sorry for hashing old info but I'm new to this. 2014 RT with 2440 miles. Vibration around 80 MPH.

I've seen old post on this issue but what is the current consensus, is there a belt tension device that is helping? Do I need to take it in for adjustment?

Overall we love this thing! It's for my wife but man I'm thinking it would be great to have two.

Thanks, Tim

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

:welcome: …….. Yes a belt tension device will help ….. however running the belt at less than BRP specs can eliminate the vibes ….it did for me …. do you have a KritKit guage ????? , if so you lower the tension yourself ….. Mike hyea:

 

[Pictreed]

:welcome: …….. Yes a belt tension device will help ….. however running the belt at less than BRP specs can eliminate the vibes ….it did for me …. do you have a KritKit guage ????? , if so you lower the tension yourself ….. Mike hyea:

Thanks for the welcome, awesome to be here. I do not have the gauge but would be willing to look into that. Not sure what BRP specs are, no manual. We will be taking a Spyder course this weekend so maybe they will go over that.

 

[JayBros]

How bad is the vibration? The technician at the dealership that mounts my General Altimax rear tires always checkd the belt tension with a Gates sonic meter after mounting a new tire. I've spent lots of miles at 80 or above on interstates out west and have never noticed vibration up to and past 80 and don't use a belt tension device.

 

[C. Lee]

For me the belt tensioner was the best upgrade on my 2019 RTL. My ride is much smoother across all speeds and gears now. Lithe difference was very noticable for me. They're not too expensive and fairly easy to install once you get past the fear of removing the plastic panels. Chris.

 

[PMK]

If you have no vibration currently, just ride it. If you are experiencing vibration, induced by the drive belt, typically it is a touch above 70mph. Vibrations at lower speeds often are related to the front tires and sometimes rear tires.

If you do believe there is belt induced vibration, Can Am has a Service Bulletin that addresses this by readjusting the belt tension to a lower but authorized spec. Myself and others have found the bulletins median spec of 140 lbf (pounds force) to work very well and not require any tensioning device.

A long while back, I accomplished a poll here on Spyderlovers regarding belt tensioners. Surprisingly, the majority of those that responded did not use a tensioning device. I avoided and have not installed a tensioner merely out of simplicity and less likelihood of possible failures. For us the few instances that induce a very slight vibration are merely for a few seconds and rare.

 

[Pictreed]

How bad is the vibration? The technician at the dealership that mounts my General Altimax rear tires always checkd the belt tension with a Gates sonic meter after mounting a new tire. I've spent lots of miles at 80 or above on interstates out west and have never noticed vibration up to and past 80 and don't use a belt tension device.

It's not extreme like the wobble from a worn out tie rod. It feels like running over those grooves cut on the side of the road but no where near as bad. But it feels like it's under my a$$. Riding two people also and we are both about 190 lbs. I thought at first it was the road but it disappeared when changing throttle settings.

Nice bike JayBros. They had the same exact Spyder for a little less money but someone left it outside and the fade was so bad you couldn't see the buttons, the on off switch was pink, and every time you touched the plastic it left a mark. Sad. But we really liked the Cognac in the RT-S but I was worried about how bad the rain got to the electronics. We ended up with the RT in a pearl that was fairly pristine.

Tim

 

[spyder01]

i had vibration on my 17 rtl.Loosening the belt helped a little but putting on the tensioner from Roadster Renovations cured it completely.Some folks have it and some dont.

 

[Pictreed]

A little update. We took our Spyder to the Spyder riding class and I let my instructor ride it. He said he definitely felt some vibration and thought he heard some knocking in the front end but I think that was because 2 of the screws fell out of the dash. That day when I went to start it up the DESS error showed up too. After he rode it he gripped the rear wheel and shook it and you can feel some looseness. It's like not tightening the gland nut after repacking your bearings but it wasn't severe. However, if it is loose and that vibration was the bearings...ugh!

He also felt like it wasn't making the power it should. Then again we were riding 2019 Spyders (or a bit older) for the class. I'm wondering if the engines have gotten stronger or this 2014 just hasn't been ridden enough with only 2600 miles.

It's back at the shop this week but I wondering if I should tell them to tear up the contract.