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Shaft or Chain... that's the question...

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    #61
    The only thing that ever caught me off guard with a GS shaftie was the inherent tendancy (as every shaftie has) to "climb the gears" when rolling on throttle in a corner. Its very subtle on the GS, but still that "squat" ive been so used to on a chain bike wasnt there. Took me a few trips of running a twistie road up and down to get used to it, but once you realize how the bike is going to react, its no big deal IMO.

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      #62
      I'll gladly take replacing a chain and cogset over a new pumpkin.

      If I wanted a tractor I'd buy a Farmall...
      Currently bikeless
      '81 GS 1100EX - "Peace, by superior fire power."
      '06 FZ1000 - "What we are dealing with here, is a COMPLETE lack of respect for the law."

      I ride, therefore I am.... constantly buying new tires.

      "Tell me what kind of an accident you are going to have, and I will tell you which helmet to wear." - Harry Hurt

      Comment


        #63
        Today 07:55 AM
        koolaid_kid I love this. We haven't had one of these for a while. 6 pages and still going.
        Enough with the stats & comments George - Chain Drives are the Debil

        82 GS850L - The Original http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/d...ePics067-1.jpg
        81 GS1000L - Brown County Hooligan http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/d...ivePics071.jpg
        83 GS1100L - Super Slab Machine http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/d...t=DCP_1887.jpg
        06 KLR650 - "The Clown Bike" :eek: http://s224.photobucket.com/albums/d...nt=SERally.jpg
        AKA "Mr Awesome" ;)

        Comment


          #64
          One pleasant aspect of a shafty GS over a chain:

          Every used GS-E or L I've ever bought needed a new chain and sprockets. I could automatically add $160 to the purchase price for those components, guaranteed.

          Not so with a GS-G. Change the lubricants in the drivetrain, clean, inspect, and lube the splines when you change the rear tire, and off you go.

          And if the rear splines are shot (possible on certain models), it doesn't cost $160 to fix.
          sigpic

          SUZUKI:
          1978 GS1000E; 1980 GS1000G; 1982 GS650E; 1982 GS1100G; 1982 GS1100E; 1985 GS700ES
          HONDA: 1981 CB900F Super Sport
          KAWASAKI: 1981 KZ550A-2; 1984 ZX750A-2 (aka GPZ750); 1984 KZ700A-1
          YAMAHA: 1983 XJ750RK Seca

          Free speech is the foundation of an open society. Each time a society bans a word or phrase it deems “offensive”, it chips away at that very foundation upon which it was built.

          Comment


            #65
            Now, c'mon Griff. Did you have to put a chain and sprockets on the KZ?
            It all depends on the seller and the price you are willing to pay. Low purchase price will usually mean a worn chain. Or old tires, like the KZ.

            Comment


              #66
              Water sucks, Gatorade is better.
              Al Jones
              82 Suzuki GS850GL
              97 Suzuki TL1000S
              "Godspeed and may your rubber not fail".
              Bill Cosby - "A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice."
              sigpic

              ___ -\
              (O)--(O)

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                #67
                Dan - you can have a go on mine some day.....
                1980 GS1000G - Sold
                1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                Comment


                  #68
                  Originally posted by koolaid_kid View Post
                  Now, c'mon Griff. Did you have to put a chain and sprockets on the KZ?
                  It all depends on the seller and the price you are willing to pay. Low purchase price will usually mean a worn chain. Or old tires, like the KZ.

                  Notice I qualified that with "GS"......

                  The KZ was a well-cared for, ready to ride bike. I also paid half again to twice as much for it as I do for one of my typical GS purchases.

                  Most owners don't properly maintain their chains. As you've posted, a properly maintained, O or X ring chain will get you 20,000+ miles of useful service. My 700 has 73,000 miles on it, and it's only on its third chain.
                  sigpic

                  SUZUKI:
                  1978 GS1000E; 1980 GS1000G; 1982 GS650E; 1982 GS1100G; 1982 GS1100E; 1985 GS700ES
                  HONDA: 1981 CB900F Super Sport
                  KAWASAKI: 1981 KZ550A-2; 1984 ZX750A-2 (aka GPZ750); 1984 KZ700A-1
                  YAMAHA: 1983 XJ750RK Seca

                  Free speech is the foundation of an open society. Each time a society bans a word or phrase it deems “offensive”, it chips away at that very foundation upon which it was built.

                  Comment


                    #69
                    Geez, all this talk has made me realize that I need to clean and lube the GS's chain before the West Virginia rally. Where the heck is my WD-40?

                    Comment


                      #70
                      Virgin Olive Oil works best....


                      maybe..
                      1980 GS1000G - Sold
                      1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                      1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                      1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                      2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                      1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                      2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                      www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                      TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                      Comment


                        #71
                        Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                        Virgin Olive Oil works best....


                        maybe..
                        just put a sald underneath as you lube it, recycle that excess!

                        Somebody posted a pic of of the most heavily modded G ever once, I'll try to find it. Mine won't come close to that, but I expect a 130 to 140 MPH by the time I'm done.

