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What are the advantages or disadvantages of the shaft drive vs belt drive on a motorcycle?
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
"Shaft effect" is the drop in the back of a shaft drive motorcycle under acceleration, they also pop up when you stop accelerating which can cause a loss of control in a corner That is why some sport bikes don't use them. BMW paralever-frame motorcycles use a shaft drive; the paralever shaft drive design reduces or eliminates this effect.
The shaft effect must be understood to increase control in cornering. By increasing the throttle in a right-hand turn and decreasing the throttle in a left-hand turn shaft effect can work for the rider to increase control. It's all in understanding the limitations of your machine.
AnswerThe shaft drive is heavier than the belt drive, has more frictional losses and id more expensive to repair. The belt is more prone to damage from road debris than shaft or even chain. It is also critical that the belt is taught at all positions of the swingarm, something chain is much less sensitive to and shaft does not have. The shaft is more durable and requires little or no maintenance. All run quietly and smoothly when in proper working order, with belt and shaft having a slight advantage over chain.. AnswerThe main disadvantages of shaft drive are weight, cost and a certain loss of horsepower due to friction. They are costly to repair, but that will hardly ever be necessary. The main advantages are smoothness, absence of oil spill, ease of maintenance and reliability. A shaft drive will normally never require a roadside repair, and an oil change each time you change rear wheel will normally be all you need to do about it. Hence, shaft drive is preferable for touring. A more sporting motorcycle will normally have chain drive due to the low weight and ability to easily change transmission ratios by using different size sprockets and partly because of looks. Chain drive is obligatory in most forms of racing. But chains may break and they need frequent attention, maintenance (lubrication) and adjustment.History
BMW introduced shaft drive in motorcycles in 1923. This was in response to the fact that at the time, drive belts were made of flaps of leather riveted together. Compared to the level of maintenance required by leather drive belts, a shaft drive seemed to be the final solution. With the advent of chain drive, the low maintenance advantage of shaft drive diminished slightly, but not altogether. Shaft drives may require maintenance between 40,000 and 150,000 miles. Compared with a 8,000-12,000 replacement schedule for chain drives, it is evident that shaft drive still holds a maintenance advantage.
Chain/belt drive DOES have an advantage over shaft drive, however. A shaft drive has a mechanical efficiency of around 80%. This means only 80% of the input power is transferred to the rear wheel. The efficiency of a chain/belt is mid 90%. The chain loses efficiency only due to friction internal to the chain and can be helped somewhat by frequent lubrication of the chain, but this increases maintenance effort and time.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago
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Who built the first shaft drive motorcycle?
In 1910 the Belgian arms company ' Fabrique National ' known as FN made the first 4 cylinder motorcycle with shaft drive. There were bicycles using shafts in the 1830's but this is the earliest motorcycle I know of.
Is it possible to lengthen a drive shaft on a Yamaha motorcycle?
Yes, it depends on what type of shaft it is to determine how your going to tackle the job.
Why did us motorcycle makers stay in the 19th century when cars went on to shaft drive?
Your question makes no sense. Yes a drive shaft in a car came in 1898 which was the 19th century but the first drive shaft on a motorcycle of any kind came in 1923 which is the 20th century. So no manufactures US or other had a shaft driven bike in the 19th century. The first 70 or so years that a drive shaft was offed on a motorcycle they had a horrible issue of lifting the back of the motorcycle up when under moderate to heavy acceleration. This caused a traction issue when is not a good issue to have when you only have 2 tires.
Where is the oil tank located on the 1990 Yamaha VMax motorcycle?
there is no oil tank on a Vmax motorcycle. The only oil is in the crank case, and the shaft drive.
How is the power transfered to the rear wheel on a boss hoss motorcycle?
If there's no chain it's a shaft drive.
Can you change your shaft drive on your motorcycle to a belt drive?
You will need to change the gearbox, swing arm, back wheel and, probably, brake arrangement and shocks.
Is there a transmission in a motorcycle?
Yes there is, otherwise it would not be able to drive. The transmission is the gears, the chain and the sprocket. Some motorcycles have a drive shaft instead of a chain.
Is a motorcycle belt drive smoother than a shaft drive?
Ok the shaft drive is smoother as long as the shaft and bearings are maintained properly the belt drive will be close to the same smoothness but will have a slight vibration due to the design of the pulley teeth or cog and the belt tooth contact area. and the belt needs adjustments more often. hope that helps
When you on over drive?
The output shaft of the transmission turns at a faster rate than the input shaft. This has both advantages and disadvantages. It allows you to use taller rear end gears, giving you better starting torque. It's also a parasitic drain on the engine, and you'll lose power when towing or on hills.
Can you change the gear ratio on a shaft drive motorcycle?
Never thought of it. Best is to check with your local dealer. Sorry, can't tell you more.
Who invented the drive shaft and when?
A drive shaft allows torque to enter a motor. Louis Renault of France was the inventor of the drive shaft. He invented the drive shaft in 1898.
Did Harley Davidson ever build a shaft drive motorcycle?
== == Harley built approximately 1000 shaft drive units in 1942 for the Army, designated XA (experimental Army). It was thought the shaft drive would hold up much better the sands of Africa. Very rare indeed. There is one on display in Houston, Texas at Competition Cycles close to Hobby Airport.
