Exact fit belts

Blah blah · 17-05-2020, 11:25 AM

After various threads on here, I ordered a set of exact fit belts for the S2r on Thursday evening and they appeared in the post on Saturday. Ordinarily I'd get belts from Ducati but a potential 3 year change interval seemed like a better option as I'd be lucky to do 1000 in a year...

Anyway, I set about fitting them this morning and it seemed to be a bit more of a faff than I remembered getting them onto the cogs and a closer inspection may have shone some light on it...

The Ducati one is on top, Exact fit at the bottom as as you can hopefully see, the teeth on the exact fit ones are very slightly bigger. Now that they're on and tensioned, there is also a very small gap between the belt and the cogs (I didn't get a photo) that wasn't there on the Ducati ones. Not big enough to measure, but you can see it.

Is this normal?

I'm sure they'll be fine but there's a nagging doubt as they aren't exactly the same.

Darren69 · 17-05-2020, 12:21 PM

The Ducati ones were the originals from the bike? They will have probably worn the teeth with use. Maybe the Exact ones will bed in, so maybe you should check tension after some miles?

manwithredbike · 17-05-2020, 12:36 PM

Def looks like different dimensions. Is the pitch the same? on second look, is the pitch on the exactfit slightly longer than the ducati one?? Maybe not, just hard to see with the bend on them. I assumed that there should be no gaps, i.e. a snug fit on the cogs though i never actually checked any on mine before. would be interesting to see them against a new set of ducati ones. Maybe they'll 'wear in' through use and under load, though there's not a great load on them i suppose except for the resistance from the valve springs which are pretty minimal.

Blah blah · 17-05-2020, 02:32 PM

The Ducati ones are about 2 years / 2000 miles old, (yes, I know) are genuine and were from a Ducati dealer, they are the second set I've put into the S2r which why I thought the Exact fit were a bit more of a faff than before - I changed some in my old 900 as well so I've done a few now.

There doesn't appear to be any wear on the old belts as you can still see the grooves on the teeth and flat bits, but then after 2000 miles that's not really unexpected...

The pitch appears to be the same and the cogs are 'full' all of the way round if you know what I mean, the belts just sit a little bit 'proud'.

I will drop exact fit an email on Monday and see what they say, they may be fine and that's how they should be, or it may be something else.

It started and ran for a bit with no problems but I am planning on checking the tension which is something I never did with the OEM stuff, and it's now playing on my mind.

Luddite · 17-05-2020, 02:37 PM

If you're at all concerned, I suggest you email your photo to Stu at ExactFit sales@exactuk.com and ask for his opinion. I've always found him very helpful.

For what it's worth, I've just compared my not yet fitted Exact belts with my original Ducati ones, which I changed at about 7.5k miles. To my eyes they appear identical. In both pictures, the old Ducati belts are on top.

Darren69 · 17-05-2020, 02:46 PM

Now, you see where this can get interesting because if they would be exactly the same as the original ones they would at least look the same. I mean if you have a belt failure and it was an official Ducati tech who fitted the approved Ducati belts you would have some comeback but if you fitted your own Exactfit belts yourself you'd just be left with an big expensive repair bill.

Blah blah · 17-05-2020, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luddite

]

Looking at your photos I'd say that the gaps in the teeth look bigger on the Ducati belt than the Exact fit one, perhaps due to wear, so it'll be interesting to see what you think when you fit them.

I know we're talking minimal amounts here and in the scheme of things it may not matter, but the difference was enough to make me look a bit closer.

Ive emailed Exact fit and will post what they reply.

Doggy · 17-05-2020, 07:14 PM

Did you order the correct belts for your bike?. They maybe for a different model??.
I know lots of people use the exact belts and swear by them. The guy on another Ducati forum I'm on is the UK importer for exact.

Blah blah · 17-05-2020, 07:24 PM

The website says TB800 for the S2r 800 and the piece of card they were in says "TB800 fitment: Monster 800, S2r 800, '97+ M750, 695..." so yes, I'd say I'd ordered the right ones.

Perhaps point the guy on the other forum here?

manwithredbike · 18-05-2020, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luddite

If you're at all concerned, I suggest you email your photo to Stu at ExactFit sales@exactuk.com and ask for his opinion. I've always found him very helpful.

For what it's worth, I've just compared my not yet fitted Exact belts with my original Ducati ones, which I changed at about 7.5k miles. To my eyes they appear identical. In both pictures, the old Ducati belts are on top.

As Blah blah says, there def appears to be larger gaps in the Ducati belt, or more volume on the exact fit teeth. Would be interesting to see which one fits in the cog grooves best.

