Hello all, I am new to the slingshot. I bought from an individual two moths ago and all of the recall work done then. Just as of late I have heard some wheel bearing noise 'click' at random times. From what I'm reading the belt could be a little tight after the recall work. My question. What and how tight should my belt be? I'm a big guy and ride two up mostly. I have read the reviews and feel confident on how to adjust the the belt but How Much should I loosen it? Any and all help is appreciated ! Thanks in advance!
Wheel Bearing Noise
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Hello all, I am new to the slingshot. I bought from an individual two moths ago and all of the recall work done then. Just as of late I have heard some wheel bearing noise 'click' at random times. From what I'm reading the belt could be a little tight after the recall work. My question. What and how tight should my belt be? I'm a big guy and ride two up mostly. I have read the reviews and feel confident on how to adjust the the belt but How Much should I loosen it? Any and all help is appreciated ! Thanks in advance!
Hi Nick! Congrats on your purchase & welcome to the best forum of ANY kind, much less for Slingshots.
The factory spec for belt tension (per the service manual) is 0.63” of deflection (with 10 lb of force applied) - however, we all agree this is just too tight (creating unnecessary wear on the cheesy rear axle needle bearing). I mostly ride solo & have mine set at 1” & it seems to work real well. With you being a big guy & mostly riding two up, try 1.5” of deflection at 10 lbs & see how that works out for ya’. This is just my humble opinion & you may get some different answers but I feel this would be a great starting point & pretty much get you in the ballpark for your needs. Take care, ride safe, have fun, God bless, good luck & Sling on!
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^^^^ Such a proper first impression
....Just wait until you get to know him...
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Welcome @Nick Alleshouse!!!
I would never presume to know mor than @Tripod about adjustments on the Sling! After all, he works on nuclear plants.
Can't think of a time he has steered us wrong...at least when it comes to the SS.
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^^^^ Such a proper first impression
....Just wait until you get to know him...
@MiM, give the guy a break. Its his birthday, maybe he's turning over a new leaf or trying to get into heaven or something.
Or, maybe he's just f$&%in' with the new fish....
Welcome, @Nick Alleshouse! You might also want to search this forum for discussions on clicking wheel bearings. Several guys have had them go bad, but have continued to drive in that condition until Polaris coughed up the parts.
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Welcome to the forum! The people in this place, for the most part, are some of the best you will find roaming the 'net! I agree with @Tripod, if you run two up most of the time 1 1/2 inches should be good. I have mine set between 1 and 1 1/4, as my riding is pretty much 50/50 on solo verses passenger.
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Welcome @Nick Alleshouse!!
Here are a couple links that might help you understand how to do your own adjustments on the belt:Drive Belt / Removal / Tension / Alignement
Very good video demonstration:
Snazzy's Drive Belt Adjustments explained
Hope these help!!!!
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Welcome.
Make the adjustments on a cold belt. The belt will tighten a little when it gets warm from ridding. That will make a difference on the tension setting. I have mine set at just over 1.25.
Post up your location, there might be someone close that would like to wrench with you. -
Welcome @Nick Alleshouse!!!
I would never presume to know mor than @Tripod about adjustments on the Sling! After all, he works on nuclear plants.
Can't think of a time he has steered us wrong...at least when it comes to the SS.Ditto here and welcome Nick. I wanted to give Tripod a glowing review, but he's already glowing from his job
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@MiM, give the guy a break. Its his birthday, maybe he's turning over a new leaf or trying to get into heaven or something.
Or, maybe he's just f$&%in' with the new fish....Welcome, @Nick Alleshouse! You might also want to search this forum for discussions on clicking wheel bearings. Several guys have had them go bad, but have continued to drive in that condition until Polaris coughed up the parts.
welcome to the fourm.
I was one of those guys.
I unless you are clicking like mine you're good. I placed my video below so you don't need to search. This is needle bearing noise.
Tight belt can cause lots of noise.
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welcome @Nick Alleshouse - looking forward to pictures of your ride and adventures
Sometimes the noise is from dirt and grime - take a garden hose and spray off the sproket and belt a little and see if that works - if not the folks here got you covered
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Before you try to adjust, clean the belt with a wire brush and soap and water. You just might get rid of the noise.
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Welcome to the house Nick! I bought this tool for 20 bucks from Amazon to measure deflection.
ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506523032&sr=8-1&keywords=belt deflection tool
I set mine at 1 3/8" cold, and may go a little looser.
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Thanks guys!!!! I feel the love! Keep the comments and help coming! I have updated my profile and location, I'm in Bolivar Ohio! Next dumb question. I get the hanging the weight with a belt scale but what is deflection? Sorry again, this is my fist belt issue and I have watched all of the recommended vids but a little unclear on it.
Deflection would be the distance (amount of slack / travel) of the belt (bottom side, in the middle) when pushing up & down on it. Like @Slingrazor said, make sure to do adjustments on a cold belt (I forgot to mention that in my original response & that is important!) - belt will tighten significantly when it gets heated up from driving.
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Thanks for all the input guys. Do you know where I can find a step by step video on how to replace the rear bearings?
I do not believe anyone has made a video. It is not hard if you have the tools (correct bearing puller) and make sure you install the one bearing the correct way.
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Thanks do you know what bearing puller to buy?
I have pulled many bearings over my working career. But even though I carry a spare set of bearings whenever I leave town on a trip I have not pulled the bearings out of the housing yet. I have greased them in place. I bought a set of pullers from Harbor Freight that I was told would work.
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I have pulled many bearings over my working career. But even though I carry a spare set of bearings whenever I leave town on a trip I have not pulled the bearings out of the housing yet. I have greased them in place. I bought a set of pullers from Harbor Freight that I was told would work.
How do you grease them in place? Is there a fitting I’m not seeing?
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