| Author | Message | ||
     Kaikoura |
Looks like the perfect product Ill read the threads today All those in favor of the product say yes All those opposed say no.. Have a great day.. Its minus eleven here this morning.. | ||
| Reepicheep |
IMHO, it is unnecessary, though I do recommend the long travel suspension XB's bore out the mounting holes in the stock tensioner just a bit to accommodate potential problems with tolerance stack, particularly if you can feel the suspension bind up on bigger bumps. The free spirits unit looks trick, and will do the same thing, maybe even better. But it is a very fussy installation (it comes with a stack of shims) and it is a wear item with a fairly short life for some components (the springs I think, or maybe it was the bearings). Like 10,000 miles or something, so like every 2nd or 3rd oil change? At the end of the day, it seems to me like an unecessarily complicated and unreliable solution to a legitimate problem on some (but not all) bikes. My 9sx didn't need anything, my Uly did need something done. That being said, I made the holes bigger on the 9sx anyway to make tire changes and emergency belt swaps easier. In theory that makes the belts a little less durable, but in 50k miles on XB's, I've never lost a belt (probably because I always have a spare around... if I didn't have a spare the original belts would have immediately exploded  ) | ||
| Motorbike |
As I mentioned in the other thread, my new belt is looser than the original belt ever was. Ever since the bike was new, I could always feel an extra vibration as the bike was ridden through sharp dips in the road or when riding double. I just got used to it. After I replaced the belt, I no longer feel that extra vibe and I believe it is only because the new belt is slightly looser. The fix that Reepicheep is suggesting may be a good idea if you feel the belt is too tight. That would be a simple and cheap way to fix it. Thanks. | ||
| Kaikoura |
You guys and girls on this forum rock..if you are ever in my neck of the woods Ill buy you a beer..  | ||
| Trojan |
There have been perfectly good proven belt tensioners on the market for more than 10 years that have been shown to work. http://www.twinshack.co.uk/Buell/buell-xb/XB-Drive line/XB-Free-Spirits-Belt-Tensioner Anything else is just unnecessary (or a blatant copy of what is already available  | ||
| Uly_man |
I have had 06 and 10 bikes with AKD, AKE, AKF belts and both bikes had FSTs. I have not had many miles on the AKF belts for many reasons. My opinion is that the XB12X has a longer rear travel suspension than the normal XBs which will, if you allow that longer travel to work, "load" the the belt and gearbox output shaft more than a normal XB since the belt has very little "give" in it. A FST will allow some give to the belt via the spring but this MUST be adjusted correctly and a correct installation of the FST is also required. For me I did not see any better miles on the AKD and AKE belts with a FST but that is just my road riding conditions but maybe the AKF will be better. What I do find though is that the FST DOES makes for better/ smoother gear changes and maybe a lower load on the gearbox output shaft on this specific bike. That would indicate to me that something is working right. Saying that though it is not a "apples 4 apples" situation and if you just ride the highway all the time I think you may not need a FST. | ||
| Arry |
The FST looks like a very good solution, but I have no experience with them (and don't know if there are other aftermarket options). Belt tension changes throughout suspension travel (I don't know how much), and drilling out the stock tensioner wont compensate for that. Still, drilling would relieve tension, but not compensate for suspension travel. How much is the FST in US dollars? Does anyone know of other options? | ||
| Od_cleaver |
I have the Free Spirit Belt Tensioner on my Ulysses for a little more than 5,000 miles. Prior to the tensioner, I felt what I believe to be engine vibrations after hitting some bumps on different roads. Since installing the tensioner, I have not felt those vibrations. The tensioner was a lot easier to install than the comfort kit or changing the rear spark plug. | ||
| Nobuell |
See the last post http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/648053.html | ||
| Mhevezi |
FWIW, I put one on my '08XT about 12k ago. Never had an issue and been very happy with it. It's a personal choice and well, I'm happy with my choice. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Just for clarity, the geometry of the swingarm and tensioner is designed to keep a constant belt length regardless of swingarm position. On my XB9 it seemed to work great. On my XB12X it seemed to bind up in a few positions. | ||
| Rbuck53 |
Can I make a suggestion here? The Buell Ulysses has two fixed points for belt guidance at the engine and one variable point at the rear drive wheel. With this pulley arrangement, and using a protractor or compass to simulate the axle swing relative to the center point of the drive pulley, one can determine that the drive belt will not maintain constant tension as the suspension moves through it's travel arc. As the suspension extends downward beyond it's "0" point, the belt will tighten slightly, and as the suspension compresses upward from it's "0" point, the belt will loosen slightly. Buell's design and location of the lower guide/tension pulley is such that this belt tightening and loosening is minimized, but nevertheless still evident. IMO the reason belts prematurely fail on the Ulysses and not on other XB models is because the Ulysses has longer suspension travel than other XB models therefore providing a greater opportunity to put more stress on the drive belt. This drive line stress may also be a factor in the Ulysses having more rear wheel bearing failures than other XB models. One last note...Ulysses owners who have installed a variable rate belt tensioner, such as the Free Spirits tensioner, have complained about 0 belt/rear wheel bearing failures. My personal Ulysses has over 14k miles of usage with this tensioner and still has the original belt and rear wheel bearings installed showing no signs of needing replacement. | ||
| Kaikoura |
