KymcoForum.com
Scooters - Big Bore => Xciting 500 => Topic started by: alyn 7777 on November 10, 2013, 05:24:14 PM
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With much trepidation, especially after reading about Sissy Mary's horrifying experience with Dr. Pulley sliders, I decided to install a set of 28x22 30 gram Dr. Pulley sliders into my 2009 Xciting RI ABS. I have 3 words to describe the difference - "Night and Day". The bike is much faster throughout the entire power band. I no longer have to 'gun' it to get out of a jam. I have read things like "eats my belt", "loss of engine breaking" "decreases mpg" but weirdly enough I only read these things on this forum. No negatives on the EU or Asian forums re: Dr Pulley sliders. So I wanted to post my experience as a counter to all the negative reviews. Let me address the negatives one by one.
'Eats My Belt'
I have no doubt that it happened to Sissy Mary, twice apparently. But I am highly skeptical the mechanic put his variator on correctly. The Xciting's variator is a PITA. There are three washers, each one has to be in exactly the right position. The bevel on the inner washer HAS to be facing the engine. The next washer slides on next to the belt, and you have to torque it down slowly and just right so that the belt rides up above that washer allowing it to get squeezed in between the two variator plates. Only then can you torque it to spec. And an impact wrench doesn't cut it. You should really use a torque wrench and a variator tool to torque it to 135 per the manual. The first two times I used the impact wrench it SPUN off at high rpm on the center stand. So I learned my lesson, I hand wrench the variator nut while looking in between the variator plates with a flashlight so I can SEE that the center washer is compressed tightly between the plates and the belt is free. Then I torque down the nut. No problems since.
'Loss of Engine Breaking'
I can imagine this happening more with the 26 gram sliders, but with the 30 gram sliders I noticed maybe 5% less engine breaking. Nothing that bugged me and certainly worth the sacrifice for the huge increase in quickness up to 6500 rpm.
'Decreases MPG'
The 30 gram weights do not decrease my MPG at all, if anything it increases MPG by 1 mpg or so. With the sliders, you just have to learn to drive it different. You only need to gently roll the throttle and it is much more responsive throughout the entire power band. No need to gun it, ever.
With the 30 gram sliders you will wind out about 300-500 rpm higher until you reach the highest gear ratio of the CVT then it will be exactly the same as stock for a given speed. At 70mph you will be exactly the same as stock rollers only you will get there much quicker without having to gun it. Where it does get tricky is at 55mph. At 55 I used to run at about 5200 rpm. With the 30 grams sliders it runs at about 5800 because it hasn't moved up to the higher gearing yet. The trick to alleviate this is to rev up to 62mph or so and slowly back off the throttle till you get back down to 55mph. The CVT will stay at the higher gearing at that point and the revs will drop way down. It's another step and a bit annoying but it works and for me a fair tradeoff for the extra quickness.
Around town it's massively more responsive and safer as I can power out of a jam with just a miniscule amount of throttle. At 65mph-75mph, rpms are the same as stock but you get there a lot quicker with smooth throttle response. I now slowly roll the throttle to quickly get to 65mph rather than gunning the throttle to get to 65mph. I also run a pair of Nelson Rigg soft saddle bags (CL-955s) and they're huge (27 liters). The added torque from the higher revving sliders really helps counter the wind resistance from those bags up to 65mph.
If you want more power from your 500 and feel confident getting your variator back on correctly, I would suggest giving the 30 gram (or even the 31 gram) Dr. Pulley sliders a try. It's well worth the 55 bucks and a helluva lot cheaper than a pipe or an air box.
I know another member complained his sliders were shot after 8000 miles. For the kind of speed and fun factor increase I'm seeing, I'm happy to change my sliders every 4000 miles if necessary. The newfound oomph on my 500 has stopped me from coveting the My Road 700 or the BMW 650, so I figure I saved a few thousand right there.
Just my 2 cents. I will report back when I have 4k on these sliders.
Many thanks to all the great posters on this forum! I wouldn't have taken a chance on this scoot without the resources available here.
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Wow, Great post Alyn~!
The more info from actual users of the re. Dr Pulley's the better.
Adverts tell you something - but it is the feedback from those who have tried them that is so valuable.
Thansk again for taking the time to write this..........
Stig
(box of Dr Pulleys in hand!)
