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

[GelandeStrasse]

Chains last forever anymore. Maintenance isn't even a consideration. Spend a half hour every three or four years replacing it, good to go another 30,000 mles.

And if you use a chain oiler they last even more forever any anymore.

 

[tkent02]

And if you use a chain oiler they last even more forever any anymore.

Yeah, I wonder how long with a top quality chain and a good oiler. Certainly longer than I ever keep a bike. Way longer.

 

[Ton1959]

I have to change what I said before. Chains are better for my purpose. But if I was riding everyday and very often in the rain Iwould go for the shaftdrive.

 

[wymple]

Chains let me alter the gearing for acceleration and touring purposes. A new set of sprockets and a good (read expensive) O-ring chain of high tensile strength virtually eliminates having to mess with anything much. Geared to suit me, I prefer a shaft. Call me lazy or whatever, but Yamaha, Moto Guzzi and Suzuki have all spoiled me.

 

[850 Combat]

Yeah, I wonder how long with a top quality chain and a good oiler. Certainly longer than I ever keep a bike. Way longer.

I can't live with the mess of a chain oiler. I've owned bikes that had them. On a loaded touring bike with bags, its a pain even to look closely at the chain, especially when you are stewarding multiple motorcycles.

Its not fun to carry a can of chain lube in your motorcycle luggage, either

 

[tkent02]

On a loaded touring bike with bags, its a pain even to look closely at the chain.

On a touring bike, a shaft is the way to go with or without bags. But a chain will work too.

With a modern chain, there need be no mess, and no adjustment required on the road. As I said earlier, I have 13,000 miles on one bike, no chain adjustment yet. It is still tight, as it came from the factory. I have rarely oiled it. Just a quick squirt once in a while when it's convenient, like whan I wash the bike. (Also rare)

 

[wymple]

Weren't the yamaha XJ's or XS's known for blowing threw shafts like hot cakes?
I think that's were some of these "shaft-phobias" began.

I absolutely love my 650G, just hop on and GO!
The 750E...I gotta check the chain and inspect everything...

Not that I'm aware of. My Viragos have the same final drive units, they are somewhat close copies of the Beemers. I've not personally seen a bad one, tho somebody must have lunched some. I've seen a few on our beloved GS stuff, tho.

 

[Griffin]

This thread took me down memory lane a bit, both in seeing names of posters long gone from the forum, and also my posts from five years ago after picking up my first shaft drive bike in May of 2009, my GS1000G, Betty.

I've had Betty for five years, put about 14,000 miles on her in that time, and she's become one of my favorite bikes (was my favorite for several years, until the 650E came along). That being said, all of my other bikes are chain drive (although I did pick up an 850G to fix up and flip), just because Betty is the perfect bike for me for long rides, and anything else I own will be for fun around town or on curvy backroads, so I've been acquiring smaller, lighter bikes. About the only shaft drive GS that would fit that description would be a GS650G, and I don't have one because I found a 650E first for the right price.

I will now say that, at least in the case of GSes, shaft or chain drive really doesn't matter. I honestly cannot feel any real difference in how power from the engine is delivered if I ride the 1000G and hop right off of it onto a chain drive bike. There is none of the jacking and backlash that early shaft driven bikes were famous for, the rise on acceleration is minimal (I have high quality Koni shocks in the back, which probably help in that regard), and the added weight is well below the bike's center of gravity, so it doesn't add to any kind of "bigness" feeling when you get on the bike.

All that being said, I do have a Skunk sitting in the corner of the garage, waiting to be resurrected. Maybe this year, probably next year. When that is done, it will be interesting to compare them personally on back-to-back rides.

So my answer to the original question from so long ago is.......

.....When we're talking GSes, it doesn't really matter. Get the bike that has the power, size, maneuverability, and comfort you desire for your riding style.

The final drive arrangement is about the last thing to consider.

 

[850 Combat]

This thread took me down memory lane a bit, both in seeing names of posters long gone from the forum, and also my posts from five years ago after picking up my first shaft drive bike in May of 2009, my GS1000G, Betty.