Mr Gazza · 18-05-2020, 10:44 AM

I'm sure if you look on the Exactfit website there is a long blurb about the fit of the belts on the cogs and also some YouTube commentary on the subject. To be honest they would be the folk to ask anyway as no-one on here makes belts as far as I am aware?

Plus; it's all rather subjective looking at shadows on belts of different colours on a photo and saying one looks a bit bigger than the other.
Which is the furthest apart? The Sun or the Earth?

18-05-2020, 03:36 PM

I've ordered the same belts for the same bike, I plan to have a go at fitting them the end of the week

Dukedesmo · 19-05-2020, 10:32 AM

I've just fitted Exactfit belts to both of my Ducatis for the first time after years of using Ducati belts.

I have to say I didn't notice anything different (except the price) with regards to fitting although, other than running the engine just to finish the service, I've not actually ridden either of them yet.

Blah blah · 19-05-2020, 03:41 PM

Well, over the past day or so I've had responses from Exact Fit, Cycleworks and Bestorq about this and I've learnt quite a bit about belts. They've all been brilliant.

In summary of what I've been told (with a few quotes thrown in and names omitted) is that these belts are "a couple thousands of an inch thicker tooth is all" (sic) than others so that the tooth is the correct shape when fitted and tensioned. The 2v belts are also "the same strength as the 1198s" and they "don't down spec the 2V models" so they are also a bit thicker as well, making them harder to get to the right tension. Apparently other belts may not allow for the tooth shape changing when they are tensioned.

So it seems that they are a bit bigger than the ones I took off, but they've been designed to be like that so that they perform better.

The bit I need to look at is where they say "If your guy noticed this “on the drive” then I strongly suspect he is not tensioning the belts tight enough." so I'm off to wrestle the covers off again and re-check the tension... anyone recommend a good tensioner / app??

Luddite · 19-05-2020, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blah blah

... anyone recommend a good tensioner / app??

Many use the Gates Carbon app or there's Continental's Tension2Go. In theory, any good guitar tuning app should also do the job, but note slob's comments regarding microphone placement in this thread.

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=56189

17-05-2020, 11:25 AM	#1
Blah blah Upsetting normal people.. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Portreath Bike: S2r Posts: 833	Exact fit belts After various threads on here, I ordered a set of exact fit belts for the S2r on Thursday evening and they appeared in the post on Saturday. Ordinarily I'd get belts from Ducati but a potential 3 year change interval seemed like a better option as I'd be lucky to do 1000 in a year... Anyway, I set about fitting them this morning and it seemed to be a bit more of a faff than I remembered getting them onto the cogs and a closer inspection may have shone some light on it... The Ducati one is on top, Exact fit at the bottom as as you can hopefully see, the teeth on the exact fit ones are very slightly bigger. Now that they're on and tensioned, there is also a very small gap between the belt and the cogs (I didn't get a photo) that wasn't there on the Ducati ones. Not big enough to measure, but you can see it. Is this normal? I'm sure they'll be fine but there's a nagging doubt as they aren't exactly the same. __________________ Power is nothing without control... I have neither ! Last edited by Blah blah; 17-05-2020 at 02:33 PM..

17-05-2020, 12:21 PM	#2
Darren69 Transmaniacon MOC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sutton In Ashfield Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 6,022	The Ducati ones were the originals from the bike? They will have probably worn the teeth with use. Maybe the Exact ones will bed in, so maybe you should check tension after some miles? __________________ Roast Beef Monster! Termignoni and Bucci - Italian for pipe and slippers! S4 Fogarty, S4R 07T, 748, Series 1 Mirage

17-05-2020, 12:36 PM	#3
manwithredbike aka Phil Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: derry Bike: M900 Posts: 376	Def looks like different dimensions. Is the pitch the same? on second look, is the pitch on the exactfit slightly longer than the ducati one?? Maybe not, just hard to see with the bend on them. I assumed that there should be no gaps, i.e. a snug fit on the cogs though i never actually checked any on mine before. would be interesting to see them against a new set of ducati ones. Maybe they'll 'wear in' through use and under load, though there's not a great load on them i suppose except for the resistance from the valve springs which are pretty minimal. __________________ .. ~ Last edited by manwithredbike; 17-05-2020 at 12:40 PM..