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Well, I've always used Dr. Pulley Sliders on my other scoots, a 150 and a 250 and never had any problems but there were some bad user experiences with them here on the Xciting so I hesitated a lot before installing them. I think the problem may have stemmed from others using too light a roller weight on the Xciting (26 or 28)gr. I can't imagine going lighter than 30 grams, peak torque on these things is at 5000-5500k and peak HP is at 7000. At the lower weights I'd imagine the CVT would be upshifting at about 6500-7000 which in the long run is probably not best for the engine or the belt.
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After replacing the entire drive train after using Dr Pulley sliders, I was told that some counterfeit sliders were sold that did not meet original Dr. Pulley specs.
I also think the shop tech that installed my second belt after installing the Dr. Pulleys did not install them correctly. My drive train was torn up after 300 miles.
I was glad to read of your positive experience as the performance was truly different than the stock sliders.
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I bought mine directly from Dr P in Asia. Still screwed up my belt and such. :'( :-*
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I think smoothing out the variator tracks with a dremel helped my install. You really do need to make sure the sliders can travel freely and fully before reassembly. Also, I think the 28gram sliders may stress the system too much. After 2000 miles my 30 gram sliders still look perfect and performance is great. I check the variator every 600 miles or so because I am so paranoid having heard the horror stories. But so far so good. I still believe that a lot of the mechanics are sloppy when they reassemble the variator on these things. The extra washer on the 500 makes it more challenging to torque down that most assemblies.
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Update:
So far 4000 miles on the 30 gram Dr. pulleys. Took apart the CVT today. No wear, no dust, they look brand new. If anyone is predisposed to this upgrade do it, you will never go back. You just have to put the CVT back together correctly (Duh) and slide the Sliders back and forth in the variator before you do. If they hang at any point of travel just polish the guides in the variator a little with a dremel where they hang up. I guess the sliders are a whisker wider than the stock rollers and depending on how well your variator was machined you might need this step.
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I hope u continue to have good luck, but why should a costumer have to machine a part so that your product will work in their vehicle? Also, Union Materials (who I ordered from) should have told me I needed to do so. Bongoman spent $1,500 on his bike. I had to have the bike towed, order all new parts that I just had installed etc. I also had to rent a car, pay a tiny bike shop in the middle of know where to fix it, and so on. Dr P sliders may work in their own variators, but I would never use them again even if I did machine my inside pulley half. Don't walk, run from Dr P sliders. Stay with stock parts. Also, many people have had their Dr P clutch's explode, break springs, wear away the clutch shaft on their bikes etc. Their products are sheeet! Beware. >:( :( :'( :-*
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Amen to that, Sissy Mary
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Your mileage may vary. I'm sad about your loss, really am. You both had bad experiences. Mine has been great so far, as has been many other Xciting owners on the Italian Xciting forums. If you're satisfied with the stock performance, why change? I agree with that. But I personally am not. The stock 500 is slow. The belt and bike vibrates on takeoff. I've read a lot of posts by people who love the Malossi variator set up and the hit clutch set up and the sliders set up. Perhaps you got a bad batch of sliders. Perhaps the 28 gram sliders you used were too light (I used the 30s). Perhaps you both did not install your variator correctly. Who knows. All I know is that I check my variator every 1000 miles because of the alarm bells you continue to sound on this forum and other forums re: the sliders. I'm not blind, I'm not an incompetent mechanic. I can tell you unequivocally that the sliders so far have shown absolutely no wear in the 4000 miles since I have installed them, nor has the belt. The bike performs much better for me compared to how it performed with the stock rollers. It was a fantastic $50 upgrade for me. I would never go back to stock. And BTW, I've used Dr. Pulley sliders on two other scooters and loved them. To call them 'sheet' is basically saying that the thousands upon thousands of people who use them all over the world are idiots and that you know better than they do. You've admitted that you don't know if your variator was installed correctly. So let's be honest, you're not positive it was the Sliders that destroyed your CVT? If you can respond to this and say you personally bent down and looked at the CVT assembly after your slider install, that you personally verified that the inside washer was installed correctly between the 2 variator halves, that the belt was facing the right direction, that the variator nut was not tightened until the belt was turning freely and that it was torqued to 135 ft/lbs and most importantly, that the sliders were installed correctly in the variator, then and only then will I believe that it was the sliders that destroyed your bike. Can you absolutely attest to these facts? If not, sorry, but it's speculation on your part.
