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

[Dave8338]

Ever had a chain let loose and wrap up into a rear wheel skid at 60mph+ ?
No, me neither. But I may be a rookie with only +150k miles on chain bikes.

How am I doing, Brian?

You need to spend more time in the dirt!

Had them both. If you're looking for light weight get a chain. Looking for smooth quiet power buy a shafty.

Ever had a shaft let loose and wrap up into a rear wheel skid at 60mph+ ?

No, me neither.

My step dads buddy had that happen, at about 30mph...killed him. Kinda a freak thing, but it HAS happened....

Ever had a shaft let loose and wrap up into a rear wheel skid at 60mph+ ?
No, me neither.

Ever had a chain let loose and wrap up into a rear wheel skid at 60mph+ ?
No, me neither. But I may be a rookie with only +150k miles on chain bikes.

How am I doing, Brian?

On my chain drive bikes, you remove one nut, and the rear wheel is off. Not so with a shafty.

Nope, you have to remove THREE! Three whole nuts!!

[Dave8338]

Had them both. If you're looking for light weight get a chain. Looking for smooth quiet power buy a shafty.

Ever had a shaft let loose and wrap up into a rear wheel skid at 60mph+ ?

No, me neither.

The 850G was the HEAVIEST GS ever produced (not including the GK with all that added baggness) Even heavier than its 1000 and 1100cc counterparts...why? I dunno... But, I have them both. I have worked on them both. Changing the tire on a shaftie is EASIER, but only if you know what you're getting into, and how to go about it the most effecient way. Which do i prefer? Well, so far, Ive blown thru 2 wheel splines in less than 10K miles on a GS shaftie. Granted they were both the old POS ones, but i dont think that qualifies as any less mainainence to me... Ive gone thru one chain and sprockets on my 1100ES, and I whip the living chit out of that thing.

Yes, its cleaner to change the tire on the shaftie, but only pansy's worry about "staying clean" when theyre working on a fantastic piece of machinery such as a GS. Why, my girl even works on em, and she doesnt worry bout getting filthy. And she's a girl!

Now dont get me wrong, I like each for their specific design. If im going on a long trip, and I wanna Lawrence Welk it down the highways, two lanes and whatnot, in comfort and style, I will take the shaft drive.

But, if ive got my devil horns on, slobbering and drooling hair on fire waving the conquering sword and screaming like a scalded banshee, diving out of the sun guns a blazing squid hunting...I will take the chain drive thanks

[Griffin]

NEVER, I SAY, NEVER!
The whole debate is debateable, of course. I see no real advantages to the shaft drive other than the cleanliness. I see multiple disadvantages, including weight, handling, and fuel economy. Which are the primary reasons I ride a bike vs. driving my air conditioned car.
I have only owned 18 bikes (the GS being the 17th and the GPz the 18th) and I have always had chains. So I am far from an expert on the shaft drives, other than watching the old Beemers jack themselves up in the curves. But I look on suzukicycles.org and indications are that the shaft drive adds 50-60 lb. to our already obese bikes. Or put another way, if we put an 850G on a scale, it would probably weigh as much or more as my beast, while being 25%-35% down on power. No thanks, grandma.

Actually, an 850G (or 1000G) weighs about 50 lbs more than an 1100E.

...when are you coming back from "the dark side" and going to quit "wasting" your time on dinosaur technology and that silly car thing.

NEVER, I SAY, NEVER!
The whole debate is debateable, of course. I see no real advantages to the shaft drive other than the cleanliness. I see multiple disadvantages, including weight, handling, and fuel economy. Which are the primary reasons I ride a bike vs. driving my air conditioned car.
I have only owned 18 bikes (the GS being the 17th and the GPz the 18th) and I have always had chains. So I am far from an expert on the shaft drives, other than watching the old Beemers jack themselves up in the curves. But I look on suzukicycles.org and indications are that the shaft drive adds 50-60 lb. to our already obese bikes. Or put another way, if we put an 850G on a scale, it would probably weigh as much or more as my beast, while being 25%-35% down on power. No thanks, grandma.

[Griffin]

Brett, removing the rear wheel on a shafty is not bad at all, plus you do not have to re-align you rear wheel every time after installing the tire with those silly bicycle type chain adjusters.

On my chain drive bikes, you remove one nut, and the rear wheel is off. Not so with a shafty.

[twr1776]

Yesterday 11:23 PM bwringer Everyone knows that real mean have shafts.

You are correct sir.

Today 07:06 AM koolaid_kid the tell-tale strip of lubricant up the back of your riding pants, a sure sign of a chain lube rookie.

So, so, so many comments come to mind, I will take the "high road" and pass on this one although what does a "veteran" look like.

