I blew my good Cat belt yesterday and will be picking another one tomorrow for the weekend. Breaking in a belt is something I have never done before, always just slapped it on and went, but remember reading about it in the past. Just wondering what the proper procedure for breaking it in is and does it really make a difference and extend the life of the belt?
SWRules

i dont think so..... :slick:

Good question. I was thinking about that myself the other night when I put on a new belt.
I don't really know what to do differently. I normally warm up a belt anyway, and do pretty much the same thing with a new one.
How many miles are you getting out of your belts. I put about 1800 miles on mine before it shredded, which I figured was pretty good considering the horsepower and my driving style.
Worse, I notched a belt early in the winter when I was stuck crossing a brook. Nothing worse then ruining a brand new $100 belt with one simple squeeze with the thumb.

I wrecked three belts this year by installing them, then floggin' the guts out of my sled immediately. The Kevlar blew out of the sides right away. When I break them in, they last alot longer.

Originally posted by Zog@Feb 19 2004, 07:37 PM
I wrecked three belts this year by installing them, then floggin' the guts out of my sled immediately.* The Kevlar blew out of the sides right away.* When I break them in, they last alot longer.
How do you normally break them in??

Newfie I got 1500+ miles on my old Cat belt before it decided to take its number. Wasn't even coming onto it either, driving about 60mph on the railbed when it went.

Vary your speeds for about 15 miles, occasional full throttle blast are OK. I remember seeing this in an "ask Phil" section of snogoer. I did this for one belt and it did not last for very long. It was an aftermarket belt though. OEM make the best belts.

Originally posted by team old iron@Feb 20 2004, 12:19 AM
Vary your speeds for about 15 miles, occasional full throttle blast are OK.
Well in that case I've "broken in" every belt I've ever had, and I keep breaking them in until they're worn out. :p :p

i think this is something that everyone has a different opinion on. i have never worried about breaking in a belt. same thing goes for my machines. The guys that i know who race on the Nb drag racing circuit dnnt break them in eather. I have seen them blow a belt and put a new one on and giv'r again.
Not saying that i do things the right way but i have never had a belt blow on me yet after just putting it on. i ride as hard with the new as i did with the old without thinking twice about. now saying that, it way happen to me this weekend. :(

Originally posted by phat_cat800@Feb 19 2004, 05:00 PM
How do you normally break them in??

I'll drive about 50 km at nothing more than 2/3 throttle. It's hard to do, but costly if I don't.

I usually take her pretty cool for the first 15-20m, can't tell you if it really helps though. The only belt I ever had that came apart was a brand new Cat belt last year, top covering blew off within 50m of putting it on.

it seems like i keep getting the worst belts doo has to offer. ive gone through 2 in the past 3 weeks. it's not like i'm running a lot of power and i'm not doing anything outta the norm either. clutches are perfect so the 2 belts are gunna go to the dealership so i can get some money back on warranty. i guess i should try "breaking them in" a little different than pin and go. :lol:

I like to break mine in too before hammering it too hard. I think like was said before, it's a good idea to get it warmed up before pinning the throttle.

I just bought a performance manual from ebay for my sled and it says you should always install the belt so you can read the lettering from left to right.
That way if you ever remove the belt and reinstall it, you want to install it the same way. It says you will shorten the life of it if you reverse the direction after you have already ran it.
A belt is not directional when new, but once you run it you should always reinstall it the same way.

Anyone know why?

Another thing, I have a buddy that just rolls his belt over the secondary when installing it. This has got to be hard on the belt doing it this way, it seems it could stretch it too much or possibly rip some cords.
Any opinions on this?

i blew a belt last week and was told to break them in atleast 30miles going easy. i've been doing that no problems yet. just drive it really easy with no sudden WOT.

Originally posted by Frosty@Feb 20 2004, 11:36 AM
I just bought a performance manual from ebay for my sled and it says you should always install the belt so you can read the lettering from left to right.



very good advice,,, I have always done mine this way because I know you always want to put the belt on the same way,,,but I can not honestly tell you why either.

I always run mine about 1/2 throttle for 10 mile,,,then shut her off and let it cool down. I usually buy 2 or 3 belts and then break them all in at the same time,,,,then when I head north, I have a good one on the sled, a good back up, and yet one more in the truck,,,, I try to be very prepared

'Doo belts have directional arrows....i'm not sure if they belts themselves are directional, but who am i to disagree with these arrows.....

Thanks guys, sounds like if I drive normal I should be good, just stay away from any WOT runs for a few miles.