Final drive: Chain, Shaft, Belt?

I LOVE my (Honda and hopefully Yamaha as well, time will tell) shaft drive. Buy and forget. Had some badly rusted chains in the past due to winter use and salted roads. Also I don't want to know how it's like to clean a chain after burrying it in mud, but ok that doesn't apply to you.

If possible I'll always choose the shaft for comfort.

I was thinking a bit more rear suspension, and appropriate tires. Nothing too exotic :) And I hear you about riding dirt roads on non dirt bikes. My current ride is a little '04 Vulcan 500. I ride it on dirt roads because it is all I have. I have promised to give it to my step-son when I move next year. That is one of the reasons I am considering the Bolt and the Sportster, I do like cruisers even if they are not ideal for my future circumstances.

Now you have jinxed yourself! I guess my question would then be, how hard is it to replace a belt on the road? I think I will go search you-tube for Sportster belt change videos

Sportster and Buell are easy to replace belts. All the big twins are not a roadside repair. My biggest problem with them.

HD used to offer an emergency repair belt that had a "joint" in it. Don't know if they still do or not.

I really like my Honda shaft drive bike except for the small stator, short fuel range and folded riding position.

Yes chains have come a long way, but riding in dusty/gritty conditions means they need a lot of attention. You may want to do that or you may ride in less dust.

In the '80s all the Japanese manufacturers were making shaft drives for touring. I suppose the extra cost and weight didn't help sales. Now I don't know of a shaft drive under 1200cc which I think is unfortunate. I don't expect it to change because of the cost and weight.

I didn't see your post before I posted... I stand corrected. Guess I need to take a closer look at a Sporty.

I'm sorry, but this is just internet mis-information-fueled CRAP. Like others have said, modern motorcycles are light years beyond the unreliable junkers we all rode when we were kids (for me, that's 52 years and 45 different motorcycles of history). I've owned three BMWs with shaft drives and put about 150,000 miles on between them with absolutely ZERO issues. I can't say that about any of the chain-driven bikes I've owned - they are higher maintenance, period. My shaft-driven BMWs have been the lowest maintenance bikes I've owned and I've put many times the hours/miles on them than any others. All that said, though, I wouldn't hesitate to own either kind of final drive. Chains last a long time with modest maintenance. I don't think anyone wants a belt drive on a bike that will be used frequently on gravel roads.

I've got a 2001 BMW 1150GS with over 50,000 miles of mixed dirt roads/ratty asphalt/good highway riding, usually loaded like a moving van and two-up, and the final drive has never once given me any grief. For that matter, NOTHING on that bike has ever failed, it's just taken normal maintenance and replacement of wear items over the years. It's the best bike I've ever owned for reliability, fun, and all-around utility. I love that thing but am the first to admit it ain't no dirt bike at 550 pounds wet weight (without luggage or a passenger). It can be a handful if the road or trail gets rough; the bike is capable, it's just big and heavy.

As others have said, I would opt every time for a fuel-injected bike over a carb'ed bike primarily for the ease of starting regardless the weather. I've owned many kinds of both and I have learned to love FI. I've currently got the BMW GS and a 2010 Yamaha WR250R that are both injected. They can sit for a month or more and will ALWAYS fire up on first touch. I've never had to twiddle with any of the FI bikes I've ever had, but the carbed bikes always needed twiddling to get them going if they sat for a while or if it was cold.

I think the best advice I've seen in both your threads has been to find a bike that meets your needs and lights your fire, buy it and ride the piss out of it. Modern motorcycles are incredibly tough and reliable, so it's very likely it will serve your purposes for as long as you care to own it with just basic routine care.

Your retirement sounds like it's going to be a HOOT! I grew up in New Mexico and absolutely love that country. It's so cool to be able to go from desert to high mountains in a few miles. If I were looking for The One Bike I'd certainly get one that's comfy on longer rides because there is so much to explore in that region.

Best wishes for a very happy retirement!!!!

Doug

I've got a final out in the back of my car with some fuckered seals that disagrees with you.

Just messing around there. Anything will break/age eventually. I like the shaft drive on my bike. Change the oil in the final, and I greased the ever loving shit out of everything I could last time I had the hub off.

The only thing I don't like about shafties, is you can't modify your ratios like you can with a chain. Or not easily anyway. And damn sure not cheaply.

My Tiger has a chain, our RGU has a belt, the best bike I ever owned had a shaft drive. If the bike suits us, the final drive is not an issue.

I do prefer shaft drive when a choice is available for street/adventure touring, but for dirt, or drag bikes I'd prefer a chain. YMMV of course..

