Rear tire alignment issues

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

TRACKING PROBLEMS

MAYBE YOU KNOW THIS ALREADY ??? ....THE REAR ADJUSTERS IMHO LEAVE A LOT TO BE DESIRED AS FAR AS ACCURACY GOES !!!...THERE IS A LOT OF FREE PLAY INSIDE WHER THE ADJUSTER DOES THE ADJUSTING, SO IT IS EASY TO GET THE WHEEL OFF CENTER....AND ALL YOU NEED IS 1 MM TO SCREW THINGS UP ROYALLY....I WISH THEY WOULD HAVE MADE A MORE POSITIVE MECHANISM BACK THERE ....EVERYBODY ELSE SEEMS TO HAVE DONE IT....MIKE....GOOD LUCK...:thumbup:

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Yes, they have gone bad with less. especially with the belt too tight. There are two service bulletin tasks that should be done on every early Spyder...lowering the belt tension to the latest spec, and retorquing the front sprocket at 6,000 miles. If these are skipped, the chances of front sprocket damage greatly increase. If you have sprocket damage, and are lucky, only the sprocket will be bad. If the output shaft splines are worn, too, the repairs are more extensive. BTW, are you sure you are tightening the axle nut securely?

Was that service bulletin after May 2011? That was my 600 mile check, and the mechanic said everythign was up to date at that point.

Can I eyeball the front to see if it has a problem? How would I recognize an issue on that pulley?

It was tracking straight before the tire change. I do realize there is a lot of play in the tenionsers. If I loosen them I use a rubber mallet and stick to tap the tire forward to get it back in place. I've been tightening the axle nut back to 92 lbs as per the specs.

 

[NancysToy]

Was that service bulletin after May 2011? That was my 600 mile check, and the mechanic said everythign was up to date at that point.

Can I eyeball the front to see if it has a problem? How would I recognize an issue on that pulley?

It was tracking straight before the tire change. I do realize there is a lot of play in the tenionsers. If I loosen them I use a rubber mallet and stick to tap the tire forward to get it back in place. I've been tightening the axle nut back to 92 lbs as per the specs.

The TSBs covering those items were in learly 2010, as I recall. If your Spyder is a 2011 model, they do not apply...but the belt should have been correctly tensioned at the 600 mile check, and the sprocket should still be retorqued (IMO) at 6K, although I think they changed the design slightly to make this step unnecessary now. With the newer sprockets with the external flywheel, there is no good way to quickly, visually inspect for signs of play. On the original bare sprockets, obvious looseness or rust around the center bolt were good clues.

I'm not sure what people are saying about the "play" in the adjusters. If the axle starts forward, and is pulled back, there should be no play. There will be some slack if the direction is reversed...as with any such adjuster. The adjustment is very sensitive. One "flat" of the wrench is usually too far. I adjust in half flat increments or less. Is it possible that you are being too critical? The adjustment does tend to wander a little bit during operation. As long as the belt doesn't ride up against either sprocket flange constantly, and the entire belt remains on the rear sprocket, it should be OK. Also be aware that the adjustment can change when tightening the axle nut. It pays to torque the nut in a downward motion instead of fore-aft. It also helps to loosen it as little as possible when adjusting the tension or alignment.

If you are very sure the alignment was OK before, and it is not a matter of you just not having noticed the previous movement, then I would look further in the rear wheel to see if it was reassembled wrong, or has worn/damaged parts, including the hub/bearing fit. The rear wheel/sprocket bearing life is marginal on the Spyder, and there have been some cases of galled or damaged hub bearing sockets. The rubber dampers could also have been misplaced or damaged.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

My RS SM5 Spyder was a left over 2010 model. But the 600 mile dealer service was done in May 2011. Since that serice was only about 8 months ago I wasn't in a big hurry to get in for the 6K miles service. The dealer that did the 600 mile made it clear he's never seen a Spyder with valves out of spec at 6000 miles, which was main reason I thought the 6K mile check was recommended. Did not realize there was a TSB for something specifically at 6K.

The alignment before the tire change did have the belt about 1mm from the inside of the pulley. Guess maybe I should take the rear wheel apart and look one more time.

 

[NancysToy]

My RS SM5 Spyder was a left over 2010 model. But the 600 mile dealer service was done in May 2011. Since that serice was only about 8 months ago I wasn't in a big hurry to get in for the 6K miles service. The dealer that did the 600 mile made it clear he's never seen a Spyder with valves out of spec at 6000 miles, which was main reason I thought the 6K mile check was recommended. Did not realize there was a TSB for something specifically at 6K.

The alignment before the tire change did have the belt about 1mm from the inside of the pulley. Guess maybe I should take the rear wheel apart and look one more time.

The belt spec TSB applies to all Spyders, and your dealer erred in setting it too tightly at 600 miles, from what I can see. It does not get tighter by itself. The sprocket retorque would not necessarily apply to your 2010 if it has the black external flywheel attached to the alloy front sprocket. The bare alloy sprockets do need to be retightened at 6K and checked for wear frequently. It doesn't hurt to retorque the later sprockets. I agree that the first valve check at 6K is a waste of time.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

The belt spec TSB applies to all Spyders, and your dealer erred in setting it too tightly at 600 miles, from what I can see. It does not get tighter by itself. The sprocket retorque would not necessarily apply to your 2010 if it has the black external flywheel attached to the alloy front sprocket. The bare alloy sprockets do need to be retightened at 6K and checked for wear frequently. It doesn't hurt to retorque the later sprockets. I agree that the first valve check at 6K is a waste of time.

I'll double check to see which front sprocket I have.

The too tight belt was from mile 0 to 600. The tech at 600 corrected the situation. Now that you mention it I do remember him saying something about a TBS on the belt tightness.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

My front pulley.



Is this the problem one?

 

[NancysToy]

I'll double check to see which front sprocket I have.

The too tight belt was from mile 0 to 600. The tech at 600 corrected the situation. Now that you mention it I do remember him saying something about a TBS on the belt tightness.

:thumbup:

My front pulley.

View attachment 40237

Is this the problem one?

That's the later one. You should be OK, but it never hurts to retorque it. I'd say your problem is probably elsewhere.

 

[Dirt_Dad]

Good to know. Thanks.

Although I have been successfully working on my own motorcycles for the last 30+ years, I think I have to admit defeat when working on the Spyder. This is a different animal and I'm struggling more than I should. I think the final straw came when I managed to break the axle nut on the left side free from it's solid connection to the axle. Fortunately it is threaded on that side so I'm still able to torque the axle. Still no 1mm gap but it's not riding up on the rim of the pulley so I'll ride it the 70 miles to the dealership and capitulate. Trying this for over 5 hours has finally beat me.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.