Shaft drive Vs. Chain

Discuss.

 

shaft:
pro's - less maintenance
con's - not as efficient transfer of power from engine to rear wheel

chain:
pro's - more efficient transer of power from engine to rear wheel
con's - more maintenance

 

I'll go with chain, simply due to less weight and less transmission loss.

(I like light quick big bikes)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, if I were going for big miles I'd want to keep maintanence to a minimum, so shaft it'd be.

 

shaft:
pros - clean
cons - expensive to repair/replace

Chain:
pros - cheap to replace when it fails/wears out
cons - need to replace more frequently

 

I'll go with chain, simply due to less weight and less transmission loss.

(I like light quick big bikes)

BUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, if I were going for big miles I'd want to keep maintanence to a minimum, so shaft it'd be.

 

There is also supposed to be a 'lift' on the suspension when power is rolled off with shaft drive ,with an effect on handling on corners,is this true or not i cant say i've really expeirienced that on both of my XJ's.

 

all bikes lift but it's when power is rolled on
just a matter of how much

 

Shaft Drive: Quiet, reliable, more HP loss, Expensive to repair if it breaks( I have been on shaft drive Yamahas for 25 years and have never had to repair one)
Chain Drive: Less HP loss, Noisy, replace chain often, sprockets also wear out. More expensive in the long run to maintain. Have you ever had a chain break and hit you in the leg....OUCH

 

I was way out int the middle of BFE one time when a chain broke on me. Made for a Loooooonnng afternoon of walking.

If I had the choice, I'd go with a shaft.

 

I've had both, but I don't really notice any difference in
performance or feel. The shaft is cleaner and less maint.
Never had a belt drive.

 

i have one of each
the chain drive is kind of a pain, but maintenance is so much easier(changing tire, brakes and such)
the shaft drive is so nice until something happens requiring removal

ride the chain drive daily and love it

 

The biggest difference to me is gearing.
With a shafty, that's it, you run what you got!
With chain, cheap sprog changes can turn your bike into a redline hitting, front wheel lifting rocket off the line, or a nice sedate, long distance machine with low revs and great gas mileage.

 

Final drive ratios can be changed with chain drive. Just change front and/or rear sprockes sizes. Shaft drive you are stuck with what you have.

 

i'll concede that's a big plus for chains.

 

Shaft!

Almost no maintenance, no noise plus my back tire and rim stay clean

 

I found that the shaft drive can make the rear wheel jump around quite a bit. I just take care not to drop throttle too abruptly.

And, apologies, but I have another (slightly) off-topic question:
Are there torque supports available for the XJs with shaft drive, like they are for other brands, to prevent the above from happening?

 

I spun out in the rain today when I lifted suddenly about 20 mph.

 

Yes, I just HAD to pull a wheelie on that Honda 900F- -
four grand, no clutch, some body English,
Noticable squat in the rear, as I had gotten used to the XJ900's lift.

From a bike magazine in the '80's- -
Shaft drives consume 5 % of your horsepower, chains use 2% , meaning a transverse shaftie is 3 % less efficient.
However, a longitudinal shaftie (Gold wing, BMW, Moto Guzzi) only has one 90* gear sets, and would use 2 1/2 % , on par with a chain.

 

with yamahas, shafties can change their gearing a little bit- maxim's use 16 inch rear rims and seca's use 18... so if you have a maxim and want a cruiser with a little lower rev's and better mpg, or a fast accelerating seca- toss on the 16 inch rim

 

After changing my shaft drive maxim to my chain drive gsx I don't really notice much of a differance!! the chain requires more attention for sure but I've never really noticed the sound complaint some people have and since the bikes are so different, (maxim 650 cruiser vs GSX 750 sport bike) the feel and performance are to different to compare mostly I just love to ride!!!

Shaun

 

I've had a shaft, chain, and belt drive bike at different times and I would prefer the belt over all, my vulcan 900 was belt driven and involved no maintenace and the factory said it was good for 100k. Had a shaft drive Volusia that felt like it wanted to take flight under hard acceleration out of the corners, bad problem with lift. I have had a ton of chain driven sportbikes which I always regeared and enjoyed, I just hated lubricating and adjusting all the time. To me it's all about personal preference.

 

Here in my second MC life I had chosen shaft drive. Why, because of the oil splash from the chain. It sits on the rim, on the clothes, on the bags and so on.
Apparently I am the only one who think that is annoying or ...

 

Good point pirok,I've have both and prefer shaft drive. I saw a xj650 in Copenhagen last november, might have been you?

 

schooter, reminds me to email a guy on my local craigslist about a maxim he's parting...

 

I have had all three drives as well, the belt was nice but I did break it. Chain does need maintainance and does make a mess. Shaft almost zero maintainance. I do get the squirrely nature of the shaft but I guess I just don't notice it anymore must just ride to the bikes capabilites. What are these torque supports?

 

I've ridden chain-drive bikes all my life with an occasional ride on a borrowed shaftie. The shaft-induced rear suspension "jacking" has been noticeable on every shaft-drive bike I've ridden.

Now I have a shaft-drive sitting in my garage; unfortunately it's a ways away from being able to ride it.

I can say this: sitting side-by-side, the additional length/bulk of the 650 Seca compared to the 550 Seca is almost entirely because of the added middle-gear case and associated large mechanical bits.

I suspect a goodly portion of the 100lb. weight difference is there too.

My personal "jury" is still out, until I get the 650 rebuilt and have a chance to really ride it.

I can say this about chains: Properly maintained and lubed, a chain is not all that big of a headache. If you use a good-quality chain lube the mess factor can be minimal (I use PJ1 Blue Label) and if you keep the chain clean and lubed it doesn't require adjustment all that often.

My commute is 120 miles round-trip; I lube my chain every 3 days or so, and get around 600-900 miles (or more) between adjustments.

 

mlew - No it was not me in Copenhagen last November, could have been fun. I live in Aarhus.

I have lubed a lot of chains, but I must say what a relief to get rid of that. On holiday when we drove through Germany on the highway with no speed limit - you had oil everywhere.