FWIW: Here is the link to motor mod section of the Italian Xciting 500 forum. They sell a lot more 500s in Europe then they do here and the owners are very savvy when it comes to mods. Feel free to point out to us all of the Italian users who 'blew up' their CVTs with Dr. Pulley products --
http://lnx.xcitingclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11 (http://lnx.xcitingclub.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=11)
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Hey Alyn, I hope your experience with Dr. P continues to the good. Mine was great the first 8,000 or 9,000 miles before they blew out. Yes, two different techs testified that the Dr. P. sliders were to blame. And perhaps they were not installed correctly. I did not perform that task. You do not have to defend their performance to me. They worked beautifully until they failed.
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Same here, mine where bought straight from DR P, 31gr. Everything fine, and then ka-bluey. The DP clutch, if you give it the gas, locks up right now. Your drive train was made to mesh, (clutch and bell). It is really made for racing. It puts way to much stress on your drive train. It fails often, with bad results. The M varo is fine. I just can't see the $$$$. And often people tell of lower mpg? If u break down in the middle of no-where? Who are u going to call to get parts over night? Good luck. I am sure the performance will be much better. I only tour. I ride mine like a gold wing dresser. So 0-60 & top speed really means nothing to me. Keep us posted on how it works out. U might also want to check out flying roller weights? Google it. :-*
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You know guys, it's a tough call. Your stories really had me worried from the get go, hence I check the CVT and will continue to check the CVT every 750-1000 with the Pulley's installed. It's hard to imagine that everything would look perfect and new after 4k like my install does and then just blow up after another 4k. Who knows, anything is possible. I do know I wouldn't go with the 28 gram sliders because, for me at least, with my RI version the 30s are perfect. It's a totally different bike than stock. Gear change winds out at about 6400 until it hits its highest gearing then it drops to about 6k at 65mph GPS which is right in its power band. My mileage hasn't suffered, if anything, it has improved. I will admit that the 500's CVT is a challenge to reinstall correctly and I'm anal about it after hearing your horror stories. I would never trust it to a 'mechanic', even the local Kymco mechanic here who has done Xcitings but never a 500. There's also a small chance that Dr. Pulley remanufactured the 500 sliders since you bought, they list 28-31 weights as available and I think they only used to list 28.
I talked extensively with the German Dr. Pulley rep. He personally had a hit clutch on his 500 for 20k with great results. My next move will probably be the Malossi variator and that won't be for awhile (if at all). I saw some dyno tests on You Tube last night with the Hit Clutch on the new BMW 650GT and they weren't impressive at all. In fact in the higher power band the factory clutch performed better, but the sliders over the stock rollers just rocked. Link here:
Dyno curves of BMW 650GT with Dr Pulley slider,HiT clutch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeIow12RJkg#ws)
I'll report back at 8k. I think the arm wrestling back and forth on these issues is great. Thanks for the input.
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Thanks & good luck. My sliders were 31g. I wanted to lower my rpm's a little at hwy speeds. :-*
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Happy to report back that the sliders are wearing perfectly, not that I can see ANY wear at all, after 5000 miles of use. Xciting 500Ri still pulls strong with them. I went with 30grams and I think 32-33 is stock on a 500Ri (the carb version had lighter stock rollers). I highly recommend them. If you go with Dr. Pulleys remember to make sure they slide freely all the way in and back in the variator slots. If they don't, clean up the Kymco variator machining with a dremel (light polishing) just to make sure so you don't run into problems. And make sure you reassemble the CVT correctly!
Pic of Dr Pulley 30 gram sliders after 5000 miles of use attached.
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I love your post 7777!
I also remember Sissy, and Bongoman going thru what they did.
You hit the nail on the head, and emphasized it (hopefully well enough) that PROPER assembly, and experience w/ the product make all the difference. Product experience can be replaced with mechanical knowledge, and pride in workmanship but all to often Mutts are entering the dog show, IMHO if they can bluff their way into a job they are not qualified for it is just a short step to making up a believable story about how your crappy parts caused every issue in the universe.
Just like our African born, self serving leader... Down here where I live you can't catch a fish cause of that _________!
Ignorance is not an issue. False "facts" are. Our president stepped into a world of trouble, and did it bravely, and with class. It's not his fault a redneck can't catch a fish.
