jpolten Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Never owned or know anything about Shaft Driven bikes........... Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages owning a shaft driven compared to chain/belt? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaifan2 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 (edited) In the past i had many old BMW boxers .With shaft drive it saves oiling and having to reajust chain tension .A shaft does not spray oil about on your bike .A chain can break and leave you stranded ,where as i never had anything go wrong with the BMW shaft drive .A chain and sprockets also have a limited life . Shaft drive looses you about 10% power though .Probably the best thing to have is an O ring chain . Edited September 7, 2009 by Thaifan2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
submaniac Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 In the past i had many old BMW boxers .With shaft drive it saves oiling and having to reajust chain tension .A shaft does not spray oil about on your bike .A chain can break and leave you stranded ,where as i never had anything go wrong with the BMW shaft drive .A chain and sprockets also have a limited life .Shaft drive looses you about 10% power though .Probably the best thing to have is an O ring chain . A shaft drive is indestructible. It will never break and leave you stranded on the side of the road. It is also a very smooth type of drive. The disadvantages are that it makes a distinctive sound, like a sewing machine, it does in fact lose more power to the wheel than any other transmission, and there's no way to modify it. On the chain drives you can change the sprokets and stuff to the way you like it. Shaft drive, you are stuck at whatever the factory settings are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaicbr Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 "A shaft drive is indestructible" ummmm virtually indestructible would be closer to the truth. There can still be wear problems with shaft drive. but certainly far far less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 My second shaft-drive self-destructed at 55 miles. Dealer mechanic forgot to put in the axle grease. Failed at night on expressway, all at once, 55 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_boo Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 FWIW, there are some issues with shaft driven motorcycles. As Peaceblondie pointed out; they're not indestructible, but darn close. Also, you're rotating a mass off the centre line of your vehicle; not necessarily the best thing to do to preserve handling. The added weight of both the shaft and the tunnel are also there. Furthermore, returning to the spinning mass, it can actually 'jack' your motorcycle under serious riding. Note that these aren't big problems, but for performance motorcycles a shaft drive ain't. On an adventurer-tourer they're great though..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TongueThaied Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Never owned or know anything about Shaft Driven bikes...........Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages owning a shaft driven compared to chain/belt? Thanks Other posters have spoken the truth. All I can add is that over my life in the U.S. I owned many chain-drivens cycles, then got my first shaft-driven BMW. Despite the few detriments mentioned by others (slight loss of power, can't modify, etc.), the joy of no filthy chain to lubricate, clean, adjust and relplace and no filthy rear rim was enough to make me NEVER want to go back to a chain. If you have had chain-driven cycles in the past, a shaft may make you happy -- or not. As for belt drives, great on the highway, but if you like to occasionally leave the road, a flying rock can remove your belt and cause grief beyond measure. I am afraid of a belt for that reason. But here I am in the Land of High Import Taxes and, alas, cannot afford to fork out one million baht for a shaft . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeaceBlondie Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 To beat an old horse, it took BMW 70 years to get their shaft drive right. Both my shaft drives were Japanese sports-touring bikes properly designed by non-Bavarians who knew how to build good bikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katabeachbum Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Never owned or know anything about Shaft Driven bikes...........Can anyone tell me the advantages/disadvantages owning a shaft driven compared to chain/belt? Thanks I v had shaft drive on a VTX 1800cc v-twin. No maintance and almost impossible to destroy. Great on choppers and touringbikes. But you loose some feeling with your rearwheel, and I wouldnt want it on a sportsbike. I like the direct feeling of chain and sprockets on my Ninja 650R. Besides its heavy, so not fit for sportsbike where weight is essential. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpolten Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks for the replies and advice! From a previous topic i started about HD and the crazy prices they have in thailand got me looking at the Suzuki Intruder (shaft driven) and with no experience with cruisers i just though I'd ask! Been riding sports bike's since my teens,but i don't think Thailand is the place for one(I'd give myself six months or less) because as we all know about the roads and driving there,and i also like to ride them like they're supposed to be ridden i miss my 954 blade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivinLOS Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 i miss my 954 blade http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/automotive...book-30691.html 929 interest ya ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpolten Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 i miss my 954 blade http://classifieds.thaivisa.com/automotive...book-30691.html 929 interest ya ??? Tempting,but think sports are too dangerous in Thailand! Sorry!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apetley Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 In the past i had many old BMW boxers .With shaft drive it saves oiling and having to reajust chain tension .A shaft does not spray oil about on your bike .A chain can break and leave you stranded ,where as i never had anything go wrong with the BMW shaft drive .A chain and sprockets also have a limited life .Shaft drive looses you about 10% power though .Probably the best thing to have is an O ring chain . A shaft drive is indestructible. It will never break and leave you stranded on the side of the road. It is also a very smooth type of drive. The disadvantages are that it makes a distinctive sound, like a sewing machine, it does in fact lose more power to the wheel than any other transmission, and there's no way to modify it. On the chain drives you can change the sprokets and stuff to the way you like it. Shaft drive, you are stuck at whatever the factory settings are. A mate of mine had the only XS1100 in the UK that managed to snap the drive shaft. Yamaha could not explain why and replaced it even though it was out of warranty. All his friends knew it was the way he wound it up to 8000 revs, dumped the clutch and popped a quarter mile wheelie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katabeachbum Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Thanks for the replies and advice!From a previous topic i started about HD and the crazy prices they have in thailand got me looking at the Suzuki Intruder (shaft driven) and with no experience with cruisers i just though I'd ask! Been riding sports bike's since my teens,but i don't think Thailand is the place for one(I'd give myself six months or less) because as we all know about the roads and driving there,and i also like to ride them like they're supposed to be ridden i miss my 954 blade have a look at kawasakis 900 with beltdrive, like 450k as I recall, in the kawasaki showrooms, with legal book and warranti from kawasaki thailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kf6vci Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 The shaft drive is an additional expense when you buy a new bike, but it saves you a lot in years to come. Chains, sprocketts, sprays... Greasy rims and all that mess. The factory MZ handbook recommends cooking the chain in thick oil That was at a time when the GDR and the Berlin Wall still existed. PeaceBlondie: the BMW factory is in Berlin, Prussia not Bavaria. And I read about a BMW 193 hp supersports bike being released for the U.S. market soon. For below $ 15,000. For me, it's a bit like "refilling ink jet printer cartridges", incredibly messy. That's me, no doubt. Still, can't say I like chains Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary A Posted September 12, 2009 Share Posted September 12, 2009 I have had two shaft drive bikes, a BMW and a Honda. Both totally trouble free, smooth and quiet. If you are really pouring the coal to it, the back of the bike will raise a little but it's not that noticeable or a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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