Is motorcycling allowed?

[Grebel]

I just wonder if it should have a shaft drive. What are your views on that? Is it less sporty? Less efficient?

shaft driven bikes are for old sensible men... seriously though, I can't really comment as I've never ridden a shaft drive bike. I like a chain drive though. Easier to do the DIY maintenance. I've heard of silly money being chucked at repairs on shaft drives.

[IceCreamMan]

anyone got a lil 300 Versys? Seriously considering one for commuting an mucking about

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

shaft driven bikes are for old sensible men... seriously though, I can't really comment as I've never ridden a shaft drive bike. I like a chain drive though. Easier to do the DIY maintenance. I've heard of silly money being chucked at repairs on shaft drives.

I have only ridden my dad's old Suzuki GS1000G, many moons ago.

That shaft drive was so smooth!!!

I think, like anything in life, it is as good as the maintenance it receives. There are many 1200GS's that have many 100's of thousand KMs on them with no issues. They need maintenance, oil change, etc.

You could go through a number of chains and sprockets in the space of a single shaft drive rebuild. Chains and sprockets are not cheap, over R2000 easily.

I think the costs are pretty even over a 100000km time span.

[RocknRolla]

Having to choose, I would go Shaft drive. 

I hate chain maintenance, it's the balls. 

 

as stated above, you can buy a shitload of chains and sprockets before you have to perform maintenance on a shaft final drive.

[sawystertrance]

shaft driven bikes are for old sensible men... seriously though, I can't really comment as I've never ridden a shaft drive bike. I like a chain drive though. Easier to do the DIY maintenance. I've heard of silly money being chucked at repairs on shaft drives.

Hey, shaddup you. The truth hurts. 

[sawystertrance]

"I think, like anything in life, it is as good as the maintenance it receives. There are many 1200GS's that have many 100's of thousand KMs on them with no issues. They need maintenance, oil change, etc."

 

Steven, I agree with this. I have read stories of expensive fixes for shafts - hope I don't have to do it - but they often are associated with lack of maintenance. I also find it smooth and clean as compared to a chain and without any of the transmission of shock to the frame under acceleration or deceleration as mentioned above. I think that may have been true of older drives but is certainly not the case currently. 

 

Like many things, personal choice but I just wondered originally why BMW didn't use shaft on the 1000 XR. I'm sure there must be a technical reason. 

[Hairy]

so still cheaper than a basic GX cassette, chain and chain ring then 

I have only ridden my dad's old Suzuki GS1000G, many moons ago.

That shaft drive was so smooth!!!

I think, like anything in life, it is as good as the maintenance it receives. There are many 1200GS's that have many 100's of thousand KMs on them with no issues. They need maintenance, oil change, etc.

You could go through a number of chains and sprockets in the space of a single shaft drive rebuild. Chains and sprockets are not cheap, over R2000 easily.

I think the costs are pretty even over a 100000km time span.

[Grebel]

"I think, like anything in life, it is as good as the maintenance it receives. There are many 1200GS's that have many 100's of thousand KMs on them with no issues. They need maintenance, oil change, etc."

 

Steven, I agree with this. I have read stories of expensive fixes for shafts - hope I don't have to do it - but they often are associated with lack of maintenance. I also find it smooth and clean as compared to a chain and without any of the transmission of shock to the frame under acceleration or deceleration as mentioned above. I think that may have been true of older drives but is certainly not the case currently. 

 

Like many things, personal choice but I just wondered originally why BMW didn't use shaft on the 1000 XR. I'm sure there must be a technical reason. 

 

From what I have read, there are 3 bikes based on a similar platform. The S 1000 RR superbike, the S 1000 R naked sports and the S 1000 XR sports-tourer.

 

All in various forms of tune and trim with slight changes in wheel base, seat height etc and each targeting a specific sector of the market. I am sure if they were based off the GS type platform then a shaft would have been the way to go.

 

An interesting read here

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

so still cheaper than a basic GX cassette, chain and chain ring then 

 

I bought a black Friday special, R500 for a 525 DID O-ring chain.

