I've been playing with the idea of running a narrower belt on my Savage cafe. first I cut it to 1", then I decided to make one 7/8". I wondered if the skinny little belt would hold up. Kinda wondered whether Suzuki went with such a wide (1-1/2") belt because they felt they needed to, or because of the look. Or both.
Well, I just bought a used belt from a bike that had been running, and I think I answered the question. The belt was beat to crap. Dry rot all over. A pebble had lodged itself between the belt and pulley, and eventually worked it's way all through the belt.
And the darn thing still held together.
So, I'm figuring that if I start with a nice new belt and cut it down, I'll be fine. The extra width is there to have the bike live through cheap ass, clueless owners who do no maintenance. And it works