Shout Out to Jim and his Belt Tensioner...

[bone crusher]

I bought the Belt Tensioner from Jim a little over a month ago and finally got around to installing it (a bit busy my way)...before doing so, I had a few nice conversations with him on the phone. I elicited the help of a HD buddy of mine as I didn't want to miss anything (he's a lot more mechanically inclined).

Anyway, the install on a GS is pretty straightforward...the bracket is well-made and the tensioner makes a lot of sense. It took us over an hour to install as my buddy and I are both OCD/neurotic and we had to make sure the belt was zeroed in to the center of the tensioner. There is always a bit of play so it's really not possible to get it 'perfect', but you can get it 'close enough.'

We had to cut 2 areas to get this on properly...one per Jim's instructions and another where the actual tensioner is in relation to the lower belt guard...meaning, when you put the belt guard back on, it's almost touching the tensioner...now, it's not touching, but it's darn close. Being things move around a bit when you ride, we decided to cut out the 'L' portion of the lower belt guard ONLY where it comes in close proximity to the tensioner. We used a razor and the carving is not noticeable from the outside of the bike. It does allow for more distance from the tensioner to the guard and we were happy with this.

I did not go out for a long ride after the install...only for a ride around the block a few times...however, the bike is a more smooth with gear shifts.

Note that there is a bit of a 'noise' from the tensioner on the belt, but it's actually cool...I like it...also, we checked the tension of the belt best when the bike was off the ground...left it around 11.5 lbs. of pressure...this seems to be fine.

The biggest problem with my bike is the RPM around the 4900-5500 range...below and above this range my bike is quite smooth...in this range and the bike has quite the harmonic vibration going...I'm hoping the tensioner will help in this range and I'll report back when I am able to ride it for a while.

So far, so good. This is a well-machined modification for your Spyder and I believe Can-Am/BRP should be adding this as standard equipment due to the long belt on our bikes. A tensioner makes sense.

Jim is a class act and I appreciate his product and his customer service. I have no proof of this, but I'd think the tensioner will also extend the life of the belt...

 

[pro10is]

Great review! Please post more when you get a chance to thoroughly test it. Appreciate your feedback.

 

[Bob Denman]

I'd like to hear from someone who's added one to an RT... Can the belt guard be left in place? How about drilling the mounting holes?
The typical questions from a non-mechanical sort of guy... :shocked:

Thanks for the write-up! :thumbup:

 

[JCSMOKE]

I'd like to hear from someone who's added one to an RT... Can the belt guard be left in place? How about drilling the mounting holes?
The typical questions from a non-mechanical sort of guy... :shocked:

Thanks for the write-up! :thumbup:

The belt guard has to have cutting done to it on the RT, but if you take it slow and are careful you can do it and make it look good. If you are going to Lamont's I'm sure you can get the help needed for install.

 

[Machinegunner]

I installed Jim's belt tensioner. The bike is definetly smoother. My bike is a RS-S se-5 2011. If the vibrations you talk about at 4,500-5,000 happen in every gear, then it drivetrain related. Mine vibrates in every gear at this RPM. Believe it or not but I switched to Mobil 1 4t synthetic motorcycle oil 10-40 and this vibration almost went away, plus it definetly shifts smoother.

 

[Green RSS]

Nice!! Have to give this a shot.

 

[bluestratos]

I installed the belt tensione about 6 months ago and I feel no difference at all unfortunately. I take the bike in next weekend for warranty issues so I will tell them to check the the engine mounts to see if that is the source of my vibratation.

 

[ultra93]

Cutting belt guard.

I just installed the tensioned on my 2012 RT and did not have to cut the belt guard at all. Have driven it 400 miles since install and the tensioned does not touch the belt guard even with two people on the bike. Tensioner eliminated the slight momentary buzzing at 6K rpm.

 

[gln2]

I just installed the tensioner on my RT last Thursday and yes I had to cut the guard as shown in the instructions but that was simple enough I just removed the 3 screws that hold it on and took a jig saw and cut it, having the guard off also made it really easy to drill the 2 bolt holes needed to install the bracket without removing any panels. I did speak to Jim before the install which made it alot simpler. All said it took about less than 1 hr. I did take it for a short ride but never got over 40 mph brought it home and checked to see if the belt moved at all in either direction and no it did not. I did notice that it did ride a little smoother but I have yet to take it on a major hwy, it's just too hot right now to want to go out. So when the heat dies down I will give it a go and report back. I should mention that the reason I did not take it over 40 mph is that when I install certin things that involve parts that if installed improperly might have you stranded where you really dont want to be I tend to take the test ride slow and in stages so as not to be far from my shop and tools. My experience with Jim and his product were very smooth, swift and pleasent. Thanks Jim you were a big help.

Glenn

 

[bone crusher]

I installed Jim's belt tensioner. The bike is definetly smoother. My bike is a RS-S se-5 2011. If the vibrations you talk about at 4,500-5,000 happen in every gear, then it drivetrain related. Mine vibrates in every gear at this RPM. Believe it or not but I switched to Mobil 1 4t synthetic motorcycle oil 10-40 and this vibration almost went away, plus it definetly shifts smoother.

This is great information...thank you...I had them put in full synthetic at my last service...(BRP brand, I guess)...I have no idea what the 'thickness' is...is their oil also 10-40, 10-30??

I did notice the increased vibrations after the last service...hard to believe switch from blended oil to synthetic would cause such an issue though?