Posted by hogryder on September 13, 1999 at 15:26:00:
In Reply to: Re: Sold the Savage! posted by bart on September 13, 1999 at 05:07:36:
Problems with shaft drive:
They are heavy! Shaft drive adds about 75 - 100 lbs to a bike depending upon the model.
Inefficiency. Large loss of horsepower (and torque) which gets worse as the drive ages.
More maintenance than a belt (not as much as a chain). One more thing to lubricate, more seals to go out and leak. More moving parts to wear out and need repair.
Expensive to replace. Probably will last the life of the bike just like a belt but costs many times as much as a belt to replace, both in parts and labor.
Centrifigal shaft effects. Not as pronounced on modern bikes as on older ones but still present. On older shaft bikes you could prop the rear wheel up off the ground, rev it up, and the back shocks would bottom out. Newer bikes have more weight shifted to the front wheel and better suspension but the effects are still there.
Hope you enjoy whatever bike you choose. My choice would be to keep the bike design as simple as possible. No multiple carburators, no shaft drive (or chain), no liquid cooling, etc.
Ride free.