Just as I believe the parts had nothing to do with the failures experienced.
I am still sorry for Sissy, and Bongo's experience but glad to see a good one at the same time.
These parts are not gimmicks. They are designed to work better than the OEM, and they do!
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Just like bongo dude, it was my sliders. They seem to work fine in other scoots, but many x500 owners have had this problem. Zombie, if I remember right u don't own an x500, but a little 50cc or 150cc scoot or something like that? They may work in those scoots, but not ours! :-*
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"They may work great in other scooters, just not ours"
Here you go again Sissy, but sorry, this time I won't allow it. You had a problem with the sliders and so did one other person on this board. You admit that you don't know if your variator was put back right. Yet, as I told you before there are tons of Xciting riders on the Italian and Spanish Kymco boards using Dr. Pulley sliders on their Xciting 500s. Why do you have to continue slamming Dr. Pulley products? Is it personal? You hate the sliders, you hate the clutches? My money is on that some bum mechanic reassembled your variator wrong. Period. And I will allow that possibly some of the stock variators need to be polished up to make sure the sliders move freely, I have only heard of one other person doing this. Most people just install them with no problem.
I'll say it one more time, putting in the 30gram sliders on a 500Ri changed my bike a whole lot for the better. In 5000 miles they have not worn at all. I would never go back to stock. So yes, the Dr. Pulley's DO WORK on our bikes. When you make a blanket statement propagandizing the opposite you are spreading disinformation. A lot of people read this board because it is in English and they will be better served by the truth.
Tell your personal nightmare story about the sliders all you want, that's your right, but when it comes to discounting the experience of other users like me, I'd appreciate it if you'd STFU.
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Hey Alyn, it is all a matter of personal preference. I truly do not know the cause of my variator failure with the Dr. Pulley. I heard several competing theories. No one was actually inside the box when it crashed and burned if you know what I mean.
As for the change being for the better, of that I am pretty sure it depends on your definition of better. OEM parts are made to last and be reasonable to maintain. If touring is your goal, OEM works fine. If you like to tinker and go for performance, by all means the finely tuned parts work better. Finely tuned, or as we say down here in south Texas, "persnickety" parts.
That has been the object of my postings on the subject, and from what I read, from Sissy Mary as well. Better is relative to purpose.
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Really stupid boxer can't get in the ring. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1noQmhXla5s#)
It's just not a fair fight.
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I'm done, I guess you just can't argue with stupid! Not only I and Bongo have had problems with them, but many others on other forums have said the same thing in the past. One dealer told me he will never install Dr p's in any variator again, other than a Dr p variator. Too many problems with exploding belts and such. :o
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Bugs Bunny - That's All Folks! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeERupuicHE#)
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And we'll have fun fun fun till . . . her daddy takes her T-bird away
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Any updates since 5,000 miles? Been pretty quiet. I actually have the MyRoad 700i and I am considering them with a clutch maybe at some point. Thanks.
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Ditto.
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Ditto.
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Dittoses.
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Ordered a set for my Burgman 400 today - with the slide pieces as well - if I'm all the way in there cleaning up the belt dust I might as well replace the rollers and slide pieces.
I like how these DrPulley parts have been working on my LIKE200i for a couple of years now. I went one gm lighter than the stock rollers.
Stig
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Ordered a set for my Burgman 400 today - with the slide pieces as well - if I'm all the way in there cleaning up the belt dust I might as well replace the rollers and slide pieces.
Whom did you order them from?
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Whom did you order them from?
Buggy parts north west
www.buggypartsnw.com (http://www.buggypartsnw.com)
4 or 5 orders from them. Never a problem.
Authorized Dr Pulley distribs in N America.
They also answer emails quickly.
Stig
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Buggy parts north west
www.buggypartsnw.com (http://www.buggypartsnw.com)
4 or 5 orders from them. Never a problem.
Authorized Dr Pulley distribs in N America.
They also answer emails quickly.
Thanks I submitted a request on pricing/availability on their web site, see what happens now.
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Cut and paste from my maintenance spread sheet.
8/2013 @ 10,175 mi - Replace Variator weights (6) with Dr Pulley 19x23mm 19g flat weights, and sliders (3), the rattling noise is gone.
3/2016 19,000 mi Inspected, no issues and almost no wear.
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The rate of exchange is hectic here, so I filled stock rollers with 2 part epoxy glue.
