As the ExactFit belts are made to a higher spec than oem, in order to break into the market, the risk is arguably in using oem...
But still the 2 year service life remains. So no risk using oem. Why over-engineer a product only to match "inferior" oem belts? If I were so confident in my product being better, I would increase the service life to back up my claims. not just offer them as a cheaper alternative. The real cost saving, would be by buying cheaper belts and at a lower change frequency. Less belt changes would see a huge increase of alternative (Non oem) belt sales.
Having been running Ducatis since the mid 90s, and sticking to maint scheds with OEM belts I have never experienced a single issue. Introducing a variable to this for the sake of a few quid doesn't seem particularly logical to me. It's obvious that you feel strongly about wanting to use this new option, as you provide nearly as many sales pitch statements as the vendor. I on the other hand feel just as strongly about not using them. We all make our choices.
Do you use the recommended oil I wonder, or what is perceived to be the best while possibly even paying more? Or do you just use what your main dealer uses perhaps. I don't disagree with your personal sentiments if you feel 'safer' using OEM belts - but the only additional variable is in their manufacturing process that I can see, so I hope you don't mind me 'defending' my product. I am a passionate Ducati fan and brought ExactFit to the UK due to conversations on this very Forum - which is why I offer a further discount and support the Forum. The evidence and facts show I am offering a premium product at in most instances a far better price which I am happy to do. It is not a life changing business for me, but a part time venture that will hopefully help fellow Ducati owners pockets and perhaps help me save for another Ducati one day - not the best business plan I know, but a genuine one. There is the question of a longer life too, which I agree with - but the manufacturers are where they are and unless they change we are at 2 years. A premium product at a better price is at least half way there! I know which I would use if I wished to push the service interval a little and feel a little safer with, but that's obvious as I have done my research
It's one hell of a risk to a business. There's a product, say Ducati belts, that have been around a long time. The expectation amongst customers is that the belts will last two years. The belts are made with this service interval in mind. Exceed this interval at your own risk. If a belt malfunctions within the two years, customers in general will say, "That was unlucky, I've never had problems as long as I change the belts every two years". Everyone accepts the two years rule and the belts are so well-engineered, the vast, vast majority of them not only last the two years, they last double that or more. The tolerances are such that tiny manufacturing differences between belts never have a chance to show up. The safety margin is huge. Now we have a "new player" in place, with marvellous claims of manufacturing excellence but at a cheaper price. Imagine for a moment that this new player advertises a three-year service interval for belts. Everyone flocks to them. They get one bad belt out of countless, perfectly good batches and the belt goes bang within the three years. The new manufacturer is sunk without trace. If the established manufacturers have a belt go bang, everyone will say, "That was unlucky, that almost never happens". A new player in the game will not get that same latitude from customers and its business will fold. I understand caution.
I'm not intending to change mine at two years, I shall go to at least three. From what I can tell, belts very rarely just break, they either shred from not being properly aligned from new or jump a tooth from being slack. The resulting carnage then breaks the belt rather than the other way round. So my own intention is to leave them in but check them regularly.
Yep. I change mine at 3 years and check regularly within that period. They are massively over engineered which is good. My old SPS had ExactFit on for ages and the teeth were perfect, of course I replaced as it was time to do so but it's a piece of mind to know the quality.
Yes I do use the recommended oils as a matter of fact, and always have. I currently have oil on order from the UK as I cannot get my hands on the correct products easily here in Sweden. (And when running a mixed stable of bike manufacturers in the past, I have had recommended oils specific to each bike). Feel free to defend your product, if thats what you want to do, though no one seems to have derided it in any way. Similarly I don't think anyone has stated that OEM belts are better or worse either. All that has mentioned from my perspective is that there is not enough saving in either cost or life expectancy to make me look away from OEM. Your marketing strategy seems to be to inform me that this choice is the gamble, not your own product. Perhaps a more fruitful avenue would be to not only undercut OEM pricing but also provide guarantees of increased expectancy and reliability. This would be fine in theory, but we all know that this would not be feasible as you cannot factor out bad fitting and poor maintenance of either product. Therefore we are basically just back to free choice. As already stated, I do wish you luck with your venture, and I hope that not only it is a success but that it also has a positive effect on the overall market place, by both improving other products and making their prices more bearable.
Thanks I have had to defend my product through misinformation so maybe a bit more on the defensive than necessary. When you said 'Personally I cant see the point in taking the risk for a 20 quid saving every 2 years' implied to people who don't know of the Exact Fit belts and their history that there was an actual 'risk'. In reality this is an established product with a massive following and reputation in the USA so felt I needed to point this out following your comment. Thanks for your sentiments though Do you need any cables to help your bikes electrical system function properly Leads: Additional Battery Earth... | Ducati Forum
