B
ballisticexchris
Guest
What is with all this dislike for a chain? I would never ever base my purchase or like/dislike of a bike because of the drive system. The reality is they both have advantages and disadvantages. Shaft is less messy and that's about it. Chain drives are very reliable and gearing changes are very simple. With a good O-ring or X-ring chain you can get away to lubricating them once a day. The disadvantage is they have to be changed out every 15k to 20k miles.
Don't get me wrong. I really like the drive system on the Super Tenere. I am a little put off that the gearing changes are pretty damn hard to do and not something you can do in 5 minutes like a chain system. I used to carry a few countershaft sprockets with me for different riding conditions. That is not possible on a shaft driven bike.
BTW does anyone know of a company the sells optional ring and pinion gear sets. While the OEM gearing is not bad, lower gearing sure would be nice for slow speed work and freeway/canyon cruising. I find that 1st and 6th gear is way too high. 5th gear is perfect for 75mph cruising. 1st gear requires lots of clutch work at anything below walking pace. On my Ninja it was just a quick swap of countershaft and I could crawl the bike with almost no clutch. Good news is I am able to abuse the clutch and manage it.
I'm wondering how long the clutch is going to last on this bike. My Ninja plates were shot about the same time I had to replace the chain and sprockets. FWIW, I'm very hard on clutches. I don't knock my bike out of gear at stops. Clutch is always covered when riding and bike in gear at lights. I remember a master mechanic telling me that the local motor cops went through a lot of clutches on the BMW's and ST Hondas because of the requirement to cover the clutch and have it in at stops.
Don't get me wrong. I really like the drive system on the Super Tenere. I am a little put off that the gearing changes are pretty damn hard to do and not something you can do in 5 minutes like a chain system. I used to carry a few countershaft sprockets with me for different riding conditions. That is not possible on a shaft driven bike.
BTW does anyone know of a company the sells optional ring and pinion gear sets. While the OEM gearing is not bad, lower gearing sure would be nice for slow speed work and freeway/canyon cruising. I find that 1st and 6th gear is way too high. 5th gear is perfect for 75mph cruising. 1st gear requires lots of clutch work at anything below walking pace. On my Ninja it was just a quick swap of countershaft and I could crawl the bike with almost no clutch. Good news is I am able to abuse the clutch and manage it.
I'm wondering how long the clutch is going to last on this bike. My Ninja plates were shot about the same time I had to replace the chain and sprockets. FWIW, I'm very hard on clutches. I don't knock my bike out of gear at stops. Clutch is always covered when riding and bike in gear at lights. I remember a master mechanic telling me that the local motor cops went through a lot of clutches on the BMW's and ST Hondas because of the requirement to cover the clutch and have it in at stops.