Chain, Belt, or Shaft Drive?

[BuzZz]

The manual will instruct you to replace the cotter pin each time.

I've always wondered why they suggested that. I can understand it if the cotter pin has seen some serious action, but to replace it twice a month? Seems a bit much to me!

Azz Covering, plain-n-simple. Once a cotter pin is bent to hold it in place, then bent back to remove it, it becomes weakened in that bend. If you re-use the pin and re-bend it, it can break during assembly or later in use. They don't want to take a chance of it failing, and then the nut backing off, then you eating asphalt, then sueing them.

[Itzamna]

Plus, you can buy a bag of a good 30 or so cotter pins for a $1, so it doesn't hurt the pocket at all. Buzz is right about the bending metal. Every single time it bends it's losing strength. I'm sure that there's a good amount of stress being put on them while the bike is moving.

At work, someone forgot to put a cotter pin on a castle nut holding the hub to the axle on a semi trailer suspension. The suspension moved at most 2 miles, before coming loose, and having both tires and the hub fall off right on the trailer assembly line. In front of a customer's inspector as well! This was completely torqued down as well. I'm sure it wouldn't take much longer for a motorcycle axle nut to come loose after a cotter pin breaking or not being there in the first place.

[oldnslo]

Some creative types use a nail to replace the pin.......

[JCS]

There is some mainainance on a shaft too. It just isn't as often as a chain.

[JustJames]

If you are going with cruiser which doesn't require much power as sport bike, I'd recommend Shaft drive. We are cruiser just WTH, let's go ride type of ppl. You don't have to worry much about adjusting or lubicating.

[Mer]

I've had both chain and shaft drive. The chain really isn't that big of a deal to maintain although when it was getting near it's useful life I was getting kinda stressed watching and wondering how much longer I had on it. When I had it adjusted and a week later it needed adjusting again I realized it was time to replace. To me it is one less thing to worry about though if you go with the shaft. I have the shaft now and love it!

[ifrpilot]

Anyone know what bikes that have a crankshaft would be good to consider for a newbie (250-500cc)?

(Yes, after the MSF course in a couple weeks!)

[Toyuzu]

Every bike ever manufactured (with the exception of alternative fuel bikes like fuel cells, electric, etc.) has a crank shaft.

But I think you were talking about a drive shaft, and I don't think there are many bikes that small that use a shaft drive. The two that I can think of off the top of my head are the Honda CX 500 and the Yamaha Virago 535. Maybe others can supply some more models.

[Coffee357]

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like I'm definitely leaning towards shaft driven. I would like to hear some more about you folks experience with belt driven bikes (like the Harley Sportster).

Thanks,

Coffee