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[gstrub]

Hey guys,

So I had my service done at 800 miles this weekend and got the bike out today. When I took off I immediately noticed it sounded different in accelerating, there is now a deeper pitched kind of groan and I feel it's vibration. I don't notice any difference in performance. Previously it was completely quiet and smooth.

The dealer is closed today so I haven't been able to call them to ask if this sounds normal. Do you think this is from adjusting the belt, and will it get better? I definitely preferred the sound and feel before:(

I attached a file of a sound clip and you can hear it pretty well.

[Zoom]

When I got my SR/F, I would hear a groaning buzz like that under moderate to hard acceleration for the first few hundred miles.  I read a post on here by a Zero employee that noted it was normal and would slowly resolve itself after some break-in.  Sure enough, by 500 miles it had improved a lot, and after my first service (which involved removing the rear wheel to patch a bit of tire damage.) it was better still.

I would guess it's a belt tension thing, and I would probably bug my shop about it.

[ESokoloff]

My guess.....
The belt tension was altered (can't say/tell which way) from what it was but I'm not saying there is anything wrong nor that this is normal as I don't know.   

[gstrub]

I also noticed a very sticky film on the belt, I was checking to see if it was wet. I don’t remember that being there prior to the service. Is there usually some sort of sticky lube on it? It looked “beaded.” That’s why I thought it might be wet.

[alko]

Hey guys,

So I had my service done at 800 miles this weekend and got the bike out today. When I took off I immediately noticed it sounded different in accelerating, there is now a deeper pitched kind of groan and I feel it's vibration. I don't notice any difference in performance. Previously it was completely quiet and smooth.

The dealer is closed today so I haven't been able to call them to ask if this sounds normal. Do you think this is from adjusting the belt, and will it get better? I definitely preferred the sound and feel before:(

I attached a file of a sound clip and you can hear it pretty well.

Sounds like a tight belt. I'm not saying it's over-tight, but I'm guessing it's on the tight end of the spec. I couldn't stand the noise or vibration so I set mine on the loose end and problem solved.

[gstrub]

How easy is it to loosen? My dealer is 300 miles away so I don’t want to go back:)

[yhafting]

Hey guys,

So I had my service done at 800 miles this weekend and got the bike out today. When I took off I immediately noticed it sounded different in accelerating, there is now a deeper pitched kind of groan and I feel it's vibration. I don't notice any difference in performance. Previously it was completely quiet and smooth.

The dealer is closed today so I haven't been able to call them to ask if this sounds normal. Do you think this is from adjusting the belt, and will it get better? I definitely preferred the sound and feel before:(

I attached a file of a sound clip and you can hear it pretty well.

The vibration could have been caused by belt teeth hitting the sprocket wall. Do check that there always is 0.5-1mm clearance between the belt and the wall. If the wheel is not perfectly aligned, you may see a difference when rolling the wheel back and forth. If the belt is close to the side wall (like 0.5mm) it may hit the side wall slightly when accelerating, since it gets squeezed. If the belt stays well in place at all times, there is not much to worry about. If it travels visibly from one side to the other while rolling the wheel from one side or the other, you should re-align before driving again, or risk premature belt failure.   

[alko]

How easy is it to loosen? My dealer is 300 miles away so I don’t want to go back:)

Check the tension first. There are plenty of YouTube videos on how to adjust belt tension.

[NetPro]

When I took mine for in for the recommissioning and timing service, they adjusted the belt without asking me and of course, tightened it to the upper end of the range and I could hear and feel the difference as soon as I left the shop.
I had loosened it a bit to reduce the known noises and vibrations but dealers apparently have been instructed to keep those belts nice and tight.
I would love to try a high quality chain and see how it performs compared to this belt.

[BamBam]

There are plenty of threads on this forum about how to adjust the belt tension and position it on the rear sprocket.  I always keep my belt at the very low end of the tension range.  I'm sure a proper adjustment will make you're bike feel the way it did before.  The adjustment is very easy.

[gstrub]

Well the Gates app says 31hz with my finger. I don’t have a stand so I can’t watch the belt move but it looks like it’s in slightly different positions depending on where I wheel it. Also there is an audible periodicity on the sound at 10-15 mph. The performance is fine.

I’ll see what zero says...it’s a bit frustrating to take a completely normal bike for maintanence at 350 miles away and return with a problem but let’s see how it works out.

[gstrub]

 So after measuring the tension several more times, I confirmed that it was always below 40. I prepared to adjust the tension, and loosened the rear axle nut. After doing this, I checked the tension again, and it was now 58. I thought that was odd since I didn’t even touch the tension bolts. Anyway, I went ahead and tightened the axle nut back, and went for a ride. The noise was no different. I repeated this procedure and tighten the bolts until the belt tension was reading 64. Again, this did not help at all. The bike sounds like an injured animal, or some sort of  spaceship in need of repair. I also feel A significant amount of vibration between my legs when I hit the throttle, and when the bike is slowing down I also feel a periodicity. I will let you know what the boys at zero say. Any thoughts from the belt experts would be most welcome:)

[alko]

So after measuring the tension several more times, I confirmed that it was always below 40. I prepared to adjust the tension, and loosened the rear axle nut. After doing this, I checked the tension again, and it was now 58. I thought that was odd since I didn’t even touch the tension bolts. Anyway, I went ahead and tightened the axle nut back, and went for a ride. The noise was no different. I repeated this procedure and tighten the bolts until the belt tension was reading 64. Again, this did not help at all. The bike sounds like an injured animal, or some sort of  spaceship in need of repair. I also feel A significant amount of vibration between my legs when I hit the throttle, and when the bike is slowing down I also feel a periodicity. I will let you know what the boys at zero say. Any thoughts from the belt experts would be most welcome:)

You need to make that number lower, not higher. The higher the number, the tighter the belt. The tighter the belt, the noisier it will be.

[gstrub]

Well the spec is 62-82 hz so it was below that and still sounds terrible. I’m going back to the dealer...another 700 mile round trip:(

[alko]

Well the spec is 62-82 hz so it was below that and still sounds terrible. I’m going back to the dealer...another 700 mile round trip:(

Ahh! Got it.