I don't have a sensitive scale so can't say how much extra they weigh, but I do feel that I can get 150kmh if I want to.
I don't exceed 140kmh nowadays.
I also made a washer the one that is fitted to the outer edge of the boss b4 fitting the variator face with fins.
I made it thinner with my grinder, and, I see a 400rpm improvement(ie, lower rpm) at 140kmh.
Revs now sit at 7100.
There is a bad vibration if this washer is removed, this the adaption of thinning it instead.
With the epoxy in the rollers, it will be possible to drill a hole and fit bolts in there with the head removed, to make them heavier, if needed.
Spook, in Taiwan, also machined his variator, so the rollers can travel out further, thus getting higher speed.
The thing is, I test drove a 2009 model when I bought mine and it maxed at 160kmh, so this allusive max speed is my goal.
Not for riding at that speed all the time, but just knowing it is available if needed.
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...
I don't have a sensitive scale so can't say how much extra they weigh, but I do feel that I can get 150kmh if I want to.
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very interesting. That is a large reduction in rpm. You could use an inexpensive digital scale - costs ~ $15 USD.
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I would be concerned about varying (not perfectly equal) weights of these homemade rollers. ....causing stress on bearings when spinning at speed.
? No?
Stig
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I would be concerned about varying (not perfectly equal) weights of these homemade rollers. ....causing stress on bearings when spinning at speed.
? No?
Stig
Extra wear on the bearings yes, but the main issue is vibration from being out of balance. Digital scale so you can at least get the weight equal.
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Stig, that is a concern, but my thinking was that the area the glue fills is the same, so same weight abouts,and each roller wear slightly differently (6 of one, half a dozen of the other) but I will take a look at one of my China sites, and see if I can get one there. Better safe than sorry.
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Update, 7usd for a precision? Scale up to 500grams with 0.01g sensitivity.
Can't beat that.
But I will be beating(drumming) the desk for month exciting for it!
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I have this riding buddy.
He has a carburetor model xc500, and mine is EFI.
He pulls away slowly, but gets 155kmh/7000rpm.
I pull away quite fast, but only get 140kmh/7100rpm.
What cvt differences account for this variance?
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I have this riding buddy.
He has a carburetor model xc500, and mine is EFI.
He pulls away slowly, but gets 155kmh/7000rpm.
I pull away quite fast, but only get 140kmh/7100rpm.
What cvt differences account for this variance?
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Worn belt (thinner now)
Worn rollers.
Wrong size belt.
He has sliders....you have rollers.
Whatever you guys are running.....your rollers/sliders are too light....his are heavier.
You're a big dude.
Republicans are known to be more of a drag.
Buffet of the above.
Stig
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Thanks for the input stig.
The Republican reference is very useful to me here in South Africa..... 😀 :-)
But seriously,
He has got stock rollers, just installed. His take off is slower now.
He has not changed his belt.
The same belt since he bought the scooter.
My rollers are also new.
The only big part of me is my "boep" (extended tum)...which I suck in, when I remember... ;-)
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25,000 mile update on the 30gr Dr. pulley Sliders in my 2009:
Sold my 2009 Kymco RI ABS in early 2014 so haven't posted since then but just picked up another 2009 500RI (no ABS :-( unfortunately) and decided to contact the guy I sold my old 2009 to, to get an update on the 30gr sliders I installed in it, as I want to install the same in my new scoot.
My buyer told me he now has 25,000 miles on my old 2009 500 Ri and the sliders have performed flawlessly. No difference in the great performance he experienced when he bought it from me and no issues whatsoever. I installed those sliders at 4k which means they've withstood 21,000 miles. I still believe correct installation technique is key with the Sliders and I stand by everything I wrote in the first post of this thread.
FWIW.
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Thank you for the update.
Interesting to read about those shooting for 100mph on a Kymco.
Safe riding.
Stig
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Finally got around to opening up the CVT on my new (used) 2009 RI that I just purchased with 16k on it. Belt was perfect (28.4 width), rollers looked okay, but the Clutch bell had blue spots so will be ordering a new one as I had such a huge improvement when I went to a new bell on my last 2009 in terms of eliminating the squealing. Am going to install 31gr Dr Pulley Sliders and see how they perform as the buyer of my last bike has had 20k trouble free miles with the 30gr sliders I put in it. Will report back.
