How's your rear tire? Maybe doing that will "release" the belt. I respectfully disagree with PMK. It's rather easy to loosen the tension of the belt with the "belt tensioner" bolts, like one should do when changing the rear tire. Jack up the bike and the belt should just slip off, no walking required. As with steering tie rods, counting turns can make the restoration of the belt tension easier. Just run them back the same number (index them first so you get the proper clock). And BTW, if you have a belt idler, bunjee it up off the belt before you do anything.
Absolutely, you can disagree with my previous comment, I have zero issue with that. The method of loosening the axle, and then counting turns on the adjusters is 110% logical in theory. Enough so that as an early Spyder owner I used this method several times. Unfortunately, the method of counting turns on the adjusters comes up short on realigning the belt based on the requirement to tighten the axle. Can Am / BRP designed one of the worst axle alignment / tensioning setups I have ever had to deal with on a motorcycle. They use cast aluminum two piece axle holders. These split style holders are inserted into the swingarms box tube structure. By design, they are a loose fit. As the axle starts to see feel tension as the nut is tightened, the right side adjuster moves about. Unfortunately, with this happening, and the need for very small incremental adjustments to the right side axle block, in order to obtain correct belt tracking, the likelihood of getting the same position is not good.
Since there is no means to know where the right side adjuster was positioned prior to loosening the axle, you can set the adjuster bolt exactly the same but have belt tracking issues. Then as you work to get the belt tracking correct, each loosening of the axle and subsequent retightening can reposition the adjuster blocks into another position.
So if you plan to loosen the axle, expect to chase your tail a bit to get the belt tracking as it was. The only tip I have, is that of set the tension via the left side adjuster, and the belts tension will hold the axle in position. For the right side adjuster, you need a long block of wood and a BFH. Snug the axle and beat the axle nut forward in hopes of getting it in the same location.
Can Am could have done a much, much better job designing the swingarm and adjusters.
Rattlebars, all the best using the method you link to, I did not watch the video you linked, just my own experience knows only loosen the rear axle if absolutely required.
