Drive Shaft

[redliner1973]

Really, that's right. I wouldn't know how often I need to lube the chain EVEN THOUGH I OWN ONE!!! Once a year pal, and it looks like new from spring to fall. I average 4000 miles a year and don't have a speck of rust on the puppy. I do not however ride in the winter. I'll leave that to the maniacs. Unless you have ever maintained a chainlike me (the correct way) then you don't really know, do you?

Cleaning the chain does take some time, but heating it does not. The real process is as follows:

1. When tire is off remove chain
2. Soak and clean the chain (I use kerosene)
3. Put the clean and dry unit back on the bike
4. Ride up street about 1/2 mile (chain will be hot)
5. Slather on gear lube
6. Let sit for a couple of hours

My chain looks like it is fresh out of the wrapper and I touch it once a year.

This really is a stupid discussion that I am perpetuating. I covet just about every bike out there, from Vespa to Valkarie. F#@k if I care weather it has a chain or shaft. F#@k this, I'm going to get a sandwich...

Geez...PAL.... I guess the 3 other chain driven bikes I have owned don't count. Especially since I replaced all three's chains/sprockets. Yea, that chain may look all Nice and shiny for it's once a year treatment, and may work for you just fine, I believe that when you lube a chain, be it Regular or O-Ring, you should lube it more than once a year, as there is SPROCKET wear to consider also. last I remember, a sprocket with lube on it wears slower than one without. But then, I may be wrong, as I "obviously don't really know, do I"....Now for the time thing....seems the 2 hours you wait is LONGER than the 5 minutes it take me, and again, last I remember, 2 hours longer = 2 hours LESS riding. Now before you choke on that sandwich you were going to get by getting so *@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$ed off at me that the next poster said "lighten Up", remember the last item you posted "F#@k if I care weather it has a chain or a shaft"...If you don't care, why post? And Sorry if I offend any other posters on this forum....It is just a debate, a personal opinion, and not meant to make anyone 'choke' over it

[argonsagas]

[quote="Jethro"][Cleaning the chain does take some time, but heating it does not. The real process is as follows:

1. When tire is off remove chain
2. Soak and clean the chain (I use kerosene)
3. Put the clean and dry unit back on the bike

4. Ride up street about 1/2 mile (chain will be hot)

5. Slather on gear lube
6. Let sit for a couple of hours


quote]

Let's see....the chain cleaned in kerosene, allowed to dry completely, then re-installed on the bike. There is now no trace of any kind of lubricant.

We drive the bike anyway.

Then we note the chain gets hot.

I wonder if the chain gets hot because of the intense friction that comes from running with no lubricant, and if that intense friction does more damage to the chain AND the sprockets in a few minutes than a normally lubricated chain and sprocket set would acquire in 1000 or more miles?

Having once been distantly acquainted with a chain-driven bike, such things are a puzzle for me.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you decrepid ol farts just can't get down on your knees anymore! Could that really be what this arguement is about??

I resemble that remark

Much better to have a bike than none - chain or shaft. For me - even better with a shaft. To each his own. If it wasn't this way, how else would they sell Harleys?

[redliner1973]

thats because a Harley doesn't need a chain (or a shaft, for that matter) to break down!!!! :twisted:

[Anonymous]

harley's don't break down, the're always parked in peoples lounge rooms getting looked at!!!!!

[Anonymous]

thats because a Harley doesn't need a chain (or a shaft, for that matter) to break down!!!! :twisted:

Off topic. When I was a TV technician in about 1977 on a house call, the man of the house had a CB750 engine completely in pieces on the lounge room floor. All carefully cleaned and laid out for reassembly. Very proud he was and keen to talk to me (then a proud GT750 owner) about his baby.

Don't remember what the lady of the house thought.

[terry]

Even though I've made the odd disparaging remark to tease Nick because he bites so well, and although I've never owned a GS shaftie, everything I've read said that they were excellent bikes. I've had 3 BMW's (R69S, K100RT and R100RS that I had for 10 years and only sold this year) and they were all fine, particularly the K100RT, I did a 700 mile day on it once, and it was magnificent, don't know why I sold it to buy the R100RS, it wasn't nearly as nice.

However because I like to "play" with some of my bikes, I do prefer chain driven bikes, purely because I don't like to be restricted to factory gearing, wheels and tire combinations. It's relatively easy to fit later GSXR wheels and tires to old GS chainies, and just as easy to gear them up or down, there are hundreds of different final drive combo's available for canyon racing to highway cruising, and of course by changing your wheels for later items, you can also fit superior modern brakes with 2,4 or even 6 piston calipers and big discs as well.

