Shafties can't wheelie

[Boob Johnson]

of course they can

Yeah why WOULDN'T you be able to lift the front of a shaft drive???

don't try this at home m109r doing a wheelieand shafties can't wheelie

No helmut as well

[Waylander]

Virago 1100 wheelies but not very high and lands really hard.
Vmax will flip if you let it and lands REALLY FUCKING hard when you don't know what you're doing.

Have had to replace forkseals on both those bikes now.

[James Deuce]

I've wheelied a Breva 750. Shafties will lean to one side if you don't know what you are doing (I don't - I didn't mean to do it). Fun way of changing lanes though.

[Oakie]

The first wheelie I ever saw was a shaftie ... a Yamaha XS850 (triple) if memory serves correctly. Performed in Thames St, Oamaru about 1980. Gee I are getting old!

[NUTBAR]

i try not too... but i cant help it.
:

[Tank]

the real question is,can you wheelie

Not a hope. I wouldn't want to be the biker behind me when I accidently shit myself by doing one.

[vifferman]

Belt drives, which are common in industry, have the advantages of quieter running, light weight, no lubrication requirements, fewer adjustments (depending on design) and reduced sprocket wear. Disadvantages include complexity, cost of replacement eg kevlar belts, damage tolerance and some heat/solvent resistance issues.

They also result in less power loss through the drivetrain than shaft or chain drive. However, the width of the cog thingies (technical term) can be an issue, especially since the average Harley type width belt isn't up for more than 100 horsies, so you'd need more width even with modern fibre (kevlar etc) reinforced belts.
The only other disadvantage I can think of with belts that's not already mentioned is occasional damage from stones getting bewteen the cogs and belt teeth.

Shaft drives tend to have less smooth (i.e., clunkier) gear changes, due to less 'give' in the drivetrain, than either chain or belt drive. There can also be torque effects affecting the handling of the bike, but the manufacturers are onto this, and do things like have the crankshaft rotating the ooposite direction to the driveshaft, or somesuch.

[Ixion]

I remember belt drive bikes. Very unreliable, slipping and the fastener things pulling out. And smelly, too. Chains were much better.

[Pixie]

I've wheelied a Breva 750. Shafties will lean to one side if you don't know what you are doing (I don't - I didn't mean to do it). Fun way of changing lanes though.

This is not a trait of the shaft drive.
It is caused by the inline crank of Guzzi's,BMW R's and Honda ST's etc.
A BMW K1200 (new one) doesn't experience lateral torque reaction.

[Pixie]

There can also be torque effects affecting the handling of the bike, but the manufacturers are onto this, and do things like have the crankshaft rotating the ooposite direction to the driveshaft, or somesuch.

The torque effects that cause handling problems are due to shaft drives tendency to raise the bike under power and squat under engine braking.
The other drives don't suffer this as bad as the force on the rear pulley/sprocket is offset and forces the swing arm in the opposite direction to the above forces.
The floating final drive on some Guzzi , BMW's and the Kawasaki 1400 is the way designers overcome this effect.

[Big Dave]

I remember belt drive bikes. Very unreliable, slipping and the fastener things pulling out. And smelly, too. Chains were much better.

Old hat. The belt drive on the Buell is superior to chain for road and street use. And some off road.

Quiet, non-serviceable, no specified replacement interval, no lubrication, no adjustment...no smell??? no slop, no mess, cheaper overall.

More prone to breakage. Mine is still good at 30,000. Some last 250,000.

If I snapped two in a week I'd still be ahead of the game.

I like shafties too.

[Waylander]

Old hat. The belt drive on the Buell is superior to chain for road and street use. And some off road.

Quiet, non-serviceable, no specified replacement interval, no lubrication, no adjustment...no smell??? no slop, no mess, cheaper overall.

More prone to breakage. Mine is still good at 30,000. Some last 250,000.

If I snapped two in a week I'd still be ahead of the game.

I like shafties too.

Maybe he likes having to do constant maintenance.

[James Deuce]

This is not a trait of the shaft drive.
It is caused by the inline crank of Guzzi's,BMW R's and Honda ST's etc.
A BMW K1200 (new one) doesn't experience lateral torque reaction.

That makes more sense. Of course I may have had an arse cheek off the seat. That would make it lean too.

[Big Dave]

The torque effects that cause handling problems are due to shaft drives tendency to raise the bike under power and squat under engine braking.
The other drives don't suffer this as bad as the force on the rear pulley/sprocket is offset and forces the swing arm in the opposite direction to the above forces.
The floating final drive on some Guzzi , BMW's and the Kawasaki 1400 is the way designers overcome this effect.

As stated in my 'award nominated' article on the Concours - thar is no slop or torque steer heavydent. And it's a nice looking bit of engineering too.

Currently penning the reveiw of the R1200S BMW.
It has a bit of a gyro torque to one side when revved at idle. But that's the motor.

I've been riding shafties since a 1976 XS1100 but I have NEVER noticed any torque reaction from a shaft drive once the bike is in motion.

Clunkyness and a bit of slop in the old days was eeet.

[saltydog]

Still doesnt negate the fact that the most efficient way of deilvering the most amount of power to a rear wheel is by chain. Belt drives belong on hogs, and shafty's on eurobikes withheated grips. See any of those top motorcross bikes with a shaft? But, horses for courses.