It has been a long time: chain vs. shaft

[Guest]

Beware of what you post on the Net, it may come back to haunt you:

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showpost.php?p=1042721&postcount=5

I was at his home recently. He had 4 bikes; 2 shafts, 2 chains. 1 shaft was for sale.
Any questions?
Please note, this is merely a blatant attempt to refuel an age-old feud. I am comfortable in my own skin, and I agree with each GSR member's personal decision.
Peace.
Oh, and Brian, you are welcome.

Other members, please do not let him know that his 850 is the most dialed-in bike I have ever ridden. Ever. He will get the big head and I will no longer be allowed wrench time in his shop. So shush.

[7981GS]

Chain for speed and adjustability.
Shaft for cruising at moderate speeds.

Daniel

[simon kuether]

Real motorbikes have air cooling , carbs , black frames and CHAINS .

I spit on your shafts .

Cheers , Simon .

[rustybronco]

I say get two of each...

[Baatfam]

Shaft for cruising at moderate speeds.

Daniel

Moderate...

What is moderate speed...and why are shaft limited...

(Note: I like chains myself, but my K1100 has a shaft and we cruise all day at 85-90mph...is that moderate?)

[SVSooke]

Thirty years riding and I have yet to own a shaft drive bike.Agree real bikes are driven by chains.

[sedelen]

Lets not beat up on the shafty's.
Shafty's have plenty of good points , hold on let me think ................ oh yeah, it's easier to keep that area around the rear wheel and the wheel clean, and....................they don't require adjustment, and............. well, they normally have bigger gas tanks . I guess that's all I can think of .
Chains on the other hand can be messy, leaving all that gear lube on the chain guard, swing arm, sprockets, and wheel. This helps protect that area it covers from rust from exposure to salty roads in spring among other things, and this lube can be cleaned off exposing a like new finish . You got to like that! Chains are lighter, less unsprung weight on the rear wheel, that's got to help the suspension in some way, maybe even the handling, especially in a bumpy turn. Chains do require frequent adjustment, I try to adjust mine about every 6 months or so, and put a little 90 weight gear oil on them every 500 miles. Chains lose less horsepower to the rear wheel . More power to ya, baby!
And although I can't speak from experience, I have read that shaft drive models exhibit torque problems when accelerating and slowing down, tend to make the bike pull to the right or left depending whether you're speeding up or slowing down .
I guess that's why shafties are more suited for touring, long straight roads at steady speeds and the chain drives are pretty much suited for everything .

[7981GS]

Moderate...

What is moderate speed...and why are shaft limited...

(Note: I like chains myself, but my K1100 has a shaft and we cruise all day at 85-90mph...is that moderate?)

We are speaking about GS SUZUKI shaft bikes, right? This IS a GS Suzuki forum and all that.
With the limited final drives that are available for our SUZUKI GS's, moderate is 75 mph. (about 6,000 rpm)

On my HONDA V-65 Sabre shafty, 100 mph was moderate.
(But that is for a different forum.)

Daniel

[rustybronco]

And although I can't speak from experience, I have read that shaft drive models exhibit torque problems when accelerating and slowing down, tend to make the bike pull to the right or left depending whether you're speeding up or slowing down .

Never noticed that issue before and I've been really aggressive at doing both from time to time. even had the front off the ground a time or two...

[Baatfam]

We are speaking about GS SUZUKI shaft bikes, right?

Wrong...

We are talking about shaft vs. chain...from the first post:

Beware of what you post on the Net, it may come back to haunt you:
http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...21&postcount=5
I was at his home recently. He had 4 bikes; 2 shafts, 2 chains. 1 shaft was for sale.

I believe only one of the 5 bikes mentions is a GS Suzuki...

Back on topic...

Now even though I do prefer chains...
A shaft bike with a single sided swing arm sure makes it easy to remove the wheel...

[sedelen]

Never noticed that issue before and I've been really aggressive at doing both from time to time. even had the front off the ground a time or two...

Believe I read that on a '78 Yamaha XS1100 test article.

[Dogma]

Believe I read that on a '78 Yamaha XS1100 test article.

*ahem* A poor implementation of a design is not an indictment of the design itself. I've never had that ill behaivior from my shaft drive GS.

Save your chains for the bedroom, OK?

[Octain]

I prefer a belt.

[Tim Tom]

I prefer a belt.

And I prefer suspenders.

Were talking about shaft's and chains here, don't try and enter a 3rd variable into the equation. It may confuse some.

I was riding with my friend on his flashy new ZX6R. While riding next to him I heard this noise. It was horrible. Sounded all whiney and stressed. Not a good noise. I asked him about it, and he said that was the chain. And it was normal.

I like my shaft. Never had any complaints.

[Baatfam]

I like my shaft. Never had any complaints.

We all say that...