17-05-2020, 02:32 PM	#4
Blah blah Upsetting normal people.. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Portreath Bike: S2r Posts: 833	The Ducati ones are about 2 years / 2000 miles old, (yes, I know) are genuine and were from a Ducati dealer, they are the second set I've put into the S2r which why I thought the Exact fit were a bit more of a faff than before - I changed some in my old 900 as well so I've done a few now. There doesn't appear to be any wear on the old belts as you can still see the grooves on the teeth and flat bits, but then after 2000 miles that's not really unexpected... The pitch appears to be the same and the cogs are 'full' all of the way round if you know what I mean, the belts just sit a little bit 'proud'. I will drop exact fit an email on Monday and see what they say, they may be fine and that's how they should be, or it may be something else. It started and ran for a bit with no problems but I am planning on checking the tension which is something I never did with the OEM stuff, and it's now playing on my mind. __________________ Power is nothing without control... I have neither !

17-05-2020, 02:46 PM	#6
Darren69 Transmaniacon MOC Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Sutton In Ashfield Bike: Multiple Monsters Posts: 6,022	Now, you see where this can get interesting because if they would be exactly the same as the original ones they would at least look the same. I mean if you have a belt failure and it was an official Ducati tech who fitted the approved Ducati belts you would have some comeback but if you fitted your own Exactfit belts yourself you'd just be left with an big expensive repair bill. __________________ Roast Beef Monster! Termignoni and Bucci - Italian for pipe and slippers! S4 Fogarty, S4R 07T, 748, Series 1 Mirage

17-05-2020, 02:37 PM	#5
Luddite Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Southampton Bike: M1100evo Posts: 2,465	If you're at all concerned, I suggest you email your photo to Stu at ExactFit sales@exactuk.com and ask for his opinion. I've always found him very helpful. For what it's worth, I've just compared my not yet fitted Exact belts with my original Ducati ones, which I changed at about 7.5k miles. To my eyes they appear identical. In both pictures, the old Ducati belts are on top.

17-05-2020, 07:14 PM	#8
Doggy Registered User Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Kent Bike: M796 Posts: 510	Did you order the correct belts for your bike?. They maybe for a different model??. I know lots of people use the exact belts and swear by them. The guy on another Ducati forum I'm on is the UK importer for exact.

17-05-2020, 07:24 PM	#9
Blah blah Upsetting normal people.. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Portreath Bike: S2r Posts: 833	The website says TB800 for the S2r 800 and the piece of card they were in says "TB800 fitment: Monster 800, S2r 800, '97+ M750, 695..." so yes, I'd say I'd ordered the right ones. Perhaps point the guy on the other forum here? __________________ Power is nothing without control... I have neither ! Last edited by Blah blah; 17-05-2020 at 07:27 PM..

18-05-2020, 10:44 AM	#11
Mr Gazza Lord of the Rings Join Date: May 2013 Location: Norwich Bike: M900sie Posts: 5,805	I'm sure if you look on the Exactfit website there is a long blurb about the fit of the belts on the cogs and also some YouTube commentary on the subject. To be honest they would be the folk to ask anyway as no-one on here makes belts as far as I am aware? Plus; it's all rather subjective looking at shadows on belts of different colours on a photo and saying one looks a bit bigger than the other. Which is the furthest apart? The Sun or the Earth? __________________ Last edited by Mr Gazza; 18-05-2020 at 10:48 AM..

18-05-2020, 03:36 PM	#12
rac3r Guest Posts: n/a	I've ordered the same belts for the same bike, I plan to have a go at fitting them the end of the week

19-05-2020, 10:32 AM	#13
Dukedesmo Registered User Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Leics Bike: M900 Posts: 2,842	I've just fitted Exactfit belts to both of my Ducatis for the first time after years of using Ducati belts. I have to say I didn't notice anything different (except the price) with regards to fitting although, other than running the engine just to finish the service, I've not actually ridden either of them yet. __________________ M900, 916, LeMans II.

19-05-2020, 03:41 PM	#14
Blah blah Upsetting normal people.. Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Portreath Bike: S2r Posts: 833	Well, over the past day or so I've had responses from Exact Fit, Cycleworks and Bestorq about this and I've learnt quite a bit about belts. They've all been brilliant. In summary of what I've been told (with a few quotes thrown in and names omitted) is that these belts are "a couple thousands of an inch thicker tooth is all" (sic) than others so that the tooth is the correct shape when fitted and tensioned. The 2v belts are also "the same strength as the 1198s" and they "don't down spec the 2V models" so they are also a bit thicker as well, making them harder to get to the right tension. Apparently other belts may not allow for the tooth shape changing when they are tensioned. So it seems that they are a bit bigger than the ones I took off, but they've been designed to be like that so that they perform better. The bit I need to look at is where they say "If your guy noticed this “on the drive” then I strongly suspect he is not tensioning the belts tight enough." so I'm off to wrestle the covers off again and re-check the tension... anyone recommend a good tensioner / app?? __________________ Power is nothing without control... I have neither !