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It has been a long time: chain vs. shaft

  • Thread starter Thread starter koolaid_kid
  • Start date Start date
K

koolaid_kid

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. :D:D:D

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

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

I spit on your shafts . :eek:

Cheers , Simon . ;)
 
7981GS said:
Shaft for cruising at moderate speeds.

Daniel
Click to expand...

Moderate...:confused:

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?)
 
Thirty years riding and I have yet to own a shaft drive bike.Agree real bikes are driven by chains.
 
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Lets not beat up on the shafty's. :mad:
Shafty's have plenty of good points :), hold on let me think :confused:................ 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 :D. 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 :p. You got to like that!:D 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 :D. 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 :eek:.
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 :rolleyes:.
 
Baatfam said:
Moderate...:confused:

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?)
Click to expand...

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
 
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sedelen said:
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 :eek:.
Click to expand...
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... :eek:
 
7981GS said:
We are speaking about GS SUZUKI shaft bikes, right?
Click to expand...

Wrong...:p

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.
Click to expand...
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...:D
 
sedelen said:
Believe I read that on a '78 Yamaha XS1100 test article.
Click to expand...

*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 said:
I prefer a belt.
Click to expand...

And I prefer suspenders. :cool:

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. :eek::eek:

I like my shaft. Never had any complaints.
 
Oh, Lordy...

Oh, Lordy...

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


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... :twistedevil: :twistedevil:
 
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Tim Tom said:
And I prefer suspenders. :cool:

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

You're right..:rolleyes:
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!
 
Dogma said:
*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.
Click to expand...

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

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

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.
 
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