                        Comment


                          #72
                          As a response to a previous poster who said that the first thing you notice with a shaftie is no noise (I'm sorry I forgot who you were):
                          sure, there's no chain noise, but there's that irritating and ever-changing shaft noise and many other things.

                          Most of the bikes I had had a shaft. As others pointed out, it's good for maintenance. Well, mostly.

                          Why?

                          Because:

                          Shaft can suck. Um, no pun intended. It can leak oil from any place imaginable while there is no such danger with a chain. If something goes wrong (like oil leak, strange noise,...) you have to take it all apart and it's alot of work.

                          Noise is another thing... you NEVER know if something's wrong until it's too late, because the noise is so grating, loud and it's constantly changing the pitch that it masks any problems with the final drive or anything else. I always ride a shaftie with that thought in the background wondering whether everything's alright or not. It was also hard to get used to it. And it's irritating.

                          The shaft is also heavy and messes up the bikes balance.

                          Oil leakage... it can leak where it connects to the engine. It can leak where you pour the oil in. It can leak where you let it out. It can leak where the wheel installs on it... which means a lot of chances of something going wrong. Also a lot of work if you want to check it out because you have to take the wheel off and then it's hard to get to the seals that are supposed to hold the oil in.

                          And when it leaks oil, you are perhaps screwed. Because the oil will leak down to the wheel and if you don't notice it soon enough it will leak onto your tire and down it onto the ground, slicking it. And if you don't know the oil's leaking thentaking a turn will end badly for you because you'll have oily tires.

                          The seals... they have to be changed occasionally and they can rupture. You don't have that with chain.

                          There's also a LOT more parts in a shaft drive, from bearings, gears, seals, nuts, etc. and with every added part the chance of a break down is increased even more. More parts... more chance of a breakdown.

                          To make it a little more familiar to any ex-or-current-military... M-16 rifles have a lot of moving parts. They tend to break down more than their opponents because of that. M16A1 were particularly bad. AK-47 on the other hand had a lot less parts and were legendarily reliable. Though not as accurate as M-16, but you knew it wouldn't jam on you in a fire-fight so easily. A lot of parts... more chance of a breakdown.

                          Another example... BMWs, who's owners always like to expound so much on their reliability, break down. A lot. The R-GS enduro series are especially notorious for their shaft drives that break down a lot.

                          Less parts... the less chance of a breakdown.

                          I have no real experience with a chain driven bike, the GSE will be my first chain bike so it'll be interesting to see the difference.

                          Oh, yeah, if anyone's interested I posted pics of a newly-restored 1978 1000e on the thread "'78 GS1000E restoration project", and appreciate comments.

                          I have off-topic questions though: what kind is the foam used in the seats? I can't comfortably reach the ground with the soles of my feet (have to stand on tip-toes) and would like to fashion a thinner seat. Some moron cut a square hole in teh current foam to just below the upper surface so I can't just edit the current foam unless I want to sit in a hole.
                          Are steel-braided brake lines really that much better than rubber?
                          Also, what model was a 1000 D?
                          Last edited by Guest; 07-07-2009, 06:12 PM.

                          Comment


                            #73
                            I find it works best if you actually dip the chain into the salad cleans it & re-lubes. The important thing is to make sure you have plenty of vinegar in there. Ranch is a great O ring lube.




                            That square hole is standard I believe. Let them use a different foam in there to better support the rider.

                            My Shaft drive is no noisier than the chain & there was a thread on here which showed them as very reliable. I do agree that it leaves more opportunity for breakdown due to complexity.

                            Dan
                            Last edited by salty_monk; 07-07-2009, 06:13 PM.
                            1980 GS1000G - Sold
                            1978 GS1000E - Finished!
                            1980 GS550E - Fixed & given to a friend
                            1983 GS750ES Special - Sold
                            2009 KLR 650 - Sold - gone to TX!
                            1982 GS1100G - Rebuilt and finished. - Sold
                            2009 TE610 - Dual Sporting around dreaming of Dakar..... - FOR SALE!

                            www.parasiticsanalytics.com

                            TWINPOT BRAKE UPGRADE LINKY: http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...e-on-78-Skunk/

                            Comment


                              #74
                              Originally posted by noobie View Post
                              .
                              Are steel-braided brake lines really that much better than rubber?
                              Yes....






                              Finally got to contribute something to this thread....
                              Bob T. ~~ Play the GSR weekly photo game: Pic of Week Game
                              '83 GS1100E ~ '24 Triumph Speed 400 ~ '01 TRIUMPH TT600 ~ '67 HONDA CUB

                              Comment


                                #75
                                Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                                That square hole is standard I believe.
                                *sigh* Just great. then I'll probably just cut off the bottom part instead of the upper. I would leave the seat as it is, but I don't want to be tipped over by a side-wind while standing at a traffic light. That is, if we even get anything but rain, thunderstorms and hail this year... I don't even know anymore when was the last time I was on a bike!

                                Originally posted by salty_monk View Post
                                My Shaft drive is no noisier than the chain
                                well, as I said, I have no experience with chain drives, so I have no problem admitting I'm wrong when I'm proven wrong.

                                Originally posted by Baatfam View Post
                                Yes....
                                Thanks! That makes the choice much easier, even though braided steel is much costlier compared to rubber.

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