Sadly the same can't be said for shafties. As good as they are, unless you've got an engineering degree and real deep pockets, you are pretty much restricted to stick with the original (good, but dated) final drive, wheel/tire/brake combinations. I know that not much goes wrong with shafties, but when something does it's going to be expensive, and no matter how much grease you put on your drive shaft splines, they're gonna wear out eventually, and then what? There's not much left on the shelves at your local suzy dealer now, and in a few years time, there'll be nothing.

If I could find a good low mileage shaftie I'd be tempted to buy it just to experience how good these things are for touring, but for mine, I'll stick with chain bikes because I know that no matter how much Suzuki would like us all to park our old dinosaurs and buy one of their new "Plastic Rockets" or "Harley Clones" I can continue to keep my chain bike on the road with later model or after market parts pretty much for as long as I need to.

If the only drawback about owning a chain bike is the requirement to occasionally lube the chain, then I really don't think I've got much to worry about. :twisted:

[Anonymous]

That's not the only drawback of owning a chain, Terry. The main drawback for owning a chain is that it's a chain! Period.

And the reason I "bite so well" is that I will respond to every inaccurate statement made by anyone about the shaft, whether kidding or not. I will continue to do that, partly in fun, and partly because misconceptions must be addressed.

I do understand your point of view, and the point about the eventual demise of the GS shaft due to obsolescence is a valid one. True, no matter how many times the splines are lubed, they'll eventually wear out.

That's why I alternate two rear wheels. One is the stock 16-incher, and the other is a 17-incher off one of my former 850's, a 79 model. Each wheel has its driven splines in it. The splines are off a 79 GS850 and an 80 GS850. The early splines are made of a different metal, much harder, and wear quite well. There's no appreciable wear on either set of splines, even after all those years and miles. On the newer GS850's, though, the splines are made of softer metal, and will wear out, regardless of amount or frequency of grease.

So, I calculate that at that rate of wear, I will be dead or no longer riding motorcycles by the time these splines do wear out. That's the advantage of being old...

It's good to continue exchanging ideas in this regard.

Nick

[saaz]

I don't really understand why Suzuki did not continue with a shaft version of a standard bike, based on the GSXR motor. The GSX1400 platform would make a killer allround bike/sports tourer for the real world.

I would have thought that splines could be engineered and fitted..just about everything can be done these days. But I suppose most bikes are junked way before the shaft wears out.

[Anonymous]

The debate

Let's see, GS850 shaft, KZ900 chain, GT750 chain, 250 chain. Yup, they all are fun to ride, enough said. Bob

[Jethro]

"...If you don't care, why post?

Good point. All bikes rule. Even the Big Wheel. Remember the Big Wheel? It had the one hand brake for one of the back wheels so you can spin it out? That thing was awesome!



My dad once had a party where he got totaly trashed and rode my big wheel down the huge hill next to our house. He wiped out really bad and broke his leg in two places! What a moron!

[argonsagas]

Hmmmmmm

I notice that that big wheel turns in direct proportion to pedal input on the central SHAFT

[Anonymous]

Jethro Retro......

Jethro, you're bringing up repressed memories from a sheltered childhood I never had a Big Wheel but ran at least one front wheel out of tread on a cousins They also had the Green Machine that was in that era. I just came back from Boston working on school buses down there and heard about you NH guys :P I'd still go out drinking with most of you though Bob

[Anonymous]

Ok 1st things 1st. The gear box was 100% dry when I got the bike. I filled it with WAL-MART Super Tech 90W gear oil. I was hoping I would not have to tear down the rear end to lube the shaft but I need a new rear tire before realy riding anyway so no big deal. What kind of grease is good. I have a but load of PZ synthetic marine grease I use in all my cars and boat trailer would that be ok to use on the bike? and 2nd "Decrepid old farts"? I am 24Yo and most likly in better shape than 90% of the people on this forum I think that alone takes me out of the decrepid old fart class. My shafty is my only bike but I am taking delivery of a dirt bike here in a week or so that has a chain. I have had manny chain drive bikes and only one shafty "my current one" I can honestly say it is quieter and smother than any other bike I have owned. For my cruzer I will defintly keep the shafty unfortunatly I dont think they make shaft driven dirt bikes so I am screwd with a chain.

[Anonymous]

I am 24Yo and most likly in better shape than 90% of the people on this forum I think that alone takes me out of the decrepid old fart class.

By default - shaft = decrepid old fart. I know you don't like the characterization, but I didn't make it up. It was passed down by god the day he invented Suzuki's. I am not one to violate his law and neither should you.

You can get back into the young and full of life crowd by getting a chain or by drinking Mountain Dew and placing it in your cup holder. 8)

unfortunatly I dont think they make shaft driven dirt bikes so I am screwd with a chain.

Now you've done it. You have insulted the holy dirt bike. You have gone too far. A shaft on dirt bike???? My god man - have you lost your mind? 8O