Chain vs. belt vs. shaft drive?

[yoda731]

The only scheduled mainteanance is to drain and change the gear oil in the rear drive, but this is a simple five minute/two nuts to remove job, and it does not have to be done often.

...And thje only maintenance is having to change the gear oil once every year or two.

t_bonee-- what is the world coming to when a Steelers fan and a Bengals fan agree?

[t_bonee]

The only scheduled mainteanance is to drain and change the gear oil in the rear drive, but this is a simple five minute/two nuts to remove job, and it does not have to be done often.

...And thje only maintenance is having to change the gear oil once every year or two.

t_bonee-- what is the world coming to when a Steelers fan and a Bengals fan agree?

Must be Armageddon.

Everyone prepare for the ending is near

[earwig]

I think either shaft or belt are better choices because your back wheel will stay cleaner Seriously though, my last bike had chain drive and I hated having to adjust it and keep the tension at what the manual recommended. The belt on my bike now supposedly doesn't have to be replaced for 50,000 miles, the newer version is supposed to last forever... of course this could just be BS but I guess it depends on the bike/belt you are dealing with.

[flynrider]

I've owned chain and shaft driven bikes and IMHO, there are much more important things besides the final drive to consider. I have never chosen one bike over another based on that issue.

Your point that chains and belts can break isn't really a big issue. With several hundred thousand chain driven miles under my belt, I'm still waiting for my first chain break. I haven't even seen it happen on any of my riding buddies bikes. It's probably as likely as something going wrong in a shaft. Modern chains and belts are very tough and very hard to break.

Depending on how you ride and how you maintain them, chains and belts don't really require that much attention (assuming a modern O-ring or X-ring sealed chain). My current bike is a chain drive and I give it a quick shot of lube every week or so. I've got 15K miles on the chain and I've only had to adjust it twice (about a 10 min. job). My brother had a belt drive Kaw and he adjusted it once in the 15K miles that he owned it.

Overall, final drive maintenance issues with a chain, belt or shaft are going to be minimal. I really preferred the belts and shafties back in the days before sealed chains became common (read : lots of messy sticky lubing). But nowadays, it's a toss-up. I look for the best bike that'll fit my needs and take whatever final drive they decided to put on it.

[jstark47]

I agree with flynrider. Modern chains have much lower maintenance. 6000 miles on my bike now, and I've had to adjust the chain once. Chain lube is once every 500-1000 miles, and takes....... well it takes longer to put the bike up on the jack then it does to spray on the chain wax! Or if you have two people, skip the jack and just move the bike back and forth.

It's not a big deal.

Another advantage of chain over shaft is everything is right out where you can see it. No wondering if seals are tight, bearings are lubed, etc, etc.

Yet another advantage of chain is changing the final drive ratio is possible by changing the front sprocket, which is not major surgery.

[angrypeppers]

Thanks everyone! I don't think the final drive will be the determining factory in which bike I buy. But it's good to know what experiences people have with each of them. Keep the comments coming!

Chris

[JC Viper]

I remember reading about this in a mag. Chains are great for low cost and are efficient. They can break, though not too often, and can ruin part of the engine if broken off at high speed.
Belts have a good life span and quiet but tire or gear modifications are tricky to do. They become pretty bad when ice forms on them or if there are little cracks in it.
Shaft drives are supposidly bullet proof and only need oil once a year but shafts tend to suck more power from the engine and reduce fuel mileage. U-joint problems are usually rare.

As for me, I'm using X-ring chain on my bike and the only thing that worries me is 6000 miles and still not needing an adjustment. I keep thinking it's too tight.

[paul246]

I'm also with Flynrider on this. I would get the bike I wanted and not place too much emphasis on the final drive because they are all good and each has its own unique advantages.

[flynrider]

As for me, I'm using X-ring chain on my bike and the only thing that worries me is 6000 miles and still not needing an adjustment. I keep thinking it's too tight.

I had the same problem when I started using O-ring chains. Since they don't rely on the rider to provide the most critical lube (rollers), they tend to wear much slower than chains of old. I was at 7,500 miles before I adjusted my current chain for the first time. In the old days it was every 1,000 to 1,500 miles.

On secret for long chain life is not to adjust it to the tight end of the spec. This tends to cause the chain to stretch faster and wear the sprockets more. I keep mine on the loose end of the spec. and it just keeps on going without stretching.

[jstark47]

On secret for long chain life is not to adjust it to the tight end of the spec. I keep mine on the loose end of the spec. and it just keeps on going without stretching.

I agreee, a little too loose is better than too tight.