Shaft drive vs Chain drive - benefits or drawbacks?

Folks.

Anyone care to run down the benefits/drawbacks of shaft drive versus chain
drive?

With the state of petrol prices the bastard oil companies and even more
bastards governments are putting us to, the time has come to bite the
bullet and buy a bike for commuting - options now include a BMW K100RT
{shaft drive}, and a Kawazake GPZ900 {chain drive}.

Both are around the same vintage, and both seem in reasonable nick,
as far as I can tell from an online description and one JPG.

Which drive is better? Are there any "gotcha's" with shaft drive
bikes? Chain drive I know most of - chain wear, replacement,
oiling etc - but I've never owned or ridden a shaft drive bike.

Are the handling/ride characteristics vastly different between the
two?

Thanks for any info.

DaZZa


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From what ive heard various time sin the newsgroup...it is _difficult_ to
mono a shaft driven bike...

 

"DaZZa" wrote

If you buy a $10,000 bike to save money on petrol, your car gets 10 km/l,
your new bike gets 20 km/l you will save $1 for every 20 kms you travel on
the bike. When your bike has done 200,000 kms you will be in front (except
for the money you spent on tyres, rego, insurance, jacket, helmet, gloves
and servicing the bike).

You need a different excuse for buying the bike.

Theo

 

In aus.motorcycles on 28 Jan 2004 02:56:03 GMT

Shafts if well designed and maintained can last longer than chains, even
modern chains, with less maintenance required.

I think the K100 ones are pretty bulletproof, but you might need to pick
BMW riders brains on that.

I've found shaft to be excellent for the high miles I do.

lotsa people go on about the shaft effect, I've never noticed it.

I expect that if you are hooning heaps you might feel it, if you are
commuting, touring, the occasional fang, then you won't.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Wed, 28 Jan 2004 11:15:04 +0800

You think a GPz900 is a $10k bike?

Sounds to me like he's after a $3k bike.

Zebee

 

"Zebee Johnstone" wrote

But, but, they're a Classic.

OK then, break even at fuel-only costs at 60,000 kms. I was looking at the
K100RT. I don't think that's a $3K bike.

Theo

 

Shaft will out do a chain drive always, I have a ST2 Ducati and it has a
Scottoiler fitted but will never be as good as a shaft IMHO

 

Nobody mentioned a $10000 bike.

Both the bikes I'm looking at are second hand, and under $4000.

Also, my car gets more like 6k/l - 17 or 18 litres per 100k's.

Besides, I've got another reason. This is just to get it past the
ball and chain.

DaZZa

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I don't think that'll be a problem. I'm not likely to want to mono anything
until I've gotten a _lot_ more practise under my belt.

DaZZa

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Bingo.

DaZZa

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Good. I'm far too out of practise doing my own maintenance on bikes - I
haven't changed a chain and sproket since I was 19!

Any BMW riders listening?

I'm not expecting to do a lot of miles on it - the daily commute, and maybe
the odd fun run on weekends, if I can convince SWMBO to either give me
a leave pass or come along.

Shaft effect?

You know me, Zebee - I'm not really the hooning type.

Although, with middle age rapidly approaching, who knows?

DaZZa

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"DaZZa" wrote

I figured that. Just hope she's not a maths teacher.

Theo

 

X-No-archive: yes
DaZZa wrote in message ...

Shafties feel weird and ungainly for about half-an-hour and then feel normal
for the next 150,000 or so.
Try one; you'll never understand why people put up with chains!
Clem

 

X-No-archive: yes
DoinitSideways wrote in message ...

Did you see this Hamish?
[flushed with pride]
Clem

 

Believe it or not, she's got a degree in advanced mathematics.

But, as she always says, it's in theoretical maths, not applied -
which is why I do the budget.

DaZZa

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DaZZa wrote in message ...

Spend $2000 and get an XJ900.
Not much worse performance than a GPZ900R AND a shaft drive!
Clem

 

Quick question, and I'm certainly not trying to discourage you from buying a
bike for commuting, but what are you using currently that it's going to save
you money instead of? (And I suppose as well, how many kays are you doing a
week commuting.)

Reason I ask is..... my brother used to use his RF600 for weekends and
commute on a TS185, in the belief that it was saving him money. The TS used
about half the fuel, and cost bugger all to maintain, but when he did the
maths and figured into it the additional rego and insurance, it was about
even.

Now, for me, it used to work out slightly cheaper over the whole year to
ride the GPX the 400km/week instead of doing the commuting on the ZX10. But
if it was a case of a GPZ900 or K100 instead of, say, a full-on sports bike,
you'd need to be doing some big kays to justify the extra rego etc. Even vs
a car. A big-bore bike, even an older one, isn't going to be much (if any)
cheaper to run than an average car. ('Course all the goes straight out the
window is your car is a V8.)

 

Where from, and in what kind of nick?

DaZZa

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BULLSHIT!




If you _seriously_ want a commuter bike then a K100RT or a GPZ900
shouldn't be on you list.

regards,
CrazyCam