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[Richard230]

I agree.  A couple of photos would be helpful. 

[Spenny818]

This is the bolt for the swingarm pivot. The collared nut fits inside of the bearing, and has to be held with a 24mm wrench to spin it off. The bolts are identical on both sides. I found it easiest to just take the set screw out entirely before attempting to take out these bolts.


To remove the bolt on the right side, you have to take out the bolt for the rear brake pedal as well. It's just a clearance issue. I just left the pedal hanging there and the bolt came out no problem.



This shows the left side, with the swingarm pulled back. To install the belt, you basically just have to pull the swingarm back enough for it to slide through this gap. The shock linkage holds everything together, so you don't actually have to remove the swingarm or rear wheel.

 

Finally, this is the broken belt. It didn't show any signs of unusual wear, it just snapped.

[Spenny818]

As far as the step by step instructions for the install:

-Loosen the rear wheel and slide it forward in the frame 

-Remove the rear fender by taking out the 4 hex bolts securing it

-Remove the rear brake pedal bolt (I believe it was a 15mm)

-remove the set screws from the swingarm bolts on both sides, then remove the bolts by holding the inside nut with a 24mm wrench, and a 10mm hex on the head. This was the hardest step, because there is not a lot of room to manipulate in the rear assembly - especially with a 24mm wrench!

-The swingarm will pull back enough for the belt to fit through the frame. Simply slide it over the motor pulley, replace the swingarm bolts, then install it over the rear wheel and tension accordingly.

These instructions are for a 2013. I am told that on the 2014 model, the nut is welded inside the swingarm, and they omitted the set screw design. This will make the job much easier as you just have to turn out the head with a 10mm.

[Richard230]

Thanks Spenny818, that is a great write-up and the photos really help to illustrate the work.  Do you have any idea about the tightening torques for the fasteners that need to be reinstalled? What is the swing arm bearing like?  (Is it a roller or plain bearing?)  I assume that it should be re-greased upon assembly of the swing arm bolt.

[Spenny818]

All of the torques should be in your owners manual. The swingarm pivots are 75 lb/ft, as well as the rear wheel nut. The rear brake pedal gets torqued to 34 lb/ft. I'm not sure on the bearing, but I believe it was a roller bearing.

[Spenny818]

The belt came in today and I have everything back together. I'm definitely jealous of you 2014 owners that have the inner nut welded to the frame! Just working on getting the belt aligned now and then we should be back in business. It would be nice if I didn't have to do this for another 40,000km...

[vchampain]

Is it something easy / that can be done quickly ?

[Spenny818]

Definitely not a road side job. I would allow an hour at least to install it. The process should be more streamlined for a 2014 however.

[pdm]

Hmm, I'm looking at getting a 2014 FX, maybe I should get a chain fitted on it right away...

[Richard230]

I imagine that getting the belt and its sprockets aligned perfectly with the use of the axle adjusters is critical to belt life.  That adjustment is likely to be well worth taking extra time to get just right.  Not having adjusted the belt yet on my 2014 bike, I assume that the best way to do this is to measure from the center of the swing arm bolts to the center of the axle bolts and verify that both measurements are exactly the same.  Of course, that assumes that the motor is not cocked slightly in its mounts. 

[Spenny818]

The way to properly align it is to look at the belts position on the rear sprocket. You don't want the belt rubbing against the outer guard, as this will wear the belt unevenly. It took me about another hour of adjustment to get this perfect. Getting the alignment right, as well as the belt tension is quite a craft! I would make some adjustments, then roll it back and forth in the garage a few times, then check the belt position. The issue I was having was that when I torqued the rear axle nut, it would change the alignment. I ended up having to over adjust it, so that when I torqued it the belt was properly centered.

[Richard230]

Great job, Spenny.  Time well spent.   

[vchampain]

Very interesting. My belt broke exactly the same way yours did, at 2000 km only. Did Zero do anything (free belt, compensation,...) to compensate for the faulty part (and the days of bike unavailability+time to change the belt) ?

[Spenny818]

I received a free belt and gauge. Never asked for compensation because it's still winter weather here in the great white north. I also didn't mind doing the job... I like getting my hands dirty and figuring things out.