Quote Originally Posted by Jetfixer View Post
Not wanting to wait the month a local dealer told him it would take to do the front sprocket recall, a friend asked me to replace it. I've already done 4 or 5 replacements, and found that some will slide right off, and others will bind up on the shaft. This one would not come off easily. Rather than reaching for a pulley puller tool, I tried to wiggle it around, since it has a lot of play on the shaft. I found that by carefully feeling for the exact point that the pulley would have been riding on the shaft as if it had no play, it slid right off. The installed position of the sprocket allows for a ridge to be worn in the sprocket that will catch on the start of the splines of the engine shaft when you try to remove it. I've attached photos of the wear on the inside of the sprocket, and the amount of rust dust that was deposited all over the surrounding area. If you try to replace the sprocket yourself, don't try to pry it off, it will just bind harder on the cut ridge. Even a pulley puller could start off crooked and possibly damage the shaft. This was on a 2018 RTL.

Sprocket.jpg Sprocket rust.jpg
Years ago, long before the recall, some owners and shops experienced pulleys that would not remove from the shaft. I suggested to remove the pulley retaining bolt, leave the belt on, start the Spyder and with engine running shift from 1 to R while spraying a light oil into the spline area. Ultimately ending with R then N. Shut it down, remove belt and remove pulley.

As you mentioned, worn splines must align just right for easiest removal.

The odd concern though, is why have the 2018 models started seeing failed, as in snapped off gearbox output shafts? Could be a heat treatment error, or the material became embrittle. More likely the grinder for the shaft ran dry and puts grinding cracks into the steel which initiated the onset of the failure.