FWIW WD-40 is a lube. It's a mix of kerosene, light machine oil, and the secret water displacing chemical.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2

I agree with pick the bike and then ask the question about longevity. Drive trains, like your question about FI longevity differ among makers. Some are just better than others.

Doesn't make much sense to isolated 2 problems while the bike you pick is well known for another.

I will start, since you have referred to Triumph in both threads. Late model bikes have a good reputation for reliability. Twins are pretty simple compared to some potential choices. If that turns out to be the one, then how easy is it to work on? Even if you don't do it, it will impact service cost.

Good point. I just didn't want to sound totally lame with a "please pick my bike for me" thread. (Although that seems to be kinda what I am asking)

As the owner of a belt driven bike I recommend a chain. Install an oiler. Belts are such a crapshoot, you can take one 100k miles and another might break after 3k.

When I switched to a Scottoiler, my x-ring chain life doubled. That makes me think that lubricating a chain does increase the life of the chain...

The new x ring chains might be expensive but worth it, never lube mine, even in mixed riding, 30-70 gravel-blacktop, they seem to last forever. I keep checking it for tightness, can't remember when I had to adjusted it last. Having said that, I don't have any experience with a belt or shaft. There is talk of BMW having issues with their shaft, but this being internet, things seem to balloon out a bit and some people tend to believe everything they read here.

My criteria was shaft drive, mostly because I loved doing long distances and hated having to lube every 300 to 600 miles. The whole, push, lube, push, lube, and then after diligently cleaning and lubing the chain, wiping the excess off and the wax of the rims, I got tired of it, no to mention seeing the little rubber o-rings come loose, this didn't make me feel particularly trusting of chains.
The belts aren't offered on many other brands except HD, that I know of (I'm probably wrong,) and I wasn't interested in a cruiser anyways. So I ended up on the FJR, because it has a reputation for having an "OK" shaft drive with easy maintenance, perhaps not as good as BMWs but I can't afford BMWs. I know that I compromised and sacrificed a lot of power and efficiency for the shaft, however, the bike will still outperform my riding abilities, so who cares. I'm no GP racer and I'm in my forties, so officially in the category of "Old Fart!"

I haven't read your other threads but I'll weigh in anyway. Since you are in Maine right now and moving to New Mexico, I think you should also look at the twins and triple out there that have a 21 inch front wheel. These willbe modern motorcycles with fuel injection. They'll weigh in the mid 400lb range, tour well, handle rougher terrain and be comfortable.

I've spend a lot of time riding out west. I keep a dual sport in Arizona and have another here in New England. In my experience, the dirt roads out west can deteriorate quickly due to weather and flash flood washouts. The soils out there range from bull dust and sand to clay. Some of the most beautiful ride destinations are a long ways from pavement. You want a bike most capable for getting to them.

To get the most benefit from your rides, I think you need a motorcycle that you can equip with the right tires for the job. The reason you want the 21 inch front hoop is because it rolls the rough stuff best. You are also going to want decent fuel range.

I rode a KTM 950 for 7 years and 60k miles. The newest version of that bike is the 990. I think you should add that and maybe a BMW 800GS and Triumph 800 to your list.

I also vote chain drives. The reason is that if you want to take a big trip you want to make sure your drive system will get you home. My big trips were typically about 7k miles long. That means I would begin the trip with a new chainset and an extra rear tire (strapped to the bike or drop shipped at a predetermined location). My 950 chainsets lasted about 15k miles. A new chain and sprockets cost about $325. My rear tires went about 4k. The 950 had about 220 miles fuel range. Out west that is barely enough.

I replaced the 950 with a KTM 690R. It is about 120lbs lighter making it easier to pick up by myself when solo. I like touring with the 950, though. I rode it all over the continent.

My 950 had carbs. My 690 and Yamaha have FI. I vote FI for a better running motor and advantages at higher elevations.

Oh yeah, let us know what you went with bike wise and your impressions.

I love that you have the R nine T on your list. That is about the coolest looking bike I've ever seen. It should handle VERY well and would be a blast to ride.

Personally, were I in your shoes, I'd be looking at a basic 1200GS. It is a really good street bike that can handle dirt roads if you want to. Don't think of it as an enduro or dirt bike. It isn't. It is monstrously fun in the twisties, very capable on interstates, nimble enough in town and still capable of a bit of off-roading when you need it. That sounds about perfect for NM.

Still not as cool as the R nine T though.

and my chains started lasting significantly longer when i stopped lubing them. but i ride a lot of muddy trails. maybe it works differently depending on what type of riding you are doing.

i read about people getting 25k miles out of chains on street bikes. i freely admit that i do not get 25k miles out of chains. i just know they last a lot longer than they used to since i stopped lubing them.