But 2 months before that the same chain with a front and rear sprocket cost just under R2400. It is insane.

But yes, still cheaper than bicycle parts, as crazy as that may sound.

Considering the amount of rubber one gets, a motorbike tyre is not much more expensive than MTB tyres. It boggles the mind.....

[RocknRolla]

I bought a black Friday special, R500 for a 525 DID O-ring chain.

But 2 months before that the same chain with a front and rear sprocket cost just under R2400. It is insane.

But yes, still cheaper than bicycle parts, as crazy as that may sound.

Considering the amount of rubber one gets, a motorbike tyre is not much more expensive than MTB tyres. It boggles the mind.....

 

Yep, thought motorcycle maintenance was slightly high...till one owns a bicycle.

 

that's probably why I ride SS at the moment...can only afford one moneypit at a time.

 

Incidentally, who has been commuting in the rain?

 

Yesterday morning was interesting. Had to source a new rain suit as mine had a leaky crotch...so ended up with a dayglo orange one from Builders...my kids this morning couldn't stop laughing..said something about a traffic cone on a rice grain...(white bike)

I call it my cloak of invisibility, because even with dayglo orange and bright farking lights, cagers still manage to not see you...

[Andymann]

I just wonder if it should have a shaft drive. What are your views on that? Is it less sporty? Less efficient?

 

There are a few disadvantages to using shaft drive - firstly being that they sap a bit of power - especially in an engine with the crankshaft running across the frame - you now have to make two 90-degree bends through a pinion gear to get the rotation to the back wheel, whereas with a chain it's all in line. Bikes like the Guzzi and the BMW GS with the crank running parallel to the frame are easier to make shaft drive but they are not out and out performance bikes.  The other is that you need a double universal joint in the shaft somewhere, which also needs to be pretty strong to handle the acceleration of a bike, so they are really expensive.  Shafts also have a weird tendency to "wind up" the back end of the bike during acceleration too, so you need a pivoted swingarm to counter this - the earlier Guzzis were especially bad - there was a brilliant desiger called Dr. John Ghezzi who actually patented a parallelogram swingarm with two joints to counter this.  Check out the Dr. John Guzzi racers.  And finally your ratio is fixed so it's not easy to just bang on a bigger or smaller sprocket to change the acceleration characteristics.  The heavier weight of the crownwheel also means the rear wheel is heavier so your re-activeness of your rear suspension is also slower.

 

So for your Touring bikes,where performance and sportbike levels of handling like FJR's, Goldwings, Super10's and GS's shaft is ideal - nice low maintenance, low wearing and very clean.

 

But the moment you want to go sporty, chain and sprockets - simple to replace and easy to change.

[Andymann]

There's a nice example of Kawasaki's version - but check out all the modern shafts - they all have some form of double-pivot arrangement to help with acceleration

[Hairy]

seller wants to sell .... he is saying 10K because his girlfriend is now onto him RE the bike standing in the house.

 

may just have to give in and slowly try and get her going myself.....but need to make up my mind ASAP

 

Hi All 

 

Any of you riff raff have any experience on the Honda CX500 ... may be able to pick up a bargain that needs carbs cleaned, noted that headset needed tightening (?) and something else I forgot, but will find out again.

 

Looking 14-16K ... waiting on mileage on engine.

 

This from a commuter that joins us in the afternoons, it was a failed project that he never got to.

[Stoffel76]

seller wants to sell .... he is saying 10K because his girlfriend is now onto him RE the bike standing in the house.

 

may just have to give in and slowly try and get her going myself.....but need to make up my mind ASAP

I say go for it!!

 

(but then it's not my R10K nor my Mrs that has to be explained to why I came home with an old motorbike)  

 

 

[sawystertrance]

Geez, will you look at the size of that fine print!! 

 

What a disclaimer. Haha

[Hairy]

That old motorbike part is my biggest concern ... bloody thing is as old as me, and I am not wearing too well myself

 

I say go for it!!

 

(but then it's not my R10K nor my Mrs that has to be explained to why I came home with an old motorbike)