I've had Betty for five years, put about 14,000 miles on her in that time, and she's become one of my favorite bikes (was my favorite for several years, until the 650E came along). That being said, all of my other bikes are chain drive (although I did pick up an 850G to fix up and flip), just because Betty is the perfect bike for me for long rides, and anything else I own will be for fun around town or on curvy backroads, so I've been acquiring smaller, lighter bikes. About the only shaft drive GS that would fit that description would be a GS650G, and I don't have one because I found a 650E first for the right price.

I will now say that, at least in the case of GSes, shaft or chain drive really doesn't matter. I honestly cannot feel any real difference in how power from the engine is delivered if I ride the 1000G and hop right off of it onto a chain drive bike. There is none of the jacking and backlash that early shaft driven bikes were famous for, the rise on acceleration is minimal (I have high quality Koni shocks in the back, which probably help in that regard), and the added weight is well below the bike's center of gravity, so it doesn't add to any kind of "bigness" feeling when you get on the bike.

All that being said, I do have a Skunk sitting in the corner of the garage, waiting to be resurrected. Maybe this year, probably next year. When that is done, it will be interesting to compare them personally on back-to-back rides.

So my answer to the original question from so long ago is.......

.....When we're talking GSes, it doesn't really matter. Get the bike that has the power, size, maneuverability, and comfort you desire for your riding style.

The final drive arrangement is about the last thing to consider.

I know somebody, well, knew him as he has passed away, who blew the rear end on a Guzzi T5. He was trying wheelies and burnouts at the time. I own way more chain drive bikes than shafts, but the cleanliness is also a consideration. I think my skunk has noticably better handling than my Gs. Its a small difference. My 650 Seca (shaft) has even less shaft effect of rising and falling with the power on and off than my Gs do. It doesn't feel shafty at all.

 

[Flyboy]

What a silly discussion, 1000G, because everybody knows that chicks like a big shaft............duh, no brainer.

 

[Griffin]

What a silly discussion, 1000G, because everybody knows that chicks like a big shaft............duh, no brainer.

Actually, maybe not so much......

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/23/*****-size-infidelity_n_5200248.html

The Larger Your Peni$, The More Likely Your Wife Will Cheat Says New Study

Men often view having a large member as a symbol of strength and sexual prowess. But it turns out, when it comes to keeping a woman satisfied, bigger may not be better.

Contrary to popular belief, a new study out of Kenya found that husbands with larger *****es were more likely to be cheated on by their wives (shocking, we know).

For the study -- published this month in PLOSOne -- researchers interviewed 545 married couples in Kenya in order to better understand their relationship habits and, more specifically, to identify factors which contributed to women having extramarital affairs.

Researchers asked both partners to self-report the male's erect ***** size (they had a 15 inch ruler on hand for reference). Then, if there were differences between the estimates (which there were), they either took the average of the two or went with the estimate from the partner who was less likely to fib.

What they found was rather shocking:

"Every one inch longer ***** increased the likelihood of women being involved in extra-marital partnership by almost one-and-half times," the researchers wrote. "Women associated large *****es with pain and discomfort during sex which precludes the enjoyment and sexual satisfaction that women are supposed to feel."

 

[Dj66]

Well,that explains a lot.

 

[duaneage]

I'm surprised I never weighed in on this thread till now.

I've had shaft and chain drive bikes and it's shaft drive from now on. I like the quieter running shaft drive offers, the consistent feel of the shifts unaffected by chain tension. I don't miss the mess nor expense of replacing chains since every chain drive bike I had needed a new one after 10 or 12 thousand miles. Getting the rear tire off a chain drive is a hassle, the shaft is so much easier.

But to each his own and we do have choices.

 

[jeff.saunders]

I've had both, and both have pros and cons. The biggest negative with the shaft is you are typically locked into that final drive ratio. For many of my bikes, I like to change the gearing.

Shaft bikes do lose a small amount of power to the rear wheel. Not a big deal for most people.

If I every buy a cruiser, I will get a shaft version for sure. But for performance, I will stick with chain.