Guess who needs a new front sprocket?

[SpyderWolf]

Sorry for the delayed reply on this issue. I got my Spyder back last Friday, 2/18/2011, and rode it home with no issues. The next morning we went to Chattanooga, TN, cage trip, for a couple of days. First thing Monday morning I dropped a 42 pound plastic pail of cat litter on the inside of my right ankle, and have been out of commission and on crutches until today. Now, on to the rest of the story.

My front pulley issue was apparently different than everyone else's so far. There were some definite translation issues over the phone between myself and the dealer as to what the actual problem was. As it turns out, the pulley was not warped and the splines were fine, but it had a definite groove worn in it.

The quality of the pictures is not the best, but it is all I have.

This picture shows the shiny groove that was worn into the pulley. If you notice the black area to the left, that ridge was high enough to catch your fingernail on, and keep the belt from being able to move out of the groove for proper adjustment.

The outer flange on the pulley also had some serious wear marks on it where the belt was rubbing the metal away. That would be the squealing noise I was hearing. You can see the shiny marks.

This picture shows the wear on both the tooth portion and the outer flange.

This picture shows that the splines inside the pulley were still in good shape, so no need to worry about the shaft.

The rear pulley did not show any signs of damage or wear and the bearings are good to go as well. The outer edge of the belt had started to show wear as well, from rubbing against the flange like it did. All the parts had to be shipped back to BRP due to the warranty claim. The standard BRP warranty covered this repair for me.

So, the good news is I have my toy back and everything appears to be good to go with it. The bad news is the weather here has been gorgeous and I haven't been able to ryde. I am hoping to change that very soon though. :thumbup:

 

[docdoru]

This is good news :2thumbs: Any explanation from your mechanic: "why"? opcorn:

 

[groundeffect]

Hi Michael - very good you have been covered under warranty. That's good news. Also, thanks for sharing all of this info with us with pictures and good text!

Here is to healing-up and ryding soon!:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[SpyderWolf]

This is good news :2thumbs: Any explanation from your mechanic: "why"? opcorn:

The only thing they could figure is it somehow got out of alignment at some point, and was never able to be moved back to where it was supposed to be. Their thoughts were perhaps the initial belt tension mixed with improper alignment lead to the wear issue. Once the groove was cut there was nothing that could be done to correct it. Not sure if that is the root cause or not, but it made sense to me at the time.

Hi Michael - very good you have been covered under warranty. That's good news. Also, thanks for sharing all of this info with us with pictures and good text!

Here is to healing-up and ryding soon!:thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks Dean. I am getting ready to see if I can manage getting in and out of the hot tub for some therapy now. I am sure I can get in, but getting out might be a problem and there is no one here that can lift me. LOL Take care.

 

[groundeffect]

Thanks Dean. I am getting ready to see if I can manage getting in and out of the hot tub for some therapy now. I am sure I can get in, but getting out might be a problem and there is no one here that can lift me. LOL Take care.

A hot tub - sure sounds like good therapy, you're on the right track for recovery for sure, good stuff! :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

A hot tub - sure sounds like good therapy, you're on the right track for recovery for sure, good stuff! :thumbup:

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

 

[musicarcade]

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

:agree:

Get those dogs of yours to pull you out!:roflblack:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I'm not so sure about the hot tub. They are usually prohibited for this type of injury. Ice and elevation usually do the most good. Hope you heal fast, whatever "therapy" you choose.

:agree:

Get those dogs of yours to pull you out!:roflblack:

Thanks guys. The injury happened last Monday, so the time for ice and elevation has pretty much passed. I was only in for 20 minutes, and have to admit that it did not make it feel any better. I was also able to get out okay, as evidenced by typing this message. No help from the dogs was required. :roflblack:

 

[Eraser]

Great to hear about you getting your bike back,Michael:yes:hyea::yes:.
Sorry about your household accident,Ankles-OUCH....Heal well my friend!:thumbup:

 

[Raptor]

Great to hear about you getting your bike back,Michael:yes:hyea::yes:.
Sorry about your household accident,Ankles-OUCH....Heal well my friend!:thumbup:

:agree: Good stuff on the Spyder, Michael. I bet you were pretty relieved when you saw good splines on the old front sprocket. The metal must be pretty soft to get grooved out like that. Probably by design to protect the output shaft. Either way, glad she's back home.

Now if we can just get that ankle fixed up, you'd be back in black!! :spyder:

 

[SpyderWolf]

Great to hear about you getting your bike back,Michael:yes:hyea::yes:.
Sorry about your household accident,Ankles-OUCH....Heal well my friend!:thumbup:

:agree: Good stuff on the Spyder, Michael. I bet you were pretty relieved when you saw good splines on the old front sprocket. The metal must be pretty soft to get grooved out like that. Probably by design to protect the output shaft. Either way, glad she's back home.

