Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello,

I'm getting my motorcycle license later this year (June) and have started thinking about what bike I would like to get (more seriously than I have been). This will be my first bike and I know I want a cruiser, something in the 600-800cc range.

I was discussing this with some friends of mine who ride and one of them knows someone who is considering selling a Yamaha V-Star 650 (an '01 if he remembers correctly). I have read a fair amount about the bike and have been impressed with what I have seen.

I'm wondering about maintenance on a Shaft drive as opposed to a Chain or Belt drive. It seems as though Shaft would be more expensive from a parts issue, and I imagine that the labour would be more hours also.

Given your druthers, what would you rather have on your bike as a final drive, both from a performance and from a maintenance standpoint?

Thanks,
David


EDIT: Added a poll.

Give me a shaft drive, the maintenance is easier and their a lot cleaner.

There needs to be a 4th choice: doesn't really matter.

Both my bikes have been chain drive, but that's not why I bought them, and wasn't even a consideration. I had other things higher on my list than the final drive..like, is it shiny? Is it spiffy? Does it give me warm fuzzies?

'Cause the warm fuzzies, that's what it's all about

Johnj wrote:Give me a shaft drive, the maintenance is easier and their a lot cleaner.

How is it easier?

The mechanism seems more complex than a chain. I'm sure you're correct in your assessment, I just can't reconcile it in my head.

Well, from what I've read, shaft maintenance (:lol: sorry, immature moment) is easier because it doesn't need regular maintenance, not like a chain does. The shaft is also protected from the elements and the road by a case, so its not going to wear like a belt or chain would.

I don't actually ride yet, so take my words with a good helping of salt, if not just a grain.

Service the chain every 400-600 miles or every rain storm

Service the shaft every 10-15,000 miles (oil change). And grease the splines whenever you change the rear tire

Service the belt according to the factory manual but inspect it often for tears or cuts. Replacement on belts is starting to be much rarer than it used to be

In the end- I'm of the agreement that final drive doesn't matter unless it's the only thing you have to choose between two bikes.

I realize that in the long run, final drive doesn't really matter. Whatever works, right?

I figured that people would be concerned about things like weight and efficiency. Shaft drives must weigh more than the other two. The same bike with a chain drive would have a better power to weight ratio.

Belts, I would imagine, are subject to stretch and flex resulting in less energy transfer to the rear wheel. Not enough for me to notice, but someone might care. I think that a shaft drive would transfer energy more efficiently.

Final drive isn't a deal breaker on a bike for me, unless it's missing.

huge wrote:I realize that in the long run, final drive doesn't really matter. Whatever works, right?

Bingo! Now that there are long-life sealed O-ring chains, final drive maintenance should be a minimal factor in bike choice. None of the choices requires a whole lot of attention.

Depending on usage and wear, o-ring chains should be maintained differently, but it is generally advisable to follow a few guidelines:

* clean the chains often
o never use gasoline to clean the chains, its solvents damage o-rings
o use kerosene or other light petroleum solvent.
o avoid using stiff brushes - they can damage the o-rings
* add o-ring compatible lubricant
o this ensures the lubricant being applied will make it inside the rubber seals
o do this about every 200 miles - on a motorcycle every other gas-stop will do.
o wax-based lubricants have less 'fling' but may attract more dust and grit
o many high-mileage riders use an automatic chain oiler
o some sources note that the o-rings seal the lubricant inside the chain - however you still need to lubricate the chain-sprocket interface.
* when in doubt, purchase a new chain
o generally the sprockets should be replaced at the same time as the chain.

Sounds like a lot to me.

I don't clean my O-ring chain often. In fact , my current chain is approaching 18K miles and has yet to be cleaned.

It has required adjustment (20 min. process) twice since new. Every couple of weeks, I give it a spritz of silicone based lube (doesn't fling, attracts even less dirt that a petroleum based lube).

I imagine I'll have to replace it at 25K miles or so. It takes about 1.5 hrs. to do the job (with beer breaks).


If you want, you can make it a lot of work, but it doesn't have to be.

Note : In the old days (before O-rings), chains required a lot of lubing, cleaning, adjusting, and wore out fairly quickly. Shafties were pretty attractive back then.