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Got the new clutch bell installed on the new (used) 2009 500 and went ahead and installed 31gr Dr. Pulley Sliders. I did use a dremel to smooth out the slots where the rollers slide in the variator to make sure their travel would be smooth as I did on my first 2009. Put it back together and just like before - it rides like a totally different bike! I like the 31gr sliders better than the 30s I installed on my previous bike as the rpm/speed ratio is a little closer to stock. But the bike is much quicker off the line and the clutch engages with no slippage with the new bell. Total investment -- $100. Night and day difference in the ride, at least on this 500 which has 17k miles on the odometer.
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Well done, enjoy the ride. My sliders melted, so I went with a Malossi sports variator and stock rollers, and an extra spacer 1mm thick, with the result that my top end is 155kmh at 7500rpm.pull away is ok. Just my results.
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So I am going to swap back to stock rollers as possibly. I already have a brand new set of rollers. what I need to know is there a need to get a new set of those V shaped parts (22132) that go between the roller/sliders to take it back to stock? I am unaware if the Dr.Pulleys sliders came with a replacement of that part. I need to do something to get my bike out of that redline zone. Blowing a tank in a 50-60 mile highway ride sucks.
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I need to do something to get my bike out of that redline zone. Blowing a tank in a 50-60 mile highway ride sucks.
Sounds like you went too light on the sliders. I'm reading to stay within 8% of original weight lighter on sliders but even stock weight sliders act like 1-2 gram light rollers. If you have stock rollers I can see that as the cheapest route though.
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Maybe they are breaking up and on their way out. No idea till I get in there. Do you have any clue on those V shaped slide parts?
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Maybe they are breaking up and on their way out. No idea till I get in there. Do you have any clue on those V shaped slide parts?
Dr. Pulley sells some but not for all bikes.
http://unionmaterial.com/slidelist.htm (http://unionmaterial.com/slidelist.htm)
The factory ones you can get from several places.
http://www.kymcopartsmonster.com/pages/OemParts?aribrand=KYM#/Kymco_USA/SBA0AG_XCITING_R500i_(2009)/E05_-_Transmission_Pulley/05%7c%7e06%7c%7e0005/05%7c%7e06%7c%7e0011 (http://www.kymcopartsmonster.com/pages/OemParts?aribrand=KYM#/Kymco_USA/SBA0AG_XCITING_R500i_(2009)/E05_-_Transmission_Pulley/05%7c%7e06%7c%7e0005/05%7c%7e06%7c%7e0011)
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Ok, so to explain my question a little more... Are the ones that Dr.P sells required for the Xciting for the sliders or can the stock ones be used? I need to know if I have to buy a stock slide part to go back to stock set up. I didn't install the sliders myself, so I do not know if I still have the stock part installed or if they are interchangeable.
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Ok, so to explain my question a little more... Are the ones that Dr.P sells required for the Xciting for the sliders or can the stock ones be used? I need to know if I have to buy a stock slide part to go back to stock set up. I didn't install the sliders myself, so I do not know if I still have the stock part installed or if they are interchangeable.
They are not required with the sliders so who knows what you have in there now.
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They are not required with the sliders so who knows what you have in there now.
Perfect, if they are not required then they should be universal. Thanks!
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Perfect, if they are not required then they should be universal. Thanks!
Let me rephrase that. The sliding pieces are needed just that when changing to sliders you don't have to use Dr. Pulley ones you can use the OE ones.
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Let me rephrase that. The sliding pieces are needed just that when changing to sliders you don't have to use Dr. Pulley ones you can use the OE ones.
Great! That is one less item to worry about. Thank you :)
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Hi I have xciting 500 carb.2007,how much slider grams I must buy,thanks
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Great thread !
Thanks to all participants.
I Must give these sliders a try !!!
redk
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With much trepidation, especially after reading about Sissy Mary's horrifying experience with Dr. Pulley sliders, I decided to install a set of 28x22 30 gram Dr. Pulley sliders into my 2009 Xciting RI ABS. I have 3 words to describe the difference - "Night and Day". The bike is much faster throughout the entire power band. I no longer have to 'gun' it to get out of a jam. I have read things like "eats my belt", "loss of engine breaking" "decreases mpg" but weirdly enough I only read these things on this forum. No negatives on the EU or Asian forums re: Dr Pulley sliders. So I wanted to post my experience as a counter to all the negative reviews. Let me address the negatives one by one.
