Help with drive belt tension and adjustment

[Twogypsies]

G'day all,
For the last few days I am desperately trying to adjust the drive belt on my 2012 RT Limited purchased new
in September. Bike has approx. 2500 miles on the clock.
The belt was rubbing on the outside of the front sprocket leaving a lot of belt dust around there on the
engine block.
What is the correct belt tension using a Krikit with the wheel down?
Belt tension differs considerable when the wheel is off the ground. Say 160 down and as low as 100
with the trolley jack under.
And how can I stop the right hand side axle nut moving forward while tightening the nut?
With the wheels up I can adjust the belt and it looks right. Then after short drive settings change again
and I'm back to where I started. Drives me nuts! What am I doing wrong??
Thank you for any suggestions!
Peter (down under)

 

[jtoro1]

The adjustment with the Kriket is 101+/- 33 lb use the Allen screws on each side for moving the belt in or out turn the right side clockwise to move it to the left 1/4 turn at a time , with the bike up put it in gear and let it move

 

[NancysToy]

There is no correct number for the Krikit, because the BRP spec cannot be accurately translated due to a different method of measuring. The best way to get a good target number is to measure with the Krikit after a dealer adjustment with the sonic gauge. Lacking that, most owners of the 2008-2012 Spyders shoot for 110-150 pounds force on the Krikit with the Spyder sitting on the ground. As you have noticed, the reading changes when teh Spyder is jacked up. The factory procedure calls for measuring with the Spyder jacked up, in three equally spaced places on the belt.

The belt clearance should be checked only after the wheel is rotated in a forward direction, or after the Spyder is rolled several vehicle lengths straight forward. The belt will wander in turns or when backing. That seems to be normal. I have found the best way to keep the axle from moving when tightening is to be sure have the adjusters snug and the adjuster blocks tight to the swingarm, have the Spyder on the ground when you tighten, and tighten the bolt as much as possible instead of the nut, then do final torque on the nut.

Once you get the hang of it, it is pretty easy, but it can be daunting and frustrating at first blush. BTW, if you are unable to maintain an adjustment when rolled straight forward, have your dealer take a look. It could indicate bad rear wheel or sprocket bearings, or a problem with the drive sprocket/splines.

 

[Bob Denman]

Scotty,
I seem to recall you once giving an explanation of how to check your belt tension (roughly), just by giving it a twist... :shocked:
For those of us who don't have a Krikit...

 

[NancysToy]

Scotty,
I seem to recall you once giving an explanation of how to check your belt tension (roughly), just by giving it a twist... :shocked:
For those of us who don't have a Krikit...

For the 2008-2012, give the belt a twist with your thumb and forefinger, midway along the run. If it twists about 90 degrees with some effort, it is usually about right. Similar procedure for other belt drive bikes. Not sure how the higher tension from 2013 forward checks using this method. Your best bet is to have your belt correctly tensioned, then do the twist method to get a baseline that works for you....just like the first Krikit test.

 

[Bob Denman]

90 degree twist... THANKS!! :thumbup:

 

[Biosafena]

I don't want to hijack this thread, but since we are talking belts, mine was recently adjusted by the dealer. He went slightly above the tension spec to try and cure a vibration problem. I took off several side panels to add a few farkles and noticed that the belt is pretty much tight again the outside of the drive sprocket while it has the correct spacing on the driven sprocket (1 to 2mm). Is this something to be concerned about? If so, how to I get more gap on the drive sprocket while keeping the gap on he rear??? I can even see some rust marks on the belt that appear to be from where the paint is worn off the drive sprocket. This is on a 2012 RT Ltd with 7k miles.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Lamonster]

This may or may not help you. Like Scotty said it can be hard at first.
http://www.spyderlovers.com/forums/showthread.php?37974-RT-Hitch-removal-and-belt-adjustment

 

[jerpinoy]

I love this post, and thank you so much. Happy ,happy ,happy to all:yes::yes::yes: