Drive Belt 'rotation' direction - does it matter?

Why does the drive belt specify a direction of rotation? What would happen if it were installed in the direction opposite of what is specified by Honda? If you take a drive belt off (and forget to mark the rotation direction) - is there any way that you can tell be looking at the belt what direction it was turning before you took it off? I have not had any issues such as the above - but I am curious.

I just removed my drive belt. After I notice there was no arrow rotation. When I removed the belt ,the back of the casing made a mark on the back side of the belt and I installed It to match.

It is just a guess but I do not think that installing a new belt in either direction makes any difference.It is when you reinstall the belt if it is going in the opposite direction it might have a tendency to stretch the belt in the other direction and reduce its life.Just a thought.

I don't know but tyres have to be mounted the right way and they're made partly with layers laminated together, one assumes in a particular pattern.
Perhaps it's the same with the belt.

When i got my new belt(not the official one) it had no directional markings on it. After 6000mls i fitted the Dr Pulley sliders, and the belt seemed okay to me, as someone remarked i think a new belt would wear in either direction equally. A new OEM belt was £143. the one i got was £74.

MikeO wrote:

I don't know but tyres have to be mounted the right way and they're made partly with layers laminated together, one assumes in a particular pattern.
Perhaps it's the same with the belt.

Mike, I believe the rotation marks on Tyres are more do do with the tread and the ability to disperse water efficiently!

I expect you're right, Doug, but racing slicks have to be fitted the right way round, especially drag racing wrinkle-wall slicks.

I shall attempt to find out.

This may explain the unusally short life of my belt - which had failed on me while riding the highway last August. The (previously owned) Swing came with a J-Costa variator but the pins were shot. Rather than just get another set, I had wanted to try the Dr Pulley sliders I had bought last October - before my mechanic told me I didn't have a stock variator. So I ordered the stock variator components needed to use the sliders (which cost less than a set of pins) and, using the great directions on this site, built a variator tool and did the job myself. However, I noticed my mechanic had installed the belt backwards (arrows pointing opposite the direction of travel). Not thinking about it, when I reinstalled the belt, I put it in facing the direction of travel. It shredded on me about a month later.

This may explain the unusally short life of my belt - which had failed on me while riding the highway last August. The (previously owned) Swing came with a J-Costa variator but the pins were shot. Rather than just get another set, I had wanted to try the Dr Pulley sliders I had bought last October - before my mechanic told me I didn't have a stock variator. So I ordered the stock variator components needed to use the sliders (which cost less than a set of pins) and, using the great directions on this site, built a variator tool and did the job myself. However, I noticed my mechanic had installed the belt backwards (arrows pointing opposite the direction of travel). Not thinking about it, when I reinstalled the belt, I put it in facing the direction of travel. It shredded on me about a month later.