@Rbuck53..makes sense to me..Ill get one in the spring.. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
While I am not prepared to site case examples, it is not accurate to say that there have been zero failures when the FST is used. In fact there have been several. There have also been several failures of the FST itself. | ||
| Rbuck53 |
I just did a down and dirty search on this web site and the xb forums web site and could not find mention of any failures as earlier noted. If there have been any posted please let us know. Thanks. | ||
| Pontlee77 |
my uly is on the edge of the 60.000 kilometers i installed the belt tensioner around 20,000 kilometers ago, still on the stock belt, maybe it hasen't failed yet due that i have new spare belt, Sods Law. | ||
| Froggy |
Huge thread regarding failures on the "other" forum. http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-Forum/Buell-Firebo lt-XB12-XB9/Troubleshooting/Free-spirits-belt-tens ioner-failure. 3 different people with failures on just the first page.  | ||
| Rbuck53 |
I would like to hear more from Uly owners who have installed the Free Spirits Belt Tensioner on their motorcycle. What is your experience with belts breaking, rear bearings failing, or the tensioner being a problem? Good or bad, let's hear it! Thx! | ||
| Rbuck53 |
As much as I don't like to see failure results like this it is important that all owner's experiences be equally considered. Out of curiosity, this weekend, if the temperature gets above freezing in my garage, I will remove my FS tensioner, disassemble it, and examine it closely for wear. I'll re-post on this forum afterward and let those interested know what I find. I am doing this because of my intent to discover if I have any signs that are pointing toward a failure of this part on my bike anytime soon. BTW I have always run my tensioner with the spring pre-load set in it's most relaxed position. With it mounted on the motorcycle like this I can actually pull down on the pulley wheel with my hand, relieving pressure on the belt. Doing this today I noticed that the idler moves up and down freely with only a very small amount of side play, which is what I recall when I mounted it when new. I did not notice any discoloration or metal dusting on any of the FS pulley guide surfaces. I run a Jardine muffler so interference with the stock muffler mount is not a factor on my bike. Thanks Froggy for the XB Forum reference. Appreciated! | ||
| Nillaice |
There's an x-factor that is being overlooked. The type of xb owner that is going to unnecessarily spend $$ on a FST or the like is also one to unnecessarily spend $$ on new bearings/belt before the old one breaks. Since This guy values his bike, They might also be so inclined as to perform other periodic maintenance items, even to the extent of 'pampering' the bike and riding it responsibly. The opposite extreme is a guy who would rather spend $$ on 10 more fill-ups instead of an FST. the guy who seldom changes the oil and rides it like he stole it. That guy is going to be harder on the bike and accordingly should experience more mechanical failures than the other guy. | ||
| Motorbike |
I've often wondered about the rate of bearing or belt failures on the X, compared to the XT, as the XT has less suspension travel. My XT has had a bearing failure but not a belt fail yet. I am running the stock tensioner. | ||
| Rbuck53 |
Motorbike...what year is your XT and how many miles were on it when the bearing(s) failed? Thx | ||
| Nobuell |
I did have 1 bearing failure but so far, no belts. | ||
| Motorbike |
Rbuck53, my XT is an 08 that I bought new October of 2009. Failed at 7300 miles. The belt side bearing fell apart and the rotor side bearing looked like new yet. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/653516.html?1317306927 | ||
| Pagprivat |
Bearing failure (or close too, got to it before total havoc) at 8.000 km, on disc side. Belt side looked like new. Suspect this started by poor bearing sealing. '07 Uly, stock tensioner without "larger bolt holes mod", (considering doing it though) and original belt. I read a lot about the FST around on different forums, and got a little skeptical. Also a few quite fresh treads of people that was designing a new reinforced spring loaded tensioner, thought I would wait to possible replace mine until some of these were available. | ||
| Uly_man |
I is my belief that some of the wheel bearing issues/ fails start at the factory. The dealer changed my 10 bikes fronts on the 5k service and I did the 06 bikes fronts at about 8k miles because the steering started to feel odd. The bikes did not see much rain or anything else. A lot of these bikes had stood around for a long time before someone bought them and in some cases years. It is a known FACT that this has an effect on ANY bearing life. Apart from anything else why anyone would put a dry steel shaft into a dry alloy tube and still expect it to come apart is just crazy mad stuff. The bearings are NOT waterproof either. | ||
| Uly_man |
FST. This is its position on the bike.  B and C are the mount points on the engine. The spring is in between 1 and 2. The pivot is at A and D. This, and the other pics, show that it could have failed for many reasons. Given what some people seem to think is a good idea to "do things" with there bikes I would not judge until the facts were to hand. | ||
| Rdkingryder |
I'm wondering if most of the FST failures are due to lack of lube at the pivot bolt? | ||
| Rbuck53 |
By the look of it, lubrication can certainly be a factor. Alum wears against the steel bolt...and before you know it the alum next to the expansion pin is so thin...it rips apart. If owners of failed FS tensioner noticed metal dusting around the pivot bolt, this would be a good indication that this is exactly what is happening. | ||
| Uly_man |
I would question why the alloy finish has gone bad a point X. At point Y the FST has a swivel/ knuckle joint that does need to be lubed as dirt/ dust gets on to it. If it seized up the whole device would not work right and put all its moving/ leverage force at point A which would normally be take up via the spring between points 1 and 2. But who know in this case. In any event you would need a massive amount of force to break it like this. A bearing, a stone, bad fitting it could be anything.  |