Now if we can just get that ankle fixed up, you'd be back in black!! :spyder:

Thanks a bunch. It was a great feeling ryding the Spyder back home. Even though I cannot ryde it right now, it is comforting to know it is at my place and not sitting in the shop. I am sure many of you know what that feels like.

As for the ankle, I may have pushed a little too hard too fast. I went to work today without the crutches. Made it through with 6 Ibuprofen pills before getting home. Ankle is swollen as bad as it ever did after the injury and has some very nice bruising that wasn't there before. I elevated and iced it down again. Since it has been a week and it is like this now, I am thinking a call to the Ortho doc tomorrow may be in order. The only black right now is the bottom of my ankle with some funky bluish color mixed in. :gaah: This truly sux! nojoke

 

[docdoru]

Thanks a bunch. It was a great feeling ryding the Spyder back home. Even though I cannot ryde it right now, it is comforting to know it is at my place and not sitting in the shop. I am sure many of you know what that feels like.

As for the ankle, I may have pushed a little too hard too fast. I went to work today without the crutches. Made it through with 6 Ibuprofen pills before getting home. Ankle is swollen as bad as it ever did after the injury and has some very nice bruising that wasn't there before. I elevated and iced it down again. Since it has been a week and it is like this now, I am thinking a call to the Ortho doc tomorrow may be in order. The only black right now is the bottom of my ankle with some funky bluish color mixed in. :gaah: This truly sux! nojoke

MRI results?

 

[SpyderWolf]

MRI results?

That is why I am thinking I need to go to the Ortho doc. All the ER did was take X-Rays, gave me a double dose of Dilautin (sp?) and a shot in the thigh for nausea. The doctor came in and said it wasn't broken. I was kind of out of it due to the pain, and just realized on the way home tonight that he never even touched it to have a look at it. Just had the nurse wrap it with an ace bandage, give me scrips for meds, and send me on my way with crutches. :shocked: I don't know why I didn't think of that before today, probably because the pain came back super strong, but now am thinking there may be something seriously wrong with the ankle. I need it to hurry up and heal so I can ryde my Spyder again.

I take it you feel an MRI is in order, and the surgeon who did my last 2 knee surgeries has one in his office. I guess I better call him in the morning and see when they can fit me in. I am going back on the dang crutches as well. :helpsmilie:

 

[musicarcade]

Get well soon!

I hope YOU don't need a new front sprocket!:yikes:
Hang in there- Hope you are mended up soon-
We got some rydin to do!:doorag:

 

[SpyderWolf]

I hope YOU don't need a new front sprocket!:yikes:
Hang in there- Hope you are mended up soon-
We got some rydin to do!:doorag:

Went to the ortho doc today. I do not need a new front sprocket, but I now have a really nice blue and black Iron Man looking boot to wear for a while. I have to go for a recheck next Tuesday and may need Physical Therapy. No fracture, just deep soft tissue damage and a real problem with swelling and range of motion. Right now it hurts just sitting here and I cannot even think about putting any weight on it. Most likely this all should have been done last week Monday when I first injured it. :gaah:

 

[NancysToy]

Went to the ortho doc today. I do not need a new front sprocket, but I now have a really nice blue and black Iron Man looking boot to wear for a while. I have to go for a recheck next Tuesday and may need Physical Therapy. No fracture, just deep soft tissue damage and a real problem with swelling and range of motion. Right now it hurts just sitting here and I cannot even think about putting any weight on it. Most likely this all should have been done last week Monday when I first injured it. :gaah:

Don't feel badly. I did much the same thing when I rode the ladder down a few years back, and hurt my wrist. There was work to do to get the carpentry done and the new roof installed. I didn't go to the doctor until several weeks later, when I was still in great pain, swollen, with a recurring dark bruise. No break, but lots of tissue damage and inflamation. Took 10 weeks of PT to get it back in shape. The ice/elevation thing lasted almost to the end, because every movement caused swelling. Ankles are worse, because they are the lowest point of the body. You'll be dancing the jig again, but it will take several weeks, I'm afraid. I hope you are a quicker healer than I am (almost everybody is). My doc and therapist said that I did no further damage by waiting...but I did stall the treatment, so it was longer until I finally got better. At least you only stalled for a week.

 

[Arthur---Mexico]

Aluminum splines on splined steel shafts.