'Eats My Belt'
I have no doubt that it happened to Sissy Mary, twice apparently. But I am highly skeptical the mechanic put his variator on correctly. The Xciting's variator is a PITA. There are three washers, each one has to be in exactly the right position. The bevel on the inner washer HAS to be facing the engine. The next washer slides on next to the belt, and you have to torque it down slowly and just right so that the belt rides up above that washer allowing it to get squeezed in between the two variator plates. Only then can you torque it to spec. And an impact wrench doesn't cut it. You should really use a torque wrench and a variator tool to torque it to 135 per the manual. The first two times I used the impact wrench it SPUN off at high rpm on the center stand. So I learned my lesson, I hand wrench the variator nut while looking in between the variator plates with a flashlight so I can SEE that the center washer is compressed tightly between the plates and the belt is free. Then I torque down the nut. No problems since.
'Loss of Engine Breaking'
I can imagine this happening more with the 26 gram sliders, but with the 30 gram sliders I noticed maybe 5% less engine breaking. Nothing that bugged me and certainly worth the sacrifice for the huge increase in quickness up to 6500 rpm.
'Decreases MPG'
The 30 gram weights do not decrease my MPG at all, if anything it increases MPG by 1 mpg or so. With the sliders, you just have to learn to drive it different. You only need to gently roll the throttle and it is much more responsive throughout the entire power band. No need to gun it, ever.
With the 30 gram sliders you will wind out about 300-500 rpm higher until you reach the highest gear ratio of the CVT then it will be exactly the same as stock for a given speed. At 70mph you will be exactly the same as stock rollers only you will get there much quicker without having to gun it. Where it does get tricky is at 55mph. At 55 I used to run at about 5200 rpm. With the 30 grams sliders it runs at about 5800 because it hasn't moved up to the higher gearing yet. The trick to alleviate this is to rev up to 62mph or so and slowly back off the throttle till you get back down to 55mph. The CVT will stay at the higher gearing at that point and the revs will drop way down. It's another step and a bit annoying but it works and for me a fair tradeoff for the extra quickness.
Around town it's massively more responsive and safer as I can power out of a jam with just a miniscule amount of throttle. At 65mph-75mph, rpms are the same as stock but you get there a lot quicker with smooth throttle response. I now slowly roll the throttle to quickly get to 65mph rather than gunning the throttle to get to 65mph. I also run a pair of Nelson Rigg soft saddle bags (CL-955s) and they're huge (27 liters). The added torque from the higher revving sliders really helps counter the wind resistance from those bags up to 65mph.
If you want more power from your 500 and feel confident getting your variator back on correctly, I would suggest giving the 30 gram (or even the 31 gram) Dr. Pulley sliders a try. It's well worth the 55 bucks and a helluva lot cheaper than a pipe or an air box.
I know another member complained his sliders were shot after 8000 miles. For the kind of speed and fun factor increase I'm seeing, I'm happy to change my sliders every 4000 miles if necessary. The newfound oomph on my 500 has stopped me from coveting the My Road 700 or the BMW 650, so I figure I saved a few thousand right there.
Just my 2 cents. I will report back when I have 4k on these sliders.
Many thanks to all the great posters on this forum! I wouldn't have taken a chance on this scoot without the resources available here.
Will be picking up my xciting in a few days. Researching about the xciting as much as I can. Thanks for the feedback and the detailed explanation using the dr pulley weights. So that's why its specified on the service manual that the washer goes one way and not the other. Will take a note of this.
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I ordered the Dr. Pulley Variator and the 30g Slides and have had them installed for 500 miles now. Will open it up this weekend and see what it looks like. I have just over 30k on my 500 Xciting and the previous shop put in new rollers and a belt and did not put the washer between the two variator halves. When they torqued the nut down it was bottoming out on the end of the threads and the beginning of the splines. Needless to say the variator was destroyed.
I think I need a new clutch spring as well. 30k miles on that spring I think has worn it out a bit. So I ordered the complete clutch assembly and a new bell too. I am wondering about the 30g sliders though. Should I go with 31g or 29g?? I ride mostly in San Francisco and have some steep hills to navigate most of the time. A stiffer spring in the clutch will help I am sure.
Any feedback is appreciated!!!