Today 07:06 AM koolaid_kid O.K., counterpoint. All you old fogies with your Buicks and Toyotas, keep your inefficient, heavy, slow under-handling shafts. Change the splines when you change the oil. Woohoo. REAL MEN use chains. And whips, if they have a significant other (oops, wrong thread). If shafts were so good, all race bikes would have them. What do race bikes have? Chains. As I was pointing out to bwringer this weekend, the key is proper maintenance. If you ignore your significant other, treat her/him like a piece of lawn equipment, how long will happiness reside? Not long, I suggest. The chain on my 1100E was on it when I purchased it, so its history is unknown. But I have put almost 10k miles on it since I purchased it, and adjusted it only once. And it has plenty of life left, as do the sprockets (well, I can only see the rear, but since the front is of harder material I assume the front is in good condition as well. Here's they key: Understand it is an item that requires periodic maintenance. Start with quality sprockets and a quality chain. Clean the chain prior to lubing it. Don't use a penetrant such as WD40. They can get under the o-rings and wash away the internal lubricant. Clean the teeth on the sprocket at the same time, since the chain can pick that junk up too. Use a quality lube, not some junk you get at Walmart. Wipe it down afterward. I usually wait an hour or so to make sure it sets. This is the most crucial step, IMHO. Excess lubricant will pick up road dust and dirt, which will work its way into the orings and cause premature failure. Also, it prevents the tell-tale strip of lubricant up the back of your riding pants, a sure sign of a chain lube rookie. So, to the point - Advantages of chain to shaft is ease of changing ratios, lighter weight, which should mean better fuel economy, better handling, the list goes on. So buy a chain, or get the shaft.

George, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, when are you coming back from "the dark side" and going to quit "wasting" your time on dinosaur technology and that silly car thing.

Brett, removing the rear wheel on a shafty is not bad at all, plus you do not have to re-align you rear wheel every time after installing the tire with those silly bicycle type chain adjusters.

[willie]

I've had just under 50 bikes since I began riding. I liked the belt drive on my HD and was of the understanding that it'd outlast a chain by far. Aside from some canyon carving or a few stoplight drags, I don't race. With that in mind, the weight and efficiency advantages don't outweigh (pun intended) the low maintenance, cleanliness and smooth operation benefits of the shaft. There's been a few times I'd have liked to reduce the cruising RPM of my shaft driven bikes but not enough to have gone through the hassle and expense of changing sprockets if they had been chain driven. Maybe I am old and lazy for preferring shaft drive then again maybe its a case of being older and wiser. lol Just my .02 worth. Speaking of worth....I think the best is to have at least one of each. I've found that to work very well for me.
Willie in TN

[hillsy]

I like them both. They each have their purposes.

Having been a chain kind of guy exclusively for a quarter of a century, and being relatively new to the shaft side, I can tell you one thing I'm not looking forward to on my shafty -

Removing the rear wheel to change the tire. Reading the procedure for how to do it in the manual looks like it'll be a pita.

It's not any harder changing a shaft rear wheel than a chain IMO - and your hands dont get anywhere near as dirty

[Griffin]

I like them both. They each have their purposes.

Having been a chain kind of guy exclusively for a quarter of a century, and being relatively new to the shaft side, I can tell you one thing I'm not looking forward to on my shafty -

Removing the rear wheel to change the tire. Reading the procedure for how to do it in the manual looks like it'll be a pita.

[bwringer]

Thanks, George!

I was beginning to fear the art of debate was dead...

O.K., counterpoint.
All you old fogies with your Buicks and Toyotas, keep your inefficient, heavy, slow under-handling shafts. Change the splines when you change the oil. Woohoo.
REAL MEN use chains. And whips, if they have a significant other (oops, wrong thread).
If shafts were so good, all race bikes would have them. What do race bikes have? Chains.
As I was pointing out to bwringer this weekend, the key is proper maintenance. If you ignore your significant other, treat her/him like a piece of lawn equipment, how long will happiness reside? Not long, I suggest. The chain on my 1100E was on it when I purchased it, so its history is unknown. But I have put almost 10k miles on it since I purchased it, and adjusted it only once. And it has plenty of life left, as do the sprockets (well, I can only see the rear, but since the front is of harder material I assume the front is in good condition as well.
Here's they key:
Understand it is an item that requires periodic maintenance.
Start with quality sprockets and a quality chain.
Clean the chain prior to lubing it. Don't use a penetrant such as WD40. They can get under the o-rings and wash away the internal lubricant. Clean the teeth on the sprocket at the same time, since the chain can pick that junk up too.
Use a quality lube, not some junk you get at Walmart.
Wipe it down afterward. I usually wait an hour or so to make sure it sets. This is the most crucial step, IMHO. Excess lubricant will pick up road dust and dirt, which will work its way into the orings and cause premature failure. Also, it prevents the tell-tale strip of lubricant up the back of your riding pants, a sure sign of a chain lube rookie.

So, to the point - Advantages of chain to shaft is ease of changing ratios, lighter weight, which should mean better fuel economy, better handling, the list goes on.
So buy a chain, or get the shaft.