Let me explain the why's about the front splined sprockets. Can Am has the sprockets made of high silicon cast aluminum for price reasons. To make an aluminum splined sprocket so that no spline problems would develope, the sprocket's spline fit would have to be a "press" fit, very tight, on its shaft. But that is impossible because the female spline has a different coificient of expansoin than the steel splined shaft it fits on. With the constant changes in temperature the aluminum spline's fit will became loose. There is no way to stop this play from develpoing as the two components are designed today. I have never seen a new front sprocket for a Spyder but I have manufactured literally hundreds of thousand of sprockets in my factory. I imagine the front sprocket's teeth are cast and have integral flanges on both sides so as to keep the belt from drifting off the sprocket. To make a high quality splined sprocket out of cast iron, with flanges, would require the sprocket to be cast, machined, teeth cut, two flanges in the form of rings to be fastened to the machined toothed sprocket, and a close but sliding fit spline broached in the bore of the cast iron sprocket. This all is possible but the cost of such a sprocket might be 10 or 15 times more that the cast aluminum sprocket as now made. Can Am is very cost concious as are all volume manufacturers. So they are between the devil and the deep blue sea. They have to go the economical way. The end user will eventually have to replace the front aluminum sprocket. Doing so will (should) require the replacing of the belt and the rear sprocket too. That's the correct way to handle the situration. If the three components are not replaced at the same time the used component will wear out the new part much faster than when the three are changed at same time. So, all long distance Spyder users get prepared for the inevidible. But when you consider the cost of the replacements against the enjoyment you get out of riding your Spyder for some 40,000 miles why it's easy to amortize this cost.

 

[spyryder]

Let me explain the why's about the front splined sprockets. Can Am has the sprockets made of high silicon cast aluminum for price reasons. To make an aluminum splined sprocket so that no spline problems would develope, the sprocket's spline fit would have to be a "press" fit, very tight, on its shaft. But that is impossible because the female spline has a different coificient of expansoin than the steel splined shaft it fits on. With the constant changes in temperature the aluminum spline's fit will became loose. There is no way to stop this play from develpoing as the two components are designed today. I have never seen a new front sprocket for a Spyder but I have manufactured literally hundreds of thousand of sprockets in my factory. I imagine the front sprocket's teeth are cast and have integral flanges on both sides so as to keep the belt from drifting off the sprocket. To make a high quality splined sprocket out of cast iron, with flanges, would require the sprocket to be cast, machined, teeth cut, two flanges in the form of rings to be fastened to the machined toothed sprocket, and a close but sliding fit spline broached in the bore of the cast iron sprocket. This all is possible but the cost of such a sprocket might be 10 or 15 times more that the cast aluminum sprocket as now made. Can Am is very cost concious as are all volume manufacturers. So they are between the devil and the deep blue sea. They have to go the economical way. The end user will eventually have to replace the front aluminum sprocket. Doing so will (should) require the replacing of the belt and the rear sprocket too. That's the correct way to handle the situration. If the three components are not replaced at the same time the used component will wear out the new part much faster than when the three are changed at same time. So, all long distance Spyder users get prepared for the inevidible. But when you consider the cost of the replacements against the enjoyment you get out of riding your Spyder for some 40,000 miles why it's easy to amortize this cost.

:hun:Great analogy.....but the sprocket is made of STEEL, try running a magnet over it.

 

[SpyderWolf]

Don't feel badly. I did much the same thing when I rode the ladder down a few years back, and hurt my wrist. There was work to do to get the carpentry done and the new roof installed. I didn't go to the doctor until several weeks later, when I was still in great pain, swollen, with a recurring dark bruise. No break, but lots of tissue damage and inflamation. Took 10 weeks of PT to get it back in shape. The ice/elevation thing lasted almost to the end, because every movement caused swelling. Ankles are worse, because they are the lowest point of the body. You'll be dancing the jig again, but it will take several weeks, I'm afraid. I hope you are a quicker healer than I am (almost everybody is). My doc and therapist said that I did no further damage by waiting...but I did stall the treatment, so it was longer until I finally got better. At least you only stalled for a week.

Thanks Scotty. I am on the mend now. I have been wearing the cam boot for a week, and had a follow up appointment today. Since I am not an athlete, he said it was up to me on whether to go to physical therapy or not. I chose not to, since I will be fine as long as I can walk. My bad knees already keep me from doing any running. Got some exercises I can do on my own as well. The good news is even though I couldn't make it to Daytona, I should be good to go by Spyderfest. :thumbup:

My sprocket definitely wasn't aluminum. It may look like it in the pictures because of how shiny the worn surfaces are, but it is not.

 

[bjt]

Glad you posted this thread Spyderwolf. I am having the same problem and my front sprocket is worn just like yours was. The belt is visibly worn also. Hopefully I can get it taken care of before the Maggie Valley trip.