2021 Slingshot R Belt Howl

    Hey All,


    I have a 2021 SlingShot R Manual. I have noticed that around 45-60 Miles per hour I have a loud belt howl. This was not present on my 2019. I have changed the angle drive fluid, cleaned the belt, tried dry lube and still crazy howl. This only happens when accelerating so I am guessing its the belt. I do not se any abnormal damage to rub marks so I am a bit lost. I tried adjusting the angle drive a half turn in each direction and no change. SS has 1k miles on it and I know it still needs to be broken in but this is like a damn banshee yelling in my ear. This is my third sling and I have never experienced anything like this. Without a service manul I am not sure if I am making the proper adjustments since the 2021 R uses different sprockets where the belt favors the outboard side of the sprocket


    Any help is appreciated. I will also be contacting Polaris to see if they can provide the adjustment procedure. I am still under warranty but do not want to ride 100 miles to drop off my SS.

    As you are not new to the Slingshot, the problem is a new annoyance to you.


    Most likely demon...

    Belt tension. Too tight.


    If you suspect a more serious problem...

    Put a camera back there.


    I used a GoPro camera to record my problem.


    If you don't want to subject your high dollar cam, plenty of GoPro action type cameras on Amazon for under fifty bucks. You then have a recorder that you can subject to all kinds strange footage recordings in and about all your vehicles.

    Slingshot Flyer! Well, of course it's red... :REDSS:

    I will try the Go Pro. I loosened the belt tension to .75in flex... it was .25 inches from the factory but sound is still there. Cam time next just need to have a proper mount since I will be going 45-55 mph

    To be said...

    Most info I relate to is geared 2015-2019 releases.


    That .75 adjustment on a cold belt may still be tight.


    Adjustments can produce different results.

    Maybe not for your case, just know that some folks have run belt deflection out to 1.25". This may, in part be due to aftermarket coilovers, different compression rates; etc.


    In a nut shell...

    The higher the rear swingarm compresses into the body, the tighter the belt becomes.


    So...

    You adjust a cold belt to spec.

    You then throw your ass into the Sling and maybe another ass for fun. Adding 250 or more ass pounds to the suspension. You go for a ride, belt warms up and contracts a bit. Then you accelerate, the Slingshot squats in the rear... Hello howl, where's Bell?


    The adjustment is a happy medium because the swingarm moves in an arc and not circular around the power sprocket. Just want it to work in its most normal range. Polaris kept it simple rather than spend another dollar on a tensioner.


    As for the camera mount...

    Doesn't have to be extravagant. A simple piece of electrical conduit bent, shaped, and short as you can keep it. A bolt hole, piece of inner tube if needed to protect paint, and clearances.


    That 100 mile ride might be looking better...

    It is a ride but no guarantee that they get it right.


    These learning experiences...

    Trial by fire.


    If you want more reading...

    Google "slingshotinfo.com: Slingshot drive belt" without quotes.



    The difference between installing a mod yourself and having someone else do the install...

    Where the hell did they pull the electrical from?


    Hope your fix comes soon!

    Expect a derail in 5... 4... 3... 2...

    Slingshot Flyer! Well, of course it's red... :REDSS:

    See the source image

    I had this exact same issue.

    Cleaning the belt might give me 15 minutes of peace, then the screaming belt came back. Brought it back and the dealer.......

    "made an adjustment".

    Nothing.

    Picked it up, rode down the street and turned around after a mile.

    Dealer contacted the Mother Ship, and they authorized new sprockets and belt to be installed.

    Fixed

    That was 14,000 miles ago, and I haven't done anything to the belt since.

    Never trust a ConnMan!!
    (Man I love that line!)
    :00007555:

    Damn it airoutlaw, just when I thought I had this whole belt adjustment down you have to throw another monkey wrench into it, unfortunately what you say makes total sense. Throwing passenger and baggage weight into the equation, duh, I did not even consider that!


    Our experience has been that when starting out on a ride the belt may squeal, but as we ride it quiets down. Up to today I associated the riding to warming the belt and tightening it, concluding that a tighter belt is quieter and thus better, right?


    To add additional support to this theory, I have seen videos showing that a loose belt flops around and travels back and forth across the rear pulley while accelerating and decelerating, (moving outward accelerating, inward decelerating), then when the "loose" belt moved enough to come into contact with the outer lip of the rear pulley, that is when we got the squeal. Now, the tighter belt tended to remain more stationary, so better again, right? (I now see that Polaris has done away with that outer lip entirely, so where does that leave me?)


    Part of this "learning" experience has been that once we started messing around with adjusting the drive belt it has been like a dog chasing it's tail, a very frustrating experience. The belt is quiet presently but I have become convinced that it has more to do with after considerable trial and error I have finally found it's happy spot rather than any purposeful adjustment. It probably would have been better if we had just left things alone to begin with. There has been one constant with this whole fiasco, however, and that is so far no matter what, if the belt starts to get noisy, a good scrubbing usually quiets it down.


    Bill

    Does the belt whine really hurt anything. I have just quit paying attention to it. Can't hear it over good loud music anyway. Will it cause the belt to break? My Harley was belt driven and I never heard it whine.

    If the music is to loud you are to old.

    Just uploaded to Youtube. Yes there is the belt noise but listen to the high pitched whine in the background. No idea what it is but it is annoying as hell in the drivers seat!!!


    Quote from derichio02

    Just uploaded to Youtube. Yes there is the belt noise but listen to the high pitched whine in the background. No idea what it is but it is annoying as hell in the drivers seat!!!



    Here's my vid and whine...


    See any similarities in our belts?


    Both are walking outward. The belts don't walk like that if the sprockets are aligned.

    My angle drive somehow cocked in the cradle. Loosened the bolts for the angle drive to do belt tension and pop. Angle drive shifted slightly. Apparently it wasn't flush to frame.


    Long story short. My belt doesn't walk now.


    Here's link to original thread...

    Drive Belt, FYI, What it should not do back there!

    Slingshot Flyer! Well, of course it's red... :REDSS:

    Quote from Tripod

    That belt is WAY too far outwards

    The belt in the 2021 is aligned toward the outboard side of the sprocket unlike the 2020 and prior. I have confirmed this with other owners since this was a major difference. I will check the seating of the angle drive and also readjust belt tension. I can pull the bel in a bit but at a stand still it looks like all other 20201 R belts I have seen. I really hate that they changed the sprocket design in 2021. Here is a pic of where the belt rests on the 2021, my sprocket had some extra crud from the mold, ignore that I have since cleaned it up


    So I have a question... when we speak of belt tension and deflection, are folks speaking of belt deflection while off the ground or on the ground? Looking at the service manual it seems tension is set to 5-7/16ths while in the air with the suspension fully extended. If done this way when placing the vehicle on the ground you are looking at maybe 3 or 4/16ths. Which measurement is correct? On the ground or when lifted?