Is it normal to have a faint burning rubber smell after changing the drive belt & rear tire?

[f110tech]

'15 RTL, is it normal for a very faint burning rubber smell right after changing the drive belt and rear tire? Used a Krikit II to check the tension during install.

No dust, no smoke, not hot to touch, no vibrations. Just smells funny.

I rode about 30-35 miles, the smell was noticeable for the first few miles, then very faint towards the end of the ride.

 

[BajaRon]

You should not be getting a hot rubber smell. How is the alignment between the belt and the pulley's? What tension did you end up with on the Krikit? Are you running a dampener setup?

 

[Bfromla]

Rather curious, what prompted the new belt?

 

[Little Blue]

Quick Answer NO and NO.

Now the questions.
Did you have an issue with your Drive Belt?
Did you do your R and I of your Belt?
Did you R and I the Tire?

So I want to know if you made these repairs or
maybe someone else. Know big deal.
I had my Dealer do mine. So far I haven't had any problems.
It has been over a year now.

Thanks for your Time.

 

[jzeiler]

I used to get that on my old BMW K1200LT and it was finally determined it was rubber bits from the road flying up and sticking to the catalytic converter.

 

[Bangorbob]

I've had that smell with every belt driven ride I've owned. Agree with jzeiler's response.

 

[BajaRon]

It is interesting how different people have different experiences. I own several Spyders and a Ryker. Granted, not all have cats. But some do. Not to mention I test ride customer's Spyders on a fairly regular basis (usually about 10 miles unless there is a particular situation that requires a longer ride). My biggest problem is making myself come back to the shop! But we won't talk about that.

The only time I've smelled hot rubber is on the rare occasion of a belt not running true or a rubber part contacting the exhaust. But I can see where debris on the cat could give you this as well. Certainly worth checking out.

 

[f110tech]

Thanks for all the replies. I will try to answer a few questions people had, then I will follow up with an update.

The original belt had unknown miles and got punctured in the center from that garbage ground up asphalt chips.

Baja Ron's staff mounted my fresh tire on the rim, then I brought it home and yes I installed it myself and did the belt myself.

However, I have a lot of experience. Former jet engine technician, I've built shaft driven bikes from frame up with engine swaps, etc. only reason I asked for an opinion is because it was my first time working on the Spyder. Better to be safe than sorry down the road.

Krikit showed an average of 180. I inspected both sprockets for debris. Alignment looks great, no signs of rubbing on inside or outside edges. Nothing warm to touch, belt and tire feel normal.

Lastly, the odor wasn't terribly strong but was noticable.

The day I posted this, I went for a 3hr ride and now all I can smell is the fresh tire scent.

I'm assuming maybe the tire had some coating on it from the factory perhaps and it cooked off.

Oh someone asked if I run a tensioner. No, I have never had any vibration issues neither before or after this maintenance.

Runs great now