Note: All our belts are fresh stock and 'stock rotated' on every monthly delivery from the USA and all 4 Valve Timing Belts are supplied with free Fuji Lock Nuts & Wave Washers which are essential to change on each timing belt service.

Launched and specified by Chris Kelly in 2009, owner of California Cycleworks (an internationally renowned Ducati Technician / Racer from the USA).

A chance meeting with the ex-Technical Director of Gates led to a project to manufacture the highest specification timing belts for our Ducati’s. Designed and manufactured without the constraints of large business accountants & price pressures. OEM are fit for purpose but Chris wanted ‘the best possible quality and construction’.

Therefore, they are specified by California Cycleworks (CCW) with specific attention to engineering detail. This includes greater dimensional repeatability / less stretch / tighter shore hardness tolerance / loop joining method / material selection / construction & coating.

Manufactured by ‘the’ global leader OEM timing belt manufacturer in the far-east with the latest Western European Equipment & Materials and manufactured under the latest OEM Automotive Manufacturing Standards. The CCW manufacturing partner supplies most global brand OEM automotive companies to various specifications including CCW’s highest spec.

Exact Fit timing belts were quickly established in the USA as the leading brand and used by Ducati main dealers – we have no known belt failures in all the years since launch!!! There are even Main Dealers in the States that only fit OEM if the customer specifically asks and Exact Fit™ belts are their default fitment.

Here in the UK and the rest of the world some Ducati Independent Technicians still advise (and only use) OEM belts: they do not know the full story and are advising away from the highest specification belts available, whist some even advise fitment of car specific belts which are a lower specification than OEM even though they might be from the same manufacturer of the Ducati sourced belts.

Please note: a common misconception is that Ducati OEM belts are reinforced with Kevlar – they are not as this is not the ideal material for our application! Also, a little-known fact is that Ducati now source timing belts from the Far East (since 2016) but not to the stringent specifications of Exact Fit ™ Belts.

Exact Fit is ’the’ premium brand!

Originally launched as a premium brand timing belt: as a real alternative to OEM Ducati Belts in 2009 – due to the specification some of the Exact Fit™ belts were more expensive than the OEM Ducati belts at the time.   It is only since VAG group took over Ducati and the OEM prices started to climb that Exact Fit timing belts became much more cost effective due to Chris being true to his customer base. So now in Europe we can be seen as a cheaper alternative whilst still being the premium belt of choice for many.

Here in the UK and the rest of the world some Ducati Technicians still advise (and only use) OEM belts: they do not know the full story and are advising away from the highest specification belts available! …

What to watch for with Ducati timing belts…

Be careful out there: expensive OEM parts often lead to cheap copies / OEM branded - so if you choose OEM make sure you buy from an authorised dealer – although we fully believe our belts are superior, we understand some will only fit OEM due to the ‘scare stories’ – and they may in fact be persuaded that way by their mechanic, especially if your service centre doesn’t know of our premium quality and reputation in the USA.

We have also seen some Main Ducati dealers selling older spec OEM belts on EBay which were approaching 10 years old so make sure you buy the improved later OEM belts or Exact Fit™ belts for peace of mind. 

Our belts are equal to or superior in specification to the latest level belts in both strength and accuracy of manufacture. Also, older stock OEM belts may seem a good deal; but understand what you are buying! Shelf life cannot be guaranteed from the factory even on latest spec: but ours can – full stock rotation is employed at CCW and orders are regular / monthly with Chris’s manufacturer and our stock rotation here is fully adhered to and stock rotated with every month’s delivery. If stored incorrectly the belts can deteriorate and we store in dry dark, humidity-controlled room.

Note: in the automotive industry OEM isn’t always best – the same as OEM recommended oils, air filters, spark plugs and a multitude of different service & upgrade items for your Ducati. Forget the scare stories some tell about using anything other than OEM.

This is why we don’t offer ‘service kits’ as some do – you still need oil anyway, so buy your air filters / oil filters etc at sensible prices individually and save more money! Premium options are available here too as many will be aware.