It has been a long time: chain vs. shaft

[bwringer]

Oh, Lordy...

George, I hereby dub thee "The Turd-Stirrer"


While I enjoy my V-Strom DL1000 greatly, chain drive was in fact a large demerit when making my purchasing decision. One of the most-requested V-Strom changes (besides a windshield that works) is shaft drive. I ride around 25,000 to 30,000 miles a year, and paying $200 - $250 for a new chain and sprockets almost annually is just plain ridiculous. I merely tolerate chain drive when needed.

The main trouble is that there are simply blasted few shafties available these days. (I refuse to consider a modern-era BMW until they admit to and fix the shameful number of catastrophic final drive failures. Plus, I need more money and a heaping dose of snobbery.) Moto Guzzi and BMW make the only available naked/standard shafties, and both are insanely expensive to purchase, ride and maintain.

The KLR650 is basically a primitive and cheap dirtbike, so it's excused for using a primitive drive system.

You'll note that the newest adventurer on the block, the Yamaha Super Tenere, is shaft drive, and this is widely considered a large plus.

The Kawasaki Concours (new and old), the new Honda VFR, and the Yamaha FJR1300 also use clean, quiet, reliable, and low-maintenance shaft drive systems, and no one would accuse any of these bikes of being slow or suffering from poor handling.

What many of you don't seem to know is that Suzuki was the first to figure out shaftie handling -- GS shafties simply do not suffer from shaft jacking and other handling oddities common to other shafties of the era.

Chains have their uses, such as 10/10 sportbikes and dirtbikes that need to change gearing frequently, but out here in the real world where we have weather and dirt, shaft drive is simply the solution that makes the most sense. Belt drive ain't bad either, until your rubber band snaps some bright morning...

If you think old shafties are slow and don't handle, let's go for a ride...

[Octain]

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.

You're right..
In that case then I choose a chain.
Cause a shaft is just down right plain old ugly!

A belt driven GS.. Now there's a mod that can be done!

[sedelen]

*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.

So, are you suggesting that the '78 Yamaha XS11 is a P.O.S.?
or................ that GS bikes are just engineered superior?

[tkent02]

So, are you suggesting that the '78 Yamaha XS11 is a P.O.S.?
or................ that GS bikes are just engineered superior?

Suzuki got the shaft right, Yamaha didn't. Shaft jacking on the Yamaha was terrible, until you got used to it.
The Suzuki shaifty has none.
Chains are good, shafts are good, both have their place, both are not perfect.
I will keep a few of each.
Belts are for pants.

[TheCafeKid]

So, are you suggesting that the '78 Yamaha XS11 is a P.O.S.?
or................ that GS bikes are just engineered superior?

I don't think they're the biggest POS out there. I can think of many things that handle worse, shift worse, and are just plain goofier than their backwards spinning motors and ungodly weight. Let's see...

Russian made farm equipment
A Sherman tank
An old brittish midget
Rosanne Barr
Carrot Top

Yeah...that about sums it up.

[sedelen]

I don't think they're the biggest POS out there. I can think of many things that handle worse, shift worse, and are just plain goofier than their backwards spinning motors and ungodly weight. Let's see...

Russian made farm equipment
A Sherman tank
An old brittish midget
Rosanne Barr
Carrot Top

Yeah...that about sums it up.

That '78 Yamaha XS11 was king of the mid range power roll ons! It looked heavy, it was, I do believe it was their modified 750 with an added cylinder. One thing I liked about Yamaha's, Allen screws. I think the Sherman tank matches up quite nicely with it.

[RageZro]

[koolaid_kid]

George, I hereby dub thee "The Turd-Stirrer"

Hehe. I shall humbly consider thy offer.

If you think old shafties are slow and don't handle, let's go for a ride...

If there is anyone out there that dense, I will pay for your fuel. But I will insist on riding sweep.
Where are you, Tim?
All in all, I think this is going well, with refreshing insights from members who may not have participated in the last debate.
Thanks for everyone's input, let's continue after the break.

[earlfor]

Shaft drives are for those people that wanted a car but couldn't afford two more wheels.

Earl

[Tim Tom]

Shaft drives are for those people that wanted a car but couldn't afford two more wheels.

Earl

Since we're down to absurd mudslinging, I'll respond in kind.

Chains are for Mr. T wanna-be's

[bwringer]

Shaft drives are for those people that wanted a car but couldn't afford two more wheels.

Earl

Nah, Suzuki GS shafties are for people who wanted a BMW but didn't have the requisite cubic buttload of cash.

At least, that's true in my case... I really wanted a BMW boxer -- an RS1100 or something similar. The GS850G was a good bit more attainable.

This Motorcyclist article is what inspired me to look for a GS850G specifically... I found mine the next spring.

http://bwringer.com/gs/850sport_tour/

Stupid aside:
On page 5, you can see part of a note I made next to the phone number for the SpecII, the supplier for the Telefix fork brace. I called that number several times over the next year with no answer. When I did get through to some grumpy old dude, I was treated to an astonishing and profane tirade about the difficulty of dealing with the German maker and the poor exchange rate of German Marks to US Dollars, culminating in incoherent screaming and a hangup. It was a minor hobby of mine for the next ten years to call SpecII once in a while and ask for a Telefix FS-10 fork brace. Same routine every time; scream, curse, howl, bang. No idea if that nut job is still around...

Sadly, the Nonfango racks and bags were also NLA shortly after the article appeared.

[earlfor]

Since we're down to absurd mudslinging, I'll respond in kind.

Chains are for Mr. T wanna-be's

I'll probably never be mistaken for Mr.T regardless of what I ride. LOL

Earl

[cowboyup3371]

Wow, I guess I need to go find a bike with a shaft to figure out which I like...or at least one I can ride for longer than a few minutes.

[1_v8_merc]

Got both, Shafties are the way to go if you're in a post-apocalyptic world.

You just never have to touch them, maybe some moly grease if you're bored....

Chain bike for speed......but high maintenance, gotta inspect them more often!

[bietau85]

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 .

Whatever happen to having an excuse to get away from the wife and hide in the garage cleaning the wheels and putting love and care into your 2nd wife?